Job Discussion Forums

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

Good Egypt days and Bad Egypt days... that certainly sums it up.

Ally... all good questions

Eyda covered everything well, but I will add a couple of things that came to mind. I always took a years worth of the items that I highly preferred a particular brand - as in contact solutions, feminine hygiene products, make-up, etc. Find out the chemical name of any meds that you take. For instance, they won't know Alleve, but they will sell you naproxin for a fraction of the price. I never found a pharmacist who didn't speak good English and they know their stuff... with ordinary everyday kind of illnesses, they replace doctors.

I was shocked to find out how cold I got in Cairo in the winter. You will go outside to warm up!! There is no central heating and you will probably want to buy a heater for your room at night. Dressing in layers is the key. Glasses are easy to replace there, bring your prescription.

Are you bothered by mosquitoes? They are huge and hungry, and there were times I had as many as 70 bites. Bring a few cans of OFF unscented. In Egypt, you will find small blue cardboard mats that heat up in a small plastic electric machine and will get rid of them inside. I had them burning constantly in my flat as they are thick all year around.

Be prepared to NOT have internet in your room. I suspect that you will be on a shared phone line and thus will not be able to use it. This can happen even when you rent a flat. I used work access and internet cafes... the keyboards always have English. I did use my laptop at home for preparation of materials.

BTW... I left with 4 suitcases (70 lbs each) plus my 2 carry-ons. Of course this was in the 80's when Egypt had no imports and I was going for two years. As to your money, 200 is plenty to be carrying, but you should have an ATM and credit card as back-up. I have had employers in the Middle East that take as many as 4 months to give you your first pay. But, this normally does not happen in Egypt.

Don't worry about traveling around alone... I did it all the time with limited problems. One learns to handle the attention, from males and beggers - and even haggling will come... Actually I have traveled most of the Middle East as a lone female. Going downtown or to Zamalek to shop or to any of the tourist sites is easy by taxi. (I hope... don't know exactly where it is that you will be... sometimes getting a taxi from midtown out by the pyramids can take some time... and you will always be sharing with strangers... which is not a problem...)

Just think of it all as an 'adventure' because some of it will be!! Cool

web fishing · Joined: 02 Jun 2005 Posts: 95

Ally951 · Joined: 29 Aug 2005 Posts: 35

Thank you, VS. That helps tremendously. I just received an email of my contract that I'll be signing once there. I found out that I actually get paid $1000 CA and 200 LE... So it's actually less than originally understood, but I've already accepted that this will not be a lucrative position by any means.

Thanks again,
A

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

Ally, the good news is that part of the pay is in foreign currency as the EP continues to depreciate.

Webfishing... of course I had to pay excess baggage charges for two of the four bags. Are you saying that they will not even let you pay for extra bags now?

VS

web fishing · Joined: 02 Jun 2005 Posts: 95

Extra baggage and extra pounds you can have it, if you pay for it, but from what the airlines tell me it can get pretty expensive. You could ship items for much less.

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

That was in the 80's and my first move overseas. Back when there was no internet and we dived into these new countries and jobs knowing nothing. Laughing

That was the only time I paid excess baggage. I used a shipping company to move it from Egypt to the Gulf 3 years later and from then on it was using branches of the same shipping company or individual air freighting. But, this is a whole other topic...

VS

eyda · Joined: 10 Jun 2005 Posts: 18 Location: Cairo

Ally,

Is housing definitely part of the package, or are they going to charge you rent out of your meagre salary? Worth checking...

DO NOT ENDEAVOUR TO SHIP ANYTHING INTO EGYPT. You'll pay an arm and a leg for your own, used belongings, and customs officers may just help themselves to anything that strikes their fancy anyway. My friend had to pay $200 US just to claim her old clothes!!!

web fishing · Joined: 02 Jun 2005 Posts: 95

Ally951 · Joined: 29 Aug 2005 Posts: 35

Eyda,

I am almost positive that I am not paying rent or utilities. The contract states that I will receive a room/utilities are part of my employment, along with the flight and VISA cost. If they do in fact charge me once there, I will be very, very surprised.

So does that mean it would be difficult to arrange for my sister to send me stuff I may need later (or simply care packages)?

A

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

Ally,

Mail service is pretty bad and there is only about a 50/50 chance of anything mailed either way of arriving - both letters and packages. Well, letters have perhaps a better chance. I wouldn't have anything of value mailed.

I remember one year while in the Gulf I received a Christmas card from a friend in Cairo on April 1, but the postmark from Cairo said Dec 24. Apparently it came by camel...

The only way to be certain of receipt is to use a company like DHL and you will pay big bucks.

VS

eyda · Joined: 10 Jun 2005 Posts: 18 Location: Cairo

Bad is an understatement...

I got Christmas cookies, three months to the day after they'd been mailed. Of course, they'd been sampled, so the birds in my garden enjoyed the crumbs.

Even DHL can't be trusted, sorry to say. A colleague got US Girl Guide cookies, and they wanted 300LE in duty, for the remaining 1.5 packages...he told the rep to enjoy the rest of the cookies!

Frankly, you'd be better off having your sister come and visit, and bring you whatever you need. It's a bloody nightmare even if/when you *do* get mail - finding the post office to collect it will be an experience.

The school may be able to facilitate mail from Canada, but don't count on it, and seriously, as VS says, do not send anything of value. Laughing

Remember, Egypt's still the developing world.

Stephen Jones · Joined: 21 Feb 2003 Posts: 4124

Using DHL to ship to or from a Third World country can be a nightmare as they may ask for an incredible amount of paperwork or, if you can't provide it, charge you a fortune in customs duties.

Get things shipped and then deal with customs direct, but first check up very carefully on Customs Duty exemptions.

web fishing · Joined: 02 Jun 2005 Posts: 95

Ally951

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

Ally951 · Joined: 29 Aug 2005 Posts: 35

Thanks for the all of the advice - will do. This has been really helpful - and I had to laugh when I heard about letters being mailed by camel...! I do have to keep reminding myself that this is a developing country - however, I've recently looked at some Dreamland developments on the web and they almost look like resorts! I don't know if this is the actual community/places I'll be staying, but I was surprised to see that. Fact of the matter is, I would very much like to experience the "rough and tumble" that is Cairo - not Club Med. In any case, I am looking forward to this experience.

Cheers,
A