Both Egyptian relationships and Western relationshipsĀ start out being “open-minded”. Egyptian relationships then start taking a different route once the relationship has reached a point of commitment. Let’s see how!Ā 

Egyptian relationships are a weak imitation of Western relationshipsĀ 

They try so hard to have the same open-minded approach as Western relationships, but fail to do so and only apply certain “open-minded” aspects. For instance, it’s okay for the girl to have kissed a guy before her boyfriend, but it’s not okay if she slept with someone before him. She’s allowed to go out with a guy friend alone, but it’s blasphemous to hang out at his place alone.

Reaching theĀ “I love you” stageĀ 

In Western relationships, this stage is not a must. A lot of relationships end without one of them ever uttering these 3 words. In Egyptian relationships, however, this stage is reached so early, even if the relationship only lasted for a couple of months.

The difference between dating, hooking up and in a relationshipĀ 

Let’s clear the air once and for all.

‘Dating’ is the period of time where you are still getting to know each other. You are not committed to one another. You are allowed to go on dates with other people, as long as you’re straightforward about that from the beginning. Or you might have decided to date exclusively, as in you’re not allowed to date other people, but you’re not boyfriend and girlfriend either.

‘Hooking up’ is when there’s no commitment at all and you two are clear on that. You are not boyfriend and girlfriend and so don’t have to call each other all the time or do coupley activities. It’s a relationship that begins and ends with physical attraction.

‘In a relationship’ is when you two have dated for a while and are now taking a step forward and deciding to be together. But ‘in a relationship’ is not synonymous with being in love.

Egyptian relationships somehow fail to define these differences and that’s because of a lack of communication and because neither of them wants to be honest about what they want.Ā 

Family issues

In Egyptian relationships, you don’t just introduce your date/boyfriend to your parents. If you two are only dating, you might not even tell them, because who needs a lecture on morals? And when it comes to your boyfriend, you introduce him to your parents if and only if it’s getting serious so you wouldn’t get scolded for being “the girl who dates a lot of guys”.

The songsĀ 

Egyptian romantic songs are a disaster! They go from meet to like to love in the length of a chorus! Slow down please.

I hate generalising so I’m not saying that all Egyptian relationships work that way. But sadly, this is how the majority do.Ā Westernizing the relationship is not the key. The key is effective communication and a straightforward approach to what you want from the other person.Ā