Our guide took us to lunch at a park, overlooking Cairo. The park was about 15 years old and had been built on the slag heap from some building work that had been done. It seems to be a grassy oasis amid the downtown homes and buildings. The park was full of kids and families sitting in the shade of trees and heaps of teenage kids, just hanging out, trying to impress one another. We sat and watched a group of young kids playing near, round, then finally IN the fountain- let's face it, it was well over 30 degrees and I was tempted myself! They had to run away and hide when the security guard came and it was pretty funny sitting up high watching the kis outwit the guard. The teens were taking selfies and photos of one another and pairing off for little walks together.
We asked our guide about the headscarf as most of the girls were wearing them and he said it is not an Egyptian thing, it has just caught on and the girls feel the peer pressure to wear them. He said his wife does not, but keeps one in the car when she goes to her sisters houses as they both do. He said that in a class 20 girls might wear the scarf and five not, but eventually they all start to wear them as that's the go! the only girls I recall seeing in the park without one, was a bride and her bridesmaid, so the head scarf is a pretty strong fashion statement!
Ian and I went for a walk and I had been teasing him a bit as he was wearing shorts and walk boots and it's not a look I recall seeing on him before ( hehe- enough said) and as we walked round the park, we both had a bit of an audience, which I put down to the walk boots........but maybe not? At one point I was set upon by about seven ladies, with what appeared to be Mother, leading the charge. They were wearing their black robes and headscarves and came racing at us like a bunch of Nuns late for Sunday Mass. The mum was making 'photo' signals and I still thought it was Ian they wanted, but NO, it was me! I opened up my arms, which immediately filled with the whole extended family ( of girls) for the photos. They laughed and giggled and the mother hugged me and kissed me on both cheeks ( and I rolled with it, being the cuddler that I am!!!) and they took their photos, but I still have absolutely no idea what it was all about!?!? The only thing I can put it down to, with my newly dyed dark locks, is my striking resemblance to Sandra Bullock!
We asked our guide about the headscarf as most of the girls were wearing them and he said it is not an Egyptian thing, it has just caught on and the girls feel the peer pressure to wear them. He said his wife does not, but keeps one in the car when she goes to her sisters houses as they both do. He said that in a class 20 girls might wear the scarf and five not, but eventually they all start to wear them as that's the go! the only girls I recall seeing in the park without one, was a bride and her bridesmaid, so the head scarf is a pretty strong fashion statement!
Ian and I went for a walk and I had been teasing him a bit as he was wearing shorts and walk boots and it's not a look I recall seeing on him before ( hehe- enough said) and as we walked round the park, we both had a bit of an audience, which I put down to the walk boots........but maybe not? At one point I was set upon by about seven ladies, with what appeared to be Mother, leading the charge. They were wearing their black robes and headscarves and came racing at us like a bunch of Nuns late for Sunday Mass. The mum was making 'photo' signals and I still thought it was Ian they wanted, but NO, it was me! I opened up my arms, which immediately filled with the whole extended family ( of girls) for the photos. They laughed and giggled and the mother hugged me and kissed me on both cheeks ( and I rolled with it, being the cuddler that I am!!!) and they took their photos, but I still have absolutely no idea what it was all about!?!? The only thing I can put it down to, with my newly dyed dark locks, is my striking resemblance to Sandra Bullock!
Perhaps it is the blonde eyebrows to go with the dark hair? Or did you dye those too...
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