a huge part of adjusting to life in Cairo is learning how much things cost. fortunately for us americans, the dollar is exchanging for about 5.34 EGP, so our money goes a lot further here than in the States. Beyond that, everything is cheap here! when we go to a cafe to have tea and smoke sisha, for example, a cup of loose tea and mint costs 8 EGP, and a hookah with flavored tobacco costs 3 EGP. since 2 or 3 people share a hookah, the cost of a hookah pipe can be as low as 30 cents per person. since we moved to Zamalek, the prices are higher, but not unbearably so. sisha now costs 8 EGP, but the cafe is much nicer and the hookahs are much cleaner. and we can go to a cafe across the street from the banks of the Nile.
strangely, i paid $5 USD for a 32 ounce Gatorade at a grocery the other day. as expensive as the Gatorade was, i think it's offset by the $12 USD a filet mignon on the menu at a really nice restaurant we went to Saturday. we're starting to adjust, complaining about falafel that costs more than 3 EGP, nice dinners that cost more than 40 EGP, and cab rides for more than 10 EGP. when you take a step back and reflect on where you come from, and how much these items would cost in your (real) life back home, it's amazingly humbling that you can come to this country full of so much history, and that has so much potential, and pay so very little for everyone.
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