Before landing list to bring

So you got your immigration visa and now you are preparing yourself to fly.

This is a list of things to bring from Egypt before coming:

1. Worship and prayer stuff:

Alfagr Alarm: This is awesome. A clock that you adjust to your city code(Montreal 1514} and it will play the call for prayer sound the 5 times a day. It has also a work alarm, fagr alarm and weekend alarm. It is for 100 Riyal in Saudi Arabia and you can find it in Egypt I guess or buy it online.

This is better than the computer software, flexible to put wherever and also some of computer softwares have conflict with new operating systems like vista….

Prayer carpet- Mesaleya: Bring normal one for home and another portable plastic one so that you can use when you are out to catch prayer or use at work.

Bosla Sallah: In Montreal you adjust it on 270 degrees

2. For girls
Skirts: Bring all all of your clothes especially long skirts. Long skirts here exists but not easy to find. There are always not long enough dayman feh shebr keda na2es fa better you bring your skirts

Veils: Bring a stock of veil with you

Esdal Sallah: You wont find it here. Bring yours with you

Mo7agabat socks

3. Bed stuff:

2 Sheets, 2 pillow covers(small size), blankets. These things are really expensive here and cotton in Egypt is much cheaper.
There are 3 beds size here single/twin, double/full, queen, King.

If you are one person bring the double size. If you are a couple so go for queen on king size.
twin/single is good for kids and teenagers.

For the dimensions, below are the length and width of the mattresses.The thickness varies from mattress to another but allow about 60cm for the thickness.

Double/Full (Length: 189 cm – Width: 135 cm)
King (Length: 202 cm – Width: 193 cm)
Queen(Length: 202 cm-Width: 152 cm)
Twin (Length: 189 cm-Width: 97 cm)
Small Pillow cover (Width: about 65 cm max)

I know there are stores that sells sheets for export in Egypt (sednawee, 3omar afandee.. 7aga keda).
Go and get one from there. I remember the one I saw before was in Alex – boulkley other side of Lizabella store.

4. Luffa !
Ah walahi… bring 2 Luffas with you cause the ones here are more like leefa mawa3een. I don’t feel cleaned when I used them. We sub7an Allah Luffas like we have in Egypt here is very expensive, very thin, short and rarely to find.. They call it natural bath sponge.. hehehe

5. Pictures
2-3 pictures same dimensions as you did for your immigration application and stamp the date behind. They check the expiration of the photo. It should not be older that 5 months and they refuse pics with no date on the back. You will need 2 pics when you come. One for your health card and another for the resident card.
And while after that you will need one for your driving license

You can do them here for sure for $10 in Jean Coutu and other places but they do not look nice.

6. Find a place to live before you come

In Egypt before you come, you have internet and a place to stay so it is easy for you to do a simple search and get a place to stay in the first month then you search yourself.

If you want to stay 2 weeks then go for the student residential of universities or youth hotels. It may cost you $60/day I guess. The other option is to find a room in an apartment.

These websites will help you searching:
http://www.kijiji.ca
http://www.lespac.com

7. Herbs to drink; Yansoun, erfa, karkadee….
I didn’t see herbs here to drink. People drink coffee, tea, green tea with flavors, ment. But yansoun and other stuff I didn’t see. So if you are anti-coffee like me, try to bring these things with you.

8. Dettol detergent

They do have here all type of detergents but like Egyptian Dettol mashoftesh abadan
you know when you stay in a new place for the first time you need to clean it very very well. Dettol smell make me feel safe!

9. Egyptian driving license

Don’t leave it in Egypt. Driving license has 2 exams the second is the practical one and for one who has already a driving license form his country he can apply for the second exam and do not have to wait 8-12 months

10. Shatafa 7amam

11. Arabic Keyboard / Arabic keyboard stickers