Almost Homeless

I would have never thought that it would be soooo frustrating, depressing and upsetting to know that within 5 days you have to move out of your home and you do not have another one to move into.

My expectations of AIESEC, as I have been trained, taught and as I have promised myself in the past is to help the trainee in the country with all the basic requirements as well as well as the cultural stuff.

Well apparently AIESEC here has missed out, on what I find the most important factor that is the accommodation. I pretty upset at them, or rather maybe at myself for expecting too much. I have been put in an apartment and then told that I will have to move out within 2 months expecting that they will find something!!!

Anyway, so I decided to, once again - dejavu of Belgium - to find myself somewhere decent to live. Here in Egypt, as I have found out, things do not quite work the way as they did in Belgium, there aren't big orange posters all over the place 'A LOUER' or website, instead there are adverts on the paper, which would be fine if only they were written in Latin letters and not Arabic letters.

Anyhow, I decided that the only way to do this is to go into apartments that look cool and ask 'Ghandek Xaqqa ghal tnejn' which means do you have an apartment for two people. Although not understanding a word of English and I not understanding a word of Arabic they came to the conclusion that I would like somewhere to live!!! It is actually quite a comical experience. So here everything is by word of mouth!!!!
These porters meet up at night and ask around about places to live!!!!

I finally found somewhere which looked pretty decent in Egyptian Standards until I got the shock that I am not allowed to have a life of my own, that they will monitor who will go in and out of my apartment and that boys will not be allowed to put a foot into the apartment, not even for dinner or a drink!!!! I was later told that this would be the case in most apartments, as we would be two girls living together they would not allow boys to come in, cause it would be a scandal for the neighbors!!!!!!!!! Can you believe it!!!

So now, 5 days to go before I'm chucked out of my apartment and I do not have a home!!!! I have done a couple of other requests, met a couple other landlords and bargained a few prices!!! Hopefully all will sort itself out!!!!! It should be in the building I live in now!! so the porters have already gotten used to my hoarish lifestyle and I don't think it would really bother them if I bring some more guys
home!!!!!!

Emotional Breakdowns

Funnily enough since when I have arrived in Egypt i have done nothing but feel extreem emotions. One day i am extreemly happy, in a very good mood and the next day i am totally down, practially in tears, or rather doing my best to hold my tears back!!!!!

I was thinking about it and wondering why these sudden breakouts, which have been happening very often lately and as often as a different mood every day!!! Mind you they are extreemly tiring!!!! Do you reckon there are good psychatrists here in egypt????? Geraldine, i think this is when i really need your help!!!!

I guess culture shock is finally creeping in!!!! The excitement of being in a new country makes me happy, but the inefficiency of AIESEC makes me cry!!!! Not knowing where i will be living next week brings tears in my eyes, and makes me miss Belgium even more, i did not realise that i will actually miss that country, and i am not missing it cause i am now living in a 3rd world country, but i am missing the people, more than i thought i would, and i am missing my dearest Grand Place, ok enough now, cause i am going to start crying again, and i don't feel like going into my class with red eyes again! Then i am happy because my students are sooo nice and people at work are extreemly nice and caring - i also miss being in AIESEC a bit. I guess this is the hardest part, while everyone is at IC, and you are stuck here, remembering the good times you had in all your ICs and now you are starting a new life!!!! Another think totally upsets me is the thing that i am probably not used to having a boss, and i am used to being my own boss. Now i have to report to someone and depend on someone to get permission which is sooo bloody frustrating!!!! I am hoping that at least by the end of summer i would have settled a bit, and bit a bit better in the country! maybe with less emotional breakdowns!! ;)

Hopefully next week i get a new house to live in!!! Not nicer than the one i already have, but it is on the 9th floor with a nice view and a massive balcony!!