Walking out of Cairo airport for the first time, I got this feeling that I hadn't really left home. The polluted air made its way into my lungs, the car horns buzzed in my ears. It was really as if I was in Beirut.
Coming from a city whose roads are more than often gridlocked, I thought I had developed the needed immunity.
But, Cairo proved me wrong. That realization happened one night when it took me two hours to get to a destination that was literally 15 minutes away.
At that moment, I realized that people from Beirut and Cairo have a lot in common.
We spend more time in our cars than the actual places we visit. This is a fact.
But, the similarities don't stop there. The two countries are more similar than they are not.
Here's how:
1. When it comes to traffic: Beirut is trying so hard to be No.1 in this category
And Cairo? Well Cairo is the real "Oum El Za7ma"
2. Dekkene's in Lebanon have developed their own form of currency: Chiclets gum
And mini-markets in Egypt? Well, they use Clorets
3. Lebanese are kinda obsessed with football
But Egyptians prioritize football over EVERYTHING
4. Surveillance cameras? "Tetas" on balconies in Beirut
Versus ... "al bawab" in Cairo
5. Lebanese parents always find a way to turn a question into an interrogation
Egyptian parents are exactly the same way
6. Transportation around Beirut doesn't only involve humans ...
Humans? Cars in Cairo have different priorities
7. In Lebanon ... people MAKE room for others no matter what
And in Egypt ... there is always room for one more
8. Translation fails in Lebanese restaurants be like ...
But those fails pale in comparison to those in Egypt
It's true what they say, Beirut is Sett al Donya, and Egypt is Omm al Donya.