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Originally posted by lee jones:
What you are missing is a sane and decent cultural context!!!

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There are plenty of decent Egyptian men in Egypt and out, and the sad part when going through Egypt related forums, is that most foreigners had bad experiences because of misguided choices.

Unfortunately, for those who hate the 'class' system it does make a difference from which background people come from, when in Egypt.

A very simple example: If an Australian Muslim woman with two children thinks that being with Hijab or with neqaab will help her integrate in Egyptian life, and also find a decent Egyptian husband that will treat her well and take care of all her needs and lead her to be successful in her own right as a mother, a wife and a citizen, it is important that she finds out that it could also turn against her in Egypt, depending WHERE she will be integrating.

Are all Egyptian/Muslim men wife beaters??? NO. Are there plenty? YES
Are All Foreign men, wife beaters? NO. Are there plenty? YES

Battered women abound all over the world people.

So in relation to Egypt and the culture, my advice is: get in touch with the Egyptian Embassy in Australia. Ask to be on their guest list, as a friend of Egypt, or as someone with the intention of living in Egypt.

Try to participate in all the activities that are related to Egyptians in Australia first...know Egyptian families there, and get them to guide you with the culture and by doing so :

1- you will learn a lot more than on a forum
2- you will definitely establish contacts that will guide you in EGYPT

Almost every Egyptian, from any class from any style, from any walk of life will try to help you by giving you a contact in Egypt.
One more thing IN CASE you decide to just pack and come to Egypt, here is what you can do, get in touch with your Embassy in Egypt and start socializing and take part of any activities the Australian community is part of ..I think that you may meet plenty of decent Egyptians through the Australian community in Egypt, or at least be guided correctly of whom to associate with, or not in terms of DECENCY.

Up to you to decide, if those new Egyptian friends fit your style or not!

Good luck!

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Originally posted by Troubles101:
Not Fair!! I expected our fellow Egyptian Women will give us some credit specially here where Egyptian men are given bad name.

Where is our lawyer(Monica?)

Of course there many good Egyptian men and they are more than bad Egyptians many times but the bad can be seen clearer while the good is the norm

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As for meat eating. Many villagers eat meat once a week. How on earth do you manage to care for 6 cbildren on 150 LE (good wages) per month to feed and cloth a whole family. When someone gets sick and there is medicine to buy it can be a disaster.

Many people have dirt floors. If there is electricity then yes there is always a TV. In pride of place but it is switched on immediately guests arrive because the people are so proud of it. Not everyone even has an internal water supply let alone a toilet. But one thing they do have is dignity. Poor - yes, worthy of respect - yes.

Schooling is OK - so long as there is enough money to feed the family and the youngest son does not have to become a 'felucca' boy at the age of 8 or a girl selling trinkets at an even lower age.

Learned not from visiting for a couple of weeks but from living there for years - Much more research needed. Listen to Akshar's advice.

(and Monica's which popped up while I was typing. )

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Originally posted by Carleen:
Just out of curiosity - Is it really that easy for a Westerner to live & work in Egypt? I would think with a high unemployment rate, a government would do everything it could to protect its labor market.

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Originally posted by newcomer:
Assalamu alaykum Lee

Sorry that I haven’t responded to you sooner, life got in the way!

Yes, I do live here in Egypt as a single Muslim woman as Nefertiti mentioned (thanks for the nice comment Nefertiti!) but to be honest with you I wouldn’t have coped here without the support of some very close friends, even though I have lived out of Britain in different countries for quite a while, including the third world and Arabic countries. Based on my personal experience I would only recommend you to come here if you have a support network of people you know well and can trust to be there for you when you need them, a good job already lined up before you come or a good reliable source of income, and you are an independent person who is not shy of making mistakes and a patient person who doesn’t get frustrated easily.

Egypt is an easy country to live in if you have a good income, as you can then afford to live a more western life style with all its conveniences and comforts. I know you said you could live a simple lifestyle but that can have a whole different meaning here than in a western country, and if you are not well traveled you will possibly need those comforts tom help you adjust. You will also need to have people around you who can support you, show you the ropes, and have time for you. Otherwise life here can be tough having to cope with more of the realities of life in the third world, and many people find that too difficult to cope with.

I would think very carefully about making Hijrah here, particularly as you have young children to consider. Take what the others have said seriously if your children’s education is important to you, as the local style of education is very different from the one you know as it relies heavily on rote memorization.

Yes, most of the people here are Muslims, but if you take a look around at your own Muslim community in Australia, what percentage of them are practicing their religion the way you feel comfortable with? You will probably find that it is roughly the same here. Yes, women do go to the mosques, and there are Islamic classes for women, but in the mosques they are all conducted in Egyptian Arabic (which is no surprise really). In Cairo and Alexandria there are some classes/halaqas in English and centers where you can learn Arabic, but I’m not sure about other places.

I would suggest that you look carefully at your own situation and the Muslim community around you and see which group of people you feel most comfortable with. Are they Egyptians? If not, I would look more to the group you do feel comfortable with. Also I would seriously only suggest that you leave Australia if you would be going somewhere that you knew people whom you could trust, particularly as you are open to the idea of marriage. Unless you have a good knowledge of the local customs, traditions, and expectations in that regard you could end up in a very difficult situation if you don’t have a wali to help you in that. Sorry not to be more positive, just trying to be a little realistic. Hope it was useful!

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