2009 GYFHC - Costa Rica!!

PTPI is excited to let you all know that the 2009 GYFHC will travel to incredible Costa Rica! The program will travel July 16 - 26, and is open to high school students who will be 16-18 years old during our travel dates.

To see all of the trip details, and to apply, click HERE

Memories of Egypt - A Reflection

Pyramids, camels, and sand dunes come to mind when people think of Egypt. However, these symbols became just minor details on my own journey within this African country…

Before my trip to Egypt, I served as a student ambassador with People to People for five years, and traveled to over fifteen countries. For my sixth and final trip, I wanted to do more than visit governmental buildings and take pictures next to popular tourist spots! I wanted to fully immerse myself in the country, the culture, and the typical life of an Egyptian; more than that, I wanted to create a positive change in the society I visited. As a middle class, Caucasian teen attending a private boarding school in one of the wealthiest counties in the nation, I have been blessed with a privileged life. People to People’s Global Youth Forum gave me the chance to fulfill the obligation I knew I had: to use all that I had been given, and to improve the world by helping people who occupy it with me.
During my travels to Cairo, Luxor, and Aswan, I participated in many humanitarian efforts. From boxing meals at food banks to visiting the mentally handicapped, I was able to assist people in ways that I had never experienced before. The most anticipated activity, however, was our People to People visit to the Awlady Orphanage in Cairo. My passion for working with children only catalyzed my excitement days before, but not even anxiousness could have prepared me for the emotional impact of finding joy among the destitute. Walking up the tree-lined street, I could hear the faint sound of children laughing in the distance. The white-picketed fence enclosed an Eden of swings, slides, and sand boxes. A picture of Cinderella had been painted on the side of a building. Although the temperature was hot outside, the orphanage gave off a new type of warmth that began in my heart, and slowly seeped throughout my body. When we finally reached the building, the humble, innocent faces of Egyptian children greeted us. The first thing I noticed was the smile each child wore. What is it about a child’s smile that makes a heart melt? We had only just arrived and already the children were ecstatic.
Leila was a six-year-old girl with wild, dark curly hair. Her eyes were dark chocolate, her nose was small, and her grin lit up the entirety of her face. Leila was the most beautiful child I had ever met. Without warning, she smashed her delicate face into my hip. “Opa, Opa!” she cried, flailing her arms upward as she giggled. I reached down to pick up her tiny body and placed her in my lap. From that moment onward, we were inseparable. We danced, we walked, we sang, we laughed. Twirling Leila around the yard made my day all the while I was trying to better hers. This little girl lived the grim beginning of a Cinderella story: no surplus of toys, no wide assortment of clothes, no education, no family. Leila’s story might not end with ‘happily ever after’, but I like to think that our day did. Spending time with the children and their governesses in Cairo made me realize how often I had gone through the motions of living without truly feeling. I realized how often I lost myself in the chaos of daily life. Those few hours with Leila and the children of Awlady Orphanage taught me more about myself than any class ever could… It took me seventeen years to realize how little my privileged lifestyle had done for my emotional state.

Traveling to Egypt was a rewarding experience. However, the moments I remember most are not about standing in front of ancient monuments, but the moments I spent serving others, and learning about a much worthier cause: true happiness.

- Amanda Bruening, GYFHC Delegate (Grand Blanc, MI, USA)
** Amanda is in the above picture (far left) at the Awlady Orphanage in Cairo

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)

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)

Sailing to Edfu

July 29th, 2008

Salaam Alykom…today is July 29th, the halfway landmark of our trip. We began sailing to Edfu at 4:00 am during our trip to the world of snoozes, snores, and sleepy satisfaction. When we awoke, the buffet breakfast on board simply expanded from corner to corner with breads, fruits, and cheeses. Afterwards, we split into groups that either went for cooking lessons or Arabic lessons. Those of us who started with the Arabic lessons learned a variety of words ranging from “ana khywaisa” (I am good (f)) to “gameel awi” (very beautiful). As we finished laughing at our multiple mispronunciations, it was time for the one-on-one session with Mary Jean Eisenhower. We sat in a circle and individually answered a set of questions Ms. Eisenhower posed including “who are your friends…what can’t you live without…what is your passion…what advice would you give to Ms. Eisenhower?”. From this discussion, we learned more about ourselves and everyone than we knew before. Ms. Eisenhower enlightened the same vital fact about each of us: we are our own best friends, and we depend on others to bring out unique qualities in each one of us. Some of the pieces of advice that we shared with Ms. Eisenhower reiterated in similar statements of how it is better to drink tea versus coffee, how it is important to share what you learn with others, and how it is important to live your life to the fullest. We all came together through sharing knowledge, stories, and passions. Then, we marched directly towards our human instinct which was calling us through different aromas and flavors. Later, we switched groups and went to do cooking lessons. The Egyptian cooking lessons included the delightful and delectable dishes of Baba Ghanoush, Okra, and Om Ali Pastry. We finished savoring our last bites of the impeccable dishes, and left our eating workout for a mental workout.

Split into teams and armed with a single sheet of listed items, we competed to win not only glory but also our lives as we struggled to safely reach our mother spaceship from a foreign planet. (In case you are confused, this was from an problem-solving game called “Moon Expedition!”) After the winners were announced, we parted our ways to spend our free time in ways such as sunbathing or sleeping or drinking tea. The next stop was the Edfu Temple: the largest, most completely preserved Pharaonic-albeit Greek-built- temple in Egypt and the amazing Temple of Horus at Edfu. We all were simply blown away by the multiple columns, statues of Horus, and remains of colors found in various niches around the temple. Horus, omniscient throughout the temple, was the hawk-headed god, and the earliest state god of Egypt, who was closely connected with the king. Coming back from the wind and the warmth of the Temple, we gladly slumped into our chairs to enjoy yet another extraordinary buffet. Secretly, we tiptoed to the lounge to practice for the next day’s history test; we simultaneously whispered the secret passwords and entered a battlefield equipped only with the past history lessons that we previously learned which had actually made it through the intricate canals neatly situated in our brain. Through the game, we all relearned important facts of Egyptian history and revisited the ancient times. Sleepily, we trudged back to our rooms, and we peacefully slept knowing we would ace the History test.

-Tanushree Mondkar (La Canada, California USA Delegate)