Must Learn Arabic

Yesterday I was very forcefully reminded of how difficult it can be not to know Arabic in Egypt. It's possible to stay in places where people will generally understand you, and to meet English-speaking friends to spend most of your time with, but you can hit the wall even when trying to perform very simple tasks.

Like catching a cab, naming a very obvious landmark, and expecting to be dropped off there.

Last night I hailed a taxi to take me to Cinema Tahrir, where I was planning to meet Dan and then walk somewhere for dinner. When I leaned in the window, I said, "Mumkin Dokki? Cinema Tahrir?" and the driver confidently repeated the words back to me and gave an affirmative nod. I was thinking to myself that this was going to be an easy, awesome ride. We were zooming along at typical Egyptian cab speed—you get used to your life flashing before your eyes—and everything was great.

Unfortunately, it soon became clear he had no earthly idea where he was going and that he was going to string me along anyway in hopes of getting a fare. As neither of us spoke the other's language, there was no way to correct the situation. We ended up ineffectually gesturing at each other and getting increasingly frustrated. When I was completely sure he was going the wrong way, I started hunting frantically for landmarks. When I saw a Metro station, I told him to let me off ("Hina! Hina!" means "Here! Here!"). He didn't want to do it at first, so I kept getting more agitated until I had to yell "BAS!" (stop!) and get the hell out of that car. Then, after some handy cell phone discussion with Dan, I hopped the metro and ended up where I was supposed to. It was a real hassle, and it's not the first time something like this has happened to me. I also have a tough time making specific requests at restaurants, reading street signs, communicating with workers on site, and haggling. It sucks.

Conclusion: I need to know Arabic yesterday. Fortunately I'll be starting it up this school year, and while it takes a long time to become comfortable with Arabic and to start picking up Egyptian colloquial—I'll start with Modern Standard Arabic, so at first I will sound like I'm simultaneously inarticulate and on the news—I think it will be well worth the effort.

The food last night was also well worth the effort. This time we went to the fancier sit-down section of Gad and stuffed ourselves with chicken schawarma. The menu offered some real surprises. You'll know it when you see it: