"Put me a list with the really necessary things we need in our place."

[KHPerfectMatch 1]

Thx for the tips ladies! Funny Astarte!

One last thing - if you forget something and really need it im sure someone would be more than happy to send it to you or personally bring it to you .

I don't recommend sending things via mail because they take forever (IF EVER) to arrive, costs a fortune, and you might end up paying ransom (duty of about 100%) on it WHEN AND IF it arrives. I think I've told the story before of sending the bridesmaid dress and it showing up a year later, WORN AND DIRTY!!!! (Hope the mail man's daughter enjoyed wearing it!)...

We used to carry things for each other all the time before they lowered the baggage weight limit and started charging two arms AND a leg for over weight items... Also since they've started ransacking stuff it's gotten more hectic to carry things for other people. In fact I know several people who will no longer take the risk of carrying anything that is being sent to someone by someone here. I never gave it a 2nd thought until I heard a few WHAT IF's than made my hair stand up on my head...

Think of it as an 8 month backpacking trip... an ADVENTURE... and make a list of everything you REALLY wish you had brought, things you THOUGHT you needed, and didn't, and things you found that were actually a better buy or something THERE... then post it on your blog for us to read!

Everytime I go I spend a good deal of my time just having fun HUNTING for things that I don't know if they have them or not... and each year more and more things show up... I'm typically in Alex so the selection is much less than in Cairo, thus making the hunt much more challenging! OK yes, I get majorly bored sometimes and this is one way to relieve the boredom... that and of course trying to get the green grocer to sell me 1/2 a head of cauliflower for 1/2 the price... so far I've gotten him to sell me half, but always had to pay full price for the 1/2 head... tehehehehehehehehe

OK, now I'm missing Egypt and my winter strawberries...

[Dr. A ♥ O 203]

Thx for all the tips

Did you grow a balcony garden? That is one of the things I want to do while there! Do you have any tips? I would love winter strawberries!

[KHPerfectMatch 1]

Thx for all the tips

Did you grow a balcony garden? That is one of the things I want to do while there! Do you have any tips? I would love winter strawberries!

Oh heavens no... my friend who has a "penthouse" flat in Alex grows many things year round, but I never bothered. I did manage to kill her seedlings 2 trips ago when I accidently "watered" them with gasoline! (She never should have let her husband put GASOLINE in a 2 liter Coke bottle!)

Strawberries are READILY available in winter (Dec/Jan) in fact all year long... A year ago I think I paid 6LE a kilo (a little over a dollar for 2.2 lbs.) for the BEST strawberries I've ever had in winter! (since I live in the Pacific NW,not far from you, I'm a strawberry snob!)

My balcony is always full of laundry, the BBQ and chairs... we always use it more as a "family room"... However my friend's flat really is the "penthouse" and she has a HUGE rooftop garden. Enough room that my step-daughter can ride her bike around! She made a gazebo in the center and it's really quite nice! Well, except for the RATS! They came up the drainage pipes and settled in her garden supplies... crawled up the walls and so she couldn't leave her windows open because she didn't have screens! EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

I don't advise getting one of those "penthouse" flats though. Her flat is hotter than HECK in summer and colder than you could EVER imagine in winter. Nice breeze at that height, IF she could leave the windows open... but a breeze when the humidity is 90 and the temperature is too... doesn't help much!

What kind of a budget do you have for rent? And what area of Cairo will you be living in? I'm still trying to imagine the $40 furniture you were describing... I never saw anything even CLOSE to that price... and my taste runs towards "Agamy summer house simple" not the typical Egyptian gold painted Louis the XIV glitz... I'll have to read that post again... Take photos with you to Damietta. They are clever dudes!

[Ihavequestions 419]

I disagree with whoever said not to take any cooking stuff. I took my favorite Chef's knife, and 2 silverstone pans and nylon "tools" to use in them. A deep skilletn (about a 2 quart) with a lid (great for making rice) and a regular large silverstone skillet, wish I had room for a griddle.. Most non-stick pans there are either ####### from China or SKY HIGH in price. My MIL was so excited when she heard I WAS NOT taking them back with me.

I've made it work with a big pot, a smaller pot, a T-Fal frying pan (70 LE), a blender (75 LE), a set of Pyrex baking dishes, and a bread pan. I really wish I had a spatula, though.

High end cosmetics or special face creams you like will be hard to find and really expensive. Plenty of hair products. I disagree about shoes there...I think their shoes are the WORST... YUCK!

I wouldn't count on the cosmetics, etc., being real and not fake. In fact, I have some make-up that I bought just because the brand name was clearly mis-spelled and took pictures of it.

Don't plan to buy underwear unless you like buying them from MEN! (Go figure, they are the ONLY ones who sell them!) And don't bother to take any cheesy lingerie... you can find it blowing in the breeze in every clothing market... some CRAZY stuff! H wouldn't let me take photos of it, but I REALLY wanted to... weirdest junk I've EVER seen... kept hoping they never wore it near the gas stove! POOOOOOUUUUUFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF and MELTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

True dat. I swear there's a sleezy f*ckerwear shop on every block. And, for the most part, it's a guy running the shop. Nasssssssssssssty.

If you are a coffee drinker, (and I don't mean Nescafe) you better make a plan... I took a French press mug with me last trip, but the coffee at Carrefour was so bad (they ground it in the same machine they used to grind some spices! YUCK) that even after paying like 65LE for a lb. I couldn't drink it. A cup of Starbucks regular coffee will set you back a pretty piaster... I mean about 17 LE, last time I was there. Latte's etc. much more.

Oh, but the whipped, frothy Nescafe is yummy and easy enough to make at home....

And whatever you do, don't let any hair dresser in Egypt lighten your hair....

I've had pretty good luck with my coiffeur. I guess it depends on the hairdresser - some are better than others.

[Dr. A ♥ O 203]

Does anyone have some tips for culture shock? I remember it hit me when we were at the theme park in 6th of October. It was called Dream Land or something like that. I've been to lots of theme parks in the US but never one with a Mosque in it where everyone stops to go pray. We went and sat down for pizza and since it was EID there was religious programming on the television and then we got our pizza and it wasn't like American and he started putting the ketchup and Tabasco sauce on it and I was becoming uncomfortable with my surroundings and that's when it hit me. I turned to Waleed and told him I was having culture shock. He froze and didn't know how to respond. Looking back it was funny both of us dealing with a situation we never dealt with before and neither of us having the answers. So we just went on the rides over and over trying to have as much fun as we can out of it. I loved how the roller coaster ride made him teary afterwords cos he got scared. A few times I got culture shock being in overwhelm of my surroundings. I think it might be better this time but I think I might still get it.

How long did you ladies stay for each time? Did you get to a point you got home sick and wanted to come back?

When do you think that will hit?

[Ihavequestions 419]

Did you get to a point you got home sick and wanted to come back?

When do you think that will hit?

I get homesick every single day. I miss my family. I miss my friends. I miss my language. I miss being able to drive. Every day. It never ends.

For me, it hit when I realized it wasn't a vacation, but that I was living here and didn't know when I was going home. Trust me, it wasn't pretty.

You're only going to be here eight months. Keep that in mind. On one hand, it will give you a count-down for those days (and they will come) that you are homesick. On the other hand, you will know your time here is limited and you won't have forever to see everything you want to do and do everything you want to do. I think the fact that it's temporary will be helpful to you.

[merijan 0]

when I lived in Saudi I missed cheddar cheese... real ceddar cheese lol. they have Kraft canned cheese...mmmwell .. anyway... just a thought.

[Sandrila 1]

I would agree to stock up on toiletries especially those ones you cant live without. Most brands you probably wont find there.

I did find tampons in Morocco, but were costly.

You can find toilet paper but I find the quality and the quantity is low.

Sheets, pillows and pillowcases, i would definitely bring from here, i dont know how they sleep on those pancakes they call pillows.

i wouldnt worry about bringing food, unless you need to stock up on snacks that are favorite to hold you over a bit.

I guess I would be more than happy to just eat what they eat there.

I would pack as light as possible and things are cheaper there so dishes, pots and pans and all, I wouldnt bring it.

If you are on staying temporarily I would save as much money as you can on decorating cuz you are only going to leave it, unless you are keeping it as your 2nd home.

Hard to buy curtains and such, unless you know measurements but I would rather buy things that have that flavor from there, i imagine it is cheaper.

Dont forget pix and maybe frames of your loved ones.

Lotions, basic medications and first aids. shampoos, toothpastes, facial products, feminine products, undergarments fragrances, simply cant be duplicated over there, if you ask me, even if you COULD find it, it's going to cost you.

If we have any spices here that you want to use there, that is a good idea too! But I dont know that our country is well know for OUR spices.

Maybe thyme, rosemary, sage, tarragon, basil, oregano, mc cormick spices to add to the already large array they have there.

GOOD LUCK

It sounds like fun!

[Sandrila 1]

honey, tea that you like or coffee, peanut butter definitely!

[Dr. A ♥ O 203]

Thx!

I've got my two suit cases out that I'm taking and I'm slowly packing up the rest of my apartment. This is actually making me happy.

Maybe I should have moved out of here a long time ago?

[ya falaha! 0]

I stayed a month the first time and 2.5 weeks the second. Not enough time for homesicknesses but plenty of time to decide I didn't like certain things due to cultural differences. I'll admit the last few days I was there the second time I was like, I'll miss you guys but I gotta get outta here. Plus I really couldn't wait to hit the Mickey D's in Germany. I wanted my greazy, processed foods fix.

[Ihavequestions 419]

We've got decent toothpaste, unless you're partial to a specific brand.

Tea comes in all flavors.

Honey is cheap and readily available.

Bras. Bring bras. Plenty of them. The Egyptian bras are horrid.

[PnA 0]

Does anyone have some tips for culture shock? I remember it hit me when we were at the theme park in 6th of October. It was called Dream Land or something like that. I've been to lots of theme parks in the US but never one with a Mosque in it where everyone stops to go pray. We went and sat down for pizza and since it was EID there was religious programming on the television and then we got our pizza and it wasn't like American and he started putting the ketchup and Tabasco sauce on it and I was becoming uncomfortable with my surroundings and that's when it hit me. I turned to Waleed and told him I was having culture shock. He froze and didn't know how to respond. Looking back it was funny both of us dealing with a situation we never dealt with before and neither of us having the answers. So we just went on the rides over and over trying to have as much fun as we can out of it. I loved how the roller coaster ride made him teary afterwords cos he got scared. A few times I got culture shock being in overwhelm of my surroundings. I think it might be better this time but I think I might still get it.

How long did you ladies stay for each time? Did you get to a point you got home sick and wanted to come back?

When do you think that will hit?

After the excitement wears off, and the days in Egypt become common, oh yes, you will wish you were back home.... but like I havequestions said... you're stay is only temporary... Granted you will be with you're love, sure.. but sometimes, thats just not enough!

The homesickness will kick in a few months after you're here, just be thankful, after a few months have passed, you only have 6 months to go then LOL

you will see what I mean once you get here

Even though you are with the one you love, he can't fill the void of you missing you're life that you have in America, we are Americans, and IMO, its very difficult for us to adjust to this culture/lifestyle.

I have lived here almost 3 years now... have I adjusted? YES.... have I adapted to my surroundings? YES.... am I happy.... NO.....

[Dr. A ♥ O 203]

{{{Jillai}}} When I am there we should get together if you are still there.

[KHPerfectMatch 1]

Honey is cheap and readily available.

Agreed, but I wouldn't eat it...

WARNING: 100% of Egyptian Honey is contamined.

http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=16241

100 pct of Egypt's honey infected, says study

By Tamim Elyan

First Published: September 4, 2008

CAIRO: A recent study conducted by the National Institute for Medical Surveillance and Research revealed that 100 percent of the honey produced in Egypt is infected with “Cloramfenicol,” which causes alpastic anemia and bone marrow suppression.

The study conducted by professors Zeinab El Sherif and Inas Saad at the National Research Center tested more than 30 samples from 20 governorates and discovered that they all contain the same chemical substance.

“When bees get infected with a certain disease, owners give them antibiotics in sugar water which contaminates the honey forming Cloramfenicol,” El Sherif told Daily News Egypt.

According to El Sherif, this method of treating bees was banned by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1984 because of its proven harmful effects.

“In 2005, a new and cheap alternative became available in the Egyptian market; however, owners don’t use it,” El Sherif said

El Sherif told Daily News Egypt that she decided to conduct this research because she heard of an international company that is banning honey imports from Egypt because they are contaminated.

“With the devices we have in our labs that are of poor condition, I expected all the samples to test negative for antibiotics. I was planning on saying in my research that it only existed with a certain concentration. But to my surprise the results came back positive,” El Sherif said.

El Sherif said that because of the simple techniques used in local laboratories to test the honey, the results usually come back negative and the honey is passed as safe when it is not.

On the other hand, bee farm owners deny adding any chemicals to their honey, arguing that their products are safe.

“I assure you that our honey is harmless and there are no chemicals in it,” Mohamed Soleiman, an official at Shahd El Malika, a company that produces honey, told Daily News Egypt.

According to El Sherif, bee farm workers add these antibiotics due to the lack of awareness and do not contaminate the honey intentionally.

In an attempt to raise awareness about the issue, El Sherif will print a brochure including information about diseases that infect bees and ways to treat them with the help of the Agricultural Research Center to be distributed among farm owners.