Are You Egyptian?

Before we landed in Egypt, the flight crew asked me this while handing out the typical international flight immigration forms. The question continued just about everywhere we went. From stores to markets to restaurants to people on the street--everyone would begin to speak to me in Arabic.

And then they would stop--sometimes before the completion of a word, they would stop and begin again in English. Something was still giving me away as American. This proved to be an interesting discussion starter with the CCF.

A few hypothesized that it was my gold wedding ring, as Muslims don't wear gold. I also have a silver anniversary band on my right ring finger, which could really trip people up. But, few locals were getting a look at my hand.

Others said it was my beard as I kept a thin, trim beard when we arrived. Several Muslims, particularly those belonging o the Muslim Brotherhood in Cairo will keep a thick beard with no mustache, but they also wear the tunic style robes usually. Few Christians wear a beard, though it is gaining some popularity along with mustaches, goatees, and more western looks. The generations were divided on whether or not my beard was giving me away.

Some also wondered if my clothes were giving me away--Cairo has become so Western in the dress styles, that I don't think I was dressed very differently than many others who were around.

But, i have another idea: I think it may have been my "deer-in-the-headlights" look--that stunned look of surprise I must have had every time someone would begin Arabic and I didn't understand.

However, this didn't stop passport control from questioning me when exiting the country. They looked at my passport and back me before asking, "do you speak Arabic?". When I said no, they asked for my country or origin. When I said, "America," they asked, "always America?"

Yeah, I should have many more interesting passport control conversations once I do learn a little Arabic and have my passport stamps throughout Europe & Middle East!