Cairo, the 17th August, 2010

Cultural surprises/joys and a reading gift from heaven!

It was regular morning in Cairo as any other Ramadan morning I've ever saw.

The same special atmosphere, the fanous/lantern every where reminding me that Ramadan is all about the LIGHT, the dried fruits at the stands hanging about the streets full of delicacies ready to compensate for Ramadan's abstency, the empty streets I can already imagine in antecipation when the time for iftar comes, the whole deal I adore (although I am not a muslim).

People fasting - or not - in the crowded streets, the sun burning our heads ina way that I strangely enjoy and a gym full of made-up ladies (make-up, laces and the total girlie look checking for the mirrors) looking at me in a strange way because I am drinking my water while training (in Ramadan, devotees should abstain from water or any other drink/food,etc during the day until iftar time arrives).

Two lebanese ladies start to run in the treadmill in high heels until one of the trainers of the gym stops them and explain (?!) them that high heels are not suitable for sports.

Oh, Goddddd.....

Another women arrive in full hijab (covered head) and I can't help but wonder why on earth would you run land sweat like a fountain between women (this gym is ONLY for women, AMEN!) and still wear a head scarf?! How uncomfortable must that be? And unhealthy? And what's the point? You're covering your head from whom?! Yourself, maybe?!

I breath, close my brain for a while and reboot. Reminding myself that every person has his/her own idea of right and wrong and I am not the owner of the Truth.

As I pass by my regular coffee-shop to get my mocha cafe of the day, I feel attracted to a shelf where some lazy, dusty books stand, ignored by the crowds that go there and live around those tables without noticing them.

I grab one of the books and fall in love immediately:

It's the auto-biography of one of the greatest actors of all times: Laurence Olivier (CONFESSIONS OF AN ACTOR). I have to have this book, I think to myself.

The actress in me misses all the worlds and tribulations I can smell from this book. I miss this other world of actors that I once shared with such passion...

I speak with the manager, I beg, I plead, I make my kitten look number 25 (the most dangerous one!), I tell them I just have to HAVE it. How much does it cost? How much???

They tell me it's not for sale.Point.

When I am already leaving and giving up, one of the staff members comes to me and offers me the book.

Oh...it was like Christmas time for me, in a second.

How easy is it to make me happy?! It seems ...too easy...

From the smile and the 1000 thank yous I gave them, the staff of the coffee-shop must have thought there was a secret code for a fortune hidden in that book. No way someone could be so excited about a book with no secret treasure in it, right?

Happy for my Christmas present, from a stranger, in yet another common day of Ramadan.