Collegiate Times

Editors note: Bryce Stucki visited Egypt recently for a little more than a week to work in development. This is the first of a series of columns on his journey.

When I went to Tahrir square in Cairo last week, I saw no protesters, but rather plenty of T-shirts for sale. “I am Egyptian,” “Free Libya!” “I Love Egypt” and “People Power, Not the People in Power” were just a few of the slogans adorning the clothing.

“You like these, my friend?” I would hear when I was staring at a display too long. To talk about Cairo you must talk about merchants you will encounter the moment you exit the airport. “Taxi, my friend? Taxi?” Same when you exit your hotel, walk up the street, or enter a museum — even when you’re getting in a taxi. “Taxi, my friend? Taxi?” 

Some vendors are sneakier. Try to cross a major street and some friendly soul will appear to shepherd you across. On the other side, he will explain he is an artist, and you will feel charity welling up within you. Pretty soon you will be in his print shop, and you will wonder: Since when did artists get their prints made in China?

Other times, a young man will want to give you his business card, which, unfortunately, is back in his shop. Well, that’s not too out of the way, so why not? And you won’t mind paying for the cup of tea he offered you either. After all, he’s getting married tomorrow, and he has kids to look after.  

“I’m getting annoyed by it,” I told my professor near the end of my stay. He had arranged for me to come and put me in one of the nicest hotels in the city — certainly the nicest hotel I’ve been in.  

“If you want to do development,” he said, “you can’t let these things irritate you too much. It’s a bit like raising children. If you expect the child to behave a certain way and he doesn’t, you yell at him. You are a bad
parent.  

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A version of this article appeared in the Nov 3 issue of the Collegiate Times.