When I was in Egypt I tried as hard as I could to avoid eye contact with the men...actually, with anyone. However, old habits die hard, and I look everyone in the eye. In America, this means that you are confident and assertive and well-qualified for whatever you are doing, even if it is just buying groceries. However, in Egypt (and most places in the Middle East) it often means that you are coming onto someone--at least it is usually interpreted that way.
Needless to say, this was a big problem for me.
Although I didn't have blond curly hair and didn't look specifically "American" (I had about 20 different nationalities assigned to me by the Egyptians, including asking if I was from Holland, Europe, etc...but not usually America) so I didn't get as many offers for marriage as the other girls, each person, it seemed like, had to compliment me on my "Egyptian eyes."
Now, I am not sure what qualifies eyes as particularly "Egyptian," but at least ten different people told me that I looked "Egyptian" because I had "Egyptian eyes." I was embarassed, of course, because it meant I hadn't kept my eyes on the ground and had been looking people in the eye again.
However, each shopkeeper wanted to give me a discount because I had "pretty Egyptian eyes," and most marked the price down even more if I smiled! I guess I don't have to be good at bartering--if I look someone in the eye, the price is immediately cut in half for me!
1 comment:
A guy on Ben Yehuda street lost money after making a bet that I was from Norway. Seriously, what were the chances that I'd have been from Norway?
Egyptian eyes, huh? HA! That's funny. I hope this time in Egypt you feel more at home.
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