A busy street of Cairo, Egypt.
CAIRO, Egypt- It was a Thursday afternoon on a scorching day in Egypt. On a bright street, cars were screeching and children were screaming. Cars were honking, and men were yelling at each other following an accident. Soon an ambulance arrived and took away the driver who had a leg injury. Everyone passing by stopped and glanced to see what happened, but the children didn’t care.
Cows being slaughtered at the butcher shop up the street captured the children’s attention. Once the head was chopped off, the children ran and screamed in terror, but then ran back to watch the butcher cut the cow open and pull out its insides. Blood and intestines fell to the street with a splat, yet the butcher calmly cleaned and hung up the intestines for sale.
An old man was sitting outside on his chair, leaning on his cane and yelling at people who walked by.
A woman passed carrying her child on her shoulder while holding her other child’s hand, and screaming at both for crying too much.
A little boy, about three years old, ran out of his house, barefoot, onto the trashy street to play in the mud.
Little girls followed throwing rocks and dead bugs at him until he cried. Fat, silver dollar sized cockroaches flew through the air. The girls cursed and screamed at him when he cried for his mother who called to him from the third floor balcony.
“Get off the streets and get inside, you Mina,” said the mother from the balcony.
She learned over the balcony to threaten him.
“I don’t want to come inside. These little girls are hitting and making fun of me. Mom come down and hit them for me. Mom!” screamed the little boy.
He looked at her with pleading eyes.
“If you don’t get your little behind upstairs right now I’m coming down with my shoes and hitting you in front of everyone in the streets!” said the mother.
The little boy ran quickly inside, and everyone watching exploded in laughter. Chidlren in Egypt, well loved, are disciplined harshly in public.
The street now quiet, people went on their way.
