128 CultureShock! Egypt
experience of living in an Egyptian neighbourhood, renting
a flat or villa is preferable to a hotel. In any event, unless
you have some contacts in Egypt prior to going who can
arrange your living quarters for you, you will need to stay
in a hotel for at least a few days until you can find an
appropriate flat.
Housing in Egypt can be quite reasonably priced by
North American or European standards. The main thing to
ask before renting a flat is what is included in the price. I
don’t mean asking a general question like, ‘Does this include
everything?’ If you ask a question like this, misunderstandings
are likely to occur. What constitutes ‘everything’ by your
standard may be entirely different by Egyptian standards. So,
be sure to ask for every specific kind of detail you can possibly
imagine. If not, you may find yourself handed another bill
for services you thought were included in the rental price.
What you need to know is: do I have to pay separate for
electricity? Gas? Water? Rubbish pick-up? Phone? (More about
phones later.) Excluding the phone, electricity, gas, water and
rubbish removal can add up to several hundred Egyptian
pounds each month. If the apartment comes with a phone,
how many local calls or minutes are included? Is the phone
set up to call international or to cell phones? Which modern
appliances are in the apartment? Is the flat air-conditioned
(important for summer stays). Who do you contact if (when?)
something breaks, such as the air conditioner? Is any maid
service included? Where can you get a good maid or nanny
for the children?
You will most likely have one or more doormen (boheb)
for the building. They are critically important to you and you
should tip them nicely each month. If you take good care of
them, they will take good care of you! Local flat owners can
give you a general idea about how much to give them each
month. I also tipped them whenever they did something
nice for me, for example, if they took the laundry or picked
it up for me or if they helped me get groceries from the taxi
to my flat.
Another very important feature to consider is how far
the flat/villa is from where you work. If you are in Cairo