Columns / Letters From

The future is unknown, but we can learn on the job, says Maria Golia.

Maria Golia experiences beautiful music and blunt talk at a Cairo gathering.

In a climate of uncertainty, Maria Golia discovers that laughter can sound hollow.

Love can be tough amid the boredom and despair of a city slum, writes Maria Golia.

There may be no easy answer, but identity has become an obsession, discovers Maria Golia, among a people in turmoil.

Maria Golia’s tailor has the currency markets stitched up.

After the euphoria, reality is beginning to bite, says Maria Golia.

Maria Golia savours a moment of extraordinary clarity for Egypt.

In the name of research, Maria Golia meets a man with an unusual mission.

Maria Golia meets the man with the eyes of a caged god.

Returning to Cairo after some time away, Maria Golia is waylaid in the labyrinth of a cargo warehouse.

Maria Golia recalls a transcendent moment amid the clamour of Cairo.

Maria Golia feels she’s getting old, while the city around her is ‘getting new’.

A trip to the pedicurist reveals the changing face of Egypt’s middle class to Maria Golia.

The dawn of a new decade has Maria Golia pondering the past.

An overseas trip lets Maria Golia see her hometown in a new light.

Perceptions of efficiency – and cleanliness – can differ, Maria Golia discovers.

Maria Golia recalls why part of her Egyptian education involved learning how to break the rules.

'Make do and mend' is a time-honoured Egyptian talent, discovers Maria Golia.

Maria Golia recalls a moment of cultural confusion.