Beyond the City

On Friday, Adham, Kyle, Chris, Jenny, and Sarah headed to Bani Swaif which is approximately 2.5 hours away. It was amazing learning about people who live in the country side, interacting with them, and giving involved in the community and volunteering.

After we arrived, the boys went and helped the farmers and the girls helped clear a roof of school from bricks and debris so they could build two classrooms and a playground. After we finished clearing the roofs, the women that volunteer with the local NGO we were visiting gave us a tour of where they lived and their farmland. Wherever we went there was a trail of kids following us. They were so adorable.

We broke a piece of sugar cane and corn straight from the field. It was the first time I had sugarcane. We went to visit there homes some of which had seperate rooms and at the back of the house there is a barn attached. We got to see a baby calf, goats, donkeys and chickens. At one of the homes, we watched fresh biscuits being made and roasted corn in the oven (looks similar to the metal pizza ovens). We sat and talked with the women and held a 9-day old baby boy who had eyeliner on. I learned after my trip back that the eyeliner is used to ward off the evil eye and envy or so I was told.

After our tour, we headed back to the school to meet the kids and interact with them. They were so interested in learning about us and they were so adorable. I had so great time teaching them American games, playing their games, and making up games together. After playtime, we had a traditional Bani Swaif lunch with salad, fries, fried eggplant, a dish i think was made from burghul (cracked wheat), cheese, eggs, grapes, and watermelon.

We sat and talked to the men mainly and exchanged information about our cultures. We learned about Bani Swaif, education, and the NGO. We discussed the U.S., the presidential election and U.S. foreign policy. Afterwards, we (the American girls) had a discussion with the women about challenges they have with being a woman, working and raising children at the same time. These women often meet and provided each other information about raising their children, health and hygiene, and it's also a forum where they can discuss the problems they are having and come up with solutions together. They also asked us questions about the challenges women in the U.S. have with raising children, working and balancing everything. They also asked us about the type of relationship we have with our families since in the U.S. children leave their families when they are 18 to go to college and / or work. After speaking with the women, we played with the children some more and then it was time to say our goodbyes and head home.

I had such an amazing time there getting to know them. I hope that I will be able to go back again. Since being in Egypt, this has been the most amazing experience I've had so far. I feel like I gained so much from this experience, more than I could ever contribute to them.