On Wednesday last week a classmate of mine made a comment to me. She asked how long I've been in Egypt, and I told her since August, with a long winter holiday. She was surprised. She said I seem like I have a good understanding of Egyptian culture. I told her I had been here before and have Arab friends at home, and we parted ways.
Upon reflection, I thought that was an odd thing for her to say. She is a classroom acquaintance; we're friendly, but never see each other outside of class, and except for polite classroom small talk, we don't interact socially.
Today I had an opportunity to ask her what prompted that comment. She said she's been around a lot of foreigners over the years (she's an older student, probably with teenage or older kids), and I seem like I fit in well. It's just a feeling she has about me.
My host last semester said something similar that I just remembered. She said she feels comfortable with me, that I'm not like other foreigners she's known.
I don't share these things to boast, I'm just puzzled by these comments. How do foreigners normally make Egyptians feel? I'm not aware of doing anything special to blend in - I have no idea why at least 2 Egyptians perceive me differently.
Just something to ponder.
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