Cairo is the largest city in the Middle East, and as such, there has been a consistent presence of a large number of foreigners in Egypt for well over a 1000 years. One of our sponsors explained to me on our first day in Cairo that expatriate life in this city is organized around a series of clubs, due no doubt to the lingering British colonial influence. There is a British club, an American club, a Swiss club, a club for wives of oil executives, etc. The kind of social life you lead and how much interaction you have with the local population are governed in large part by which club you belong to.
The Egyptians themselves have adopted this way of life, and many of them also belong to clubs. The membership fees for both the expat and local clubs can be quite high. It is a sign of wealth and standing for Egyptians to belong to the 'right' clubs. One person we met said that her Arabic teacher was so proud of finally being able to pay for a membership in a highly desirable club that he arranged a party for the whole class there in order to show it off.
Within a week of arriving here we belonged to two clubs— the American club and an international club called the Community Services Association (CSA). The American club has a great pool, a playground, a restaurant, a bar, and a lot of activities for the Embassy families. We enjoy going there to just 'be American'. My favorite club, however is the CSA. It is free to join and has a large number of activities available. It also has the best coffee I've tasted so far in Egypt.
The variety of nationalities at the CSA is overwhelming. Last week I stopped by for coffee and spent an hour talking to a man with Greek residency but of German and Egyptian heritage. After a while an elderly Frenchman came in for his daily espresso and joined our conversation. Once he left, an Egyptian girl and Thai girl from the next table started talking with us. This morning I took a Lebanese cooking class, taught by an Egyptian, also attended by women from Romania, Tajikistan, and the Philippines. My Pilates classes are taught by three British women, and the chiropractor in the office next to the gym is Canadian.
Clubs can, of course, by their nature be exclusive and isolating. And sometimes it might be necessary to limit a club membership, as in the case of the American club, due to security reasons. It is very refreshing, however, to visit a club such as the CSA and see so many people from so many countries peacefully enjoying classes, activities, and coffee together. It is fitting that such a club exists in Egypt, as most Egyptians themselves are so welcoming and open to whoever wants to visit the country they are so proud of.
The Egyptians themselves have adopted this way of life, and many of them also belong to clubs. The membership fees for both the expat and local clubs can be quite high. It is a sign of wealth and standing for Egyptians to belong to the 'right' clubs. One person we met said that her Arabic teacher was so proud of finally being able to pay for a membership in a highly desirable club that he arranged a party for the whole class there in order to show it off.
Within a week of arriving here we belonged to two clubs— the American club and an international club called the Community Services Association (CSA). The American club has a great pool, a playground, a restaurant, a bar, and a lot of activities for the Embassy families. We enjoy going there to just 'be American'. My favorite club, however is the CSA. It is free to join and has a large number of activities available. It also has the best coffee I've tasted so far in Egypt.
The variety of nationalities at the CSA is overwhelming. Last week I stopped by for coffee and spent an hour talking to a man with Greek residency but of German and Egyptian heritage. After a while an elderly Frenchman came in for his daily espresso and joined our conversation. Once he left, an Egyptian girl and Thai girl from the next table started talking with us. This morning I took a Lebanese cooking class, taught by an Egyptian, also attended by women from Romania, Tajikistan, and the Philippines. My Pilates classes are taught by three British women, and the chiropractor in the office next to the gym is Canadian.
Clubs can, of course, by their nature be exclusive and isolating. And sometimes it might be necessary to limit a club membership, as in the case of the American club, due to security reasons. It is very refreshing, however, to visit a club such as the CSA and see so many people from so many countries peacefully enjoying classes, activities, and coffee together. It is fitting that such a club exists in Egypt, as most Egyptians themselves are so welcoming and open to whoever wants to visit the country they are so proud of.
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