It has been a long and hard road to moving into a home in Cairo but we did it! Nadia, Obi and I landed on August 6 and we finally had our first night in the new place on September 5. It was a month of looking at apartments and houses, negotiating with landlords, conversations with real estate agents, buying furniture and appliances, arranging appointments for utilities, carpentry, cleaners, deliveries, etc. It was an unfurnished apartment, including light fixtures, so that increased the workload. That is the life of an global expatriate, moving every 5 to 7 years and having to start over. This move was easier in someways with no children, but also harder in that we are older and Egypt is a tricky place to get things done.
My Uncle Jack was invaluable to us and thankfully, he is a kind person who wanted to help us. He is retired and offered to come and support our move. Little did he (and we) realize, what he was getting himself into. Jack is a Type A personality and that doggedness got us over the finish line. I also have to compliment Nadia because I was focused on running the school and did not do too much regarding our domestic situation. Nadia and Jack took the brunt of moving logistics. A complicating factor in Egypt is the governmental bureaucracy. It took about a month to get a work visa after we arrived and I needed the visa and accompanying registration (another week of delays) to obtain a phone number. The government is cautious with people bringing mobile phones in the country and issues a tax based on the value of the phone. I recently purchased the latest iPhone in June, but with a +$600 tax on that particular model, I decided to stay with my old iPhone and a more reasonable +$200. I think it is a cash grab, but it is my wish the funds go to building communications infrastructure in Egypt and offering reduced mobile phone service for lower income people.
It was a month of hotels and Airbnbs and a 30-minute commute to school every day. I became accustomed to driving in Egypt during the month. At least in New Cairo, the traffic is not bad and with many wide roads, often 4-5 lanes in one direction, we experienced little gridlock. There is also a nice flow and the soft demeanor of Egyptian culture comes through in driving norms. People are not aggressive and generally let you go where you need to. We found a place in the residential gated community near school which means a short drive of less than 10 minutes to and from school. Nadia is happy as well because the it is quieter than out in the wild of New Cairo.
Jack flew back to the USA on Thursday morning and we completed the first week of school. Both Nadia and I have been exhausted from the move.
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