Recap ...
So I guess I'm starting this whole blog thing a bit late ... I was going to stick to the mass-email of friends and family, but I hate cluttering inboxes with messages that people may or may not want to read. At least this way, you can decide whether or not you're interested - and I never have to know!
Anyhow, I've been in Cairo for two weeks now, and it has been a pretty busy two weeks. Although my emails to the 'rents were definitely epic, I'll try to keep this short for the sake of everyone's sanity - and acknowledging that some of this stuff was really only interesting to me.
So I arrived in Cairo on 24 May. I had arranged for an apartment online with a seemingly reputable middle-man, and his agent met me at the airport. So far, so good! Unfortunately, I arrived at the flat and found I was getting something COMPLETELY different than what I had been promised - fewer bedrooms, different address, and seriously flawed, with an ant infestation, a gas leak, and a balcony that didn't exist, blocked by a door that didn't fit and was held closed by a padlock and a towel. Definitely not a good sign! I insisted the agent call the middle-man, who screamed at me about how I couldn't possibly get a 2-bedroom apartment for the price I was paying (which is odd, since that's what he verified I was getting ...), there was nothing wrong with this place, blah blah blah. So, because I was tired from traveling, in the middle of a neighborhood I didn't know where I couldn't communicate with anyone, and in an apartment with three men who refused to leave until I signed the lease, I caved and handed over three full months of rent, plus a 10% commission that was to go back to the middle-man. You can handle anything, if it's for a short period of time, right?
Yeah, turns out that's not necessarily true ... or, at least, you don't HAVE to handle anything, even for a short period of time. I agonized about the place all night, finally decided at around 2:30 in the morning that I wasn't going to stay, and the next day tracked down the bowab (doorman), who tracked down the live-in manager, who had accepted my money the afternoon before. I explained to him that I wasn't going to be staying in Cairo for three months as I'd thought (technically true, since I'm spending August exploring, but also pretty spineless of me), and wanted to move out. He had to call the owner, there was a lot of sitting around and waiting, but eventually they returned my utilities deposit and two months of rent.
Which is when I learned that the middle-man had both required a deposit "for the owner" that never made it to the man, and inflated my rent by 50% and skimmed that off the top (I thought I was paying 3000 LE/month, but it turns out the building manager only received 2000). Bastard! But, I figured, nothing I could do about it, and it is just money ... hopped in a cab and headed for a hostel downtown, from where I intended to start the whole apartment search over.
The stay in the hostel, at the very least, was good for making friends and seeing a bit of Cairo. In the next few days (I wasn't scheduled to work until the following Monday), I got to see the pyramids at Giza and Saqqara, the ruins at Memphis, and the Egyptian Museum. I also rode a camel, saw approximately 152 stray cats daily, and got an epic sunburn that is actually still peeling as I type. Of course, all of this was done instead of looking for somewhere to live, so when my first day of work rolled around, I was still stuck sharing a dorm with a rotating selection of travelers.
The first day of work, 29 May, was kind of a joke. I showed up about half an hour late, because the cab driver couldn't find the place. I met with the "international relations" guy I'd been corresponding with, and after the traditional glass of tea, I asked what exactly I was supposed to do. Turns out he had no clue. Told me that there were two offices, that he needed to talk to the man who'd first hired me to see what exactly I was going to be responsible for, and that he'd "be in touch." Sweet ... So I hopped in ANOTHER cab, which got lost on the way back to the hostel (which was total retardedness on his part, because Midan Talaat Harb is THE square in the middle of downtown, and a completely reliable reference point), and went for the whole tourist thing a bit more.
Went to a new office on 31 May, and eventually got assigned some actual work. I sat down with the boss, and Osman, the informal translator, and was told I'd be in charge of editing all of their reports and applications and stuff, since everything needs to be in English. Easy enough! They also mentioned something about "building a closer working relationship with the UN and other international organizations." Umm ... huh? But whatev - they gave me something to edit, and I called it good.
The work environment here is like NOTHING I'm used to ... I habitually show up 15-20 minutes late, and not only does no one notice, often I'm still one of the first people here! The office itself is clean and relatively modern, but the computers are old and the power is unreliable ... I think my computer has battery issues (or something - I'm pretty sure my computer science minor didn't teach me anything useful about computers), because it gets unplugged at night in case of power surges, and takes about 10 minutes after I plug it back in before it will turn on, regardless of how many times I push the power button.
And trust me - I push it many, many times ...
Huh ... I think I've been spending too much time with crude guys in the hostel, because that sounds marginally inappropriate.
But the people at work are very friendly, and speak varying degrees of English ... we order in every day for lunch, and I get a yummy sandwich for 1.5 LE (maybe 30 cents). Plus, we have tea boys who get me tea whenever I want it, which is better service than I ever got in the states! The work seems pretty interesting - I'm just editing, but that's kind of something I love doing anyway, and I get to learn all sorts of crazy stuff about Egyptian prisons. Big boss-man did come to my desk yesterday to ask me what kind of progress I'm making on that whole "closer relationship" project ... I'm not quite sure what they want, but I suspect it's something close to impossible. At least it'll keep me busy, though!
In terms of general impressions of Egypt:
- It's freaking HOT, and will only get hotter! The walk to work is generally in 80+ weather, and when I leave the office, it's consistently over 100 degrees.
- WAY too much pollution!
- People are either really nice and friendly, or (around tourist sites) skeezy and trying to get something from you. One afternoon I was told by two seperate men that I couldn't get into the Museum for an hour, and would I please come take tea with them? The first, I bought it, and wound up in his "brother's" perfume shop. Finally got away, only to get dragged to the man's travel agency. Once I escaped THAT, I went to cross the street a second time, only to get told by another man, again, that I couldn't get into the Museum ... he sold papyrus. I went for it anyway, and lo and behold, I got into the Museum with absolutely no fuss. Crazy! The touts (salesmen) around the Pyramids were the most aggressive by far, putting headdresses on some of my companions and then screaming at them for payment, but really any time you get a "Hello, my fren - where you from?" you know you're in for a sales pitch.
- The poverty here is ASTOUNDING - I think the average annual salary is around $1,300 US. Even taking into account that it's probably lowered a bit for rural families who practically support themselves, and even considering how cheap things actually are (like my 30 cent sandwiches), there seem to be a lot of poor people. Most evident are the children running around trying to sell packets of tissues, but it seems that most people either work more than one job to make ends meet, or (less admirable) try to supplement their income by harrassing or scamming all the "rich" tourists.
- There seems to be sort of a general apathy among Egyptians, that even Egyptians have discussed with me. The consensus is that Egyptians have been granted greater freedoms, but didn't really ask for them - and so, instead of appreciating the power of choice, they abuse it. As my co-worker told me, "No country will ever appreciate democracy without having to fight for it first."
However, it's not all bad - there are some GREAT things about being here:
- I can walk down the street and find a fresh juice stand pretty much anywhere, where they have fresh squeezed mango, orange, peach, banana, whatever juice that always tastes SO GOOD!
- There are enough mosques in the city that, no matter where you're at, you hear the call to prayer - some people seemed annoyed, especially early in the morning, but I think they sound absolutely beautiful.
- Egyptian people have an amazing appreciation for ice cream - maybe because it's so hot here. I can actually chose from about 5 open ice cream shops on my MORNING walk to work! Mmm ...
- Although I get harrassed constantly (Western women are pretty scandalous in general, although I'm dressing as modestly as I can in this heat), I feel entirely safe ... assaults and actual theft are extremely rare. And since I can't speak Arabic, I don't actually know what the staring guys are saying ...
All in all, I think it'll be a good summer. I'm finally moving to an apartment after work today, and after a (legally) threatening letter to the middle-man, I have an offer to "get your problem solved." All I have to do is dodge the scams (getting pretty good at that), ignore the comments and catcalls on the street (a bit harder when men are sticking their camera cell-phones in your face to get a picture), and spend a LOT of time sitting in front of the AC. I've spent my fair share of time wishing I'd gotten a job in the States, but I really feel like this will be an adventure I couldn't possibly pass up.
Anyhow, I've been in Cairo for two weeks now, and it has been a pretty busy two weeks. Although my emails to the 'rents were definitely epic, I'll try to keep this short for the sake of everyone's sanity - and acknowledging that some of this stuff was really only interesting to me.
So I arrived in Cairo on 24 May. I had arranged for an apartment online with a seemingly reputable middle-man, and his agent met me at the airport. So far, so good! Unfortunately, I arrived at the flat and found I was getting something COMPLETELY different than what I had been promised - fewer bedrooms, different address, and seriously flawed, with an ant infestation, a gas leak, and a balcony that didn't exist, blocked by a door that didn't fit and was held closed by a padlock and a towel. Definitely not a good sign! I insisted the agent call the middle-man, who screamed at me about how I couldn't possibly get a 2-bedroom apartment for the price I was paying (which is odd, since that's what he verified I was getting ...), there was nothing wrong with this place, blah blah blah. So, because I was tired from traveling, in the middle of a neighborhood I didn't know where I couldn't communicate with anyone, and in an apartment with three men who refused to leave until I signed the lease, I caved and handed over three full months of rent, plus a 10% commission that was to go back to the middle-man. You can handle anything, if it's for a short period of time, right?
Yeah, turns out that's not necessarily true ... or, at least, you don't HAVE to handle anything, even for a short period of time. I agonized about the place all night, finally decided at around 2:30 in the morning that I wasn't going to stay, and the next day tracked down the bowab (doorman), who tracked down the live-in manager, who had accepted my money the afternoon before. I explained to him that I wasn't going to be staying in Cairo for three months as I'd thought (technically true, since I'm spending August exploring, but also pretty spineless of me), and wanted to move out. He had to call the owner, there was a lot of sitting around and waiting, but eventually they returned my utilities deposit and two months of rent.
Which is when I learned that the middle-man had both required a deposit "for the owner" that never made it to the man, and inflated my rent by 50% and skimmed that off the top (I thought I was paying 3000 LE/month, but it turns out the building manager only received 2000). Bastard! But, I figured, nothing I could do about it, and it is just money ... hopped in a cab and headed for a hostel downtown, from where I intended to start the whole apartment search over.
The stay in the hostel, at the very least, was good for making friends and seeing a bit of Cairo. In the next few days (I wasn't scheduled to work until the following Monday), I got to see the pyramids at Giza and Saqqara, the ruins at Memphis, and the Egyptian Museum. I also rode a camel, saw approximately 152 stray cats daily, and got an epic sunburn that is actually still peeling as I type. Of course, all of this was done instead of looking for somewhere to live, so when my first day of work rolled around, I was still stuck sharing a dorm with a rotating selection of travelers.
The first day of work, 29 May, was kind of a joke. I showed up about half an hour late, because the cab driver couldn't find the place. I met with the "international relations" guy I'd been corresponding with, and after the traditional glass of tea, I asked what exactly I was supposed to do. Turns out he had no clue. Told me that there were two offices, that he needed to talk to the man who'd first hired me to see what exactly I was going to be responsible for, and that he'd "be in touch." Sweet ... So I hopped in ANOTHER cab, which got lost on the way back to the hostel (which was total retardedness on his part, because Midan Talaat Harb is THE square in the middle of downtown, and a completely reliable reference point), and went for the whole tourist thing a bit more.
Went to a new office on 31 May, and eventually got assigned some actual work. I sat down with the boss, and Osman, the informal translator, and was told I'd be in charge of editing all of their reports and applications and stuff, since everything needs to be in English. Easy enough! They also mentioned something about "building a closer working relationship with the UN and other international organizations." Umm ... huh? But whatev - they gave me something to edit, and I called it good.
The work environment here is like NOTHING I'm used to ... I habitually show up 15-20 minutes late, and not only does no one notice, often I'm still one of the first people here! The office itself is clean and relatively modern, but the computers are old and the power is unreliable ... I think my computer has battery issues (or something - I'm pretty sure my computer science minor didn't teach me anything useful about computers), because it gets unplugged at night in case of power surges, and takes about 10 minutes after I plug it back in before it will turn on, regardless of how many times I push the power button.
And trust me - I push it many, many times ...
Huh ... I think I've been spending too much time with crude guys in the hostel, because that sounds marginally inappropriate.
But the people at work are very friendly, and speak varying degrees of English ... we order in every day for lunch, and I get a yummy sandwich for 1.5 LE (maybe 30 cents). Plus, we have tea boys who get me tea whenever I want it, which is better service than I ever got in the states! The work seems pretty interesting - I'm just editing, but that's kind of something I love doing anyway, and I get to learn all sorts of crazy stuff about Egyptian prisons. Big boss-man did come to my desk yesterday to ask me what kind of progress I'm making on that whole "closer relationship" project ... I'm not quite sure what they want, but I suspect it's something close to impossible. At least it'll keep me busy, though!
In terms of general impressions of Egypt:
- It's freaking HOT, and will only get hotter! The walk to work is generally in 80+ weather, and when I leave the office, it's consistently over 100 degrees.
- WAY too much pollution!
- People are either really nice and friendly, or (around tourist sites) skeezy and trying to get something from you. One afternoon I was told by two seperate men that I couldn't get into the Museum for an hour, and would I please come take tea with them? The first, I bought it, and wound up in his "brother's" perfume shop. Finally got away, only to get dragged to the man's travel agency. Once I escaped THAT, I went to cross the street a second time, only to get told by another man, again, that I couldn't get into the Museum ... he sold papyrus. I went for it anyway, and lo and behold, I got into the Museum with absolutely no fuss. Crazy! The touts (salesmen) around the Pyramids were the most aggressive by far, putting headdresses on some of my companions and then screaming at them for payment, but really any time you get a "Hello, my fren - where you from?" you know you're in for a sales pitch.
- The poverty here is ASTOUNDING - I think the average annual salary is around $1,300 US. Even taking into account that it's probably lowered a bit for rural families who practically support themselves, and even considering how cheap things actually are (like my 30 cent sandwiches), there seem to be a lot of poor people. Most evident are the children running around trying to sell packets of tissues, but it seems that most people either work more than one job to make ends meet, or (less admirable) try to supplement their income by harrassing or scamming all the "rich" tourists.
- There seems to be sort of a general apathy among Egyptians, that even Egyptians have discussed with me. The consensus is that Egyptians have been granted greater freedoms, but didn't really ask for them - and so, instead of appreciating the power of choice, they abuse it. As my co-worker told me, "No country will ever appreciate democracy without having to fight for it first."
However, it's not all bad - there are some GREAT things about being here:
- I can walk down the street and find a fresh juice stand pretty much anywhere, where they have fresh squeezed mango, orange, peach, banana, whatever juice that always tastes SO GOOD!
- There are enough mosques in the city that, no matter where you're at, you hear the call to prayer - some people seemed annoyed, especially early in the morning, but I think they sound absolutely beautiful.
- Egyptian people have an amazing appreciation for ice cream - maybe because it's so hot here. I can actually chose from about 5 open ice cream shops on my MORNING walk to work! Mmm ...
- Although I get harrassed constantly (Western women are pretty scandalous in general, although I'm dressing as modestly as I can in this heat), I feel entirely safe ... assaults and actual theft are extremely rare. And since I can't speak Arabic, I don't actually know what the staring guys are saying ...
All in all, I think it'll be a good summer. I'm finally moving to an apartment after work today, and after a (legally) threatening letter to the middle-man, I have an offer to "get your problem solved." All I have to do is dodge the scams (getting pretty good at that), ignore the comments and catcalls on the street (a bit harder when men are sticking their camera cell-phones in your face to get a picture), and spend a LOT of time sitting in front of the AC. I've spent my fair share of time wishing I'd gotten a job in the States, but I really feel like this will be an adventure I couldn't possibly pass up.
posted by Teale at 2:27 PM
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