A Heartfelt Visit to Kom Ombo

Egypt Blog for July 30, 2008
This morning started off with a test as our amazing Egyptologists, Aki Allam and Ahmed Dabess, quizzed us on our knowledge of Egypt. Questions derived from our tours and pre-trip research, and according to the Egyptologists, we passed! We then had a GYFHC session on religion, Christianity, Islam and others. We found the group discussion meaningful because we got to share our thoughts and feelings on all the different types of religions. It also broke some of the miscommunication and misunderstanding between them all.
We then visited Kom Ombo Temple, which was dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek. One of the most unique aspects about this temple, compared to the others, was that there was one section for medicine. During these times, crowds of ill citizens were flowing into the streets outside the temple.
Soon after, we loaded the buses to head to the Kom Ombo orphanage. When we arrived, the children had enormous smiles on their faces and they started to take pictures of us. During this time of one-on-one communication, cultural barriers were broken as we introduced ourselves to the children and started conversations with them. A feeling of mutual understanding spread among the entire group. Shortly after our introductions and brief conversations, we presented the orphanage with gifts of new uniforms for each student. These uniforms were handed out by a lucky handful of GYFHC delegates who had the privilege of seeing the glowing face of each child as he or she took the gift. Perhaps the most touching moment, however, came towards the end of our meeting when both Egyptian and American students spoke, expressing their appreciation for the other.
With hearts filled with both joy and sorrow, we departed the orphanage and returned to the ship for an evening of traditional Egyptian celebration, which included: food, music, and dancing. Dressed in traditional Egyptian attire of galabeyyas, everyone enjoyed themselves dancing the night away.
-Elliott Wall (Mexico, Missouri Delegate) & Erin Lee (Pawcatuck, CT Delegate)