Hungover, but legitimate, venting

In need of nutrients, I just went downstairs to the dorm "cafeteria" to buy some juice, and a 7-Up for Nabil, who's been really sick all day (we've both been vampires today--lights off, curtain closed, sleeping alot). I pay for my merchandise, and the clerk hands me 12.50 in EGP--a 10 pound note, two 1 pound coins, and a 50 piastre note. Then I notice a vending machine in the cafeteria. So I amble on over to the vending machine. There's no price anywhere on the machine, which doesn't accept bills. Shouldn't be a problem, I say to myself, because everything in this country is cheap. So I put in a 1 pound coin and press the 7-Up button. Except that 7-Up costs 2.50. And I have only 2 coins worth 2 pounds. I ask the clerk for coins, and he immediately tells me that he has none. I go to the reception desk, and no one has coins. I try the security office, and no one has coins.

Getting change in this country is a HUGE problem. No one has it. Vendors, and even some restaurants, want--indeed, almost expect--exact change. When you have only big bills, as an American law student is likely to have (since every time you exchange money you get big bills), and your bill is small, vendors actually get frustrated by your attemp to pay for your stuff with a big bill. In retrospect, I'm a little surprised the clerk could give me 12.50 back from a 20 pound note. I wonder whether it says anything about Egypt that buying a soda from a vending machine is a chore?