Thoughts on Egypt

Crisscrossing the chaotic, crowded streets of Cairo, passing through the gates Bab Al-Futuh into "Islamic Cairo," and walking down Muizz Street, we wandered through a group of kids playing soccer outside the walls of the thousand year old al-Hakim Mosque. We entered its gleaming white marble courtyard, where I felt a feeling of peace, awe and serenity that could truly be described as divine. I left with a new appreciation for the beauty and history of Cairo, a deeper understanding of and respect for Egypt and for Islam, and an overwhelming sense of gratitude for being fortunate enough to travel and experience such transcending moments.

When we arrived in the village of Beni Said, a small, impoverished village about five hours south of Cairo, we were greeted by a group of villagers who had their children present us with flowers as we got off the bus. The crowd that had gathered grew as we walked through the village and more people came out to catch a glimpse of this strange group of foreign visitors. Some smiled shyly, others shouted out "Hello!" and "Welcome!" to us, and some walked along with us, taking advantage of the opportunity to practice their English. When we reached the job site and started the work of building homes for some of the villagers, many of the local kids joined us.

At first it was unorganized, with all the volunteers and kids excited to get to work but almost tripping over each other while gathering the building supplies in the small crowded space. The natural leadership and maternal instincts of Donna Thiernau, the wife of Past Rotary International District 6450 Governor Rick Thiernau, took over and quickly brought order to the project, putting smiles on the faces of our little Egyptian helpers as she got them to form a line and take turns carrying mortar and passing bricks to the Rotaract volunteers and local builders who worked together to build the walls, communicating with eachother through a mixture of English, Arabic and body language. I listened on as Allison Heyboer, President of the Rotaract Club of Chicago Near North, helped a 10 year old Egyptian boy count to ten in English, and then he taught her to count to ten in Arabic, smiling and laughing.

While the work was hard and the heat was intense, the collective energy of the group made the days pass quickly. After two days of working in the sun with our new friends, we had completed the basic structures of two new homes for those in the village that did not have shelter. This was part of the first phase of a larger community development project that involves providing shelter, clean water, education and micro-credit to several impoverished villages in Upper Egypt. There was something particularly meaningful about helping build homes near a region of the world where American made bombs have far too often destroyed homes.

I hope our small action of service conveyed a message of peace and love as sincerely as the smiles and kindness of the people of Beni Said conveyed such a message to us.