Egypt

Egyptian teenagers sometimes socialize in groups and sometimes one-on-one. Egyptian teens think of peers as friends, the concept of friends is “people you know,” and usually teens have from two to five very close friends. Sometimes Egyptian teenagers share money with each other. Borrowing money from friends is not a sensitive issue in Egyptian culture, and the time allowed to repay the debt can be quite lengthy.

Egyptian teenagers enjoy meeting in cafés, sports clubs, the cinema, or shopping malls. Although mingling at schools and universities is acceptable, it is not very common for young women and men to go out on their own.

Other major holidays in Egyptian culture include Eid al-Adha, it is a four-day holiday where Egyptians have a specific meal/dish and adult family members give teenagers and children money. Sham El Nessim is an ancient Egyptian holiday celebrating spring when specific dishes are eaten and people color eggs; usually families have contests for who has the most creative egg.

In Egyptian culture, greeting someone you see every day is expected. Girls kiss cheeks, boys shake hands or kiss cheeks. Punctuality is not very important in Egypt and being late is not considered rude. Egyptians tend to communicate indirectly and are generally not comfortable expressing negative emotions to others. Eye contact is also not important in Egyptian culture.

Personal space is not a common concept for Egyptians in general, especially within the family. Family members and close friends are expected to know nearly everything about each other, even very personal information. Also, Egyptians do not keep a distance while talking to someone; the distance between two people talking together is normally tight, especially if they are of the same gender.