Conversing in Cairo

Since my last post I have really just been working at Optima and I still have to be there until Friday when I will go back to the restaurant to host. Actually, I do like the project I've been given for Optima right now, I think it is teaching me about more than just promotion and marketing. I say this because I am working on a franchise package/proposal for the Crocodile Grill restaurant. Mr. Mohamed wants to bring in individuals to begin expanding to other areas of Egypt and the Middle East. In fact he has an offer from someone in Dubai to open another restaurant there, but as of now he has no framework for this process. Optima has not set up any sort of guidelines that this franchise would follow and so this is my task for now. I am to put together all the information regarding the restaurant, its training values, its menu, its decor, and also to include legal agreements concenring the franchise and the development process. Now, regardless of the fact that I have no previous experience or knowledge in this area I think I am learning a great deal about initiative as the only way I can make progress with this task it to do my own research and to come up with a propsal that I think is appealing. Also, I am learning more about trademarks and the legal process for acquiring this because Crocodile Grill (CG) only has rights in Egypt and will need to be a name throughout the region in order to begin franchises elsewhere.
I feel it is somewhat relevant to explain aspects of my internship here because after all I am not just here as a tourist, this is also for my development in a career sense. Basically, I am pleased with the work I'm being given because before coming to Cairo the job description was very vague and I really had no idea what kind of set up I would find. As it is I think I will learn a great deal because Mr. Mohamed is pretty hands off with the whole company. He sat me down on the first day and said "this is what I want to do" and since then he has pretty much left me to it. In fact, yesterday I had a few questions for him and because he is always at the restaurant I had to go ask him there. I went over my questions with him and essentially he said " I don't know,,, what do you think?" So even though this kind of response is partially frustrating, I would really like some more input to make sure I am working on the right lines, but like I said it is also a good lesson for me. I will just have to come up with my own ideas and find the information on my own. Hopefully, in the long run I will produce something he can use and that is up to par with other restaurants.
On the social side aswell work is extremely fun. The people I work with have different roles and some days they have very few assigned tasks. They are working under the same loose instructions as me because Mr. Mohamed is not what you'd call a taskmaster. This is great on the one hand because they have plenty of time to just sit around and chat with each other and with me, but it also makes it difficult to stay on task. I feel that because of the strong sense of family in Egypt, many people hire their friends and family to work and then the office environment is more like a social gathering than a 9-5 workplace. Anyway, it gives me a chance to work on my Arabic, I just hope that I don't suddenly get a deadline for the package and find myself really behind!
A few nights ago I went to lunch with two of the guys from work and met some more of their friends. Like everyone, they are incredibly generous, insiting that while in Cairo I should not pay for any meals etc, which is something I would not usually accept because I do not want to feel I owe them anything. However, I am learning that in Egypt this is more than just a gesture, for example, if I was seen paying for my bill in a restaurant the people with me would be judged as bad hosts etc.
Another observation I've made is the mentality here of regular socializing. This is something I really enjoy about the culture here that I don't feel people in the US embrace enough. After work here people go to their homes or out with their friends and sit around talking for hours. No t.v. or computer games! It is really apparent because the city stays so busy until very late because people are all out with their friends. And this is not like the US version where you meet up with friends at a bar and just drink, it is conversation the whole time. Now, I'm not saying this is nonexistent in the US, but I think it is much harder to come by because we fill our days from the second we get up to the moment our head hits the pillow, and often our schedules don't include family or friend time.
Another example, would be Maandi and his friends. They finished their exams yesterday so we went to Zamalek to meet them and just sat at a coffeehouse for a few hours talking. This is such a regular occurence for them, but it left me thinking how difficult it can be to do the same thing at Cornell. During the week we work flat out morning to night with no time for breaks and then on the weekend students try to reduce their stress by drinking and sleeping, but spending time with friends one-on-one in a sober atmosphere can be hard to come by. Again, I don't want to generalize and I know there are exceptions to this, in fact, perhaps I am only saying this for my own benefit, but I am realizing now that it is incredibly easy to become so wrapped up in our own lives. In fact, with the competition, pressure, and desire to achieve I think we end up structuring our lives and schedules purely to benefit ourselves, individually. I myself find it quite hard to look outside of my studies and my future goals to the people around me sometimes. I am guilty of this myself, but I hope that this tangent did not offend or confuse anyone. I'd be glad of any comments or observations if there is confusion about what I am trying to convey as I am only thinking out loud. I am just trying to understand more the cultural differences and similarities and I find this blog to be a helpful way to hash out my ideas.