I noticed when I first moved into my flat that Dalia from the school had stocked me up with some instant coffee. My first instinct was distaste. Turns out, everyone uses instant here and it's actually quite good if you find a brand you like. It's also easier to get a good cup of coffee everytime this way, by buying the instant coffee in the single use containers, especially the ones that are 2 or 3 in 1 (coffee, creamer, sugar). Everyone uses these water boilers for their coffee and tea. It basically just boils water. Then you pour it into your cup. Now, this sounds silly, but I've never used one of these before. I've either used a kettle for the stove, a coffeemaker, or a traditional tea maker. But not a simple water boiler. I don't know why this is so neat, but it's just one of the many things that are different here. Kind of like how a lot of the doorknobs are in the middle of the doors instead of to the side. One of the other nifty uses of the water boilers is to just boil water if you're out of bottled water. Then, just let it cool and you have water that won't make you sick!
The water itself is highly chlorinated here to kill all the bacteria and the parasites that live in the Nile. When we first moved into the flat, I noticed the chlorine smell in the bathroom right away. So, what makes people sick I wondered? It seems like drinking chlorine might be gross and might eventually make you kind of queasy, but not the throwing up, diarrhea sick like everyone talks about. Turns it, it's the pipes that are gross and not the water. So, you can treat the heck out of the water, but the minute it goes through the nasty pipes, it gets contaminated. Makes perfect sense now! It's not good for your hair or skin, though. Imagine always using pool water to wash with. Which is why people, if they can afford it and want it, get the fancy ultrasonic water thingies for the faucets.
For drinking, you quickly get used to always having bottled water on hand. And you always make sure it has the plastic seal and thin plastic wrapping on the cap in place before drinking it. When you eat out, you always make sure they open it in front of you so you're not getting tap water. You are always aware of how many water bottles you have handy at home and you always buy in bulk. It becomes second nature. When we first moved here, I almost slipped up and used the tap water for my coffee and even once almost just drank it out of the tap, but I caught myself. Now, though, I always use the tap water for my coffee, since it's being boiled every time. I haven't had any problems.
I've also finally started eating fruits and veggies without worrying about contamination. I missed salad!! But now that I've made up my mind to have lettuce, it seems impossible to find in the stores (of course!). It's the end of the summer,when the pickins aren't as good. But it's good knowing I can eat a salad in a restaurant and not worry. (I had read that there is a specific type of parasite that can live in the veins of lettuce. This freaked me out. I have decided not to stress about this. If I get a parasite from lettuce, I'll just take the antibiotics and move on!) The common problem with fruits and veggies and lettuce, though, is the water. You forget how much water is absorbed into these foods. So, it's not the food itself that makes you sick, but the water! I've been here a month and a half now, so I think the small amount of water I've ingested through food, ice, and showers has made it easy to eat anything at this point.
Ugh, the amount of junk food here in Cairo is insane. I don't know why, but I envisioned Cairo as a place with lots of healthy food and no junk food. I couldn't have been more wrong!! It is even easier to live on junk HERE than in the states. Everywhere you go is junk food. (I will eventually get around to taking pics of some of the local markets and street vendors). This is one of the reasons why I see so many bad sets of teeth. The sugar in cokes and junk food, and the lack of good dental care, makes for a lot of yuck mouth.
About paying your bills...You don't get bills mailed to you in Cairo; someone hand delivers your bill. You then have a choice to pay the bill right then or later (they'll come back the next day). I will now only pay later or after I've consulted my Arabic # cheat sheet because for my first gas bill, the guy told me 30 pounds. This translates to $5 American. Super cheap, right? Well, maybe in the states, but not in Cairo terms. It was actually 7 pounds. Dude totally ripped me off! Gas runs about 7-10 pounds for a 2 bedroom flat. Electricity for this past month was 38 pounds (less than $7 USD). Of course, the guy came around looking for the electricity payment the other day while I was at the hospital and Chloe answered the door (I'm going to train that girl eventually not to answer the door when I'm gone!). Well, he asked Chloe for 100 Pounds. Uh, no. I'm glad I didn't have money around for her to give to him! So, yeah, they will try to scam you. Which is why I now always wait before paying. I thought it was weird that no one mails anything in or pays online. Just another Egyptian procedure to learn!! This one procedure is in place because the postal system is basically non existent and completely unreliable. (I will have to post pics of the mail slots at my building. I saw a bee's nest in one of the slots).
Everything in Cairo can be picked up or delivered: pharmacy products, anything from the market, food (even fast food like Burger King!), dry cleaning, clothes, etc....if you can buy it, it can be delivered. And usually for no more than about 6 pounds delivery fee. (Less than a dollar American.) Not bad if you consider it's usually some young guy on a bicycle sometimes riding 30 minutes across the city to get to you! Not to mention how dangerous it is to navigate through the traffic! There's also this really cool website called Otlob.com, which has a list of all the restaurants in Cairo that deliver (well, just about all of them. I guess some of the more hole-in-the-wall places aren't on there). You go online and register and then you can order anything you want online and it's delivered within 30 minutes to an hour. It's awesome!! Then you don't have to worry about placing your order over the phone. Whew, what a relief not to have to get through one of those conversations.
The water itself is highly chlorinated here to kill all the bacteria and the parasites that live in the Nile. When we first moved into the flat, I noticed the chlorine smell in the bathroom right away. So, what makes people sick I wondered? It seems like drinking chlorine might be gross and might eventually make you kind of queasy, but not the throwing up, diarrhea sick like everyone talks about. Turns it, it's the pipes that are gross and not the water. So, you can treat the heck out of the water, but the minute it goes through the nasty pipes, it gets contaminated. Makes perfect sense now! It's not good for your hair or skin, though. Imagine always using pool water to wash with. Which is why people, if they can afford it and want it, get the fancy ultrasonic water thingies for the faucets.
For drinking, you quickly get used to always having bottled water on hand. And you always make sure it has the plastic seal and thin plastic wrapping on the cap in place before drinking it. When you eat out, you always make sure they open it in front of you so you're not getting tap water. You are always aware of how many water bottles you have handy at home and you always buy in bulk. It becomes second nature. When we first moved here, I almost slipped up and used the tap water for my coffee and even once almost just drank it out of the tap, but I caught myself. Now, though, I always use the tap water for my coffee, since it's being boiled every time. I haven't had any problems.
I've also finally started eating fruits and veggies without worrying about contamination. I missed salad!! But now that I've made up my mind to have lettuce, it seems impossible to find in the stores (of course!). It's the end of the summer,when the pickins aren't as good. But it's good knowing I can eat a salad in a restaurant and not worry. (I had read that there is a specific type of parasite that can live in the veins of lettuce. This freaked me out. I have decided not to stress about this. If I get a parasite from lettuce, I'll just take the antibiotics and move on!) The common problem with fruits and veggies and lettuce, though, is the water. You forget how much water is absorbed into these foods. So, it's not the food itself that makes you sick, but the water! I've been here a month and a half now, so I think the small amount of water I've ingested through food, ice, and showers has made it easy to eat anything at this point.
Ugh, the amount of junk food here in Cairo is insane. I don't know why, but I envisioned Cairo as a place with lots of healthy food and no junk food. I couldn't have been more wrong!! It is even easier to live on junk HERE than in the states. Everywhere you go is junk food. (I will eventually get around to taking pics of some of the local markets and street vendors). This is one of the reasons why I see so many bad sets of teeth. The sugar in cokes and junk food, and the lack of good dental care, makes for a lot of yuck mouth.
About paying your bills...You don't get bills mailed to you in Cairo; someone hand delivers your bill. You then have a choice to pay the bill right then or later (they'll come back the next day). I will now only pay later or after I've consulted my Arabic # cheat sheet because for my first gas bill, the guy told me 30 pounds. This translates to $5 American. Super cheap, right? Well, maybe in the states, but not in Cairo terms. It was actually 7 pounds. Dude totally ripped me off! Gas runs about 7-10 pounds for a 2 bedroom flat. Electricity for this past month was 38 pounds (less than $7 USD). Of course, the guy came around looking for the electricity payment the other day while I was at the hospital and Chloe answered the door (I'm going to train that girl eventually not to answer the door when I'm gone!). Well, he asked Chloe for 100 Pounds. Uh, no. I'm glad I didn't have money around for her to give to him! So, yeah, they will try to scam you. Which is why I now always wait before paying. I thought it was weird that no one mails anything in or pays online. Just another Egyptian procedure to learn!! This one procedure is in place because the postal system is basically non existent and completely unreliable. (I will have to post pics of the mail slots at my building. I saw a bee's nest in one of the slots).
Everything in Cairo can be picked up or delivered: pharmacy products, anything from the market, food (even fast food like Burger King!), dry cleaning, clothes, etc....if you can buy it, it can be delivered. And usually for no more than about 6 pounds delivery fee. (Less than a dollar American.) Not bad if you consider it's usually some young guy on a bicycle sometimes riding 30 minutes across the city to get to you! Not to mention how dangerous it is to navigate through the traffic! There's also this really cool website called Otlob.com, which has a list of all the restaurants in Cairo that deliver (well, just about all of them. I guess some of the more hole-in-the-wall places aren't on there). You go online and register and then you can order anything you want online and it's delivered within 30 minutes to an hour. It's awesome!! Then you don't have to worry about placing your order over the phone. Whew, what a relief not to have to get through one of those conversations.
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