| Arabic Courses for Foreigners |
 You may have been a Sinai resident for a number of years or you may be a new comer…who ever you are the chances are that the amount of Arabic you know you probably learned within the first few weeks of landing on this dusty desert soil.
Well, maybe now is the time to change that with a course that is designed for foreigners to learn the local language.
The International Language and Computer Centre located in Zoo Street, Hadaba (near the Coca Cola Stores) is offering two courses: ‘Conversational’ and ‘Reading and Writing’.
For a list of useful arabic phrases | |
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Every day someone else falls for the charms of Sinai and decides to make it their home.
Once the decision to stay has been made the next step is to decide where you would like to live. Most people opt to rent an apartment initially and there are many options available to the new Sinai resident. Other new residents and overseas investors opt to purchase property here in Sinai and as a result of this Sharm has recently experienced a property boom and seen a number of European style Estate Agents open their doors for business. |
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Look out for private ads – look around on websites (see our Classifieds section), ads in local bars and the bakery in Hadaba. Also, if you’re looking at a residential area like Hadaba or in Dahab then walking the streets and looking for signs in windows of apartments or talking to Bow-abs (the building’s caretaker) can still find you a bargain. Often, they will look for 1 month rent deposit and a month rent up front and will probably ask for a minimum of 3 – 6 months commitment from a tenant. If you need to get out of the agreement it is often not a problem just to give a month’s notice. The contract will inevitably be in Arabic so ask someone to check it for you for anything out of the ordinary.
Use an estate agent – here someone else does the hard work for you. Often the estate agents have a website or magazine where you can browse properties. Alternatively, you can talk to your agent and specify what you are looking for and let them come up with a selection for you to view. Rental property standards in Sinai can vary immensely and often ‘Super Lux Finishing’ or ‘American Kitchen’ is nothing of the sort, so it’s important to be very clear with your agent what it is you’re looking for to save wasting the time of all concerned. Here the agent does all the negotiating for you and the contract should be available in English. Again, it is the norm to pay 1 month deposit and a month up front. These contracts are often more tricky to get out of and may incur a penalty payment if you terminate the agreement prior to the end of the contract.
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The property market for foreign nationals is still young and as a result property here in Sinai is still good value to something similar in Europe. There are some key issues to bear in mind when buying property and the following advice has been supplied courtesy of Sharm Estate Agency Pioneer Property.
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 All visitors to Egypt must hold passports that are valid for at least six months beyond the proposed date of entry to the country. Almost all Europeans, plus all North Americans and Australians and New Zealanders, must also obtain tourist visas .
For visa applications in person, submit your passport and application in the morning and collect the visa the same afternoon (applications cannot be submitted then). An up-to-date list of Egyptian embassies can be found at www.embassyworld.com/egypt1.htm You can travel without restriction through most areas of Egypt. However, special travel permits are required for the Red Sea Coast beyond Mersa Allam. For travel permits (or information), contact the Ministry of the Interior in Cairo; the process can take from five to fourteen days. |
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Tourists who overstay their (regular) visa are allowed a fifteen-day period of grace in which to renew it. After this, they're fined £E60 unless they can present a letter of apology from their embassy (which may in itself cost £E25). One-month visa extensions are obtainable from the immigration office in Al Tur. Depending on the whim of the official, you may have to produce exchange receipts proving that you've cashed US$180 during the last month. You'll have to supply one or two photos, and pay £E12-40. Procedures vary slightly from office to office, but shouldn't take longer than an hour. Visitors anticipating an extended stay may apply for a tourist residence visa , valid for up to six months at a time. Applications are made to the same offices as for ordinary extensions. |
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You might find work as a tour rep or salesperson at one of the main resorts, as a diving instructor or a dive guide, or a belly dancer in a hotel nightclub Divers with Divemaster or Instructor certificates can often find work with diving centres, which may also take on less qualified staff and let them learn on the job, at reduced rates of pay or in return for free tuition. Dive centres commonly turn a blind eye to the lack of a work permit, or might procure one for a valued worker. You should be wary about surrendering your passport, and ask other foreigners working in the same job about the potential drawbacks. | |
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Opening hours for Egyptian banks are generally Monday to Thursday 8.30am-2pm, plus an evening shift (5-8pm in winter, 6-9pm in summer); some also open similar hours on Saturday, and from 10am to noon on Sunday (details are given as relevant in the text). Most foreign banks are open from 8.30am to 1pm Monday to Thursday, and sometimes on Sunday. For arriving visitors, the banks at Cairo Airport and the border crossings from Israel are open 24 hours daily, and those at ports open whenever a ship docks. |
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 For minor health complaints, a visit to a pharmacy is likely to be sufficient. Egyptian pharmacists are well trained and dispense a wide range of drugs, including many normally on prescription in Europe. If they feel you need a full diagnosis, they can usually recommend a doctor - sometimes working on the premises. Most doctors speak English or French.
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 Post office hours are generally daily except Fri 8am-2pm (Ramadan 9am-3pm), though central offices may stay open until 8pm. Almost invariably, offices are closed on Fridays. Airmail letters between Western Europe and Egypt generally take around a week to ten days, two to three weeks to North America or Australasia. It speeds up the delivery if you get someone to write the name of the country in Arabic.
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