I’ve been to Egypt several times, and sometimes I’ve stayed with people who have moved there.
The impression I get is that there very few ways for people born there to raise themselves up above what I call “The Hustle”. There’s a state of being where the key to survival is extracting money out of everyone you meet. By fair means or foul, you must make money.
It can be making sure every person that walks into your shop buys something. It can be being a kerb crawling tuk tuk driver pestering walkers by. It can be thieving. It can be taking bribes in local government. Everybody is on the hustle. You can’t afford to trust people because they’ll take any advantage they can. It’s a permanent state of stress and fear.
…and then there are the immigrant whales that move there, buy a big house on the coast and exploit the locals by flashing the cash.
All of that said, when people do manage to find something stable, they’re a great people, but there are so few decent ways to make enough money.
I’ve been to Egypt several times, and sometimes I’ve stayed with people who have moved there.
The impression I get is that there very few ways for people born there to raise themselves up above what I call “The Hustle”. There’s a state of being where the key to survival is extracting money out of everyone you meet. By fair means or foul, you must make money.
It can be making sure every person that walks into your shop buys something. It can be being a kerb crawling tuk tuk driver pestering walkers by. It can be thieving. It can be taking bribes in local government. Everybody is on the hustle. You can’t afford to trust people because they’ll take any advantage they can. It’s a permanent state of stress and fear.
…and then there are the immigrant whales that move there, buy a big house on the coast and exploit the locals by flashing the cash.
All of that said, when people do manage to find something stable, they’re a great people, but there are so few decent ways to make enough money.