Outside emotions

I was mooching around the flat today- still feeling low and sorry for myself when I heard really loud music and lots of hand clapping going on outside my front window... I stepped onto the balcony, looked down, and there was a large boat, with it's top deck crammed with people all dancing and singing, having the time of their lives. Every colour in the rainbow was represented in their clothing and the sunset was made special for me by seeing them enjoy it all so much.
Even now I can still hear music filtering out of a variety of venues along the Nile, and car horns tooting some happy couple along to their engagement or wedding party.

Cairo always seems so alive. So bursting with all aspects of live. And it just struck me why. You have wonderful celebrations and sad commemerative ones every where in the world, but usually there are large enough 'appropriate' venues for people to go and do these things in private- ie just with their own family and friends... but here, with so many people in one city, there couldn't possible be enough function halls to hold the all the weddings etc etc so everything is outside. The good stuff, and the bad stuff, in your life is shared with so many other people, outside.

So very different from the British, keep yourselves to yourselves, type of lifestyle.