TGIF!

"Thank God it's Friday!" takes on a few more layers of meaning here...

First think literally: one has to thank God on Friday... Friday is the holy day for Muslims and Christians, and is when Egyptians go to the mosque for noon-day prayers with the ummah or to church in the morn/eve for the weekly service.

Second, many Caireans thank God it's Friday because it's the one day traffic isn't absolutely insane. What would normally take one or two hours will take you fifteen minutes to half an hour. Al Hamdul'illah!

Third, party-going youth thank God it's Friday because they can sleep in on the weekend. Thursdays tend to be every one's night on the town (although Egyptians are often out many nights of the week), and many are grateful not to have to think about getting up for work the next morning.

And fourth, TGI Fridays is a popular restaurant chain (imported from N. America), and many middle class folks go there to socialize.

So, while North America's Friday is our Thursday, (and we could even say TGIT), there are many reasons we've borrowed the term.