Student Exchange information Pack

The Egyptian Pharmaceutical Students` Federation welcomes you in Egypt and hopes you spend a
wonderful time that you’ll remember for the rest of your life.
Of course you have read about Egypt, surfed the internet to find as much data as possible, but this
information pack gives you the most important and the to the point data you will need during your
stay.
It’s important to read it carefully as it includes very useful information you’ll need to know about
Egypt.

General Information

 Geography: North east of Africa. The joint of 2

continents; Africa and Asia. There are 2 deserts:
the Eastern Desert from the Nile to the Red Sea
and the Western Desert, separated from the
Sahara by sandstone and limestone highlands. The
Sinai Peninsula separates Africa and Asia and is
bordered by the Gulf of Aqaba on the east and the
Gulf of Suez on the west.

 Weather: Throughout Egypt, days are commonly worm or hot, and nights are chilly and cool.
Egypt has only 2 seasons: a mild winter from November to April and a hot summer from May to
October. Humidity tends to be very low.

Here is some major cities' average temperature:

Cairo Alexandria Luxor & Aswan Sharm El Sheikh The Oasis
Summer 35 C 32 C 40 C 37 C 45 C
Winter 20 C 19 C 25 C 24 C 22 C

 Local Time : +2 GMT in winter, +3 GMT in summer

 International Dialing code : 00202
 Egyptian weekend : Friday and Saturday
 Electric current : 220 volt
 Emergency Numbers :
o Police 122
o Ambulance 123
o Tourist Police 126
o Telephone Directory 140
 Average currency Exchange rate :
o Euro = 8 L.E. "Egyptian Pound"
o Dollar = 5.5 L.E.
 Country language : Arabic
  Population: Egypt population is about 72.6
million (2006 census) living mostly along the
River Nile banks.
About 23 million of them live in Cairo, the capital,
and this makes it the biggest city in the Middle
East and Africa.

 Language: the main language of Egypt is Arabic,

but you will find multi-lingual services in hotels,
tour leaders and tour guides. English and French
are widely understood by the educated classes.

o Numbers:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Wahed Etnin Talata Arba'a Khamsa Sitta Saba'a Tamania Tesa'a A'ashra

o Useful Arabic phrases:

 Hello / Welcome : Ahlan
 Good bye : Salam
 Good morning : Sabah El Kheir
 Good Evening : Misaa El Kheir
 How are you? : Ezayak
 How can I go to …? : Ezay arooh le …?
 How much does it coast? : Bekam da?
 Egyptian Pound : Geneih
 I'm sorry : Ana assef
 Please / Excuse me : Law samaht …
 Thank you : Shokran
 My name is … : Ana ismi …
 Number : Raqam
 Ok : Mashy
 Street : Shara`
 What time is it? : El Sa`a kam?
 Where is …? : Fein el …?
 What is this? : Eih da?
  Transportation: 8 ways of transportation are available in Egypt … Airplanes, Trains, Nile Boats
& Crossers, Buses, Minibuses, Microbuses, Taxis and Underground.
Public buses are not recommended because they are so crowded. Air-conditioned buses tickets
cost about 2.5 EGB. Taxi may cost you 5 EGB average distances, it may be as expensive as 30
EGB when moving across Cairo between 2 far places.
Underground ticket costs 1 EGB from any place to any place in Cairo. Underground stations are
present almost in all big cities and streets in Cairo.

Cairo central railway station (Mahattet Masr) Cairo Underground

 History: to talk about the history of Egypt, I need tons of books and no enough space here to
even summarize it.
So I'll make it your homework until you come to Egypt.

General safety
Egypt is generally safe and locals are extremely friendly and accommodating, but as one would any
where take simple precautions, don`t draw too much attention to jewellery, your wallet or camera
etc...
Keep your important travel documents safe and keep emergency, tourist police, SEO and coordinators
numbers handy.
Egyptians are generally helpful people and will always stop to help or answer questions should you
encounter a problem.

Dealing with cultural customs

Depending of what type of people you are around, the situation between man and women in Egypt
can be somewhat delicate.
When unsure of situation, opt for a more reserved introduction when greeting the opposite sex, like a
simple Ahlan. Be friendly, but aware that in some more traditional surroundings some families can
consider friendliness to or from a woman to be breach etiquette. Greeting some one of the same
gender however does allow for a kiss on each cheek.
Offer this greeting to the opposite gender only if it is a relative or some one you know well.
Tipping
In Arabic, Tipping called “Baksheesh” and although not obligatory, it is expected in most of situations.
There is no standard amount one should tip, however baggage handlers, taxi drivers, waiters or
packing attendants can be tipped anywhere between 5 L.E. and 10 L.E. depending on the quality of
service and location. When in restaurant, tipping 10% should be sufficient.

The social program

Extensive social program is organized by the exchange team inside and outside Cairo.

General clothing
Breathing ability is the key to successful travel clothing. With casual, comfortable and loose-fitting
garments you will be able to manage your hot days.
Modest clothing, for both men and women, are generally recommended. Comfortable walking shoes
are essential. The general clothing instructions are meant to render you comfortable wandering in
streets.

Clothing in the hospital

You should wear your white coat. Necklaces and earrings for boys are not preferred. Modest
conservative attitude is highly appreciated as a thing of respect to the Egyptian culture.

Dress code for sightseeing

When sightseeing in Egypt, one should dress appropriately in
more conservative surroundings.
Whilst visiting religious sites such as churches and mosques,
it is recommended that your attire be respectful of the
situation, appropriate clothing involves little skin showing,
legs and shoulders in particular.
Outside of religious setting however locals are used to
tourists and have no problem with different types of
clothing.
Don`t forget to wear comfortable shoes that can be easily Students in Mohammed Ali's Mosque and the Citadel
removed.
What to bring?
These things are important to bring to make the trip a great one and to avoid any small details that
may bug you...

o White coat.
o Your student ID.
o Your swimming suit.
o Pocket money.
o A sport shoe suitable for climbing a mountain & comfortable sandals.
o Lip palm, an umbrella and a hat are important in summer as the Egyptian sun may be
FEROCIOUS!

Student Identification Card:

Don't forget your Student Identification Card or the ISIC card with you and the card should be valid for
the current year to get the huge discounts for the tickets in entering most of the historical places.

How much money to bring with you?

It is recommended that you bring 400 Euros for the trips
and another 400 for all of your expenses in this month. You
can bring all of your money in cash or part of it in cash and
part in your visa card. It is recommended that you should
bring a visa card with you to keep money for emergent
situations and also if you needed your family to send you
more money.

Egyptian Banknotes:
Common questions

 Are the internship and Hostel paid by the organization?

Yes, EPSF covers the accommodation in Cairo and transportation from and to the airport and
also from and to the training places.

 Will there be any other students in a period that I`m?

There will be about 10 non Egyptian pharmacy students and many Egyptian pharmacy students
and most probably you will meet with medical exchange students.

 How will be the accommodation?

In a 3 Stars hotel located in the heart of Cairo
“Downtown”, Directly in front of the Egyptian Museum
& about 15 minute by taxi to the hospital (along the Nile
river), with an amazing panoramic view of the Nile.
Students will stay in double, triple or quadruple air-
conditioned rooms with private bathrooms.
Hostel Facilities:
Free Towels, Linen, Luggage Storage, Internet access,
safety deposit box & free kitchen facilities, Restaurant,
Laundry, Telephone/ Fax Facilities, 24 Hour Reception,
Travel Desk/Travel Info.
Your accommodation in Cairo is provided by the EPSF.
The food:
You will be served breakfast by the hostel during the
training & social program all the days of your stay in
Cairo.
The Desert trip “Oasis“ for 3 days & cruise in the Nile for
4 days are full board; Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, for
Hurgada breakfast and dinner are served, and for the
hotel in Dahab breakfast is served.

 Will there be any tours organized in July?

Of course, the tours are the most interesting of the program; we arrange two trips, the mega
trip which covers the Pyramids, Alexandria, the Oasis, Luxor & Aswan and Hurgada. There is
another trip also to Dahab. You can have a look on the cities from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cairo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandria
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahariya_Oasis
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farafra,_Egypt
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kharga_Oasis
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dakhla_Oasis
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luxor
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kom_Ombo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edfu
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aswan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurgada
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dahab
You can also see this promotional file for more information…

http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0BXTfM3UsObaYzNhODVmMjctYTZjYS00MGQ1LTk1OWMtOWZhNGU4Ym
Q5N2Iy&hl=en

 Where will my internship take place?

You will have training for a week in Children Cancer Hospital; you can know more about it from
the following link http://www.57357.com/Default.aspx?tabid=138&language=en
Also two visits to multinational factories & one visit to community pharmacy to touch the
differences in the pharmacy practice between Egypt and other countries.

 Outings cost?
It will vary according to the outing and according to your expenditure but mostly it's been
between 2 Euros and 7 Euros.

 Who will pick me up from the airport?

One of the coordination team will be responsible to
pick you up from the air port and ensure your check
in the hotel, in the air port you will find him standing
with a paper in which you will see EPSF logo, Student
Exchange Program logo & your name, Please fill in
this table:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AuXTfM3
UsObadHZsQkpRWGRvd1pfRlFFUHMycE13aFE&hl=en
And ensure the right information and dates, times of
arrival so that we will be able to contact you and pick
you from the airport.

Finally, don`t hesitate to ask about any thing, Here is the EPSF SEO`s contacts...
Email: seo_epsf@yahoo.com
MSN Messenger: hamza_ashraf@live.com
Mob Phone no. : (002) 011 95 111 80
EPSF Website: http://www.e-psf.org
and remember in EPSF SEP, you`re always welcome.

Designed by:
Khaled Mostafa
EPSF Chairperson of Publications 2009-10
For any comments about the design contact publications@e-psf.org

Copyrights to Egyptian Pharmaceutical Students' Federation, 2010