Culture Shock! Egypt - A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette

The Logistics of Settling In 129

or Alexandria, getting a place to live that is close to where
you will be working may be an important consideration.
If you have to take taxis around the city all day, you can
run up significant expenses on transportation before you
know it. On the other hand, if you have a driver or car to
move you around the city or live close to a Metro stop,
distance from work may be relatively unimportant. Then
the choice may be a time issue, how long are you willing to
commute daily?
Family considerations also may come into play. Distance
from work or usual daily activities may well be less important
than having your family close to schools or recreational
activities. For example, many Westerners with children
prefer to live in the Maadi suburb as Maadi is relatively quiet
compared to other sections of Cairo. It is a rather upper-class
neighbourhood of large old homes and gardens. This is a very
family-oriented neighbourhood where kids can ride bicycles
and skateboard. Maadi has great shopping (check out the
Maadi Grand Mall), local churches, a community centre and
many other trappings of Western life. The Cairo American
College (K-12) is located in Maadi.
Another area you might want to consider is downtown
Cairo, close to Tahrir Square. If you like the noise, traffic
and other trappings of city
living, you will love this hub of
city life. Activity abounds day
and night. Many shopping and
entertainment options exist. This
area is probably not as good for
families with children.
Garden City is quite close
to downtown Cairo. It remains
an elite residential, diplomatic
and business address.
Most of the neighbourhood
population is Egyptian;
however, a few foreigners do
live here. Goods and services
are abundant throughout the

Entertainment

for Children

Here are just some of the activities

your children can look forward

to in Egypt:

„ Ice Skating

„ Roller skating

„ Bowling

„ Bicycle riding

„ Cinemas (check the listings

on http://touregypt.net)

„ Video arcades

„ Swimming

„ Fun Parks—Sinbad’s and

Merryland’s are great!n

„ Zoo

„ Horseback riding

„ Soccer (football) leagues

„ Magic Land at Media

Production City