Table for one, please. Recently, I started a weekly ritual: to take myself for Matcha at my favorite coffee shop. Afterward, I would either bask in the sun or daydream on a walk through Maadi. In my alone time, I don’t need to engage in small talk or formulate model answers. I am part of a busy world, and I enjoy being alone. As I ponder all the wonders of quality time alone, I realize how different I was four, three, let alone even one year ago. I would hear stories from my friends about how much they enjoy solitude, and how they love going out to dine by themselves or sit at the back of a movie theater alone; the idea never struck me as enjoyable, even as an introvert. Yet, when the pandemic hit in 2020, I was forced to spend time with myself. The pandemic wasn’t my only introduction to solitude, after broken friendships that left me feeling empty, I decided it was time to explore solo dates. In a collectivist culture like Egypt, one that values quality time with friends and family, alone time can seem…
