Tips and advice to thrive in Egypt

Keep your mouth shut, and your thoughts to yourself, easy really. Being an ex pat we will never be able to call Egypt home or feel at home, we are not even ex pats really we are only tourists, here on a tourist visa, and that is not a secure feeling at all.

You can only talk from experience's that have happened

To me to survive in any place or with any community , is all about Information's.
the right information you got, the right path you take. a mathematical conclusion.
After that the "adaptation"take place n the formula ,after you know the code that rule the community and understand it, yo have to adapt and act by that code.

I arrived in Egypt with no knowledge of dealing with people who did not have any regard for the property of others.

At the start I was Mohamed'd and introduced to a builder who scammed me in a property deal.  I went to Court for a couple of years and won my case.

The lawyers did not explain the whole problem so now I am being taken to Court in an attempt to get me evicted from the property and land that I thought I owned. 

I thought that the scammer owned the land which he "sold" me but he did not.  I thought the problem was that Building Permissions had not been granted.

I was asked to pay a further 13K English for the land but it would just be good money after bad.  There will always be a claim for something else.......this is Egypt.

It is reasonable to pay a bit of a premium for the eternal sun, ripe strawberries and a place where I can ride my bike(I have only been deliberately knocked off it once) but I would like to feel that I am safe.  i have also  had two breakins!.  Now  it is widely known that I have nothing because I did not replace what was stolen.  That feels safer.

sorry to hear that but this is not Egypt, you will find the good too , you should make sure that the one who sold you the land was the owner.anyway don't be sad , if it is money issue, money come and go and if you need any kind of legal Advise my lawyer will support you for no charge.
be well & save

Sorry to disagree with you but there is NO formula, therefore,there is No code. Egypt is a country that lives day by day without any plan for the next. What will be will be.  When you learn to accept this you will be able to adapt to life in Egypt. Have no expectations and you will not be disappointed

Apparently this parlous state of affairs began when the king left.
This lack of a plan has resulted in Egypt's reserves being halved since the Mubarak revolution.
But I guess it is easier to thieve than to work.

To me i should have the knowledge to treat and deal with people before i involve in any kind of Agreements, i should beware of what happen around me in order not to feel regret. iam not talking by collective brochure of course.

Linneroy... yes... "have no expectations" is the best advice but for me is hardest thing to do because of my original background. The worse thing in Middle east for me is "feeling out of control for everything" because nobody know what will be tomorrow, do not plan the things ahead and not sticky to schedule.

than you teach your circle of friends to plan and prepare

my girls now for the most part even lay out their clothes for morning and

fix their food the night befor ....have a weekly plan...

that does not bother me the only thing that I had to get use to and do not care about any more

is it will be ready tomorrow or next Tuesday or I will come to install or to fix it tomorrow or next week and never ever is or comes.......until they are good and ready

but now who cares it will get done when ever

I love Egypt and the people and nothing bothers me I have too many friends and

travel all over Egypt with no problem

you have to be very careful with money dealings in Egypt I bought an unfinished flat for cash and put $10,000 in it to complete it and then the furniture lived there about a year then went on vacation when I returned my key did not work......they neighbor said the owner came and took it back .....what he did was put my clothing and a few personal things in boxes and give it to the neighbor......took every paper I had to prove it was my flat and all the furniture and sold the flat to another person/......all I had to prove it was mine was where I had transferred the money to his account.........but they said that could have been money for any thing did not prove I bought the flat........but had been in Egypt three years and loved Egypt so now I rent with very little furniture .....................I am very happy but miss owning my flat and miss all my beautiful furniture and my lovely things..........

in Egypt every one is lovely but when you do business they grow horns........you must always be very careful...

Now I am 100 times smarter than I was when I first came and now that I lost all I know how to deal and not to get cheated again......

I have been in Egypt since 2009 and love it have my own circle of friends all Egyptian and do all for me when it comes to business so I am safe now and in good hands.......you must learn the Egyptian way befor you can be comfortable.....but the people for the most part are wonderful the rest you walk away from......... Egypt is my home