First Weeks in Cairo
At the start of August 2021 we packed up our lives and our suitcases (all eighteen of them) and started our journey to Egypt. Just getting all five of us through the airport was an adventure! Passports, Covid Tests, masks, snacks and I can’t even count the number of electronics!
The first few weeks have been interesting to say the least but we’re slowly adjusting to our new way of life. I’m not sure we were prepared for what we would experience here, actually, I know for a fact, we were not! It’s been a major culture shock! Many of the other expats have told us they have a love/hate relationship with Egypt. I can totally see why! The history and culture are so rich and the Egyptian people are so welcoming. With that being said, many things here can be very frustrating! It’s not that things are bad, they are just different, very different from anything we have ever experienced before. It definitely makes us appreciate many things that we often take for granted as Americans.
There are SO many people here! Cairo is the largest city in Africa and the sixth largest city in the world with a little over 20 million people. We live in a suburban area of Cairo called Maadi which runs along the Nile River. The streets are lined with beautiful trees and for the most part it’s pretty quiet. It’s a mix of locals and expats. It’s home to many embassies and international schools.
The streets here are small, dusty, full of trash, and jam packed with cars and stray animals. I now know why it’s recommended that we all get a rabies shot!
Oh, and the driving…. Don’t even get me started! This is probably the most stressful part of the transition. There’s a reason why most expats have drivers. I wouldn’t dare get behind the wheel here. There are very few stop lights (like two), no stop signs, and most definitely no rules! It’s like bumper cars and everyone’s honking, yelling, and giving hand gestures! I joked with our driver about how it would be interesting to see Egyptians driving in the states and he said that wouldn’t be a problem, the problem is when foreigners try to drive in Egypt! We can walk to many places from our villa but it’s like playing chicken crossing the road. You better look left, right, up, and down before crossing. These cars and motorbikes come out of nowhere and they don’t stop for anything!
Coming from living in a big city, we are used to seeing the homeless but it’s different here. There are lots of elderly people and mothers with small children begging in the streets and on the side of highways. Many of them will come up to you or stand outside your car door. It’s the woman with their young babies sitting on the side of the road in hundred degree weather that really gets to me. It’s definitely been an eye opening experience for our boys and something that will probably greatly impact the way they see the world.
Shopping for groceries has been another huge hurtle! I’m a Texas girl, that means I shop at the H-E-B. I’ve had to accept the fact that many of the products I normally use will not be found here. I have to be very creative about the way I cook. Gourmet Egypt is like a smaller version of Whole Foods. They do have some really great products and even some familiar ones. Finding kid’s snacks has been a struggle. We have yet to find Goldfish and Cheez-Its! I may or may not have paid a small fortune to ship some from the US! There are many smaller grocery stores but they are more like convenient stores. It’s really just hit or miss and I’m having to bounce around from store to store to find everything I need for meals. I’m sure it will get better with time but right now the struggle is real!
Our two older boys attend Cairo American College (CAC). It’s a Pre K-12 international American school. It’s based on American schooling but strong in it’s Egyptian culture. When you step inside this pristine campus you almost forget about the craziness of Cairo! We cannot say enough great things thus far and we are so excited that our boys are getting this type of educational experience. It’s so neat for them to meet kids from all over the world and even kids just like them who are expats from America.
When you move to Egypt, the first thing you’ve got to do is visit The Great Pyramid of Giza! The Great Pyramid of Giza is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and I believe the only one that is mostly intact. It was truly a once and a lifetime experience! It’s really mind blowing to think about how these pyramids were built. I can’t imagine the amount of blood, sweat and tears that must have been put in. We’re talking over a twenty year period! It’s crazy to think that our boys were playing in the sand and climbing on rocks in the same exact spot where Ancient Egyptians and Pharaohs walked thousands of years ago.
Interesting story, when I taught First Grade we taught an entire unit on Ancient Egypt. It was so neat to actually see what I had only read about in books.
It was extremely hot and we only stayed for a few short hours. We also had no intentions of riding camels across the desert but I’m so glad we did! We’re looking forward to going back once the weather gets a little cooler. I highly recommend adding The Great Pyramid of Giza to your bucket list.
