# I have lost it



## Sonrisa

My mind, that is. 

It happened on saturday, late afternoon, I was strolling with my kids road nine, and as I walked pass one of the fruit markets I saw the most deliciously looking apples. 

So, as you and any other human being would do, I stoped by the apples, completely mermesided about the shape, the colour, the perfect texture, the aroma of the most gorgeous apples that Egypt have ever seen ever. They were so beautifully arranged in rows, like precious jewerly pieces. I don't know for how long I stayed comtemplating those God's glorious gifts of nature, everything came to a standstill.

And then the magic was broken -Can I help you? Oh yes you sure can! I need four of five of these apples, one kilo, maybe two? I need these apples, I pointed at them... How much are they, where are they from? Turns out they were expensive, very expensive, and italian. It Didn't matter, they were well worth the money so I ordered them and then I got distracted as my kids wanted to try the newly arrived cherries and were curious about some other fruit and vegetables. 
I bought some more fruit and vegetables, paid my expensive bill, tipped and left.

Whe I got home and opened the bag, my heart must have skipped a beat or two as I saw that the shop keepers had switched my dream apples for some baladi rotten apples that he probably was keeping in the back. Placing only one of the italian apples and the rest, some horrible unedible things that cannot even be called apples. I pictured my self going back to the shop and chocking the men with the apples down their throats, one by one. For the first time in my life, I acually felt violent...

So I headed back to the shop, bag of rotten baladi apples in one hand and that's when it happened. I lost it. 
I shouted at them, I called them things, OMG I threw the apples at them....I even said the F word. A few times. But I got my apples. The nice ones, I mean.

THey have warned not to come back to the shop again. 

So have you any of you lot ever lost your mind with the locals?


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## Beatle

So have you any of you lot ever lost your mind with the locals?[/QUOTE]

Several times with taxi drivers who take me on a short journey and then want LE50...LE100 etc. And once with a letting agent who was supporting the landlord in witholding the deposit on a flat (for no reason other than they felt like it). And once at Sequoia where I waited for two hours for food at iftaar and then finally when I said we would have to leave and cancel the food order as I needed to find somewhere that would serve me immediately, they told me they had to charge me a minimum charge for our drinks.

I am not even sure what language I am speaking in by the end of my rant. Actually the locals have always backed down and on some occasions have actually looked slightly scared of me!

Why do it - particularly in your case - if you had enjoyed your lovely shiny apples, you would probably have gone back.


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## canuck2010

I saw those cherries on road nine (some looked good, others very moldy)... guess I'll have to stick with Metro fruit!


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## Sonrisa

> Several times with taxi drivers who take me on a short journey and then want LE50...LE100 etc. And once with a letting agent who was supporting the landlord in witholding the deposit on a flat (for no reason other than they felt like it). And once at Sequoia where I waited for two hours for food at iftaar and then finally when I said we would have to leave and cancel the food order as I needed to find somewhere that would serve me immediately, they told me they had to charge me a minimum charge for our drinks.
> 
> I am not even sure what language I am speaking in by the end of my rant. Actually the locals have always backed down and on some occasions have actually looked slightly scared of me!
> 
> Why do it - particularly in your case - if you had enjoyed your lovely shiny apples, you would probably have gone back


Lol I am relieved that I am not the only one. Tbh this is the first time in almost four years here that I lose it like that . I was a little scared of myself. ANd then there were people around curious about that mad screaming woman throwing apples at the shopkeepers. 

They went through all the trouble of swapping my apples for small rotten ones that they had hidding in the inside of the shop when I turned my back and was with my children picking some other fruit and vegetables. I asked them exactly the same question -Why do it?- . They told me that the kind that I wanted were only for Display (?) Unbefrikinglievable. 

I'll get me fruit from Carrefour from now on.


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## kevinthegulf

All the above is a perfect example of why this country is so messed up, if stupidity ever becomes an Olympic sport they will win Gold, Silver & Bronze.
Kev


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## SHendra

I think I'd of lost it too. I have a fair few times too, mainly with taxi drivers or people trying to flog me things in the street. Bet you felt a lot better slinging those apples at him! Good on you!


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## GM1

> if stupidity ever becomes an Olympic sport they will win Gold, Silver & Bronze


LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLLL :clap2:


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## aykalam

kevinthegulf said:


> All the above is a perfect example of why this country is so messed up, if stupidity ever becomes an Olympic sport they will win Gold, Silver & Bronze.
> Kev


The IOC would have to issue special platinum medals  gold would not be enough for this category


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## CEgypt04

Why wouldn't it come to your mind to watch them put the fruit in the bag, or to check your bags before you pay? Everytime I visit a fruit or vegetable stand, even other Egyptians ... if they don't hand-select the fruit or vegetables themselves ... go to great lengths to ensure that the quality they get is what they want. You're upset about someone who makes a few hundred pounds a month trying to pull a fast one on you? Good thing you went back, to demand that they give you the good produce, but I'd suggest next time you check your bags before you leave.


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## Sonrisa

CEgypt04 said:


> Why wouldn't it come to your mind to watch them put the fruit in the bag, or to check your bags before you pay? Everytime I visit a fruit or vegetable stand, even other Egyptians ... if they don't hand-select the fruit or vegetables themselves ... go to great lengths to ensure that the quality they get is what they want. You're upset about someone who makes a few hundred pounds a month trying to pull a fast one on you? Good thing you went back, to demand that they give you the good produce, but I'd suggest next time you check your bags before you leave.


Hi Cegypt04, YOu are absolutely right...I did check the apples as they were put inside the bag, didn't occur to me that ,all but one, would be swapped when I turned my back to see some other products. 

I am no proud of having lost it. I am usually so cool, so used to deceit... I will often point sweetly to the cashier that she/he "mistakenly" given my change short of 10Le. I will apologeticaly tell taxi drivers that I really really haven't got any more change when they agresively demand more money, etc. I don't know what came to me. Maybe I just need a holiday away from Cairo. 

I presume by your comments that you haven't lost it. Yet. :tongue1:


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## CEgypt04

Sonrisa said:


> Hi Cegypt04, YOu are absolutely right...I did check the apples as they were put inside the bag, didn't occur to me that ,all but one, would be swapped when I turned my back to see some other products.
> 
> I am no proud of having lost it. I am usually so cool, so used to deceit... I will often point sweetly to the cashier that she/he "mistakenly" given my change short of 10Le. I will apologeticaly tell taxi drivers that I really really haven't got any more change when they agresively demand more money, etc. I don't know what came to me. Maybe I just need a holiday away from Cairo.
> 
> I presume by your comments that you haven't lost it. Yet. :tongue1:


Hi Sonrisa, I can't blame you now that you put it that way - it does get tiring always being on alert and having to point things, that should be obvious, out without causing a scene. I have lost it on a few occasions (being charged 15 LE for a pack of gum that is normally less than 5, only after realizing it when I left the store, from a cashier that I'd been coming to often, and every piastre counts these days) but haven't gotten to throwing apples yet.


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## Horus

I bet had I posted this my usual anal retentive Sharm haters would be here

I have taken to checking EVERYTHING in a shop BEFORE I leave, making sure I leave with the right product (with all the wheels and parts, like my vacuum)

BEFORE I get into the taxi I tell them salaam and amalay to make them known I am local, I tell them I am local and give them the taxi money and firmly state "20 LE" NO MORE and NO tip for driver, they try it on and I just laugh and say "no money in Sharm - awa - enta ali baba bin harami, la 50LE 20LE" 

I have taken to telling annoying pushy shop keepers "im shee enta h'mar" and they usually laugh, some shake my hand, its all taken in jest, I have also told shop keepers tourist people HATE getting hassled and will stay away and avoid shops that do so.

Other things I have also done is put my head in my hands and pull at my hair and scream out walahee, I find the more you speak arabic to them the less chance you have of nuisance then or later


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## DeadGuy

It feels much worse when you wake up thinking "Ah, what a good day!" just to find that each and every idiot that you have to deal with isn't saving any kind of effort to ruin your day.........

How many times have I lost it? Lost count.........But I try and just have a smoke whenever I feel like losing it, cause it feels just as bad when you lose it, but then whatever idiot right in front of you can't even see what the problem is :frusty:

As for your shiny apples.......I seriously doubt that you enjoyed them after having to do what you did just to have them, but I hope that at least your kids did enjoy it! And I really hope that telling you the fact that no matter how "careful" you try to be in here, you'll always find someone who's "smarter" than you when it comes to ripping you off! I am Egyptian, but trust me it never stops happening, there's always a "new technique" to suck money out of you that you'd have to fall for just to realize or to learn from!

Stick to Metro now on


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## DeadGuy

kevinthegulf said:


> All the above is a perfect example of why this country is so messed up, if stupidity ever becomes an Olympic sport they will win Gold, Silver & Bronze.
> Kev


Dunno about the Olympics, but the game is quiet popular in here............You can see the winners almost everywhere


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## CEgypt04

DeadGuy said:


> It feels much worse when you wake up thinking "Ah, what a good day!" just to find that each and every idiot that you have to deal with isn't saving any kind of effort to ruin your day.........
> 
> How many times have I lost it? Lost count.........But I try and just have a smoke whenever I feel like losing it, cause it feels just as bad when you lose it, but then whatever idiot right in front of you can't even see what the problem is :frusty:
> 
> As for your shiny apples.......I seriously doubt that you enjoyed them after having to do what you did just to have them, but I hope that at least your kids did enjoy it! And I really hope that telling you the fact that no matter how "careful" you try to be in here, you'll always find someone who's "smarter" than you when it comes to ripping you off! I am Egyptian, but trust me it never stops happening, there's always a "new technique" to suck money out of you that you'd have to fall for just to realize or to learn from!
> 
> Stick to Metro now on


Now it's no question why Egyptians are such smokers, you must need to when you deal with so many headaches day-in and day-out. I just want to note that while we (as foreigners) are certainly "targeted" more often than Egyptians, many Egyptians deal with it too!


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## Sonrisa

Horus said:


> I bet had I posted this my usual anal retentive Sharm haters would be here


LOL so true. 
Thanks for the tips, Check everything Before I leave the shop. THis is sooo important! They tend to take off the screws from self assembly imported toys or furniture.


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## Sonrisa

DeadGuy said:


> How many times have I lost it? Lost count.........But I try and just have a smoke whenever I feel like losing it, cause it feels just as bad when you lose it, but then whatever idiot right in front of you can't even see what the problem is :frusty:
> 
> As for your shiny apples.......I seriously doubt that you enjoyed them after having to do what you did just to have them, but I hope that at least your kids did enjoy it! And I really hope that telling you the fact that no matter how "careful" you try to be in here, you'll always find someone who's "smarter" than you when it comes to ripping you off! I am Egyptian, but trust me it never stops happening, there's always a "new technique" to suck money out of you that you'd have to fall for just to realize or to learn from!


Lol, I am seriously considering to take on smoking again. THe apples were lovely though, or as my husband wisely put it: "these are apples worth fighting for".

And I have learnt that rotten apples make excellent weapons should a situation like that arise again. 

THen again, on a positive note, there are honest people out here too, like the the pool staff at waadi degla club that had retrieved 150LE that we lost in the swimming pool and returned to us a week later. Or the treatment we received in Ghaly's medical center. Worth noticing that both the swimming pools and the clininc are run by copts.


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## DeadGuy

Sonrisa said:


> Lol, I am seriously considering to take on smoking again. THe apples were lovely though, or as my husband wisely put it: "these are apples worth fighting for".
> 
> And I have learnt that rotten apples make excellent weapons should a situation like that arise again.
> 
> THen again, on a positive note, there are honest people out here too, like the the pool staff at waadi degla club that had retrieved 150LE that we lost in the swimming pool and returned to us a week later. Or the treatment we received in Ghaly's medical center. Worth noticing that both the swimming pools and the clininc are run by copts.


Well if you managed to quit smoking then you shouldn’t consider getting back to it cause of this sh!t, cause it's not worth it and you probably know that already 


What your husband said is true and I respect that point of view, personally I used to think the same way before, but then after a few thousand hassles I been through cause some idiots can’t just think right I’ve came to the conclusion that “fighting” for anything that I consider “my” right such as the change that a shop might owe me, or the couple hundred meters that I’d have to walk under the bloody burning sun just cause the stupid taxi driver keeps trying to find every possible lame excuse not to drive down this or that road, or whatever “smart” situation like that isn’t really worth the hassle, I was born with this stupid allergy towards bullsh!t and “fighting” for such things literally causes me health risks! So now I try to just point out that this or that idiot owes me few pounds, or that it’s my right to be dropped few hundred meters away from here, and I just make sure they “_understand_” that I am giving my right up just cause their stupidity makes the hassle a pointless one! And sometimes I don’t even say a word when the idiot’s behavior clearly indicates that he/she would NEVER get it! Cause it really is pointless to go through such a hassle with someone that would most probably obtain a bloody *NEGATIVE *value for the IQ test if they ever had one! :frusty:


And yes there are honest people, and just like I try and avoid the hassle of trying to make a bloody idiot understands what he/she did, I do choose to go through the hassle of walking a bit further to somewhere with an honest cashier or paying a bit more in a place that offers better quality products, sometimes I go for someone that simply bothers answering my “Thank you” with a “You’re welcome”! Might sound stupid I know but for me it’s a matter of encouraging such people, I’ll be paying for whatever crap I’m buying anyway, so I rather paying for someone that actually bothers to EARN the money somehow, even if they’re trying to earn it with just a nice word or a smile!


As for the religion part?! Don’t even get me started LOL!


Sorry about the bloody rant!


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## aykalam

DeadGuy said:


> Stick to Metro now on


Just because they don't rip you off at the till does not mean you are not being ripped off: last time I was at Metro in Rehab, picking up some salad. As I was looking for the right tomatoes on the shelf when I saw this female employee going through all the cherry tomato plastic punnets, opening each and everyone of them and popping a tomato in her mouth from each. 

I was wondering if no customer would notice when I realised there were no seals at all on the punnets so easy for her to do. And then as I thought about it I saw some of the seal protected fresh produce had been opened too.  

So my point, you may be paying the right price but you may not be getting the right weight so they are still thieving as far as I'm concerned.


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## MaidenScotland

Sadly this is not uncommon, I stopped having my greens delivered as the ones I had picked out vanished only to be replaced by rubbish as they made their way from the stall to my house but on saying that my little corner shop man was always honest with me and has chased me on more than one occasion to give me change that I had forgotten about, sadly he once had a new boy working for him who deliberately gave me two bottles of water short and the store keeper was mortified. the boy has not been seen since.


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## lukas

and count your change at Metro... In Zamalek it is always wrong (of course in their favour)


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## samroo

guys 
this is normal stuff here in egypt with time you will get used to how to deal with it gettin street smart 
look i think westeners living in places like egypt aquire skills that you wouldn't get if you where living in london or toronto ! 

i was an expat in ghana for 8 years and guys looked to me as dumb tourist and got ripped off a few times when i first went .when i got to know thier ways it was all smooth sailing after words 
when i got back to my alexandria i thank god that a live in such i civilized society it could have been worse.. ironic don't you think .


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## aykalam

samroo said:


> guys
> this is normal stuff here in egypt with time you will get used to how to deal with it gettin street smart
> look i think westeners living in places like egypt aquire skills that you wouldn't get if you where living in london or toronto !
> 
> i was an expat in ghana for 8 years and guys looked to me as dumb tourist and got ripped off a few times when i first went .when i got to know thier ways it was all smooth sailing after words
> when i got back to my alexandria i thank god that a live in such i civilized society it could have been worse.. ironic don't you think .


Please illuminate us, what sort of skills are you talking about?


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## samroo

aykalam said:


> Please illuminate us, what sort of skills are you talking about?


well simply your threshold and tolerance for the many situations and Traits increasces after you surpase your intial shock .when you go back home most stuff that would piss you off will become a walk in the park for you .

think about it would be true .


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## marenostrum

samroo said:


> guys
> look i think westeners living in places like egypt aquire skills that you wouldn't get if you where living in london or toronto !
> 
> QUOTE]
> 
> Hi there,
> 
> Have you been to London recently?


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## pole_mistress

I lost the plot with some man who tried to force me into buying fake cigarettes in Naama Bay last year. I told him four or five times I didnt want to buy them and then he called me a wh*re, I threatened him with the tourist police and he took off up one of the side entries :clap2:


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## SHendra

samroo said:


> well simply your threshold and tolerance for the many situations and Traits increasces after you surpase your intial shock .when you go back home most stuff that would piss you off will become a walk in the park for you .
> 
> think about it would be true .


I was living in Alexandria for 6 years. Even though I did get use to how it is and having to 'argue' with any vendor who tried to over charge me I wouldn't say my tolerance increased. If anything I found mine get shorter as I then got to the stage where I assumed that every vendor or taxi driver was out to try rip me off! So I found myself going out fully aware of everything and how much such and such was. 

Now i'm back in the UK not far from London and even though people ain't ripping me off the whole system does. 9LE almost for a can of coke for example! 45Le for a 2mile bus journey! Only good side to all this is that's it's the same price for everyone no matter where their from! lol


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## MaidenScotland

Snap, when I first arrived on Egypt I found it all a novelty but as the years passed I just got more and more intolerant of the system.


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## hurghadapat

MaidenScotland said:


> Snap, when I first arrived on Egypt I found it all a novelty but as the years passed I just got more and more intolerant of the system.


I think that happens to most people.....and that's when they lane:


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## samroo

SHendra said:


> I was living in Alexandria for 6 years. Even though I did get use to how it is and having to 'argue' with any vendor who tried to over charge me I wouldn't say my tolerance increased. If anything I found mine get shorter as I then got to the stage where I assumed that every vendor or taxi driver was out to try rip me off! So I found myself going out fully aware of everything and how much such and such was.
> 
> Now i'm back in the UK not far from London and even though people ain't ripping me off the whole system does. 9LE almost for a can of coke for example! 45Le for a 2mile bus journey! Only good side to all this is that's it's the same price for everyone no matter where their from! lol


hi thier 
based on my experiance that every thing is relative when i came to compare between my 8 years living in west africa and back home .i found that i became more tolerent of alot of stuff traffic //humid weather // malaryia free enviroment !!// ..
things that people nagged in alex where nothing to me .i thought that this feeling would be the same to alot of people when comparing europe to north africa maybe its a character thing ?

the reason why common people in egypt rip of westereners is that they justify it tby most priceses in egypt are goverment controlled and endorsed and the common man here does not see it right that a forengner should get a share in endorsed priceses it is only a egyptian right . (i differ with this justification by the way-ripping off is ripping off- )

hope you enjoyed some moments in alex! cheers


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## SHendra

samroo said:


> hi thier
> based on my experiance that every thing is relative when i came to compare between my 8 years living in west africa and back home .i found that i became more tolerent of alot of stuff traffic //humid weather // malaryia free enviroment !!// ..
> things that people nagged in alex where nothing to me .i thought that this feeling would be the same to alot of people when comparing europe to north africa maybe its a character thing ?
> 
> the reason why common people in egypt rip of westereners is that they justify it tby most priceses in egypt are goverment controlled and endorsed and the common man here does not see it right that a forengner should get a share in endorsed priceses it is only a egyptian right . (i differ with this justification by the way-ripping off is ripping off- )
> 
> hope you enjoyed some moments in alex! cheers


For you that would work as you went from a place where this is what you've known all your life to a place worse. So of course it would seam a breeze on returning. 

Where to most of us here we came from a place not perfect, far from it but a place where everything had it's place and we could look at a price tag and that's exactly what we would pay! Same as everyone else around us. Most of us also from places where the mix of races/cultures/religions are huge but we were all treated the same when it came to service and paying goods! IF not we had rights to complain and had to be heard.


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## MaidenScotland

SHendra said:


> For you that would work as you went from a place where this is what you've known all your life to a place worse. So of course it would seam a breeze on returning.
> 
> Where to most of us here we came from a place not perfect, far from it but a place where everything had it's place and we could look at a price tag and that's exactly what we would pay! Same as everyone else around us. Most of us also from places where the mix of races/cultures/religions are huge but we were all treated the same when it came to service and paying goods! IF not we had rights to complain and had to be heard.


Well said


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