I've seen the clip from the CBS news about Egypt's bread crisis. Here's what I know. I learned of it from your news before I heard it here. There are a few of the government-subsidized bread stands near our house. There is always a line of people waiting in front of it. Most people bring some sort of bag or tray to carry their bread home on, but I've also seen people just walking down the street with bread in their hands. It's not uncommon to see people carrying their trays of bread on their heads, maybe even while riding a bicycle. Bread is available to them for really cheap prices by our standards, like 2 cents for a piece of pita bread, but when you consider that their MONTHLY income might be less than $10, I guess a rise in bread prices would be upsetting.
The news reported "civil unrest" and rioting. We've seen neither. About a month ago there were demonstrations downtown, about half an hour from us. There was talk of a strike by all taxi drivers and other service employees--but the day it was supposed to happen I rode in two or three different cabs in Maadi and had no trouble finding one and only found out about the strike when Jason got home from school and told me.
I am not trying to say that there is no bread crisis. We have been hearing about the rising cost of flour for months. Prices have increased in the grocery stores. There are always lines of people waiting for bread. We are frequently approached by people asking for food or money. Maybe I'm naive here, but I do think it's easy for the evening news to send a crew of camera guys to film the normal bread lines, put it on American television, and call it a crisis, and predict civil unrest. I think the average American viewer is unsettled to begin with when presented with images of people dressed in traditional Arab garb. It took me a long time to get used to the head coverings and galabeyas (man dresses). The other thing they didn't say when showing the bread lines is that Egyptians don't stand in line! There's no concept of waiting your turn here. It's whoever can get to the front first. So the pushing and shoving you see on TV is a normal, daily occurrence here. Frustrating to an American trying to get past the pushing and shoving to the window at the post office, but part of everyday life for an Egyptian. So here's what I'm saying: watch the news, be concerned for the poor of Egypt, and remember that life for the average Egyptian looks a lot different than what we would expect it to be.
As for the demonstrations, don't worry about our little family being in the middle of all that. It is sort of like the difference in living in your D/FW suburb and hearing about the immigration protests they had last summer in downtown Dallas.
I will keep you posted if I see anything different in the next month or so.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
I figured the media blew it out a little. And I was praying you were not near whatever unrest was going on..you are right, there could be a huge protest/riot in Dallas and not effect us any at all. We would go on about our daily lives. Miss you and keep coloring in that pie chart. You need an automatic countdowner on your blog!!
tara
Post a Comment