Nile News, Issue #3, Nov. 14, 1999
Hi Kids,
It's been a LONG time since we sent you an update, so here goes. This is
a SPECIAL EDITION, and will include some more pictures. Sorry for the long
download, but we wanted to let you know about EVERYTHING we've done in the
past month.
First off, we went to see the PYRAMIDS. The pyramids are actually tombs
of three pharaohs and their households. They are located in Giza (aka the
Giza Plateau) -- another section of Cairo. These things are HUGE. You can
see them from miles away, and they make the landscape look not only beautiful
but picture-bookish. As we walked around the grounds it was hard to believe
we were actually there, touching the same rocks that have been around for
thousands of years. One stone in a pyramid is about 3 feet tall by four
feet wide. These stones are so close together, that you can't see any gaps.
And the gaps you CAN see, are so small, I doubt you could slide anything
as narrow as a piece of paper though them. Some of the stones used to build
these pyramids litter the grounds at Giza. They look like boulders, but
actually are solid blocks of rock that have been weathered away. The pyramid
rocks are also layered. So, if you see one stone on the outside, there is
at least one more stone of the same or bigger size behind it, to support
it. And the base of one pyramid alone uses hundreds of stones. The inside
of the pyramid is stuffy and hot. We were out on a day when it was easily
95 degrees outside. Once we entered the pyramid, I would guess that the
temperature got at least ten to twenty degrees hotter. And the air inside
was stale. Think mid-July or early August in Texas with no wind at all,
and you can get the idea. Inside the pyramids at Giza, there are no decorations
of any kind -- which was a bit disappointing. There were, however, thousands
of scribbled bits of graffiti on some beams inside the pyramids. These were
left by visitors and grave robbers alike, I'm sure. Barbara and I went to
Giza with another couple, Mr. & Mrs. Ratzburg, who teach at AIS with
us. Mr. Ratzburg is a big man with a contagious laugh. He teaches science
to high schoolers. Mrs. Ratzburg is a sharp-witted, and funny woman, who
teaches math. For those of you who like math, I think she'd be your favorite
teacher.
While we visited Giza, we had the opportunity to see a copy of the funerary
boat of Pharaoh Khufu (aka Cheops). Khufu's pyramid is the tallest, and
the first one you see. It actually looks smaller than the second pyramid,
but that's because it's on a lower plain. The boat itself was designed in
a "paint by numbers" fashion, and is composed of many separate
pieces of wood. The king's engineers figured out how the pieces should be
cut and pieced together. They put a hieroglyphic symbol on each piece, and
then fitted the entire wooden boat together with rope. Kind of like a model,
but without any glue. The rope, when it got wet, expanded. This made the
wood pieces shift and lock into place. The boat was manned by about 30 servants.
In the front, servants would row the boat while a captain would shout orders
to the crew. In the back two servants would steer the boat, which had two
rudders -- one for the left and one for the right. The coffin of the pharaoh
was placed in the small house on the boat, with room enough for priests,
his wife and his court advisors. Underneath the boat were stored his items
for the afterlife, including food, golden relics and what-not.
As one looks away from the pyramids, below the Khufu Boat Museum, one sees
the back of the Sphinx. The Sphinx, supposedly, was built by Pharaoh Khafre,
whose pyramid is the second pyramid. It is the pyramid that has the polished
granite top. The Sphinx is the body of a cat or lion with the head of Khafre!
It's nose was allegedly shot off by the French Army during Napoleon's time.
Directly in front of the Sphinx is a tablet with hieroglyphics on it. The
tablet is inside the ruins of an old temple, which tourists are unable to
walk through. To look at the Sphinx from a distance, one might think it
unimpressive. But, when you're up close the view of it is breath-taking
and magnificent. To see it, and then the pyramids behind it, is a marvel
of architecture and planning. By the way, pictures of these sites hardly
do them justice.
INTERESTING FACT: Overlooking the pyramids used to be a huge number of houses
and apartments. These were to be the dwelling places of the rich and well-heeled
in Egypt. They had been commissioned by Egyptian President Nasser. But when
Anwar Sadat, Nasser's successor, and his vice president Hosni Mubarak came
to power, they removed the apartments and houses claiming that the pyramids
should not only be for the rich, but for all Egyptians and people of the
world. Soooo, we have Sadat and Mubarak to thank for the ability to see
the pyramids up close. By the way, if you ever go to Giza you can still
see the foundations of these houses and apartment complexes. The sand has
not yet hidden them from full view.
About a week or so after visiting Giza and the pyramids, we were able to
return to see a production of the opera "Aida," by Italian composer
Guiseppe Verdi. Yes, Verdi is now dead and has been for about 100 years.
The opera used the pyramids as its background, and Todd kept looking at
them in awe as the opera played. It was hard to believe they weren't just
painted as a backdrop! Aida, by the way, is the story of an Ethiopian princess
named Aida (ah-EE-duh) who is taken captive to Egypt. There, she falls in
love with an Egyptian soldier named Radames (RAH-da-mehs). The soldier must
fight a battle against her people, and is torn between his love for Aida
and his love for Egypt. In the end, Radames accidentally gives away military
secrets to Aida's father, and is sentenced to die for this traitorous act.
He is to be buried alive in a pyramid! Aida, ever faithful to her beloved
Radames, decides to die with him. The ending scene has these two love-birds
singing as the pyramid is sealed. The opera is both sad and happy, has beautiful
music, and above all has more plot twists in it than a pretzel! If
you get the chance to rent the opera, or see it on the stage, we both think
you would enjoy it. Those of you who saw the last scene in Mrs. Thomas's
music class will probably agree!
With all of our traipsing about, we hadn't found anyplace to buy pleasure-reading
books. You know, those books that are fun to read, and not school related.
Barbara, who reads a 600-page book in about 24 hours (no, this NOT an exaggeration),
was just not satisfied with her reading selection. So, what to do? We found
out from a friend that the American University in Cairo (AUC for short)
has a bookstore, and yes it has a wide selection of science fiction and
fantasy-style novels for sale. Barbara was beside herself. Could it be true?
She just HAD to find out. So, off we went in search of the University. It
took about $10 (30 LE), and more than a little walking, to discover the
place. But find it we did. The bookstore was like a small Waldenbooks, and
had just about everything a college student could want -- and lo and behold!
a HUGE section of mystery, science fiction, fantasy and horror. Barbara
made a bee-line, checked her wallet, and basically went hog-wild with glee.
Todd, on the other hand, is ALWAYS looking for children's books and historical
fiction. Did he find what HE wanted? Not really. He did find an interesting
book on the Coptic Christians in Egypt, and a few novels that looked interesting,
but they cost too much for his tastes. Besides, he doesn't read book as
fast as Barbara does. A 600-page book usually lasts him four months or so.
So while Todd was busy looking for a book -- any book at all that would
satisfy -- Barbara was jumping up and down, smiling as broadly as the Cheshire
Cat, and beside herself with joy. She ended up buying four books, and would
have bought more if she'd brought more money with her! We're likely going
back next month. She's already finished reading all of the books she bought!
The first book she finished reading was "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's
Stone," with about 225 pages, which she finished in 3 hours! The book
prices were comparable to state-side prices, so we weren't disappointed.
We also recently re-visited the Khan Al Khalili -- the large mall where
you have to haggle to get the best price. And we got pictures. The Khan
is still as crowded, and as noisy as ever. But for our second time there,
we got to see more shops and meet more people than we did on our first visit.
Strange to say, some of the shop owners remembered us from our first visit!
Todd bought some mother-of-pearl boxes, which Egypt is famous for, and a
marble vase. He also bought Barbara a perfume bottle for her recently purchased
"Lily of the Valley" perfume.
Children here in Cairo are about the same as in Texas, which is a good thing
to know! They are happy, enjoy laughter, shed tears, and seek love and attention.
There is a major difference, though. So many adults are poor here, that
most of them have two or three jobs. A father might be an engineer during
the day and a taxi driver at night, while the mother might run a newsstand
during the day and a drink stand at night. So guess who gets to help Mom?
That's right, the kids. Around the corner from us, boys as young as four
or five are getting Coke bottles for customers, or water bottles for the
casual passers-by. A young boy, I would imagine he's about fourteen, helps
his car-dealer father during the day by washing the Cairo-grime off the
cars each morning. Some boys, aged ten to 17, sell newspapers and magazines
along the sidewalks. Others you'll find selling items on the streets or
on the trolleys -- tissues, bread, candies, mints, bathroom and cleaning
supplies. You name it, they sell it. And it's effective. What adult, seeing
a cute kid, would deny him the pleasure of making a sale? How can an adult
resist the sweet smile, the cuddly cuteness of a clean cherub? There are
children, too, who have no home here in Cairo. Their mothers and fathers
don't have the kinds of jobs that make much money, so they can't eat. These
children are forced to beg for food or money, which many people do not give
them. These children are seen as nuisances, which is sad. I can be safe
in saying that we have seen too many of these types of cases here. For example,
some of these children will -- with a smile as broad as can be -- ask for
a small something (anything!). If given that small something, the happiness
on their faces is priceless. We have found this to be the case outside of
McDonald's here. Some children will be given money by strangers, or a hamburger.
These children will either use the money to buy soda or goodies from McDonalds,
while others greedily and hungrily eat that which has been generously given.
We have tried to give, when we can, and have regretted missed opportunities.
But such is life -- hit and miss. We hope and pray for a bettering of their
lives, and their parents' financial situation. Child labor laws in Egypt
have been put into place in recent years, and are being enforced when possible.
Yet, even the media and government here admit that about 1 million children
are working to help their families make ends meet. That's a LOT of kids!
To give you an idea: There are about 600 kids at Degan, and 300 kids in
the Elementary School at Ponder. If we were to combine these schools into
one, it would take more than 1,000 of them (that's 1,000 Degan/Ponder schools)
to equal the number of kids that are forced to work on the streets! Now,
aren't you glad you only have HOMEWORK to do?! Have you DONE your homework?!
NO?!!!!!!! Well, get to it! :-)
We love you all, miss you all, and hope you are safe and happy!
Until later,
Todd & Barbara Thomas
Here are our COOL pictures!
