What type of television shows our country is exporting to Egypt:
Pimp my Ride (from MTV)
Cold Case
American Gladiators (the new version)
Kojak
Las Vegas
Law and Order: Criminal Intent
And last but not least:
The Dukes of Hazzards (Yes, from the 70’s. I can not make this up.)
Showing posts with label lifestyle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lifestyle. Show all posts
Monday, July 14, 2008
Thursday, July 10, 2008
On my own in El Arish
We had some time in the morning before we returned to Cairo. I decided to go for a walk with my camera. I walked down the main drag which runs parallel with the coast.
A painted-tile mural:
Sheesha pipes outside a café:
I then turned left, away from the hotels and into the town. With my very limited Arabic and charades, I was able to take some photos of the locals.
A customer, a baker and a construction worker:
A bookstore sign. (No, my Arabic is not that good! Selma told me what this said.)
The man was spreading the bread out on to the low block wall. (Yes, that is a Nike hat he is wearing.)
When I asked this man if I could take his photo, he said “Yes, I love America,” and raised his bottle above his head. Maybe he wanted to look like the Statue of Liberty? I have no clue.
When I first walked by this bakery, the little boy (in the center) said “Hello” to me. I asked if I could take his photo and he said yes and ran inside the bakery. His older brother on the right ame out, pushed his brothers away and said to only take a photo of him. I shook my head "La!" (No!) and montioned to his brothers. He shrugged and allowed them in the photo.
A painted-tile mural:
Sheesha pipes outside a café:
I then turned left, away from the hotels and into the town. With my very limited Arabic and charades, I was able to take some photos of the locals.
A customer, a baker and a construction worker:
A bookstore sign. (No, my Arabic is not that good! Selma told me what this said.)
The man was spreading the bread out on to the low block wall. (Yes, that is a Nike hat he is wearing.)
When I asked this man if I could take his photo, he said “Yes, I love America,” and raised his bottle above his head. Maybe he wanted to look like the Statue of Liberty? I have no clue.
When I first walked by this bakery, the little boy (in the center) said “Hello” to me. I asked if I could take his photo and he said yes and ran inside the bakery. His older brother on the right ame out, pushed his brothers away and said to only take a photo of him. I shook my head "La!" (No!) and montioned to his brothers. He shrugged and allowed them in the photo.
I lovd getting out of the tourist area and really see how people live. They were as intrested in me, as I was them. Many saw me and said "Hello! Welcome! I love America!"
Monday, July 7, 2008
Housing and Cost of Living
(I am piecing this entry together from many different sources and lectures, inadvertent errors may have occurred.)
Now that I’ve been in Egypt for a couple of weeks, I’m starting to put together a better idea on how the average family lives. A university professor would normally make 400-500 Egyptian Pounds (EP) per month in Cairo. In El Arish, a more rural area, the president of the university we visited was so proud of the self-sustaining school he built; he stated that he only gets 2,000 EP a year. (Remember there are roughly 5 EP to one US dollar.)
When looking at the price of energy, a gallon of gas would be .79 US, which the Egyptians find to be high. When we attended a lecture on the geography of Egypt, I asked if there were plans to use more solar energy. The speaker replied that natural gas was so cheap, that it wasn’t cost effective. “Why should I pay thousands of dollars for a solar system when my monthly gas bill is 3-5 EP’s?” (All of us Americans in the room gasped.)
When you travel around Egypt, you notice many unfinished houses:
This is not necessarily a sign of poverty, but rather a way to beat the tax system. In Egypt you pay property taxes only when the house is finished being constructed; therefore the houses are often unfinished to avoid taxes. It is very common for Egyptians to construct only what they can pay for, and then leave the rest for when they get more money, even if that is years and years away. This has recently been changed with much controversy; now people have property tax 40% of the value of the property.
The rental properties are even more difficult. Not only is it impossible to evict someone, but it is impossible to raise their rent. Families will pass down the same rental agreements, meaning a family could be paying the same amount of rent that grandpa did. Some tenants move out of the rental, but hold on to the original rental contract and sub-let it for much higher rates; literally making money off of a rental they do not own. Property owners make no money, so they make no improvements to the properties which are out of date and sometimes downright unsafe by American standards. It’s a vicious cycle.
For education, there is “free” public education. Just like American public schools, parents are responsible for uniforms and supplies. However there are typically 60 students per class, so most parents pay for tutors. In Egypt there are places called “carpet schools.” Children start around the age seven, “when their fingers are small enough to tie knots in the silk.” They work in the carpet shops in the morning where they are paid for their work and then go to school in the afternoon. During the summer, they can just work if they choose. (It was implied that many do, as their families needed that income. Let's just say I won't be buying any carpets while I'm here.)
The parents are also responsible for the college tuition; there are no student loans and scholarships seem rare, if non-existent. One private university we visited averages about $10,000 US per year; somewhat inexpensive by US standards, but pricey for the average Egyptian citizen.
There are some difficult statistics about the population in Egypt. 50% of the population is in poverty, 20% live on less than $2 US a day. There are beggars on the street corners, and it is difficult to say no. Our group was discussing the amount of trash on the streets, and how we felt it was so unhygienic and unsightly. But at the same time if you implement garbage collection system, you may be depriving thousands of the most poor a means of income, as they are literally garbage pickers.
There are no easy solutions here; just like there are no easy solutions back home.
Now that I’ve been in Egypt for a couple of weeks, I’m starting to put together a better idea on how the average family lives. A university professor would normally make 400-500 Egyptian Pounds (EP) per month in Cairo. In El Arish, a more rural area, the president of the university we visited was so proud of the self-sustaining school he built; he stated that he only gets 2,000 EP a year. (Remember there are roughly 5 EP to one US dollar.)
When looking at the price of energy, a gallon of gas would be .79 US, which the Egyptians find to be high. When we attended a lecture on the geography of Egypt, I asked if there were plans to use more solar energy. The speaker replied that natural gas was so cheap, that it wasn’t cost effective. “Why should I pay thousands of dollars for a solar system when my monthly gas bill is 3-5 EP’s?” (All of us Americans in the room gasped.)
When you travel around Egypt, you notice many unfinished houses:
This is not necessarily a sign of poverty, but rather a way to beat the tax system. In Egypt you pay property taxes only when the house is finished being constructed; therefore the houses are often unfinished to avoid taxes. It is very common for Egyptians to construct only what they can pay for, and then leave the rest for when they get more money, even if that is years and years away. This has recently been changed with much controversy; now people have property tax 40% of the value of the property.
The rental properties are even more difficult. Not only is it impossible to evict someone, but it is impossible to raise their rent. Families will pass down the same rental agreements, meaning a family could be paying the same amount of rent that grandpa did. Some tenants move out of the rental, but hold on to the original rental contract and sub-let it for much higher rates; literally making money off of a rental they do not own. Property owners make no money, so they make no improvements to the properties which are out of date and sometimes downright unsafe by American standards. It’s a vicious cycle.
For education, there is “free” public education. Just like American public schools, parents are responsible for uniforms and supplies. However there are typically 60 students per class, so most parents pay for tutors. In Egypt there are places called “carpet schools.” Children start around the age seven, “when their fingers are small enough to tie knots in the silk.” They work in the carpet shops in the morning where they are paid for their work and then go to school in the afternoon. During the summer, they can just work if they choose. (It was implied that many do, as their families needed that income. Let's just say I won't be buying any carpets while I'm here.)
The parents are also responsible for the college tuition; there are no student loans and scholarships seem rare, if non-existent. One private university we visited averages about $10,000 US per year; somewhat inexpensive by US standards, but pricey for the average Egyptian citizen.
There are some difficult statistics about the population in Egypt. 50% of the population is in poverty, 20% live on less than $2 US a day. There are beggars on the street corners, and it is difficult to say no. Our group was discussing the amount of trash on the streets, and how we felt it was so unhygienic and unsightly. But at the same time if you implement garbage collection system, you may be depriving thousands of the most poor a means of income, as they are literally garbage pickers.
There are no easy solutions here; just like there are no easy solutions back home.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
