The Nady (or, the Sporting Club)

Dear readers,

One thing that I think is really cool about Egypt -- that may also exist elsewhere in the Middle East and the rest of the world -- is the Nady culture. Nadys are "sporting clubs" that are (probably) not like anything that exists in America. The one I went to this weekend was ginormous; imagine a huge compound with a swimming pool, gym, running/walking track, golf course, tennis court, you name it, but also a really fancy lounge/restaurant area, where waiters and waitresses serve you drinks. (Incidentally, this was the first time I had ever seen waitresses in Egypt, after living here for a month.) With chandeliers, wood paneling, and pseudo-orientalist paintings on the walls, it struck me as very European Colonial.

When I went, it was maybe 10am on the Thursday before the beginning of Ramadan, so pretty much the only people who were there were older guys, but I've heard that kids in their teens and twenties hang out there all the time during the year -- maybe playing ball or running or something, then cleaning up and hanging out in the restaurant area.* In the most common American textbook of beginners Arabic -- Al-Kitaab 1 -- one of the main characters of the textbook's story is a TA at the University of Cairo, and after work every day he goes to a Nady with his friends wand they don't work out, but instead they sit around for hours, smoking and playing chess and talking about girls. It was cool to have read about that so many years ago, and now to have just hung out in a Nady myself (though doing homework instead of talking to my friends about boys).

Besides the food, the culture of the Nady is the one Egyptian thing I can think of that I would love to see exported to America. It's so chill, and the people here are not hyper-athletic, so working out here is not intimidating for un-fit people (such as myself). I also liked it because it's a really good place to study; I think I had more privacy and less background noise in the Nady restaurant than anywhere else I've been in Egypt so far.

Sorry I don't have any photos; I misplaced my camera and am still trying to find it, and the people I went with didn't bring their cameras with them. But if you Google search "Alexandria Sporting Club", you'll find some pics.

Thanks for reading, folks! I'll try to post soon about my trip to Cairo.

- Beth C-C

*It costs 60 Egyptian Pounds ($10 USD) to get in if you aren't a member, but you can literally spend all day there. I took homework with me!