The first week

Flight – Paris to Cairo

I arrived in Cairo on Monday (May 28). Before arriving in Cairo, I had a layover in Paris. The flight arrived at 8 a.m. and was to depart for Cairo at 4 p.m. So I left my luggage in the airport and headed straight to Paris. I didn’t know the train ticket (RER) cost so much! One way was 10 euros. I was hesitant whether I should see Paris or not because I wasn’t sure how long it would take to go and get back, but I took the risk because it’s been 7 years since I last came!! It was so worth it because I got to walk in the beautiful streets along la Seine river and tasted homemade baked apple pie and crepe. This was my lunch!

When I went back to the airport to my gate, I noticed the Egyptians waiting and they were all dressed in long sleeves, so I took my cardigan out and wore it to show respect. I was still in Paris, but I felt like my trip in Cairo had already begun. After another 6 – 8 hours (?) of flight, I finally arrived in Cairo! When I arrived, I was greeted by Osama, a UNFPA driver. As soon as I got off the plane, Osama had a paper with my name and UNFPA logo on it. I felt like a VIP. Haha Then, he kept asking me where is your UN passport or UN identity card. And, I said I am only an intern, but I have a Canadian passport and I need to get a visa! He then took me to a bank in the airport, and I said, I need a visa, I don’t need to go to the bank. But apparently, it’s the banks that issue visa here. That was very interesting and mind blowing for me. I paid $25 and I got a visa sticker. A visa from the New York Consulate would have cost me $75 and 5 business days to process. So, I highly recommend people to get a visa on arrival! Then, Osama bypassed all the lines and also took me to the diplomat line because he is known there. So, thanks to Osama, my transition from the airport to the hotel was very smooth and quick!

UNFPA

The next day (Tuesday, May 29), I went to the UNFPA office and was taken to every room by Sylvia to be introduced to every person there. Everyone is super nice and sweet and was very welcoming! I also met Samir, who is going to be my new supervisor for the HIV and Youth project. He is also super nice. He took me to the mall close to UNFPA to get me a sim card for my phone. On Wednesday, I also met Shible, my another supervisor with whom I will work on Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH) projects. He is also super nice! I have always been lucky with getting nice supervisors, and my luck has not disappointed me yet. I hope it stays the same (knock on wood). I found out that I will be working for both SRH and Youth/HIV teams. I came to Cairo thinking that I would only work on SRH, but I was very glad to find out that I will also be working on youth and HIV. They will give me a variety of knowledge and skills. I will be working on the topic of Artificial Intelligence/data in these two fields. I am so excited because this is what I have been wanting to do. I will explain later more in detail about the projects I will be working on when I learn more about them. I also joined an Arabic class at UNFPA. I am learning it with 4 other staff here.

Housing

My main worry before flying to Cairo was housing. I could not find housing. I did not do the search until the week before, and I am not surprised that I could not find housing before I left. So, the day before the flight, I booked a hotel for a week so that I could search a home. Luckily, I found one yesterday! It was very interesting how I found it. A colleague from my work introduced me to a Korean friend of his, and I cold messaged her. Then, I found out that she was also looking for a place. Then, she suggested me a room she was considering, and that is the place I decided to go for. It doesn’t have AC or wireless internet but the location is nice and the two Mexican roommates are very friendly. The main roommate promised to get internet so I hope we get that soon. I have looked at four different places, and I finally found a place. I was quite stressed with having neither housing nor visa before coming to Cairo, but everything worked out fine.

My impression of Cairo

Before coming to Egypt, many people have warned me that people are aggressive and that I should be careful. But I feel so safe here!!! I went to the Museum of Egypt and walked around a neighborhood by the Tahrir Square by myself. I felt really safe. People greeted me randomly with “Welcome!”. People seem very friendly and gentle here from my perspective. Maybe it’s because it’s Ramadan? I don’t know. I guess I will have to see if people’s attitude changes after. But so far so good.

Serendipity

So, my colleague from UNFPA introduced me to a Korean friend, and while we chatted on Kakaotalk, she invited me to her place for dinner. Then, I gladly accepted. She lives with two other people. One of them is a musician. He and the Korean friend started playing guitar and singing a song called “Yattara Faker”. Then, I sang along with them and felt really relaxed. I like these spontaneous events when you never know who and what can lead you to new friendships whether that’s temporary or long lasting. We shall see!

I will update you more later!