On Wednesday, I got my monthly stipend (a thick wad of cash, this being a cash economy), and then headed to the gym. I went home, did some homework, and then ate dinner. Before I went to bed, I got out my stipend to put the rent in a separate envelope, which I do to prevent myself from spending it before paying the rent. I counted it out, and then noticed that the amount remaining in my hand seemed rather small. Confused, I counted it again--there were 500 pounds, or about a quarter of my stipend, missing! I couldn't believe it, as the only place I'd gone was the gym, and my wallet was in a locked locker there, and all of the staff seemed completely trustworthy (working in a hotel, even in a very low position, is a prime job here, and Egypt has a very high unemployment rate, so hotels basically get their pick for these positions).
The very next day, I went to the gym first thing in the morning, and explained the situation. The director said she would look into if for me, but since it was a day later, the money was gone, she couldn't search everyone. I stopped back later in the afternoon, but no luck, although the director said she was suspicious of one person. In despair, I resigned myself to eating fuul for the rest of the month. Fuul is a cheap fava bean dish. It's quite tasty, but not something you want to eat for a month. I couldn't believe that my money was missing from a locked locker, as that would imply that one of the staff took it. Also, since the person only took a small amount (and didn't take my cell phone or computer, which were also in the locker), it was the work of an accomplished thief--if I hadn't counted my money that night, and been sure of the amount I had, I would have just thought that I had somehow spent much more than I thought in the last week or so.
Today, I returned to the gym, not expecting anything, but hoping that continually checking in would keep them looking for the thief. Much to my surprise, the director told me that they had located the thief. Apparently, my complaint had been the one they needed to go after a person they'd long been suspicious of. The director told me that the same thing had happened two or three times before, where a guest had complained of part of the money she had with her disappearing. Each time, a particular guest (who is not a member of the gym but sometimes comes and pays a day fee to use it) had been present. Before, she had always denied taking the money, but this time the management was so sure it was her that they threatened to call the police. She's a foreign woman, but going to an Egyptian jail isn't pleasant for anyone. So this time, she confessed and returned the money (although claiming it was only 400 pounds, not 500). She claimed to be stealing it to pay rent, which is why she would come about once a month to use the gym.
I can't believe how lucky I am on this, I was completely expecting to lose the money and have to cancel my membership and join another gym, right when it's getting warm enough to use the awesome pool at my gym. I think I'll bake the gym staff brownies to show my appreciation of their efforts.
