エジプト記
旅の思い出は、
覚的記憶を思い起こしては、「ああ、
昨年末に行ってきたエジプト旅行も、
しかし、
一つ目は、交通の劣悪さ。
どの車も、
二つ目は、値段交渉の途方のなさ。例えば、
と、なんだか不満ばかりの旅のようだが、
ただ、むやみに悪い面を否定してばかりもいられない。
しまっ
大学院生（美術史専攻）
Tips about Egypt
A trip is usually memorized as a happy memory. Even if we experience bad things during the trip, they will be usually erased automati
cally in our memory, and as we remember the good memories of sense such as beautiful scenery or tasty food, we think; “What a happy trip it was...”
The trip to Egypt that I did at the end of the last year is now a good memory. Thanks to my Egyptian friend, I ate a lot of wonderful Egyptian food, was amazed by superb mosques and saw pyramids while riding on a camel (although it was tough to do...). Everything was wonderful Egyptian experience.
But it was also a good experience of the trip to see the aspect of Egypt which was beyond my expectation. And it was not a part of “happy” memory. Yet that experience has not been erased in my memory after a month, reappearing as a precious memory which changed my image of Egypt. This negative experience even made me assure that I cannot live in Cairo!
The first thing is the terrible traffic. Every car tries to drive faster than the others, like a “car chase”. So the horn is blown not when it is dangerous, but as a sign when they approach the other: the city is surrounded by such noisiness. There is no speed limit, no zebra crossing. I felt almost horrible when trying to cross over the road. The air is always polluted not only by dusts from desert but also by exhaust gas because of the traffic crowd.
The second thing is the absurdity of the negotiation of price. For example, there is no determined price of taxi fee and goods in markets, so we always had to negotiate. Of course I totally relied on my Egyptian friend, but it took such a LONG time. I even doubted if they were talking other than the price. They talked, they spouted, they discussed. I often felt bored because I could not do anything. My friend held out for the best price as she knew the rough standard of price. By looking at her calmness after the long negotiation, I felt that this culture is Egyptian reality and also their pride.
It seems like not a happy trip, but it cannot be called a real trip if we do not understand such bad aspects. Every country has both good and bad aspects.
But I think I should not totally deny the bad aspects. The bad traffic is nothing other than to be blamed for, but while getting bored by the long negotiation, I suddenly got at a loss. In case of Japan, the communication with others is so poor that I worry about the Japanese relationship with others. Every price is fixed, the system of paying by cards increases, which makes our life convenient, but how much opportunity have we missed to communicate with others? The Egyptians talk with others without constraint. For me they seemed to be “fellow citizens” with each other. Are we, the Japanese, conscious of “fellow citizens” with others? Considering this point, I cannot totally deny the Egyptian habit.
