trying to resume a normal life as a female in cairo

i was raised to be a strong, independent person. and through my experiences growing up, i've only become tougher, a little more badass, and i absolutely refuse to accept that there are any differences in the capabilities and freedoms of men and women. just because i was born with ovaries does not mean that i'm less entitled or smart than someone born with say, balls. in fact, i've been told numerous times that i have pretty big balls myself, so...

it is annoying beyond imagination that as a woman in cairo, i always need to be "looked after." i'm discouraged from going and staying out late, taking taxis, living on my own, etc. but there's also reasoning behind that. sexual harrassment is rampant here in egypt. there was even a great article about this in the NY Times.

while i do dress a little more conservatively here than i do at home, i still wear "normal" clothes. no burqa, no headscarf, none of that. and for the record, most young women dress the way we do. they are just as trendy and fashionable as any of us westerners are. but there's not a single day that i go out that someone doesn't hiss, honk or make a comment to me. i just ignore them all. i once had my breast grabbed walking through downtown cairo, and some girlfriends had been grabbed and/or sexually assaulted in taxis or worse, given the, you're going to hell because you're not covered, speech by a self-riteous man. most of the women have noted that things have become much worse since the revolution, some even blaming the fact that the Muslim Brotherhood is now in power. sometimes it's an excuse that you're so exposed, you're practically asking to be assaulted. fucking animals, really, if men can't control themselves, they are no different than dogs and animals. but anyway, i digress...

so as i am still trying to stabilize myself here, i venture out into the city and spend about 90% of my time here alone and i don't think twice about it. this is what i'm used to, this is how i've always lived. i work alone, i sit alone, i drink alone, i eat alone. big deal?

but the other day while i was sitting in a restaurant having a shwarma, you guessed it- alone, i kept getting stares from the other male patrons. i just returned equally rude, can i fucking help you?, stares. yes, i'm a woman and i'm sitting in this restaurant alone. i'm not a prostitute.

i just want a damn shwarma.

but then i started to try to understand that their daughters probably never venture out alone. they absolutely do go out, but most likely it's in the company of others. i almost never see a local, egyptian girl by herself anywhere. so these men are just not accustomed to seeing this. there's nothing wrong with the fact that i am having a sandwich by myself, but it's probably just strange for them. they can be excused for their ignorance, their inexperience, but they can't be excused for their double standards, and they most certainly can't be excused for any actions in response to this.

so just fuck off and leave me and all the other women in cairo alone. shokran.