Apartments and villas in Cairo

I love having interesting conversations about how the average Egyptian lives their life. I learn a lot while driving around town and pestering the drivers about things I see out the window. There is always something new and interesting-- and sometimes really crazy. When I say the average Egyptian I am referring to the drivers, maids, cooks, secretaries, shopkeepers, and working class in general. Those are the people I see and talk with on a regular basis. There is a huge wealth divide and the wealthy Egyptians live quite different lives, at least as far as luxury.

Most Egyptians, and really I think most people in the entire Middle East region, live in apartments. And it's really interesting how that works. Housing is very expensive for the average Egyptian and they have to save a long time to buy an apartment. Families commonly live in the same apartment building and share meals and social time with each other. The father, over the course of his working life, will strive to buy apartments in the same building for his sons and families. Sometimes there is just a really large apartment with separate bedrooms for the married sons. The daughters are expected to move into their husband's building with his family.

The apartments that the families buy are completely unfinished because it is cheaper that way. No plumbing, wiring, windows, walls, etc. You buy the apartment and then make it into what you want with the money you have. That is why we see half-finished apartment buildings around town and why each apartment is unique.

I have learned a lot from Nadia, the sweet young lady who works at the nail salon that I go to. She and her husband are working to save 60,000 LE ($8,500.00) for her own apartment, which is a huge amount for her. They have to move every three years or so because every time the lease comes up for renewal (3 year lease) the rent goes up too much. She is tired of moving and dreams of her own place. Maybe she doesn't live in her father-in-laws home/apt because she is coptic and they do things differently.



Apartment building. See how the balconies and windows are finished differently?



Rows and rows of apartment buildings. Can you see the empty ones?



This is our boawab named Ahmed standing in front of our new villa. He works from 6 am to 6 pm and has worked at this house for eight years. He knows everyone in the neighborhood and knows everything that goes on.

 

We have finally found a villa to live in. When Maadi was first established in the early 1900s it was a leafy suburb of Cairo with English-style villas and an English-style life to go with it. Now it's a mix of apartment buildings and villas, and the apartments are winning. Landowners can make far more money renting apartments than having a single house. We will employ Mr. Ahmed above, plus a gardener named Noor (who has taken care of the gardens for years), plus a night time security person that I have not met. We just hired a driver named Zakaria and an  Egyptian maid named Sonia. It's just wonderful to be able to make plans and settle in.