Power of Music

It started with Nelly Furtado, playing "Say it Right" as I walked confidently through the subway, singing to myself that the men staring at me "don't mean nothing at all to me....." I was no longer the out of place foreigner, but a misplaced diva strutting down the metro platform. Then it moved on to Tupac's "Baby don't Cry", reminding me that I gotta "keep my head up, even when the road is rough, never give up." If I am tired, the rhymes quicken my pace, if I am feeling timid, the words empower me. You can see the trend, play the song, and I go to another world. All that I want of the streets in Cairo is to belong, and the music helps numb my self-consciousness. So whether its Michael Jackson's "Beat it" Ryan Adam's "Gonna make you love me" or even Trick Daddy's "Cause I'm a Thug" I am addicted to listening to music in the streets of Cairo.

Before I forget, I would like to say a word or two about listening to music while walking through life. In general, I am not a fan. Back home in Ann Arbor I was the first to criticize the daily use of the ipod, isolating individuals on campus, limiting hellos to a brief wave and an awkward "how are you" left hanging without a response because my friend is apparently really, really into music. This all changed when I got to Cairo, ironically where it actually became on option that I might be hit by a car on a sidewalk. The music removes me, lifts me up from the chaos, and lets me feel like I am the only viewer of the movie around me, cause why else would there be a soundtrack? The music changes your mood, and thank god for it, because for some reason there is nothing like the abrasion of the streets of Cairo to bring down your morale.

"Young man, theres no need to feel down." what was that? "I said young man, pick yourself off the ground" oh no she doesn't, she doesn't actually play..."theres no need to feel unhappy..." drumroll please..."its fun to stay at the Y-M-C-A!!!!"

I'll admit, I didn't choose the Village People on purpose knowing that it would be the best choice I have made since I applied for a Fulbright. I was fumbling with my ipod the other day, keeping it in my bag so as not to be that foreigner who counts her money while holding a map while wearing a an ol' glory fanny pack. I just wanted a song, any song, and thought that whatever I managed to get would do the trick. Then I heard the blaring of the horns...that snappy tempo, reminding me of 6th grade dances that I would rather forget. I groaned cursing myself for having such a horrible song in my possession...when suddenly, I looked around and understood. Every man I saw was no longer walking, he was promenading. The groups of men on the sidewalk weren't talking about the funny American girl walking down the street, they were discussing the great new community center where they can wear hard hats and Native American head dresses. I seriously thought that any second they would break out in the tried and true synchronized dance, which of course is a sort of universal language of its own. Y-M-C-A! We would give each other high fives and someone would do a back flip, it was going to be sweet. From that day on, I decided to put the Village People on the top of my play list. Who said Egyptian men were machisto? From what I can tell, they don't want me, they just wanna dance.