Back in the USA

Our Egypt Air flight arrived in NYC safely and all delegates are en route to their home cities.

On Board

We are on board our flight, and are anticipating an on time departure.

Back in Cairo

We have landed safely back in Cairo and are looking forward to a full day: a tour of Islamic Cairo, a visit to the Khan el Khalili Bazaar and a traditional dinner in an Egyptian home!

An Aswan Adventure...& Nubian Nights

Thursday July 31st, 2008


Awaking at our normal time of 7:30 after a well-deserved night’s rest, our delegation reminisced about our Egyptian-themed costume party and dinner the previous night. Although the morning may be tough for some, not one of us could deny the sense of excitement about the upcoming day. After breakfast, one hours worth of free time was allotted, then we departed our boat for a local primary school in Aswan. Our delegation was warmly greeted by about 30 brightly smiling faces, ecstatic to meet us.
Ms. Dalia Khalil, from the organization,iEARN Egypt, encouraged our youth to be more globally-conscious students. Ms. Khalil also stressed the importance of our youths’ participation in a world that needs a lot more peace. After the presentation, peace trees were planted in the school’s garden as a symbol of a uniting force between American and Egyptian students. Many delegates also enjoyed an exciting game of football (what we call soccer!) with the Egyptian students. Lunch was enjoyed aboard the ship, followed by a restful afternoon of packing and sun-bathing! In the late aftrnoon, the delegation responded with alacrity while boarding the traditional Egyptian sailboat called a felucca. Cruising around the Nile River, traditional Nubian songs were sung, and coffee and tea were savored. Immediately following, we traveled to a traditional Nubian village. Greeted by the village in their “party attire”, our delegation was treated like royalty, enjoying Karkedeh (hibiscus juice), tea, and cookies. We were shown around the conventional single-story, brightly painted Nubian home by the village’s leader named Akim. The house was centered around a courtyard and constructed of mud brick; apparently it only took four months to build. The village put on a show of lively drum beating, rhythmic singing, and festive dancing. It was not long before everybody was up dancing and singing along with the entire village. We soon departed the community, but nobody was ready to say goodbye. We all concurred that the visit was a successful one, where peace was achieved by simple actions of kindness and understanding.
When we returned to our boat, our farewell dinner included an a la carte selection of salmon or a sirloin steak. Dessert was such a treat: three cakes in the shapes of the Great Pyramids of Giza filled with sorbet; everybody was very impressed and it was a great way to end our stay on our ship, the Nile Adventurer. As the omnipotent sun of Egypt set, saying farewell to 105+ degree temperatures, the city in which we were staying began to come alive with people filling the streets because it is too hot to venture outside during daylight.
Our evening excursion was the Sound and Light show at Philae temple. We all piled into a small motorboat and five minutes later, we arrived at the island on which Philae stands. We were all thrilled by the lively animation accompanied by a light show. The story was of goddess Isis giving birth to Horus was depicted, along with the brief history of Ancient Egypt. It was midnight before we were to retire,all exhausted yet happy in recalling all of the day's excitement.
- Tyler York (Somerdale, NJ Delegate)