Another bad trainee?
A word from Frida, the Kenyan girl
It is only normal for a being to be patriotic to his country and hear positive things about it. I am a kenyan girl who came to Egypt with a lot of enthusiasm which i got my fair share.
AIESEC AAST Cairo; here goes my experience. It's probably what you want to hear or may be not.
Egypt is a lovely place; the north coast and the beaches are amazing. The pyramids are awesome, lovely jewerly, a little bit too flashy clothes, comfortable cafes and i still insist that the smell of shisha has more pleasure than smoking it. Islamic City....very interesting . I believe i did not visit all the tourist places because they are many and too little time.
I wonder what Egypt would be without all the amazing places and the Nile which also passes through a number of countries and starts at kenya :P
Egyptians, i feel , do not appreciate foreigners as thay ought to.
The taxi guys the people around the pyramids will do anyhing and come up with all sorts to get a little bit more out of you. The same goes for khan el khalili.
There is a lot of cultural differences between Egypt and where i came from especially in terms of people's attitude. I find it very uncomfortable that people (except guys) cut-call and stare a little bit too much; doesn't matter the age, young or old. Didin't their mums ever tell them it is rude and idiotic to stare? No it is not uncomfortable; it is annoying.
People here do not say YES or NO they always beat about the bush way too much.They are saving you the embarrasment.
I have not written everything. If i wrote everything you would probably not like it. Guess this would do. The rest i will share it with the rest of the world.
Frida.
Responses:
I can understand your frustration fully and I can understand why you want to express it out loud, but I just want to clarify one thing; one of the fatal mistakes that human beings fall in is generalizing which is the mistake we are falling in now. If you have faced some problems while being in Egypt from different people then this doesn?t mean that all Egyptians are what you think... I will just ask you to remember every good person you met and dealt with during your stay in Egypt. Count them and count the bad people who gave you hard time. Think how many people gave you generous hospitality, think how many showed total respect. And trust me its not the nice places in Egypt is what makes it beautiful, the people who lives in it because without these people these nice places will not be as beautiful as it seems. Just question and think how many good people you met here and you will find all the answers...
frida i read what wrote and i totaly agree but this actions u r talking about it's not done only with forigeners but its with people from inside the country as well i mean the minuit u take a cab in alex,cairo or anywhere and the driver sense that u r not from the city he trys to suck u dry, and this is a fact and we shouldnt be annoyed cz u r telling it ....as for fawzy what u r saying sounds so poetic however the number of people u r talking about (( the decent people )) r lesser than the number of those who try to use others and even if the number of the decent people is larger yet they did nothing to stop those who take advantge of others they r as bad as them , so she didnt make the mistake of GENRALIZING cz thats truely what happens and it became a culture here in egypt,and if we keep on trying to hide from this fact then it will keep on getting bigger and bigger even biger than it already is....
so instead of trying to prove that everything is fine and that only a few people who does that we should start digging (( and i mean it with every meaning this word could hold )) to find the roots of why we became a society who trys to take advantge (( in a bad way )) of forigenrs.... thank you
i'm not against or for anything here, just wanted to clarify that, anything different faces some problems (idea, person ANYthing) it is a problem, and we all face it , but it's everywhere not in Egypt only, and this is a part of living diversity, learning about other?s traditions, respecting and enjoying it. we have to overcome things, think positively and have the nice memories in mind. as i'm sure if i went to Kenya one day or anywhere.. i'll face the same problems, and it won't prevent me from being there more than once and loving the ppl. And would happily here the rest of ur comments, because I think there might be some misunderstandings.. and I really hope u did enjoy at least some of ur time here and think about coming again.. inshAlla..:)
In my opinion, what really is the reason of that problem is that Frida as an SN didin get any kinda of preparation before she leaves Kenya. I mean that the 1st thing ppl say to their SNs is how to deal with culture shocks and how to respect the cultural differences. I think we as AIESEC Egypt cannot blame ourselves cause of an SN who does not want even to listen to others opinion. Frida told me about a rule in our country Egypt that discriminates between black and white people, and what's amazing is that she heard abt that rule from a trainee who told her that egyptians discriminate between black and white ppl and that we treat black ppl as if they are shiiit.....specially black girls are always known as prostitutes when they walk in the streets. All these was said to frida by a trainee and a white trainee and cause of that she got that idea abt Egypt and before she left she decided to tell everyone do not come to Egypt.With all my respect to Frida and to the LC who gave her the preparation....." You guys should know more abt AIESEC". And as Fawzy said Egypt is not just beautiful because of its amazing places but cause of its amazing people.
How do you prepare a person for being annoyed every minute of her walking on the street? maybe you should actually admit to yourselves that what is happening here in Egypt to girls is beyond the regular stuff and YOU, yourself, could be the one who can prepare us girls for getting such shit on the streets - I doubt any other AIESEC country actually knows this, so it is hard to get us prepared in this matter.
Frida is not the only one who complains, ask ANY girl here and she will tell you the same stuff. I get it too and I hate it and no matter how hard i try not to notice it, I just cant. PLUS, if I try not to notice, the only thing I see from Cairo is the dirty streets as I stare on the ground and try to shut my ears from listening... And so far, unfortunately this annoyance is the strongest impression that I am getting from Egypt... and yes, please, call me unprepared SN if you want.
-------------------
Guys, if you get harassed every day, you would also talk differently... and no, you cant say "I understand" - you cant! I think all the girls try to see it positively, no one wants to come to different country and return with bad experience...
It is only normal for a being to be patriotic to his country and hear positive things about it. I am a kenyan girl who came to Egypt with a lot of enthusiasm which i got my fair share.
AIESEC AAST Cairo; here goes my experience. It's probably what you want to hear or may be not.
Egypt is a lovely place; the north coast and the beaches are amazing. The pyramids are awesome, lovely jewerly, a little bit too flashy clothes, comfortable cafes and i still insist that the smell of shisha has more pleasure than smoking it. Islamic City....very interesting . I believe i did not visit all the tourist places because they are many and too little time.
I wonder what Egypt would be without all the amazing places and the Nile which also passes through a number of countries and starts at kenya :P
Egyptians, i feel , do not appreciate foreigners as thay ought to.
The taxi guys the people around the pyramids will do anyhing and come up with all sorts to get a little bit more out of you. The same goes for khan el khalili.
There is a lot of cultural differences between Egypt and where i came from especially in terms of people's attitude. I find it very uncomfortable that people (except guys) cut-call and stare a little bit too much; doesn't matter the age, young or old. Didin't their mums ever tell them it is rude and idiotic to stare? No it is not uncomfortable; it is annoying.
People here do not say YES or NO they always beat about the bush way too much.They are saving you the embarrasment.
I have not written everything. If i wrote everything you would probably not like it. Guess this would do. The rest i will share it with the rest of the world.
Frida.
Responses:
I can understand your frustration fully and I can understand why you want to express it out loud, but I just want to clarify one thing; one of the fatal mistakes that human beings fall in is generalizing which is the mistake we are falling in now. If you have faced some problems while being in Egypt from different people then this doesn?t mean that all Egyptians are what you think... I will just ask you to remember every good person you met and dealt with during your stay in Egypt. Count them and count the bad people who gave you hard time. Think how many people gave you generous hospitality, think how many showed total respect. And trust me its not the nice places in Egypt is what makes it beautiful, the people who lives in it because without these people these nice places will not be as beautiful as it seems. Just question and think how many good people you met here and you will find all the answers...
frida i read what wrote and i totaly agree but this actions u r talking about it's not done only with forigeners but its with people from inside the country as well i mean the minuit u take a cab in alex,cairo or anywhere and the driver sense that u r not from the city he trys to suck u dry, and this is a fact and we shouldnt be annoyed cz u r telling it ....as for fawzy what u r saying sounds so poetic however the number of people u r talking about (( the decent people )) r lesser than the number of those who try to use others and even if the number of the decent people is larger yet they did nothing to stop those who take advantge of others they r as bad as them , so she didnt make the mistake of GENRALIZING cz thats truely what happens and it became a culture here in egypt,and if we keep on trying to hide from this fact then it will keep on getting bigger and bigger even biger than it already is....
so instead of trying to prove that everything is fine and that only a few people who does that we should start digging (( and i mean it with every meaning this word could hold )) to find the roots of why we became a society who trys to take advantge (( in a bad way )) of forigenrs.... thank you
i'm not against or for anything here, just wanted to clarify that, anything different faces some problems (idea, person ANYthing) it is a problem, and we all face it , but it's everywhere not in Egypt only, and this is a part of living diversity, learning about other?s traditions, respecting and enjoying it. we have to overcome things, think positively and have the nice memories in mind. as i'm sure if i went to Kenya one day or anywhere.. i'll face the same problems, and it won't prevent me from being there more than once and loving the ppl. And would happily here the rest of ur comments, because I think there might be some misunderstandings.. and I really hope u did enjoy at least some of ur time here and think about coming again.. inshAlla..:)
In my opinion, what really is the reason of that problem is that Frida as an SN didin get any kinda of preparation before she leaves Kenya. I mean that the 1st thing ppl say to their SNs is how to deal with culture shocks and how to respect the cultural differences. I think we as AIESEC Egypt cannot blame ourselves cause of an SN who does not want even to listen to others opinion. Frida told me about a rule in our country Egypt that discriminates between black and white people, and what's amazing is that she heard abt that rule from a trainee who told her that egyptians discriminate between black and white ppl and that we treat black ppl as if they are shiiit.....specially black girls are always known as prostitutes when they walk in the streets. All these was said to frida by a trainee and a white trainee and cause of that she got that idea abt Egypt and before she left she decided to tell everyone do not come to Egypt.With all my respect to Frida and to the LC who gave her the preparation....." You guys should know more abt AIESEC". And as Fawzy said Egypt is not just beautiful because of its amazing places but cause of its amazing people.
How do you prepare a person for being annoyed every minute of her walking on the street? maybe you should actually admit to yourselves that what is happening here in Egypt to girls is beyond the regular stuff and YOU, yourself, could be the one who can prepare us girls for getting such shit on the streets - I doubt any other AIESEC country actually knows this, so it is hard to get us prepared in this matter.
Frida is not the only one who complains, ask ANY girl here and she will tell you the same stuff. I get it too and I hate it and no matter how hard i try not to notice it, I just cant. PLUS, if I try not to notice, the only thing I see from Cairo is the dirty streets as I stare on the ground and try to shut my ears from listening... And so far, unfortunately this annoyance is the strongest impression that I am getting from Egypt... and yes, please, call me unprepared SN if you want.
-------------------
Guys, if you get harassed every day, you would also talk differently... and no, you cant say "I understand" - you cant! I think all the girls try to see it positively, no one wants to come to different country and return with bad experience...
Labels: Egypt
posted by Mart'a at 9:49 AM
2 Comments:
Numero uno:
Skeazy men are everywhere. Somehow they started reproducing at an alarming rate and now cover the globe. Ladies- there is no escape.
Yes- when I was in Egypt all of the female trainees complained about the harassing. But I also complained about it when I lived in Miami, and here in Dubai, and basically any big city you travel to as a tourist, and when I am home in the townie bars (thats actually the worst)... :) Its everywhere. Maybe you notice it more because you walk a lot more in Egypt. Maybe you are less comfortable in your surroudings so you are more aware of the people around you. Maybe you tucked your skirt into your underwear. Kidding...
2:
Are we honestly suprised that people are taking advantage of foreigners? Also worldwide mi amigas. Why are the shops by the beaches that are filled with swim suits and postcards so much more expensive than the same stuff at the mall? For tourists my dears. These people are trying to make a living. Tourists obviously (in their eyes, and they are usually right) have a lot more money than them, and they want to earn all they can. How else are little Ahmed and Moustafa going to get their evening foul?
Don't fight the realities of life my friends. You're setting yourself up for disappointment and bitterness.
Egypt is a land full of culture and wonderful people. Give it a chance, you;ll be glad you did.
I see that I am really lucky when I have my traineeship in Alexandria :))))
Post a Comment
<< Home