Nothing It As Seems

You can feel your face turn red as you sweat and struggle to clutch your belongings. All your current possessions rest in three bags. Your shoulder feels as though it is about to rip off and you have just realized you are going the wrong way. You grin at the idea of pulling out your compass-brush, but you know exactly where you went wrong. A flat cement surface beckons you to take a rest. You know what will happen next:

“Hello? Can I help you?”
You let out an internal sigh as you turn to the man and say,“Talat Harab Street?”
What do you plural think happened? The man,
a) tells you how to cut through the streets to get there.
b) asks you if you speak English, which leads you to give up.
c) invites you into his shop.

Eventually, you find the place and slam your bags on the bed. You take a quick drink of water and then leave for your meeting with Osama, the representative of the school for which you came to work. You are to meet him outside of “Groppi”, a famous (meaning over-priced) bakery.
When Osama arrives, what happens?
a) He picks you up and takes you to the Center in Nasr City.
b) He arrives half an hour later.
c) He decides, instead of taking you to the Center, you can have a meeting in “Groppi”.

The English Center sounds exactly like what you expected it to be, except for a few minor details. If you are late- you pay money. If you are absent- you pay money. If you decide that this job is not for you, or make a last minute decision to go somewhere else (without two months notice) - you pay money. If you violate the contract in any way- you pay money- a lot of money. To top it off, you are asked to teach in a place called Sohag. You later find out that, according to Egyptians, this place is known for its dangerous microbus drivers and village killings. You aren’t sure if this is the best place to go.
What do you do?
a) Make plans to visit the Center in a few days.
b) Grab your Pepsi and run.
c) Point your finger and say, “F-you, man,” and walk out- Pepsi in hand.

Upon returning back to your new hotel, you are greeted by a man who works there. He asks how the meeting went. You continue to speak with him for a few hours, sipping hot tea, and attempting to adjust to this new community, which appears to be Japanese.

You are currently living in a dorm-room with three other Japanese people. In the bathroom, you can shit, shower, and wash your socks all at the same time. You can’t complain, though, because this place is costing about $2.50 a day- just over a quarter the price of the place you were staying in before. Everywhere you look there are Japanese travelers. You conclude they are like an ant colony- one finds the cheapest, best place to stay and returns back to the colony to tell the others. Your life’s goal is currently unclear. What do you think happens?

To be continued…



Multiple choice answers with explanations:
1. B The man couldn’t understand you, and it is just about impossible to ask for any specific location in Cairo, unless it is close to a major landmark. So, you gave up trying and just walked away.

2. C You were a little weary of the situation to begin with. Shortly after you contacted the school to inform them you had arrived in their country, they asked you to call to schedule an interview. The meeting at “Groppi” was more like an interview.

3. A You agreed to come to the Center in a few days to get an idea of what it is like and to meet some representatives from the Center in Sohag. The consequences of the contract and the assignment’s location didn’t quite settle in until later. You slept on it, and decided not to go through with it.


I feel I need to give credit for the idea of this multiple choice quiz to Rhiis Dinin Lopez, a.k.a. Y.T.