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One of my most cherished memories of Egypt was hearing the call to prayer five times a day. Every time that I would hear the call to prayer, I would be reminded of the fact that I was immersed in a culture very different than my own. The sound of church bells chiming the hour, with which I was so familiar, was replaced by the sound of the muezzin announcing the Salah from the high minarets of the mosques. Although I did not comprehend the vast majority of the muezzin's dialogue, I could always pick out the phrase "Allah Akbar." Allah is the Greatest.
Another form of minor "culture shock" occurred when I attended an Epiphany Service at a Christian Coptic Orthodox Church. During the service, I was immediately struck by the number of women showing their hair. Due to the fact that Egypt is a predominantly Muslim country, the vast majority of women dawn the hijab. Therefore, after being surrounded by women whose hair was consistently covered with beautiful scarves of varying styles, it was slightly startling for me to suddenly see so many female heads exposed. |
