Pros & Cons of an Expat Life in Egypt

My life is very different than it was 6 months ago.  Vacationing in a foreign country is very different from actually living in a foreign country.  Some things are difficult while other things are easy to enjoy. 

As exotic as this picture seems (to me, anyway), I snapped this from the car during an average commute and it's a common site I see all the time throughout Cairo.

Difficulties

Driving - As you would expect for a city of nearly 20 million people, the traffic is horrendous.  Forget blinkers - everyone honks their horn!  It's constant, stressful, defensive driving.  There really aren't any rules (maybe suggestions?) and you have to dodge horses, donkey carts, suicidal pedestrians, broken-down clunkers, speed demons, tuk-tuks, motorcycles (loaded sometimes with 4 people at once), etc.  Traffic here is like water.  If your car can fit, even by half an inch, then go for it. 
Walking - Egypt has been through some tumultuous years, and the fatigue and dereliction are now obvious.  Sidewalks, if there are any, are broken down, littered, cramped and filthy - even in the "nicer" parts of town.  Trash is everywhere, and so is dog poop; I'm constantly on my girls to avoid stepping in it.  Cat calls and touching are the norm.  I'm still not (nor will I ever be) used to the men who reach out and touch my young daughters' heads/hair or hiss at us as we walk by.  And then, of course, each time we attempt to cross a street we fear for our lives.  No vehicle will stop.  Ever.
Power outages -  It hasn't been too bad in our apartment, but there have been spats where we would lose power daily, sometimes for an hour or two at a time.  Back home, I can't remember the last time the electricity went off.  While shopping at stores or eating out, the power will go off on a regular basis.  I showed up to get my hair done last week only to turn around and leave because the power was out. 
Pollution/Smoking - Yuck.  Smoking is everywhere!  Restaurants.  Banks.  Playgrounds.  Swimming pools.  Taxis.  Barbershop.  Dentist.  The actual dentist. It's almost unfathomable.  It makes me really appreciate the no-smoking laws in the United States.  And then there's the pollution.  I've heard that just breathing the air in Cairo is like smoking a pack of cigarettes a day.  I believe it.  It's really, really bad.
Language - This is such a barrier.  I can't complain too much because we signed up for this knowing that neither one of us speaks Arabic.  But not being able to communicate is so, so tough.  Even simple things, but luckily we live in an area where I can usually find people who speak some English.  But not always.  Living in Puerto Rico was a little easier for me since my husband speaks Spanish . . . but here, we are both out of luck!
No friends for my kids - It is SO tough to not have other kids to play with regularly and easily.  We chose to live downtown, so not many in my demographic to begin with.  We go to a nearby club where we do run into other children, but so far they have been unable to make any kind of friend.  Culture?  Language?  All of the above?  At least my girls are close in age and love playing with each other.  Thank goodness I don't have a single child - he/she would be so lonely here.
Terrorism - I don't live in constant fear; we leave our apartment regularly.  But living in a place where I need to check to see if any bombs have exploded or have been found on the route I plan to take is not normal to me - but it's the new normal here. 
Distance - Being so far away from "home" presents challenges.  It's time and cost prohibitive to go back.  A flight back home takes almost 24 hours with connections, and the tickets are expensive. 

Enjoyments

Our apartment - It is large, very comfortable and in a vibrant part of the city with close walking access to many shops, stores and restaurants.  The air conditioning works very well.  We have almost all new furniture.  Our girls have plenty of space to run inside since we don't have a yard, which is a challenge at times.  The kitchen is not open to the rest of the apartment and I thought I would hate that because I have always liked an open kitchen that flows into the dining/entertainment space.  But I LOVE how it has a door that I can shut when my girls are too loud.  And if I don't want anyone to see the mess?  Shut the door.  Voilà.  Problem solved.

Food - I love trying new foods and Egypt does not disappoint.  There are many new spices and flavors to enjoy.  Just the food alone could be a whole new blog post . . . .

Delivery - Every place delivers anything - from the local market to restaurants to dry cleaning.   

Affordable help - I love having someone clean my apartment and iron our clothes a couple times a week. 

Cost of living - The dollar goes far!  Right now it's about 7.15 Egyptian Pounds to $1.00 U.S. Dollar.  It's ironic that I live in a place with such cheap gasoline (average of $1 per gallon), but I don't even go through a tank in a month.  I guess I'm doing my part to save the planet!  It will be hard to return to the States because I will have such sticker shock.  And I'll have to kiss goodbye such regular pleasantries like home delivery, house cleaning, in-home back massages, parking attendants who keep our car clean and ready, etc.

The sites - Pyramids, mosques, a different culture . . . it's a sensory overload every time we step outside our door.  What a joy it is to share these new experiences with our children.  

People - Some are so friendly and welcoming.  We've met some warm, affable Egyptians in our comings and goings.  But we've also met other wonderful people from other parts of the world, too.  Canada, Poland, Italy, other parts of Africa, France - to name a few.

Culture - So, so different from my own.  It's fascinating to see such stark contrasts, but I am finding surprising similarities, too.
Weather - For most of the year, the weather is quite pleasant.  It cools off in the winter and gets a little too hot in the summer, but many months in between are exceptional.  And it feels like just the right amount of humidity.  I've been places that were too muggy (Puerto Rico) and too dry (New Mexico) and this place feels just about right.  My hair stays straight after I blow dry it and my skin doesn't crack from the dryness; I used to go through so much hand cream in New Mexico!
Technology - I don't know if I could have hacked it here ten+ years ago.  But with modern conveniences like a virtual private network combined with MagicJack, Skype, Amazon Prime, Netflix, etc. - I can stay connected and order up most common goods from the States.  Granted, an APO address makes that last convenience possible.  It's harder to order things from the States if they're being shipped without the APO.  I couldn't live in a place if I couldn't call home (my mom!) whenever I want - barring the 10-hour time zone difference, of course! 

Living in Egypt has been an adjustment for sure.  I am glad we are here together as a family.  I am learning a lot.  We have 6 months down and just over a year left.  I plan to make the most of it!