Another thing I've been meaning to write about: the Cairo metro system. On the surface, the metro here seems surprisingly clean and simple; it is so lacking in craziness and confusion that it's almost un-Egyptian. Tickets are 1 guinea to go anywhere in the city, the line system is straightforward, and the whole facility is very clean. I generally ride in one of the two women-only cars on every train, which are quiet and less crowded than the other cars, so I frequently get a seat. However, there is an underlying insanity to the Cairo metro which makes it distinct from the ones that I am used to. The main drawback of the metro is its reach - there are plenty of places within in Cairo you can't reach by metro, and the system can't be expanded because of the density of historical remains in the city. Apparently, every time they try to drill to clear out more tunnels, they unearth some historical artifact, and construction must stop while the archaeologists take over. Our group actually was having an argument recently about whether you could ride the metro to a particular area of Cairo, only to discover that the place marked on the map as a metro stop did not exist - that line had been under construction for the past fifteen years. Then there's the cars themselves (some of which have logos reading "A Gift from the People of Japan" ... I have no idea what that is about). As nice and spacious as the women's car is, I find that there's always a strange kind of tension, like every single person there is inspecting me. Because I'm surrounded by women all wearing similar clothing and almost all with their hair covered, I feel as though I stand out most when I'm on a metro car. Additionally, the fact that we're standing in a small metal box and not passing each other allows a much greater opportunity to stare for an extended period of time, rather than just glancing at the oddly dressed foreigner as we walk by each other. It's not like anyone has ever been anything but polite openly to me and the rest of our group, but their over-interest in my appearance is palpable in the humid air of the train, which makes me feel at least a tad awkward. The craziest part by far of the metro experience is the people who sell things outside the stations. Their goods range from fresh vegetables to sunglasses to clothing to toys to books to roasted corn. One particular man sells these little robotic yelping cats/dogs (I'm not actually sure which; they look more like dogs, but they sound like cats) which walk around his little area of the plaza creepily. At some stops they spread their wares on blankets on the ground, while at others (such as the one by the place I teach) they have large wooden panels which hold everything. One time as I was walking by, every single salesman stood up, balanced his panel (complete with items for sale) on his head, and suddenly started hurrying in another direction. I have no idea why - they aren't doing anything illegal as far as I know - but I wound up trapped between some of them and ducking to avoid the wooden corners flying through the air. I somehow managed to escape, but not before I received a big bump on the head.
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