Why do I get so upset here?

Yet why do I prefer to stay?  Well I cant answer the second question--not now at least, but I can address the question of my post title...Why do I get so upset?

Do I have to write the usual caveat--that there are so many GOOD things here--so I dont offend Egyptians and Egypt-lovers?  Should I even care?  It's my blog so I should write whatever I want, right?

I think I'll do that and not give a damn about being all PC.  And so...

If you take the populace out of the equation--disregard the Egyptian people for a moment and concentrate only on infrastructure, goods and services--Egypt is hard enough to deal with.  Roads are rocky and bumpy (drivers are worse), electricity and water go off on a daily basis--even if it's just for a sort period of time, losing internet connection is as easy as losing socks in a dryer, and there's no Walmart here my friends.  Despite all the new "superstores" like Carrefour, Hyper1 and Spinney's, there is no such thing here as one stop shopping!  There's always at least a few important items you cant find at one store, and have to go to another to buy.  I can get sauerkraut at Hyper, for example, but have to go to Carrefour to find American coffee.  There's my brand of salad dressing at Spinney's, but linen choices there suck.  A shopping trip for groceries and some household items involves going to 3 stores.  It's an exhausting endeavor and usually I only have enough energy to get to one store a day.  And so I wait til the next weekend to resume my quest.  And in the span of 3 weekends, I have finally gathered all that I need, have one weekend "off" and then have to begin the whole quest again for the new month!  Now to some this may seem ridiculously silly and spoiled.  But when you have to deal with all the other crap here, every aggravation becomes a mountain you can not climb.

There's no such thing as a Home Depot--nothing even close.  You have to go to one tiny store for electrical items---store is really an oxymoron--it's more like a kiosk.  Likewise for traditional hardware items--that's a
whole other place, as is paint and brushes--oh and let me not forget plumbing supplies, door locks and hinges---all in separate places.

Now, if you cant manage--once you have found everything, to actually use/install/repair it yourself, you need to call someone in to do it.  No jacks-of-all-trades here!   Everyone has their specialty--a plumber might be able to install a faucet, but you have to get a plasterer to fix the 5 foot hole he made in your wall.  You need a plumber to connect your water heater, but an electrician to rig up the pipes--dont ask me why!  An electrician can install wires for lights, but a carpenter has to drill holes for the fixture itself.  And speaking of carpenters, they range from someone who simply pounds nails al the way up to one who can make you a bedroom set from scratch.  And between the former and the later, there are a hundred different levels and a hundred different men to do the job.

Now we get to the frustrating part...NO, amazingly, we hadnt arrived yet.  The really really really bad part is......for every one honest man here who is willing to do the job correctly--and not over charge, there are a thousand looking to rip you off for as much money as they can sucker you out of, as well as doing a piss-poor job.  This might range from charging you 5 extra cents for each screw, to thousands of Egyptian pounds for building you a table and chairs.In truth, there are more liars, swindlers, con men and just plain criminals here in one city block than I ever heard tell of in America!  Bernie Madoff has nothing on Egyptians.

Workers of all kinds will smile in your face, swear on their sainted mother's grave they will do exactly as you ask for the price you agree on, but in the end, you will over-pay, rip your hair out with the crappy results, and end up hiring yet another con-artist to clean up another's mess.  And this cycle continues, again and again.

I was going to say more about the con-men here, but now I dont have to!  This says it all.  No one is immune, not even your own family members!  The ultimate con.....

I cant even title this post, I am so crazy upset!

Sometimes I hate this country so much, not only can I not blog about it, I cant even talk about it. It's taken me days to get up the oomph to write this post.  Egypt has a way of sucking you in, letting you think you have finally mastered the intricate art of living here, and then, BOOM! Some thing or things go so badly awry, you realize this great lady Egypt has been f'ing with your head again, and she is most definitely enjoying it.  She must, because she certainly does it often enough!.  I have been suffering for days--more like weeks actually- but today have become absolutely furious.  I have, once again, definitely reached my tolerance--and sanity--breaking point.

I want to write about it, but right now I can't.  I am so burning mad about all the sh#t that happens here, and have been seriously trying to figure out a way I can go back to the USA.  And what makes all this so much worse is, I dont see how I can do it.

I dont know how I can manage to go home!

I will write more--after I calm down enough to make sense.  Until then...

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Abu Dhabi bound?

In this post, I forgot to mention that several months ago--when my husband's current job position was unstable, he applied to teach in a university in Abu Dhabi.  He had really forgotten about it until last week when he was called into downtown Cairo for an interview.  He was told he would receive their response in the next month or so.  Two days ago he was offered the job!  WOW!  Deep breath.  It sounds like a wonderful opportunity with lots of perks.  I never imagined living in the Gulf.  In fact I would have refused to even consider it.  But from what I hear it is nothing like Saudi Arabia--thankfully--and in fact is more like America--an "Islamic" America???  Hmmm.  This requires a lot of thought, and many prayers for Guidance.  Despite everything, I am not sure I really want to leave Egypt.

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Of cons and conmen...and slackers and BSers and wasters of time

Anyone who's read my blog knows well that, for the most part, I love my life here.  There are so many advantages for me in living in Egypt.  But readers also know that at times my frustration level goes through the roof, and it's usually about the same complaint--that Egypt is basically a chaotic mess that just flies by the seat of its pants.  I think in too many ways the rule here is--there are no rules.  Or perhaps that it's a "me first" kind of existence, which leads to all kinds of complications.

Driving is a perfect example.  The death toll from traffic accidents is huge because everyone must be the first to arrive (hopefully) at his or her destination.  Doesn't matter how many other cars one sideswipes or how many pedestrian one mows down--it's all about getting there before anyone else does.  And that is because, while on many levels Egyptians appear to be quite generous, they are in many ways an arrogant and selfish people.  "It's all about me".

What really gets my knickers in a knot is how those in need are treated here.  Now by "in need" I dont mean the poor.  I refer to those in need of a product or service. From food shopping to buying, finishing and furnishing an apartment, from hiring a taxi to purchasing a car, from ordering a hamburger to having a doctor's appointment, those providing a product or service will bow and scrape and kiss your hand until you fork over your hard earned cash.  Once you part with the green stuff, you are SOL.  Because, simply, there is NO understanding here of what customer service means.  To sell you even a pound of onions, the seller will lie through his teeth and swear on the grave of his sainted mother that you are buying the best onions in Egypt.  No matter that he knows very well they are rotten to the core.  It's a dog eat dog economy and survival of the fittest most dishonest here.  The biggest bullshitter wins.

Now my complaints need to be divided into different categories.  We have the lowly salesclerks, waitstaff, counter clerks, technicians, etc, who work for some else's business or service, usually for a monthly pittance a cockroach could barely survive on.  Then we have the  managers of said businesses.  Next are those who have their own businesses and/or work for themselves, and last but not least we have the government workers who keep this country "running"--I think there's an oxymoron in there somewhere.

There is one underlying current running throughout all of these categories, and as bad as these are in and of themselves, there lurks among them some of the slickest snake oil salesmen (and women) you could ever not hope to meet.  Many Egyptians have elevated the con to an art form.  But more on that later.  In my next post, I will begin with "lowly salesclerks".

On the other hand.....Ana mally???

After that post I wrote about Egypt being "home", I have to warn you that all that glitters is not gold.  There is a litany of standard complaints most expats have about life in Egypt, ranging from the insane driving practices to merchants having no idea what "customer service" means--and a zillion more in between!  But more on that fun later.  Let me tell you about another common problem here--the "ana mally" syndrome.

This is a phrase loosely--and very sarcastically--translated to mean "and this is my problem, why???"   Egyptians say it all the time and in a very condescending way.  They say it for any and all occasions when they want you to be absolutely sure they dont give a damn about what you are trying to tell them!!! With a roll of the eyes and a "talk to the hand" kind of gesture, they hope you will get the point quickly so they can move onto bigger and more important issues in their life.


"Stop throwing your garbage into my yard!"  Response:  "Ana mally?"

"Excuse me, Mr. Butcher Man, but this meat I just bought from you is spoiled rotten!"  Response:  "Ana mally?"

"Didnt I just pay you 6000 LE (almost $1000) for this air conditioner that doesnt work?"  "Ana mally?"

"Hey!  You just ran over my kid with your car!"  Response:  "Ana mally???"

No joke!  About the only time you can get an Egyptian to stand up and take notice of anything you have to say is if he wants something from you--especially money.  Then it's all about grovelling and telling you things like "At your service, oh Pasha!", "Under your command, oh dear sir!", "I'll give you my eyes, dear lady!"  What a crock!  Once you pay for goods or services, they have another expression here..."Hit your head against the wall!"

So I had an "ana mally" moment with my landlord today. Half the electricity in my apartment stopped working.  So did the electric meter outside the apartment I live in--the one I pay the bill for!  So, is it my meter or not?  If half the electric is working, it seems obvious to me that it's pulling from an electric meter that someone else in this building is paying for.  By the same token, I am obviously paying for at least part of someone else's bill.  So I got my housekeeper to call him and let him know the electricity is all screwed up.  Before she could even finish a sentence, he was telling her it's not his problem and she can call an electrician.  Then he asked to talk to my husband.  She told him he was traveling.  Did he care that there were 2 "foreign" women living here with no way of solving this problem?  Would it have killed him to help us out a bit?  At least feign sympathy or concern?  Be polite and commiserate even if he was going to stick it to us?

While I grudgingly accept the fact that I might have to pay for repairs in my apartment (which is usually the owner's responsibility), I sure as hell dont want to pay to rewire his whole building.  But once again, I find myself in a situation I can do nothing about.  And so I rant and rave a moan and complain, to which my husband laughingly says "This is Egypt!  Take it or leave it."  And all I have to say to this is..."Ana mally? " !!!

Rumors

Text messages are circulating regarding possible terrorist attacks related to the bombing of the Alexandria church. People are warned to stay home, stay off the roads and out of large stores, shopping malls, etc. Some of these texts originate from people "in the know".

On the other hand, a government newspaper printed this.


Now whether these attack warnings are legitimate or not remains to be seen. One can only hope they are truly rumors. But with conflicting reports, do we really want to take the chance?

Can anyone, in a any country, trust state-run media? I dont think so, In short, better safe than sorry.

More on the Alexandria Church murders

I was so upset yesterday when I posted, that I really forgot to finish the last entry.  I wanted to extend my deepest sympathies to all those affected by this tragedy, especially to those who lost loved ones.  This is a disaster of international proportions, and it is also a horrendous and painful situation for those of us living in Egypt, whether Muslim or Christian or just plain human! In fact I cant imagine that a human did this...this is the work of an entity so evil...it is either Satan himself or one of his devout followers--I wouldn't even consider the perpetrator a human at this point. 

I also wanted to mention the overwhelming majority of Christians and Muslims--and Jews and those of other faiths as well--live in Egypt as neighbors and friends.  They share holidays, weddings, births, funerals, graduations--all life's events--as family, as  loved ones. There is usually respect for all and between all religions here, aside from the usual few whackos (I guess we would call them "rednecks" back home) who hate anybody not exactly like them.  Those people can be found in all races, cultures and countries though--it certainly isn't restricted to one place or time.

I guess my point is--in my own personal opinion--this crime comes from somewhere way beyond the scope of Egyptian citizens.  This crime is a result of an interloper, be it human or Shaytan.  There is some deep, dark reason this evil was carried out, and I don't believe for a moment it is as simple as someone hating Christian Egyptians.  There's a reason for this known only to Allah.  May He protect us and heal us as a nation, and as a national family.

The Alexandria Church massacre

I would be heartless and remiss if I didnt write about this evil atrocity in my adoptive country.

You can read much about the incident at Misry Al Youm, one of Egypt's online English daily newspapers.

For the record, this is NOT Islamic behavior.  True Muslims do not practice terrorism.  The Quran says, in an excerpt from Chapter:  The Table Spread [5:32] 

if any one slew a person - unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land - it would be as if he slew the whole people: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people.

Muslims and Islamic organizations all over the world are mourning this act and are vehemently denouncing it.  I personally do not believe this murder was perpetrated by Muslims, but rather the work of agent-provocateurs with their own agenda.  I am not alone in my thinking--many more well-versed than I have said the same thing.

It is hard to imagine the shock and pain of something like this unless you get up close and personal.  Here is the last Facebook post of Mariouma Fekry, one of the innocent victims of this massacre. It is a heartwrenching read.  Kudos to blogger Organica for finding this post.

For those who wish to see this heinous crime as a Muslims vs Christian issue, I remind you of the story of King Negus who gave shelter in Abyssinia to the persecuted Meccan Muslims.  At the end of this clip the King, who was a Christian at that time (he later accepted Islam as his religion and died as a Muslim), upon hearing of the Islamic view on Jesus, drew a line in the sand and said "The difference between us and you is no bigger than this line."  This is true Islam!

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2011