الغريب اعمي و لو كان بصير

El gharibA’mawa law kanbasir

Translation: A stranger is blind even though he can see.

Meaning: This is a brilliant proverb that is unfortunately not in frequent use today. It is about knowing the system and getting used to how it works. If you’re a stranger or foreigner, you may speak the language, read books about the culture, and acquire all the knowledge that is on offer about a certain society. But don’t expect to be taken in as an equal by any society in which you are not born. All outsiders are at the risk of being wrong footed, regardless of who the locals are. This saying originally applied to the one from the next village or province, but it is even truer with international travel today.

Source: Egyptian Proverbs, (Al-Ahram Center for Translation and Publishing, 1986) by Ahmed Taymour Pasha