COVID-19: The unasked for mirror of humanity and the individual. On Monday March 16th, Egypt announced it would close all the airports for two weeks. As a 24-year-old British-Chinese UK citizen, I decided to stay in Egypt during the COVID-19 pandemic. This pandemic is a testament to humanity and the unasked-for mirror of ourselves. When … Continue reading Deciding to stay in Egypt during COVID-19 as a Chinese-British Woman
Tag: egypt
Egypt is, to me…
Egypt is, to me, a blind man standing calmly on the side of the street waiting for someone to help him cross over. Within 10 seconds, a boy ran over and held his arm to help him across the busy street. Egypt is, to me, when I was stuck in an elevator and before long … Continue reading Egypt is, to me…
Sinai
Drifted into a dream The sea gurgling next to me like A newborn baby The dome peppered with stars, witnessed Shooting stars flirting- A rip in the canvas And another one... and another I could not help but ask To the sky: What are you? ----------------------------------------------- August 8, 2019 Nuweibaa, South Sinai, Egypt … Continue reading Sinai
My Experience as a Non-Muslim of Ramadan in Egypt
Every Muslim I've talked to that is fasting is happily doing it for ربنا ("rabana", our Lord), and doesn't complain. After having studied and read about Ramadan so much, it is infinitely more rich and beautiful when witnessing it all around you, for miles and miles. About 24% of the world is Muslim, which means that a large portion of almost a fourth of the world is currently fasting. That's something to think about.
An Anthropological Study of El Fishawy Cafe
Built in 1771 AD, and where Naguib Mahfouz, and many other famous socialites frequented much of their lives, El Fishawy Cafe is open 24/7, with people staying there through the night until morning, with smoke hanging from the mirrors and wafting from the ends of hookah pipes, coming out in bursts as laughter is, also, … Continue reading An Anthropological Study of El Fishawy Cafe
Alexandria, The Pearl of the Mediterranean
Cities are stories, telling tales of expansion, degradation, conflicts, riots, natural and man-made disasters, of leaders, of change, of persecuted people's, of cultural, political, of socio-economic histories. Alexandria has many tales on her skin, that would take years to hear and understand wholly. Alexandria tells tales of the mixing and overtaking of different cultures, of … Continue reading Alexandria, The Pearl of the Mediterranean
Egypt’s “McDonaldization”
Those that waft between places gain the gift of being able to see the changes more clearly than those who are in that place everyday; the incremental changes steering clear from their attention. I want to focus on two points in this post, of things that are, by late 2018, quite prominent and relevant: China-Egypt Relations … Continue reading Egypt’s “McDonaldization”
The Egyptian Cafe
For those who don’t know Naguib Mahfouz, he’s often considered the most influential writer of the Arab world, having won a 1988 Nobel Prize in literature and having produced over 30 novels and over 350 short stories. He is, of course, Egyptian. One of the reasons he is so well known is due to how … Continue reading The Egyptian Cafe
My Heart is in Sinai
Why was I, a nihilistic agnostic, going to Sinai, the land connecting the Middle Eastern world to the continent of Africa; where Moses supposedly received the Ten Commandments, one of the most significant places amongst the Abrahamic religions? Beyond religiously held importance, it has been a politically strategic area in the Arab-Israeli issue. Connecting Israel … Continue reading My Heart is in Sinai
Things Are Not What They Seem
The second time I visited Egypt was one week after I had left - that's how long it was bearable for me to be away. I wanted to find a tabla (Indian drums) for my aunt, who lives in Oxford and loves playing the tabla. I found myself walking along Muhammad Ali Street, chaotic and … Continue reading Things Are Not What They Seem
Amanda Tapp 