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The Mugamma

I first walked into the Mogamma building at Tahrir Square in the heart of Cairo. It's an imposing building bulging with bureaucracy. The first metal detector seemed like more of a formality than a function of security. I guess if I had looked a little more menacing, the guard may have stopped me.

I ascended the dusty granite stairs to find a second metal detector. I went through again without attracting much attention. 

The directions said go to the "first floor," which in American vernacular is really the second floor because in Egypt, the ground floor does not figure into the counting.

I looked around and saw only Arabic signage, well beyond my level of reading. So, I asked the man looking at the bag screening monitor, "Visas?" He pointed down a long hallway. I walked. When I got to the first juncture, I asked a guard, "Visas?" He pointed and then motioned for me to follow him. We walked a long way down the hall, then around a corner into a long, narrow hall with about 40 "windows." Now things were at least in Arabic and English. I found the window marked, "Fees and Stamps." According to my instructions, I needed 2 "stamps." So I paid the lady 36 Egyptian pounds and got my 8 stamps since I was getting 4 visas (one for each of us in the family).

I asked the very kind grandma, "Forms?" She said something in Arabic and pointed further down the hall to her left, my right. I walked a ways scanning for "forms." Returning with a sheepish look of "I have no idea" on my face, she motioned to wait a minute. Then she came out from behind her glass and walked me down to where the forms lay on the counter. They were in plain site. I saw them the first time, but didn't know what I was looking for!

Now I sat down on an orange, cracked, plastic waiting chair and began to fill in the blanks. All the blanks were obvious, but one: "Profession." What's that? It's not "Religion" because that was a different line. Oh, well, I left it blank and it did not seem to matter.

Completed forms in hand, I head to window 38 (as per the instructions I was given). She looked at my paperwork and letter from the school. After a minute or two of deliberation, she sent me to window 26. She also looked at my stuff and after a couple minutes, sent me to window 12, the very last window at the end of the long hall.

I stood for what felt like 5 minutes before the new lady, smacking her gum, acknowledged my existence. She looked over my stuff and asked where the photocopy of my visa was. Well, I had made a photocopy of the first page with my picture, name, number, etc. Nobody had mentioned a photocopy of the Egyptian visa page. I did not remember seeing a photocopier, so I fully expected to have to go blocks away. I asked her, "Feyn?" (Where?). She said "downstairs."

So I walked back down the long hall, then the next long hall, back through the metal detector and down the stairs. Sure enough under the stairs in what can only be described as a closet with a little window was a lady taking money and a man making photocopies. For 8 Egyptian pounds I got the copies I needed. 

Back up the stairs I trekked, through then metal detector, down both long halls, back to window 12. She held out her hand to receive my form, photocopies, passports, and passport sized photos (which I had printed 24 of back home at Walgreens before we left!).

Then she writes a note on a piece of paper, hands it to me and said in broken English, "more stamps." So I walk back to the first window to buy more stamps. This time it's 334 Egyptian pounds for 16 stamps. Back down the hall to window 12 with 16 stamps in hand. She meticulously places 4 additional stamps on each form confirming I had "Paid" for the visa. Then she said, "Come back 2 hours."

I walked back down both long hallways, through the metal detector, down the stairs, and out of the Mogamma building. Scanning the area, I could not see a cafe, so I found a bench with the sun to my back. It was a great vantage point for people-watching and practicing my Arabic alphabet.

One hour and forty five minutes later I go back into the Mogamma! You guessed it, through the metal detector, up the stairs, through the 2nd metal detector, down both long halls to window 12. By this time, however, the area was crowded. I wove my way to the very end, window 12. At the window, I was 4th in line. I waited. My turn finally arrives. I motioned and looked inquisitive. Remembering me from earlier, she smacked her gum said, "Window 38."

I snaked my way back to the beginning of the hall to window 38. After standing at the window for a couple minutes unacknowledged, the lady asked me, "What nationality?" I responded (in Arabic), "ana amreekeeya." Then I told her, "Arbah," (four). She studied my paperwork and realized we all had the same "family" name, so she began digging through the pile. As she found each one, I would say, "Aiywah," (yes).  I looked at each one and sure enough the new visa was good for one year! Wahoo.

So I went back down both long halls, through the metal detector, down the stairs, out of the Mogamma building and onto the Metro headed for home. Believe it or not...that's a pretty efficient day in most countries.