Although I've pretty much decided the district of Cairo in which I will reside, I'm curious as to your thoughts. Between Neighborhood A and Neighborhood B, which would you choose?
Neighborhood A: Upscale Expat Enclave
Pros
*More people speak English
*More green areas and athletic facilities
*Easy access to services e.g. TG Services(handyman)
*Several stores cater to Americans and American products.
*Road 9 –shopping street
*Quiet small town atmosphere and appearance with less traffic
*More expats with children in certain areas
*Convenient to Metro stations
*Close to Nile
*Easy to walk most places
*Able to dress in more Western style( but still modestly)
*More places to walk dogs
*A nice large expat church of which I have heard many, many great things
*Great reports of the neighborhood from current and former residents
Cons
*Higher rent and living expenses
*May have to provide own household items. (kitchen, bedding)
*Must deal with own landlord. Many landlords will ask for the first and last months rent or the first month and a damage deposit.
*Must take care of repairs, malfunctions and utilities yourself
*More frequent power and water outages
*Air quality worse than Neighborhood B
Neighborhood B: Luxurious Egyptian Burg
Pros
*School apartments are furnished with basic needs-cooking utensils, linens, towels.
*School will handle all repairs and will deal with utility bills on my behalf.(utility bills charged against your salary).
*Living here is more of a cultural experience
*Cost of living lower
*Close to major shopping centers
*Busier, more active
*Historic, European architecture
*More historic areas
Pros
*More people speak English
*More green areas and athletic facilities
*Easy access to services e.g. TG Services(handyman)
*Several stores cater to Americans and American products.
*Road 9 –shopping street
*Quiet small town atmosphere and appearance with less traffic
*More expats with children in certain areas
*Convenient to Metro stations
*Close to Nile
*Easy to walk most places
*Able to dress in more Western style( but still modestly)
*More places to walk dogs
*A nice large expat church of which I have heard many, many great things
*Great reports of the neighborhood from current and former residents
Cons
*Higher rent and living expenses
*May have to provide own household items. (kitchen, bedding)
*Must deal with own landlord. Many landlords will ask for the first and last months rent or the first month and a damage deposit.
*Must take care of repairs, malfunctions and utilities yourself
*More frequent power and water outages
*Air quality worse than Neighborhood B
Neighborhood B: Luxurious Egyptian Burg
Pros
*School apartments are furnished with basic needs-cooking utensils, linens, towels.
*School will handle all repairs and will deal with utility bills on my behalf.(utility bills charged against your salary).
*Living here is more of a cultural experience
*Cost of living lower
*Close to major shopping centers
*Busier, more active
*Historic, European architecture
*More historic areas
*Another expat church, but I've heard nothing about it
*Fewer foreigners, more "natives"...could be a pro or a con, contingent upon your perspective*Convenient to the airport
Cons
*Fewer people speak English
*More traffic
*Must dress more modestly
*Farther from central Cairo
Commonalities
*Both areas have many good restaurants- Egyptian, European and North American
*Travel to and from school is about equal time, depending on the traffic.
*Proliferation of North American coffee shops
*Majority of stores and restaurants deliver to the apartment.
*Apartments are larger than the average North American apartment
*Taxis plentiful and inexpensive. A taxi ride to the school costs about 30 LE
*Due to Egypt’s conservative Muslim culture female teachers are advised to dress modestly (no matter where they live) to avoid unwanted attention.
Cons
*Fewer people speak English
*More traffic
*Must dress more modestly
*Farther from central Cairo
Commonalities
*Both areas have many good restaurants- Egyptian, European and North American
*Travel to and from school is about equal time, depending on the traffic.
*Proliferation of North American coffee shops
*Majority of stores and restaurants deliver to the apartment.
*Apartments are larger than the average North American apartment
*Taxis plentiful and inexpensive. A taxi ride to the school costs about 30 LE
*Due to Egypt’s conservative Muslim culture female teachers are advised to dress modestly (no matter where they live) to avoid unwanted attention.
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6 comments:
it'll be interesting to see which one you end up picking. A lack of some modern conveniences and fewer English-speaking people are to most a con, but I couldn't help but think that for you they might be a pro. You tend not to want anything too similar to what you're used to - that wouldn't be an adventure. :)
(It would be really great if you could go to that church you like the sounds of; and I think that better air quality is really important, even if it is only slightly cleaner - it probably takes a toll on your body over 2 years.)
Will the first option still allow you to pay off your loans? Will your school pay for things like bedding & kitchen stuff to be shipped?
i think Maadi. Obviously you and I know what that choice is.
Reba thinks that I should email Foxy and tell him about my musical experiences. I.E. lie about being musically talented. What do you think?
Knowing you, I can see you leaning more towards the Egyptian one...you would probably want to be more immersed in the culture and want to save money....BUT..being connected to a great church with awesome fellowship can help you assimilate to your new place. The church could be where you go to when times might be lonely.
By the way, you won't have to buy any kitchen items because we already have tons of extras in our kitchen. ;)
I think you will pick neighborhood B. More native Egyptian culture. Fewer expats. That's you. Was I right?
I picked Neigborhood B: Heliopolis!! Y'all know me well!!
Andrea: you have me pegged!
Jen: I can still pay my loans down with Option A, but wouldn't have as much disposable income to travel. The school will reimburse me $600 for shipping, but advises I bring everything in my luggage...grrrrr.
Melissa: um...YES!
Heather: You know me! You also made some great points...THANKS!
Dad: yes you were right.
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