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Smoking can kill you, but maybe not if you are Egyptian 

It is safe to say that smoking is a big part of Egyptian culture. I was taken back the night we arrived to notice people smoking in our hotel lobby and that the rooms were stocked with ashtrays. Indoor smoking in public places has for the most part become a memory to me, especially in Florida. However, it's been about four years since I last asked the question "smoking or non," when working as a restaurant hostess in North Carolina.

After I'd recovered from my first shock of seeing so many Egyptian smokers, I later noticed the cigarette packages outfitted with large, graphic warning labels. The labels here cover about half of the front of the package and consist of photos depicting various consequences of smoking -- a sad-looking man in a hospital bed wearing a respirator, a hospital patient with a tracheotomy drilled into his throat, and a child trying to avoid second hand-smoke around his parents. To me, these warning were just as shocking as they so graphically warned users of the effects of tobacco.

I later found out that in 2007 the Egyptian government passed legislation that extended bans on smoking in public spaces to include schools, government buildings, etc and ban the sale of tobacco products to minors. In spite of the law, it's very common to see people on the street smoking who appear to be well below the age of 18 … just an observation.

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