Before my trip, I had to head down to the travel agency for a briefing on what to expect on the trip, how to prevent myself from getting culture shock once getting there and more. One of the first things that the tour guide told us was of course, the extreme weather there, with temperatures ranging from 18 to 40 degrees. Later, she went on to tell us about how we should dress appropriately there by keeping our shoulders, upper arms and calves covered up at all times. It isn't exactly a sin to wear sleeveless attire or shorts in Egypt but the locals were extremely conservative due to their Muslim beliefs. Thus, it wouldn't be nice to dress in too revealing clothes unless we wouldn't mind getting gawked at while walking around there.
An Egyptian woman all covered up.
Another culture which I noticed that the Egyptians had was their love for singing and dancing at parties. During my first 4 days in Egypt, we actually had a leisurely cruise down the Nile and before dinner time, the waiters and workers in the cruise ship would put on a little performance for us using drums and other egyptian instruments. It was quite entertaining actually. Later on, they even made all of us join in as well! Even the waiters at the Hard Rock Cafe in Cairo performed their traditional dance for us before our meal.
Tipping is also a way of life over there in Egypt. It is extremely common to see the locals offering to snap photos with the tourists then asking them unabashedly for tips. My friend and I got the scare of our lives when our horse carriage driver suddenly stopped in the middle of the road while taking us to the temple to ask us for extra tips.
Tipping is also a way of life over there in Egypt. It is extremely common to see the locals offering to snap photos with the tourists then asking them unabashedly for tips. My friend and I got the scare of our lives when our horse carriage driver suddenly stopped in the middle of the road while taking us to the temple to ask us for extra tips.
Kalesh - a traditional Egyptian horse carriage
The Sun Temple of Abu Simbel
Apart from the modern Egyptian cultures mentioned above, there are also many interesting ancient Egyptian cultures. One very prominent culture of ancient Egypt is mummification - the preservation of the body after death. Preservation of the body was an essential part of the Ancient Egyptian funerary practice. Without the body, the "ka" could not return to find sustenance, and if the body was decayed or unrecognisable, then the ka would go hungry and the afterlife of the deceased would be jeopardised. Mummification was therefore dedicated to the prevention of decay.
My trip to Egypt was incredible and definitely an eye-opening experience for me. It helped me to see exactly how different the cultures are over there and here in Singapore. Typing this entry right now is already making me miss Egypt so much! Say, how many of you experienced culture shock when visiting a foreign country? Please feel free to comment!
Source: http://www.egyptologyonline.com/mummification.htm
Source: http://www.egyptologyonline.com/mummification.htm
7 comments:
I still refer back to my Turkey trip, they show more contrast because Turkey is geared towards a secular nation...
You can easily find sexy Turkish women walking dogs in the streets. amongst those fully clothed scarved women walking along the streets.
Yes and both Egyptian/Turkish community love to dance.
Bellydances differs from each Muslim country. You should go find out what are the differences.
Chris, your post reminds me of my UGC 111 module. Haha..
We learnt about the Egypt civilization and true enough, most traditions they developed since then has been preserved till now. Though, some might have changed and evolved into something entirely different. However, it's their way of living which determines their culture.
Mummification originated because of the Egyptians belief of afterlife. From this, I suppose that even your beliefs can define your own culture.
Hi Chris,
I haven't experienced culture shock b4 but it does seem quite drastic to have to cover up if I'm wearing a cap sleeve t-shirt, especially since that is what I wear most of the time! Plus, it's quite decent here in SG since it's not even some halter or tube top! I think we'll manage though, as in having to cover up ^.^ The Egyptian culture still fascinates me...
Culture shock? haha, i sometimes get culture shock from our very own people!
Anw, your trip to Egypt seemed... Awesome!! Haha. Yesh, i agree with Quinn how beliefs can determine the culture.. i mean, beliefs sometimes manifest themselves physically through ways of life.. in coutries where Christianity is the dominant faith, or "was", we'll see many churches, the emphasis on Christian holidays/festivals (Christmas & Easter)?
When i was in Australia, many of my friends and i noted how big the Easter holidays were treated. Most of the shops were closed, almost similar to our CNY celebrations here where most of the shops close. Of course, practices change over time, we might see more shops remaining open in the years to come, to reap the potential economic benefits.
I kinda like the Pics you took. Especially the one with the magnificient looking sculptures... i was wondering just how huge they were, when i spotted the people nearer the bottom right of the pic. Wow, that put things in perspective!
I've not been to Egypt or Turkey, but I do hope to be able to visit them someday... (=
hey chris,
interesting post you got here. makes me feel like going to Egypt too~!
egypt is so beautiful!
i think travelling is the best lesson for us to widen our cultural experiences.
many of us are too 'enthralled' by our own culture that we ignore the beauty of others or think we are more superior than others. travelling can help us to curb this kind of feeling and give us a more globalised education.
mind blowing awesome discriptiona I feel like I m visiting egypt ....
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