On the metro, a man is selling super glue. I am surprised how many people are actually buying this product. The women are digging through their purses or in their pockets to find some spare change. At 1 Egyptian pound (giney), I guess you can’t go wrong.
He is holding about 60 super glue packets in his hands. Walking quickly, he announces his presence and his product.
“SUBER GLUE, SUBER GLUE!”
Egyptian Arabic (as well as all Arabic dialects) do not have the “P” in their alphabet. This gets changed into a “B” sound.
During the 2o minute commute from downtown to Maadi, lots of products are sold. I though that fireworks were going to only be a limited time only product for Ramadan. I was wrong. Sparklers are a popular item that young boys are selling . A box of sparklers is also 1 Egyptian pound.
Being a commuter has its ups and downs. In reality, a city this size, everyday is a commute whether you like it or not. I pay 1 Egyptian pound at the ticket office, and they hand me a small, yellow ticket. This is then entered into a ticket machine, and you go through and collect your ticket. You must keep this little ticket, in order to exit at your final destination metro stop.
Once I am through, I weave in and out the crowds to get to the other side of the tracks. I wait near the women’s only section, at 7:50am. To be at the metro any later you will not get a seat, as rush hour will be in full effect. The metro is outside for most of the ride, making it more like an inner city train than a metro. The metro becomes undeground from Saad Zaghloul and northwards.
Then, I switch at Sadat and take the Giza line towards Dokki (pronounced Doe-E. From here, I exit the metro, and walk up and catch a taxi. Depending on traffic, the taxi ride is about 8 minutes (on a good day). I have made it to my final destination, Mohandeseen. I arrive at approximately 8:30am.
Leaving school at 2:30 or 3:00pm is less fun. I walk for 5 minutes to the bus stop and wait for a mini-bus going towards Giza. This bus will cost me 75 piasters (less than 1 Egyptian pound). I take it over the October 6th bridge, and then get off. Usually the ride is fairly long, because of traffic jams in the late afternoon. Afterwards, I bravely cross the street, and walk toward the Metro stop in Dokki. This begins the journey back to Maadi.
Crossing streets is one of the most dangerous things you can do in Cairo. I always have someone else take the lead…where the cars are oncoming, I have someone to my right and walk when they do.
Now I am living in Zamalek, so my commute will only be 5-10 minutes. I am very excited about this, as it will be less exhausting. Zamalek is located on an island on the Nile. I am close to the Islamic Ceramics Museum, the Egyptian Museum and lots of galleries!
