Go with the flow...newbies guide (Cairo)

You've done it, you have taken the plunge and moved to Cairo. Maybe you have been out on a reconnaissance mission or if you are very brave you have arrived blind, and what a time to be here. All of you will have been watching the Arab Spring unfold in your living rooms across the globe, and if like me you have googled Cairo to death you will have formed your own opinion. Well a word of warning....forget it, for any preconceptions you may have will be swept aside within a matter of weeks.

Cairo is a wonderful, crazy, miss match of contradictions, heart wrenching poverty, next door to designer retailers and each of you will need to find your own balance. How you choose to go about it will either enrich your life giving you life long friends and memories, or have you yearning for home. So, take a deep breath, head out with an open mind, and instruct your sense of humor to be on full alert, for the secret to surviving Cairo is to not take it personally.

The people who you meet on a daily basis are not out to wind you up, well not intentionally, not the taxi drivers, nor the microbus drivers nor any of the other drivers, they think how they drive is fine and who are we to say. Look for the positives, you can park anywhere the car fits for a tiny sum, yes 1le is acceptable, there are no traffic wardens, and if you miss your turn off a quick u turn or a bit of reversing usually sorts it...........to read more

Protected content