This World is Not Perfect!

[hyper_janice]

Originally Posted by Qsw

Sorry to hear about your bad experiences here. I hope one day, as do the vast majority of decent Egyptians, that sexual harassment here will die down and be a thing of the past. I hope that one day people here will feel safe, as safe as is possible.

Unfortunately the problem will not go away for a long time, as there are lots of societal problems that are causing it. And the stereotypes put together by the ignorant, the ones that go unchallenged, end up becoming widespread, thus encouraging this behavior. My cousins all complain about this, they are all Egyptian, but I know it happens more frequently with foreigners.

There aren't any real solutions other than being extremely careful about where you go, even though it's not possible to avoid it completely. There's that "Harass Map" site, I'm not sure if it's useful.


I hope you don't let this form a bad image of Egyptians as others have done. This is not something that Egyptians do, this is something that harassers who happen to be Egyptian do. Our society has more of these people for various reasons, which I am seeing in person now. Please realize that the vast majority of the decent people here find this behavior disgusting. It's not an "Egyptian" thing as some are trying to imply. It's just a lot worse here than it is in other places.

There's not much to do to fight it right now, maybe soon more support will be given to organizations that are trying to fight this problem. The general security situation I think will be fixed once within a year or two I hope. It may take a long time, but eventually these problems will be solved.

I really hope you never have to experience those types of situations again, good luck!

I did find the Harass Map site after all the crap happened but didn't post any thing since too much time had passed. Didn't see the point in posting old news and you're right, that is no solution, at least immediate solution.

[expatagogo]

I've tried to count the number of times I've been "ripped off" in Egypt and the answer is NEVER. Nobody can get more money than they have coming unless I give it to them because the only fingers taking money from my wallet are my own.

[MaidenScotland]

Originally Posted by expatagogo

I've tried to count the number of times I've been "ripped off" in Egypt and the answer is NEVER. Nobody can get more money than they have coming unless I give it to them because the only fingers taking money from my wallet are my own.

Good view on it... but hey I am quite street wise and still have paid far too much for things.

[Sonrisa]

Originally Posted by expatagogo

I've tried to count the number of times I've been "ripped off" in Egypt and the answer is NEVER. Nobody can get more money than they have coming unless I give it to them because the only fingers taking money from my wallet are my own.

Really? Nobody has tried to rip you off?

They must think I am imbecile, because they try to rip me off all the time. I am in cosntant arguments about the price of things. And almost daily I am shortchanged. It gets very monotonous having to count my change and rereading the check to make sure they are charging me for the correct things.

Only the other day my husband had to take a taxi back to to Metro because he happend to read the supermarket receipt only when he arrived home, instead of charging me for baladi bananas, they had charged me for Imported Plumbs, so without realising I had paid over LE50 for a few little local banas. Cheeky little *&$%*

[MaidenScotland]

Originally Posted by Sonrisa

Really? Nobody has tried to rip you off?

They must think I am imbecile, because they try to rip me off all the time. I am in cosntant arguments about the price of things. And almost daily I am shortchanged. It gets very monotonous having to count my change and rereading the check to make sure they are charging me for the correct things.

Only the other day my husband had to take a taxi back to to Metro because he happend to read the supermarket receipt only when he arrived home, instead of charging me for baladi bananas, they had charged me for Imported Plumbs, so without realising I had paid over LE50 for a few little local banas. Cheeky little *&$%*

I would think that in the metro that was a genuine mistake.. hitting the wrong till key

but then again they should be watching and realise they have made a mistake, it's not as if they go that fast.

[expatagogo]

Originally Posted by Sonrisa

Really? Nobody has tried to rip you off?

I didn't say nobody's tried because they certainly have.

white + blonde + female + foreign = walking ATM

Right?

But, as I said, nobody takes money out of my wallet but me and if I pay too much, it's nobody's fault but my own.

[MaidenScotland]

Originally Posted by expatagogo

I didn't say nobody's tried because they certainly have.

white + blonde + female + foreign = walking ATM

Right?

But, as I said, nobody takes money out of my wallet but me and if I pay too much, it's nobody's fault but my own.

so the first day you came here you knew what the prices of things should be?

[Sonrisa]

Originally Posted by MaidenScotland

I would think that in the metro that was a genuine mistake.. hitting the wrong till key

but then again they should be watching and realise they have made a mistake, it's not as if they go that fast.

Could have been a mistake. But after a while here one gets cynical about these things. I wonder why their little mistakes never go the other way round and fouvour me for once.

[expatagogo]

Originally Posted by MaidenScotland

so the first day you came here you knew what the prices of things should be?

I think you're missing my point, Maiden.

I'm sure I've paid too much, we probably all have. However, nobody took that money from me; I handed it over all by myself.

ETA: It's so frustrating to see all of this "I've been lied to and ripped off every corner I turn and Egypt is nothing but a bunch of liars and thieves!!!!!!!" because that's not true at all and to paint the entire country with such a wide brush is nothing short of disgusting.

[MaidenScotland]

Originally Posted by expatagogo

I think you're missing my point, Maiden.

I'm sure I've paid too much, we probably all have. However, nobody took that money from me; I handed it over all by myself.

ETA: It's so frustrating to see all of this "I've been lied to and ripped off every corner I turn and Egypt is nothing but a bunch of liars and thieves!!!!!!!" because that's not true at all and to paint the entire country with such a wide brush is nothing short of disgusting.

You handed over your money believing you paid the correct price for it... to be charged extra because you are foreign is imo being ripped off. If you are happy with that then fine.
If you were deliberately charged too much in the USA because you were not quite sure how much things cost.. I would guess you would say your being ripped off.

I don't get ripped off in my local shop although one of their new assistants tried to do me out of two bottles of water .. the next day he was gone from the shop.. I guess the owner got rid of him.