Culture Shock

My first few days in Egypt were overwhelming to say the least. It certainly took me some time to adjust to an entirely new culture and environment. The biggest adjustment was that my classmates and I quickly learned that we were without a doubt, a minority in Alexandria. Not as many tourists make it to Alexandria as Cairo, so Alexandrians were not used to seeing foreigners. It was bizarre to walk around with a group of people and not see another foreigner for the entire day. I learned that Alexandria is just a place that Egyptians go to for vacations, but not a lot of foreigners visit. We were also living in the neighborhoods with the locals, so we weren't staying in areas the tourists would go anyway.

Being in Egypt like this has been a good experience for me though, because I've never been in a situation of being completely in the minority. Everyone here stares very openly. I don't think it is considered rude, they are just fascinated at the site of us! Within a week,I adjusted to the stares, and don't even notice them anymore. Everywhere we go, people want to talk to us too. Mostly men, as women seem to be less out-spoken. People are extremely friendly, and mostly genuinely want to help and/or practice their English. It does get exhausting after a while because you can't walk more then a couple of minutes without someone approaching you.

My first few days in Alex (as the locals call it!) I walked around in a state of bewilderment. There is nothing like being surrounded by an environment that is completely foreign. It took me some time to adjust to seeing and hearing Arabic all around me. I also didn't have a clue where to go for simple things (like food!) or even what those things were! It was also a huge adjustment to get used to the level of poverty here. I'd say more people are poor, then middle class or wealthy here. Of course, people are very interested in all of the things that we are interested in the United States (music, movies, hanging out with friends, shopping.) But the standard of living for many people is fairly low. It certainly has given me a lot more perspective on how people live all over the world. After the first few days of getting oriented though, the shock has worn off, and I feel very comfotable here.