Taking the garbage out...

Egypt has many wonders - some ancient and some modern. One example of the latter is a slum settlement on the outskirts of Cairo, appropriately referred to as the 'Garbage City'. The residents - mostly Coptic Christians - practically live in and on the collected garbage and spend their time sorting through what is usable and sellable. During work visits to Cairo, I often drove by the settlement and browsed through hundreds of pictures of daily life there by a photographer colleague. The images and smells of the Garbage City are still vivid and fresh in my mind and senses.

Sweden has many wonders - its breathtaking natural beauty and highly modernized lifestyle. One example of the latter is the expectation - nay, the requirement - that you sort through your garbage before getting rid of it. The first time my father-in-law took me through the process, I was hit by a massive tide of culture shock! Sure, I knew about recycling bottles and boxes, but here we had to wash and clean all bottles and plastic packs, separate everything into every imaginable sub-category, and carefully and reverently deposit them into the appropriately marked containers. And just in case you are temped to speed up the process and put something in the wrong section, a considerate neighbor will ensure you are reprimanded swiftly.

As with most such life issues though, Cyprus, the center of the universe, has got the right balance and mindset. Sorting through our garbage? You must be kidding! We are too civilized for that. We just dump everything in those large blue Lordos bags, put them out on the sidewalk outside, and sit back contently, knowing that the garbage collectors will pick them up and chuck them over the hill a few minutes up the road!