It's been awhile but now I have something to blog about! Over my last winter break ever I went on a school sponsored trip to Egypt. The trip was 14 days all around Egypt and the focus of the trip was Coptic (Egyptian Christian) Art. The professor who took us, Dr. Gabra, is Egyptian and the man to go to when studying Coptic Art. But before starting the trip I had to get there. I took a 10.5 hours overnight flight from JFK to Cairo airport. I got in at 10a, our first group thing was at 2:30p, and I was suffering a 7 hour time difference so jet lag sucked. I met my roommate Cathy while we were waiting for the JFK flight. She is from Texas and she enjoys a sarcastic sense of humor so we got along great.
At 2:30 we went to the Coptic Institute where modern Coptic art is being produced. We got to see the art and meet the artists. The art is very detailed. It involves layers, first starting with a sketch, then using gold leaf and other colors the icon is finished. Each color has a significance. For example, gold leaf represents eternity, blue is heaven, brown is rust. The artists also showed us their portfolios where they had more paintings but also wall mosaics. These mosaics are massive and the amount of time, energy, and detail that must have gone into them left me in awe.
After the art institute we went to St. Mark's Church. The day was January 5 and Egyptian Christmas eve was to be the next day so we got to see all of the preparations being done. The church was massive and as with any church the stained glass windows and ornate designs of woodwork were beautiful. What sets most Egyptian churches apart from US churches is that the saint namesake probably visited Egypt whereas the US cannot claim that. In fact proof does exist that St. Mark walked in Alexandria.
After seeing the church we ended the day so that everyone could get ready for dinner and those of us who were still jet lagged could try to sleep some more. Getting back to the hotel involved a lot of traffic, partly because this is Cairo and partly because the French President was in town to conduct peace talks concerning the Gaza strip. There were demonstrations being held outside of certain buildings. There were some in the group making stupid comments like "Did anyone buy terrorism insurance?" but to be honest I felt safe the entire time I was in Egypt. We had a hired gun with us the whole time and the Ministry of Tourism Police worked well with our driver and gunman to ensure that we avoided places where demonstrations were taking place. Tourism is a big economic market for Egypt. The last thing they want is for tourists to get injured.
Once we got back to the hotel we watched some tv. The only English speaking station was Al-Jazeera and they were reporting non-stop on the situation in Gaza. Now I don't know how the conflict was portrayed in US news but Al-Jazeera was in my opinion decidedly pro-Palestine. They would consistently show pictures of injured or dead children and their grieving parents. Mention of Hamas was in my opinion kept to a minimum. It is always interesting to see news reported from different countries. The US has their own spin on things and since I grew up on that spin I assume it to be the truth and then when I leave the country I am reminded that it is not truth and every situation succumbs to human bias.
One rule in Egypt for us is that we must not drink the water, not even to brush our teeth. The first day, Cathy and I went to the local store to buy some bottled water and found out quickly that we had no clue what we were doing. We grabbed four bottles and Cathy said she would pay for them all since both of us had big bills from the exchange place. She paid and then this guy comes in and holds his hands out as if for me to give him my bottles of water. I don't and then he asks if I want a bag and I say it's ok and then he tries to charge me again for my water. Keep in my mind I know no Arabic and his English is broken. The other shopkeeper gets involved and tries to explain to the other guy that Cathy already paid and then the cashier gets involved and we think he's saying that Cathy owes him another 50 pounds which is ridiculous since we only paid 12 to begin with but he is actually telling us how much change he gave us. In the end we were able to leave the store without being accused of stealing and without giving more money but it just goes to show you that it takes 5 people and 5 minutes to buy 4 bottles of water. (How's that for a word problem?)
1 comment:
Just so everyone is clear about this fact................No I did not know about the Armed Guard that was assigned to the group. Elyse shared this fact with Seth, but Seth not wanting to live with a crazy lady for two weeks did not share that info with me.( The don't ask don't tell rule is still a very good rule).
That being said.... you my daughter will never have any regrets and you will have stories from around the globe. As always sooo proud of you and glad to have you back in the same country safe and sound.
Love you and miss you again
Mom
Post a Comment