Inefficiencies

You know what’s interesting about Egypt? The abundance of inefficiency everywhere! You could walk into the local Carrefour store (a WalMart type establishment) any time of the day and find every single check-out till (all 15 or 20 of them) fully manned and ready to serve you… even if you’re the only person in the store! Many shops I go to during the day have more workers than customers, yet at the same time, most of these workers are so lazy or specialized in their skills or areas of knowledge that you still can’t get the help you need. The work ethic here in Egypt is quite different from that of the Western world. I walked into a paint shop one time, and it was completely dark inside. When I walked in I saw a guy who had been sleeping with his feet up on the counter. He slowly got up, turned on the lights, woke up his co-worker, and waited for me to do what I came for. After finding out they didn’t have what I wanted, they turned the light back off and resumed their napping positions. Many shops are very similar to this. The workers will either be snoozing in a chair or sitting outside smoking sheesha while catching some sunshine. Despite the fact that most establishments have more workers than they need, about 1 in 10 people in Egypt are unemployed, according to the CIA World Factbook. Many Egyptians seem to see Canada (and other Western countries) as the land of opportunity for them. This weekend after church I met with an Egyptian man so I could tell him all about Calgary, where he is hoping to move in one or two or however many years it takes for him to get his immigration stuff sorted out. The thought of moving there is so far away, but he is already chasing the dream of it by finding out everything there is to know about living in Calgary. I must say, it’s quite the interesting situation to have a man twice my age with a PhD in medicine drinking in my every word, and even taking notes on what I’m saying. I guess the longer I live here the more I realize how different everything is from back home.