New York and Cairo

On a bright sunny morning in NY while the wind is icy and the snow is residing on the ground...the city looks peaceful and beautiful ... While overlooking the ice skating ring in Bryant park, one can't miss to wonder ... Why they've this and we don't ....

Hey! Don't get me wrong... I am not speaking about the ice skating ring in the middle of the heat of Cairo ... That will be overwhelming luxury that we are way far from... But ... Let me first start with traffic.. On a Sunday morning in NY.. We can compare with a friday morning in Cairo .... People are still lazy in bed getting ready for their prayers.. And others are up for running errands or some fun...
So, in short, traffic here is as slow as Cairo at that time...oops.. Sorry.. But I don't hear honking! What's wrong with those people .... I don't here someone with loud breaks because of speeding and traffic lights... In a city that is normally full of hustle and bustle you feel peaceful and serene!

Durnig the week, it is a crazy city like Cairo... Traffic is horrible most of the day.. U can spend also very long time in your car if you're driving ... But there's minimum of respect to the traffic rules... Hence, even if you've to drive for an hour to reach home from work.. You won't feel as stressed as driving back home because no one will leave you to drive in one lane without having cars from everywhere trying to overtake you, or a motorcycle that is trying to force his way through cars which mostly leads to your mirror being broken or your car being scratched! Jungle rules took over traffic rules back home! Pity!

Now, back to my ice ring... Just watching without contributing makes one cheerful... With some romantic music on that brings to mind romantic movies like serendipity :)... At the end of the day, it is constructed in a very small park... Mmm... Now, here is the deal... A park.. We do have parks..thank god... Some are either for free or will cost little so a regular egyptian family can access.. Brilliant.. So, what's my problem for god's sake...here's my problem.. If you're a citizen or a foreigner here... If you are dressed up elegantly or crappy.. No one cares, no one will comment, no one will bother you... And if anyone decides to harass you... In no time you can have the person arrested or investigated.. The minimum, you'll have the person taken away from your vision... Compare that to strolling along the zoo or Alazhar park... And I'll leave the conclusion to the reader...

So, am I talking about utopia.... No, I don't believe that any place in the many countries I've visited I can call utopia... But, somehow drawing the comparison brings frustration to where we are now!

I recall when an architect asked me, because I lived long time in the north of the globe, how come they enjoy life and we don't ... Is it because they don't work long hours as we do? Or is it because they are blessed with luxuries, time and relaxation that makes it is easy for them to enjoy their weekend? Here is my response, work... At least if I talk about the countries I lived in... No people work hard to afford their living... Regardless of their level of education or the type of work they do... Whether they are doing handy work or office work... The ones who leave their offices on time are those who work since they step into their offices until they leave them... They don't spend their time chatting with colleagues unless they are in their breaks.. When they leave to the loo they spend 5 min not 15 or 30, even muslims among them they don't spend an hour away from their desks to pray the midday prayers... No, they do that in their breaks and it takes no more than 7 or 10 minutes between abolution and praying... When I lived and worked here, although still within an Egyptian set up and environment ... I've worked very hard during the week and during the weekends I used to sleep a bit longer but then pull myself together to go out and enjoy the place... One weekend hectic with many activities and other with quieter pace... But I didn't spend my weekends at home watching tv... My friends who have kids, go out to parks so they will enjoy a different atmosphere... And the kids can play... We didn't spend our weekends from a house to another... so, we end up with frustration that we didnt do anything over our short weekends...

Let me move to a crucial difference.. Won't talk sbout the pollution.. Thats a luxury.. No I'll just speak about pavements... Maybe we should consider taking a decision in a city like Cairo with close to 20 million inhabitants to transform our pavements ( the ones that exist) to an exhibition... Because I see them as a phenomenon that needs to be studied from all angels... Their hight is unbelievable... For those in their youth, they've to jump to walk on the existing pavements .. I stress here on existing... What about old people, those who suffer knee problems, children, mothers with babies, handicapped...I.e. How many in our community are tall and that healthy to be able to just mount our pavements... The nicest part is, out of a personal experience, using the pavements for anything but pedisterians... I'm not talking about street carts that sell stuff for cheap only, but I'm talking about the barracks for security reasons.. Can you find a place to walk on the pavements surrounding 3 quarters of our ministries or surrounding foreign embassies.... It is ridiculous .... In no place I've been too... I've seen this... I'll sum up here by saying I was still speaking about pavements if they exist .. Which is not the case in most of the areas in the capital city of Cairo! Maybe we should consider while asking for reforms to add the right to a pavement next to the other humans rights because it seems that municipalities don't get it!

I don't have a specific solution to our chronic problems.. Many suggested a new capital, others the decentralisation of the government, or spreading enough projects along Egypt so as to prevent the internal immigration of non- cairians to Cairo... Whatever the solution is... We have to find one and pursue...

Struggling for a daily survival is not a new concept in the world... But struggling for a clean breath of air, minimum features of an organised life or enjoyment seem to me as an alien concept to most of the Egyptians with special attention to my beloved cairian fellows... As usual.. I would say our salvation is in the hands of god!

Written in NY around Mid January 2011