BREVES DE SUZY  (Suite 2)   copyright

Lors de la précédente mise à jour, nous avons publié des clips écrits par notre amie Suzy Vidal, écrivain de langue anglaise. Pour répondre à vos demandes nous disons OUI nous poursuivons !!!

El babour Zalat:

The English were the ruling power in Egypt for a very long time (till 1956) and they brought over their modern techniques and applied them to the Cairo streets.

One of them was the babour zalat. Everyone called it like this because the Arabic word was more striking than the French or English.

The workers started very early in the morning with the tar already burning hot in a truck. These men did that job without protective garments or special shoes. Following the babour with their spades they set the incandescent matter into place for the roller to pass and flatten it.

There was always an affrangui, European to supervise. The smell was very particular and the noise too.

Small patch by small patch they repaired the street under the admiring eyes el Saida, peasants.

Goha

Was the favourite Egyptian village idiot.

For example:

Hanging his washing on the terrace, his galabeya flew away. Seeing this Goha said:

“Thank God I was not in it.”

Another favourite expression:

“Fein wednak ya Goha? Where is your ear Goha? ”

Instead of showing the right ear with the right hand, he went round his head with his left hand to show the right ear!

A short anecdote:

Goha’s mother said: “Goha, khalli balak aal bab, Take care of the door.”

“Hader ya mama, Yes mother.”

At a certain moment Goha wanted to go out. He unhinged the door and putting it on his back went to the market. His mother seeing that shouted:

“Ya Goha enta bet eemel eh bel bab? What are you doing with the door?”

“Laken ya mama enti oltili ne khalli balli aal bab, But mother you told me to take care of the door!”

El’infirmier :

Was the male nurse who came home to give injections.

Today we have throwaway needles and gloves so that no one else but you can use that same injection. But then, the nurse would bring out a small alcohol burner, put water in a metal recipient and add the injection and the very thick needle and put it over the flame where it boiled for some minutes.

That was the method of sterilisation we had then.

The needle was huge and thick and it hurt a lot.

When I had to have an injection I fled to the other end of the house and my mother shouted at least ten times ‘Reviens’ before I obeyed.

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