What Do You Say to That?

One of the things I’ve noticed as a foreign guy in both India and Egypt is that local girls do not talk to you, let alone give you the time of day. Guys are always coming up and asking you questions and saying, “Welcome to <insert country here>,” but woman only offer the slightest glance, if you’re lucky, but even that is often in disgust. It’s frustrating because you feel like you know nothing about the female side of the culture by the time you leave.

Using that logic, I can’t even begin to explain what happened yesterday. It started when I was on the balcony (2nd floor) waiting for some friends. Three Egyptian girls, dressed conservatively, walked by on the street below. One of them kept looking over, so I looked behind me to see what she was looking at. Hmm…nothing there. Then, after they had walked a bit past me, two of the girls turned and gave a coy little smile and wave. Eye contact was definitely made and I could see them giggling, perhaps laughing at my general awkwardness. There was indeed some shock involved because I have not witnessed anything more than a glance.

Oh, but the night wasn’t done there. On my way to the bat cave, I walked by this group of people: an older lady, a young girl, and two middle-aged guys. When I was within range, the lady says, “I love you.” Whoa. I was completely taken aback. I wasn’t sure how to respond, so I just kept walking. The girl (from Brazil) beside me burst out laughing, but I could do no more than stare bewildered into space. What a strange night.