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I’d had a bit of a trauma with organizing my recent trip to the UK due to the visa situation in Egypt.
It used to be that UK citizens could get a year's visa in Egypt and multiple re-entry visas (meaning you can exit the country without having to reapply for a visa when you get back), plus you could renew the visa annually. This is now seldom possible and there appear to be no rules for visas in Egypt, so getting a visa is now a bit down to luck.
The only thing that seems to be relatively certain is that if you enter the country and get a one-month tourist visa at the airport, you can extend it for up to six months without much problem. Anything more than that, and it’s in the lap of the gods. There’s a facebook page set up for people to report back on their visa experiences in case we can work out what rules are being applied at any one time (the answer is that we can’t, apart from the above – although most people with cars seem to be able to get a year’s visa, but after that it’s a lottery).
When I originally got my 6-month visa on my return to Egypt in mid-April, they wouldn’t let me have a re-entry visa.Anyway, I’d read on this facebook page that some people originally refused a re-entry visa had been given one once they took along their flight ticket to the passport office.
I duly did this before my recent UK trip and, yes, you guessed correctly, I was told that re-entry visas no longer exist. This meant that when I exited Egypt, my current visa was invalidated and I would have to go through the visa application process all over again . I wrote this on the facebook page and there seemed to be varying opinions on whether re-entry visas really had been stopped altogether. Such is Egypt.
As a result, I had to get a tourist, one-month visa from the airport when I recently returned from the UK. Because of this, I’ve decided to spend September and some of October back in Zurich rather than try to get a visa extension; Zurich is still my official place of residence and I need to spend some time there anyway to keep it as my main home (I always was going to go back at the end of September). I’m also hoping to retain a 60% work contract. Let’s see!
I’m officially living with some friends in Zurich, since with a work contract of less than a year, it’s hard to get accommodation. For this stay I decided to rent a small studio flat in Zurich via airbnb rather than stay at my official residence. This way, I could see whether I could cope with going back to living in a smaller space, and it would also let me see what it’s like to commute to work rather than to live within 10-15 minutes walking distance. The studio flat is also very central, so it’s a chance for me to see how I like staying right in the city centre.
As usual, I really didn't want to leave Egypt; each time I change country, I sulk about having to leave. When I left Zurich, I couldn't think why I wanted to go to Egypt. But once I arrive, I think it’s great to be in the new place. Although it’s an emotional upheaval, I do like leading two completely different lives, and it's a good sign that I'm attached to both places.
I haven’t moved back and forth enough yet not to have any surprises on my return. So, this time, what I’d forgotten was how creamy the milk is in Switzerland – probably because I have skimmed UHT milk in Egypt and fresh semi-skimmed milk in Zurich. Having said that, the milk in Switzerland is noticeably creamier than in the UK. I’d also forgotten that I buy fresh milk in Switzerland, so on my first supermarket trip I was looking out for the shelves of UHT and then realized that wasn’t even what I wanted!
This time, for some reason, I was really taken by the architecture in Zurich. I love the old buildings. It’s really hot for September and it seems that the Swiss summer was postponed until now (so I’ve been lucky again). Consequently, I'm not missing the Egyptian sun, but I am missing my air conditioning. I find it quite hot at night and feel a bit frustrated that I can’t just turn on my air conditioning when I’m feeling too hot like I do in Egypt. Maybe I just haven’t adapted to being back to Switzerland yet and am actually still in a bit of a sulk!
Another thing that struck me this time was that because I’m living in a different area, I don’t actually know where to buy things. Each time I wanted to buy something slightly out of the ordinary, I could only think where to buy it where I used to live previously. But that’s quite a distance from where I am now, and I know there must be other places in the district where I'm living now. It’s almost like living in a different city.
I duly did this before my recent UK trip and, yes, you guessed correctly, I was told that re-entry visas no longer exist. This meant that when I exited Egypt, my current visa was invalidated and I would have to go through the visa application process all over again . I wrote this on the facebook page and there seemed to be varying opinions on whether re-entry visas really had been stopped altogether. Such is Egypt.
As a result, I had to get a tourist, one-month visa from the airport when I recently returned from the UK. Because of this, I’ve decided to spend September and some of October back in Zurich rather than try to get a visa extension; Zurich is still my official place of residence and I need to spend some time there anyway to keep it as my main home (I always was going to go back at the end of September). I’m also hoping to retain a 60% work contract. Let’s see!
I’m officially living with some friends in Zurich, since with a work contract of less than a year, it’s hard to get accommodation. For this stay I decided to rent a small studio flat in Zurich via airbnb rather than stay at my official residence. This way, I could see whether I could cope with going back to living in a smaller space, and it would also let me see what it’s like to commute to work rather than to live within 10-15 minutes walking distance. The studio flat is also very central, so it’s a chance for me to see how I like staying right in the city centre.
As usual, I really didn't want to leave Egypt; each time I change country, I sulk about having to leave. When I left Zurich, I couldn't think why I wanted to go to Egypt. But once I arrive, I think it’s great to be in the new place. Although it’s an emotional upheaval, I do like leading two completely different lives, and it's a good sign that I'm attached to both places.
I haven’t moved back and forth enough yet not to have any surprises on my return. So, this time, what I’d forgotten was how creamy the milk is in Switzerland – probably because I have skimmed UHT milk in Egypt and fresh semi-skimmed milk in Zurich. Having said that, the milk in Switzerland is noticeably creamier than in the UK. I’d also forgotten that I buy fresh milk in Switzerland, so on my first supermarket trip I was looking out for the shelves of UHT and then realized that wasn’t even what I wanted!
This time, for some reason, I was really taken by the architecture in Zurich. I love the old buildings. It’s really hot for September and it seems that the Swiss summer was postponed until now (so I’ve been lucky again). Consequently, I'm not missing the Egyptian sun, but I am missing my air conditioning. I find it quite hot at night and feel a bit frustrated that I can’t just turn on my air conditioning when I’m feeling too hot like I do in Egypt. Maybe I just haven’t adapted to being back to Switzerland yet and am actually still in a bit of a sulk!
Another thing that struck me this time was that because I’m living in a different area, I don’t actually know where to buy things. Each time I wanted to buy something slightly out of the ordinary, I could only think where to buy it where I used to live previously. But that’s quite a distance from where I am now, and I know there must be other places in the district where I'm living now. It’s almost like living in a different city.
With all my moving about within Zurich, I’m starting to feel that I’ve experienced what it’s like to live in quite a lot of areas in the city (and there’s not been anywhere yet that I haven’t liked), although each move to a new district is its own learning experience.
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