For some deranged reason, speaking English on the streets of Cairo warrants you strange looks, different treatment, mocking and a whole lot of judgement. Some of us aren’t as lucky as others, and aren’t as fluent in Arabic, or are just not as comfortable in their command of the language, and that’s okay. And to those of you out there who prefer English and find your tongues automatically speaking it rather than your mother tongue, this one’s for you.
1- Taxi/ Uber/ Careem drivers feel the need to speak to you in English
As soon as they hear English slipping out of your tongue, they’re going to try to flex their muscles and speak to you in English – even if they’re not very good at it. Usually, the only words they do repeat are “yes”, “no” or “very best”.
2- Everyone else also tries to speak to you in English
Waiters at restaurants, the Shisha guy, the guy at the kiosk – everyone you bump into really, will try and speak to you in English. They are either trying to show that they, too, can speak the foreign language, or they’re making fun of you.
3- People make fun of you for speaking lo’3at el5waga
Eh da? Msh bita3raf/I 3arabi y3ni? They’re judgmental about you not speaking Arabic when it’s your mother tongue. They might even make fun of you in Arabic in the hopes that you won’t understand – and you do.
4- Eltarya2a w El2lsh don’t stop
A few days ago, a few friends and I were at a café, and the table next to us, throughout the few hours we were there, didn’t stop eltarya2a. Sarcasm is a real talent here.
5- They assume you can’t speak Arabic
And if you do, they don’t understand why you’d speak English then. Being bilingual or trilingual usually doesn’t mean you’re equally comfortable and competent in all those languages. It’s hard to explain that some thoughts and ideas are harder for you to express in Arabic than in English.
6- Or that you never lived in Egypt (or in an Arabic country to begin with)
“Kont/i 3ysh/a feen?” You know I could still have lived my whole life in Egypt or the Arab world, because language competence depends on a lot more than where you live. International schools make a point of ensuring your English is down to a “t”, which is why parents are willing to pay so much money (and in foreign currency). The society praises English w fi 3o2dat 5waga, but still continues to make us feel bad for it – contradictions at their best really.
7- Or that you’re pretending to not speak Arabic “to show off”
Because English is seen as superior already, they somehow think you’re faking it and pretending to speak English to seem “cool” and “show off” your foreign prowess, when in reality, it’s just an instinctual thing.
8- They make you uncomfortable with both languages
At the end, you end up forcing yourself to speak Arabic, which sounds weird, even though you’re good at it, because of the pressure. You know they’re gonna be listening twice as carefully to your Arabic to catch any mistakes. Regardless which language you choose to speak, you’re not going to be comfortable.
