But I do have limits, and on some points insist on keeping my foreign standards for what is okay and what isn't. This, I am sure, has led to some moments that general society finds scandalous.
#1. When I decided to live alone
This has been the source of many scandalous theories. Why would a young, single girl want to live alone? Either she is up to no good, or she just wants to be unsafe. Maybe I just wanted peace and quiet. This has led to many arguments with my doorman about who is allowed to visit me and who isn't. After I admitted that I realized there are cultural differences, he emphasized there are big cultural differences and that me living alone was basically culturally inappropriate. I may or may not have told him that I have a life and he's not my dad. Classic. This leads to the second example:
#2. When Reda got kicked out during breakfast
Again, my doorman likes to think he knows what is best for me. One time, my very dear friend Reda dropped by with breakfast on a weekend morning (I know how to pick good friends). He somehow sneaked past Mohammad, but Mohammad has like a sixth sense, I swear he knows everyone's footsteps that lives in the building. He promptly came upstairs to kick Reda out. It was 11. In the morning. This issue has since been resolved with my landlord, who has told Mohammad I can have visitors at reasonable daylight hours. Thank goodness.
#3. When I got dropped off at the checkpoint by one man at midnight, then went back out to return with two others at 3:00am
This one sounds really bad, but I swear I wasn't being a hootchie mama. I live inside the police checkpoint that guards the ministry of interior, so the officers who work there on a regular basis get to see me coming and going at whatever hour I want like I own the place. But this actually wasn't as bad as it looked. I simply was out with an old student catching up over shisha until midnight, then when he politely dropped me off at the barricade, I made a phone call to my guy friends Bishoy and Sahm, who were still out. I will admit I looked sheepishly at the guards as I went back out to meet the guys, mumbling that I "forgot something." One beer, sandwich, shisha, and three hours later they walked me back to the checkpoint. The guard just looked up and said, "you finished? Thank God."
#4. Basically any time I get back home after midnight
This is Cairo, the city is up late. Yeah, I know proper young ladies are not supposed to be out late, but then I would miss out on all the excitement of sitting for hours at cafes drinking tea and playing backgammon. That would be a shame.
#5. When the police at my checkpoint checked my suitcase for bombs, and my underwear was on top
This was an accident. When I was packing my suitcase in Michigan, I forgot to think about how the police would have to check my luggage before letting me into my street. Perks of living kitty-corner from the Ministry of Interior. Oops.
#6. When I wore a dress that slightly showed my knees in the metro, because I was going to an engagement after church
I know I said I am always super self-conscious of dressing appropriately, but sometimes I make exceptions. That is, if you count wearing a dress that just touches your upper shin as an exception. It was my nicest dress, and it would have been fine except for I live in downtown, which is a little more conservative. Oops.
#7. When my friend Shyla and I were walking down the street in Alexandria and jumped into a car full of boys
But they were our boys, we knew them. They were actually our ride and trying to find us. But to be funny when they pulled up, they were all like "heeeey, wanna ride pretty ladies?" Naturally, we were all like, "heeeey, let's go!" We jumped in, and there were a few bystanders with looks on their faces saying "is it really that easy?"
