Cairo, the 13th December, 2009

"Egyptian brain"

Living in Egypt has proven to be a challenging experience on so many levels and occasions that I often fear I'll go crazy in the blink of an eye.

I am the foreigner, the intruder, the stranger in this country.

No one has to adapt himself to me and to my standards. I am the one who's supposed to adapt myself and accept this reality - which I chose for myself - with calm, no judgement and a flexible approach.

Yet I am just human and I admit I fail to understand the egyptian and the arabic brain.

My sense of logic, ethics and feeling's system are opposite to the ones I observe in Egypt and dealing with those differences on a daily basis can be quite exhausting.

Observing from the outside VERSUS living IT:

It's interesting if you are an anthropologist, a journalist, a researcher just passing by Egypt. Observing the differences is quite interesting and even amusing, yes IT IS.

LIVING WITH THESE SAME DIFFERENCES is something else. Quite different.

Nothing is clear in this country and, in the end, I just have to take care of every step I give, watch my back, accept people and their actions as they are and stop complaining about dishonesty, corruption and so many other human "treats" I deal with on a daily basis and with an intensity I never found in any other part of the world.

I blame it on the system, life's hardships and a lost of faith invading Egypt and its struggling people. I blame it on disemployment and so many other things...there can always be a thousand reasons to lie, cheat, steal and be a total bastard but I also think we can choose to be GOOD and HONEST, even in the most difficult circumstances.

Weak yet heartfelt conclusion:

I quit understanding egyptian/arabic brain. I just quit in order to preserve my mental sanity.