Gift ideas

[LizzieBee 25]

I'd like to get something nice for my sweetheart since I'll be with him in Egypt on his birthday. I'd also like to get something thoughtful for his mum. Any suggestions from other MENA wives/fiancees?

[visaqueries 111]

Have fun on your trip to Cairo. While I'm so excited my fiancé is going to be here in less than a month, I'm a bit sad that I won't be back in Egypt for a few years. That place has kind of grown on me. This month should be a perfect time for a visit.

As for a present, I always brought him unromantic hair gels and t-shirts. My fiancé loves wearing t-shirts, particularly those from other places. And...well, he's always looking for the next best thing to tame his Egyptian curl . Amazingly, despite the three brands I brought nothing ever beat his home products. Last year when I was in Egypt during his birthday, though, I cut out letters and taped them to his mirror--wishing him a happy birthday. I also hand cut out enough candles to make a construction paper cake at the bottom of the mirror. Who knows why, but he loved my handmade efforts over any other thing I got him for his birthday. Wish I had some great suggestion; however, I imagine your presence will be the nicest gift of all.

[Ihavequestions 419]

Mom: any lotion/potion Victoria's Secret makes.

Fiance: clothes/hats with American logos, cologne.

Bring a load of crayons under the guise they're for the kiddos in the family. Keep some for yourself to use when the power goes out (and it will, frequently) because a crayon will burn like a candle for half an hour.

[shahara2013 16]

A tablet is a gift

Lol I meant a nice gift

[Heather&Ramy 22]

Good idea for a thread topic!

I second the idea of lotions/cosmetics/perfumes for his mom.... after having lived here for a while now, I have decided to bring a load of that stuff every time I come in the future. It doesn't even have to be fancy or designer, our basic stuff (like dove or suave or pantene) is way better than what is here. Ramy's mom has a huge stock on random stuff from France and Italy from her relatives. Probably your fiance's mom would appreciate stuff like that too, and most Egyptian women seem crazy about makeup so that's a safe bet.

A lot of expats claim the soaps and shampoos, etc., made in egypt are way too strong and makes their hair fall out, combined with the water. I didn't even know there were "anti-hairfall" products until I came to Egypt! Nearly everything you will see at the store is that! My hair has begun to break off in weird places thanks to Egypt's Herbal Essence shampoo, lol. They have a lot of the same brands as us but it seems that the formula for the "made in Egypt" ones are different.

Ramy always appreciated the handmade stuff I would make for him, and I brought him some "chemises" which he loved, and nice thick socks (which they also don't seem to have much of here).

It's so exciting to go visit your love! Have a nice time, and be careful. A lot of Egyptians just avoid going out on Fridays altogether these days since most of the protesting and terrorism seems to happen then. But I've been here 6 months and I've had no problems.

[Ihavequestions 419]

Socks. Nice socks, like the nice white cotton socks, are a good gift. And lady socks would be appreciated. I'm not talking about nylon hosiery, but the nice socks for ladies. Those would be a winner. If you're so bold, "unders" would be a nice gift. "Unders" here are hideous. There's plenty of fake Dove products, so skip Dove. Mascara? Yeah, any mascara is better than what's on offer here. Ibuprofin. They sell something similar, but it's not the same and doesn't do nearly as good of a job. Bring a couple of bottles of that. Batteries - AA and AAA - the brand doesn't matter and they'll last longer than the typical 37 second Egyptian version. A decent vegetable peeler and can opener. The no-name version of Mr. Clean Magic Erasers. Bring those and you'll be Omy's favorite. Pens. Pens in Egypt leak. Pens make good gifts. Oh, and bring a pack of American cigarettes - Newport Menthol (I'm serious) - and pass them out to all of the guys who try to help you at the airport because they're almost as good as money. Finally, bring bags and bags and bags of Jolly Rancher hard candies (they are halal; I checked) - enough for everyone to have a private stash and not have to share.