posted
Ive been browsing the posts and see alot of foriegners residing in Egypt. So Im just curious...1) How long have those of you from other countries been residing in Egypt? And 2) What kind of work do you do there? Ive not been to Egypt yet but my husband is Egyptian and it has always been the plan that eventially we move back to his country. Im looking forward to it but wonder what I will do with my time there..until, inshallah, we have children to keep me busy.
Posts: 16 | Registered: Feb 2006
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posted
hey shareen, i'm egyptian, but several people in my family married foreigners so i thought i can answer your question. my uncle was married to an american, they lived in the US for 35 years, and then moved back to egypt for ten years. she worked the entire time as a teacher in the American International School (AIS). another relative is married to a british woman who worked as a hairdresser and opened her own shop. another one is married to an argentinian lady who works as a massuse (spelling?) in the four seasons hotel. the development sector, are usually in demand for western expertise. you can also work in many international companies. good luck
Posts: 4446 | From: Egyptian in Sydney | Registered: Mar 2005
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posted
Been there almost 3 years... working as a scuba diving instructor... just gone back to UK for a short break Posts: 4238 | From: USA | Registered: Jul 2004
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posted
Thanks for the replies, I hope when I get there it wont be too difficult to find some kind of work.
Posts: 16 | Registered: Feb 2006
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posted
i am canadian, and working with united nations, upgrading slum areas in egypt. the pay sucks, the conditions are horrid but some expats love it here, me i cant stand paying an arm and a leg for a box of kraft dinner or not being able to find ingredients to cook what im used to. ive been here two and a half years now and still pretty much hate the place. but i am a minority i think because i think most foreigners love living in egypt. but personally i would definetly make an extended visit before committing to a move for long term living.
quote:Originally posted by pregnantcravings: me i cant stand paying an arm and a leg for a box of kraft dinner or not being able to find ingredients to cook what im used to.
Why would you want to buy a box of Kraft dinner in Egypt? Posts: 2334 | Registered: Aug 2002
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posted
I think teaching is the most accessible job you can find there. To teach in the official American/British schools you will of course need the TEFL certifications, but for the other international schools, as a native speaker, you will quite easily find a job. Pay isn't always great, but it really depends on the schools. In Egypt, I make more money than in my own country, and the students are more respectuous there, to my opinion. And the cost of living is really low, so you can really have a good quality of life. But when I was living in Egypt, I rarely buy international products, which are expensive. Was always buying Egyptian food and items (well, I guess some of them were Chinese...).
Posts: 531 | Registered: Jan 2006
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posted
I'm sure you can get it at Metro or Alfa Market.
I wouldn't buy a ready-made dinner anywhere in the world, let alone in Egypt where there is so much fresh, delicious and cheap food available.
Posts: 2334 | Registered: Aug 2002
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quote:Originally posted by 7ayat- mesh tayka nafsi: yeah i know i miss gad, and koshari el tahrir
Me too. And El Tabai and El Omda and the little restaurant across from my office that sells the most delicious sandwiches.
i never tried el omda is it good? i also miss el 7aty, el malki, and mo2men. also there was a guy called zizo el netn, ofcourse you know what el netn means. they say his sandwiches are delicous but i was always too scared to try them. did you ever eat at his place?
Posts: 4446 | From: Egyptian in Sydney | Registered: Mar 2005
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posted
Dalia I have to agree!! Why Kraft dinner..............It is awful I remeber having it as a kid. Too much fresh and wonderful egyptian food to eat this packet of rubbish......... Posts: 1500 | Registered: Dec 2005
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quote:Originally posted by pregnantcravings: i am canadian, and working with united nations, upgrading slum areas in egypt. the pay sucks, the conditions are horrid but some expats love it here, me i cant stand paying an arm and a leg for a box of kraft dinner or not being able to find ingredients to cook what im used to. ive been here two and a half years now and still pretty much hate the place. but i am a minority i think because i think most foreigners love living in egypt. but personally i would definetly make an extended visit before committing to a move for long term living.
Kraft Dinner is a pretty awful product, I worked for Kraft Foods for some time & whilst they have pretty good brands in their portfolio, I certainly wouldn't spend my money on this one! If you hate it that much out here, can't you go back?
Posts: 42 | From: Maadi, Cairo | Registered: Dec 2005
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quote:Originally posted by 7ayat- mesh tayka nafsi: i never tried el omda is it good? i also miss el 7aty, el malki, and mo2men. also there was a guy called zizo el netn, ofcourse you know what el netn means. they say his sandwiches are delicous but i was always too scared to try them. did you ever eat at his place?
No, I didn't, where is it?
I like el Omda. Tahrir's kushari is better in my opinion but I like their fool and babaghanough.
posted
im using kraft dinner as a generalization cuz im sure most people have their little cravings that they are accustomed to. I myself am not a big fan of fresh produce or meals cooked from scratch, i simply dont have enough time for cooking, so for me personally ready made meals are something I find hard to live without. For other folks it may be some other thing they cant find here...I have a hard time living without wendy's. its just what i like. yes its available at alfa market (kraft dinner) but it is 12 pounds a box! which for me is expensive since im paid in pounds not dollars and i live in ismailia, not cairo, so most things are hard to get. why dont i leave? i plan on it , as soon as my husbands military service selection date has passed and we save enough to relocate, but he is my only mahrem so i cannot go live in canada without him with me, plus we are having a son in about 4 days so that also makes it difficult to just up and leave, we just dont have the financial resources at our fingertips or family to help us in any way. i came with basically the clothes on my back, and i married my husband out of pure love, not dowry or anything, we got thru a lot of hard times together, and he was just a medical student at the time, we have slowly built our lives and now he is a manager at a lab and also working in united nations as well as doing his masters, but its still not enough to really have saving left over in order to relocate. so essentially i came here and became stranded. alhamdullah i have my husband and Allah sent a lot of provisions for this new baby we are expecting and things are starting to pick up, but it will still be a while before we can really make the big move back home, not to mention the cost of his immigration and so on. long story short, make sure u come with a good cushion of cash and visit first b4 committing.
Posts: 209 | Registered: Dec 2005
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quote:Originally posted by tootifrooti: Dalia I have to agree!! Why Kraft dinner..............It is awful I remeber having it as a kid. Too much fresh and wonderful egyptian food to eat this packet of rubbish.........
Homesick. I know I will go for the frozen dinners on a regular basis. I imagine I will be putting in some very heavy hours and I do cook and quite well, but the convenience of eating a Marie Cullender meal would be heavenly.
Posts: 5744 | From: Minneapolis, Mn USA | Registered: Mar 2004
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posted
I was trying to encourage the Egyptian Consulate of Chicago to hand over a list of western corporations in Cairo. Basically on a long distance call was transfered 11 times in 45 minutes.
No word from an email either.
So where does one find a comprehensive list of corporations in Cairo?
Posts: 5744 | From: Minneapolis, Mn USA | Registered: Mar 2004
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quote:Originally posted by sonomod: I was trying to encourage the Egyptian Consulate of Chicago to hand over a list of western corporations in Cairo. Basically on a long distance call was transfered 11 times in 45 minutes.
No word from an email either.
So where does one find a comprehensive list of corporations in Cairo?
quote:Originally posted by sonomod: I was trying to encourage the Egyptian Consulate of Chicago to hand over a list of western corporations in Cairo. Basically on a long distance call was transfered 11 times in 45 minutes.
No word from an email either.
So where does one find a comprehensive list of corporations in Cairo?
Doesn't segregate western corporations from Egyptian corporations. That is why I called the Egyptian Consulate of Chicago and they second my observation remarking that they get a number of calls with the same question.
Posts: 5744 | From: Minneapolis, Mn USA | Registered: Mar 2004
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quote:Originally posted by sonomod: I was trying to encourage the Egyptian Consulate of Chicago to hand over a list of western corporations in Cairo. Basically on a long distance call was transfered 11 times in 45 minutes.
No word from an email either.
So where does one find a comprehensive list of corporations in Cairo?
Doesn't segregate western corporations from Egyptian corporations. That is why I called the Egyptian Consulate of Chicago and they second my observation remarking that they get a number of calls with the same question.
Then check that link, you will find an address, pay them a visit, it is the American Chambre of Commerce, I am sure they can help, specially an American, right ?
Posts: 3903 | From: The Moon | Registered: Feb 2005
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quote:Originally posted by sonomod: I was trying to encourage the Egyptian Consulate of Chicago to hand over a list of western corporations in Cairo. Basically on a long distance call was transfered 11 times in 45 minutes.
No word from an email either.
So where does one find a comprehensive list of corporations in Cairo?
Doesn't segregate western corporations from Egyptian corporations. That is why I called the Egyptian Consulate of Chicago and they second my observation remarking that they get a number of calls with the same question.
Then check that link, you will find an address, pay them a visit, it is the American Chambre of Commerce, I am sure they can help, specially an American, right ?
Are you serious?
Go look to the database they have there. Completely useless.
Posts: 5744 | From: Minneapolis, Mn USA | Registered: Mar 2004
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quote:Originally posted by sonomod: I was trying to encourage the Egyptian Consulate of Chicago to hand over a list of western corporations in Cairo. Basically on a long distance call was transfered 11 times in 45 minutes.
No word from an email either.
So where does one find a comprehensive list of corporations in Cairo?
Doesn't segregate western corporations from Egyptian corporations. That is why I called the Egyptian Consulate of Chicago and they second my observation remarking that they get a number of calls with the same question.
Then check that link, you will find an address, pay them a visit, it is the American Chambre of Commerce, I am sure they can help, specially an American, right ?
Are you serious?
Go look to the database they have there. Completely useless.
We are in Egypt here, most websites are just for elegant representation reasons, on feet, you can get to the bottom of it, Never by phone or internet, Believe it or not, that is the truth !!!
Do I sound like Shakespeare or something ? LOL
Posts: 3903 | From: The Moon | Registered: Feb 2005
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quote:Originally posted by sonomod: I was trying to encourage the Egyptian Consulate of Chicago to hand over a list of western corporations in Cairo. Basically on a long distance call was transfered 11 times in 45 minutes.
No word from an email either.
So where does one find a comprehensive list of corporations in Cairo?
Doesn't segregate western corporations from Egyptian corporations. That is why I called the Egyptian Consulate of Chicago and they second my observation remarking that they get a number of calls with the same question.
Then check that link, you will find an address, pay them a visit, it is the American Chambre of Commerce, I am sure they can help, specially an American, right ?
Are you serious?
Go look to the database they have there. Completely useless.
I used that database and it's not useless. You just need to have a brain to use it.
I used it to find a job. I looked up specific companies that may have been interested in hiring me as a freelancer, other larger ones which may have been interested in hiring me full time and emailed in my CV and portfolio.
I think I emailed btw 40-50 companies, got lots of responses and ended up getting over 10 interviews (and eventually a job).
Not bad, given that in the States if you send your CV to a company "blindly" (ie not responding to a particular job opening) you have about 1% chance of hearing back from them.
Posts: 2182 | Registered: Oct 2002
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quote:Originally posted by ExptinCAI: I used that database and it's not useless. You just need to have a brain to use it.
What a nice thing to say ExptinCAI, completely what I expect from you.
And you said freelance. Sorry, not a freelancer and I won't be staying only 18 months.
Posts: 5744 | From: Minneapolis, Mn USA | Registered: Mar 2004
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quote:Originally posted by sonomod: Go look to the database they have there. Completely useless.
They publish a directory of all the companies each year which is very useful, I don't know whether they would mail it to the States though.
The German-Arab chamber of commerce issues a similar directory.
Yeah that same directory is what 6 of the 11 people I was transfered to spoke of.
I wonder if I can get down in the library of congress repository we have here at the UofM and see if I can locate it there. Most of the library of congress material can be check out too!
From what I have heard European directories of this nature are far more comprehensive and up to date than American directories.
Shows how much our State Department actual does for our tax dollars. Posts: 5744 | From: Minneapolis, Mn USA | Registered: Mar 2004
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