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Thursday- We're all healthy!!
Our first day in a few where everyone made the bus!! We spoke with 6 entrepreneurs and a member of USAID (do you know what USAID does in the world?)in Egypt. Dr. Ryan, from USAID, gave us a perspective from someone who is trying to help Egypt's economy grow and prosper. The entrepreneurs gave us their real life stories about how they started, some of the obstacles they faced, and how their own feeling bout their key to success.
On this trip, we have spoken with many female entrepreneurs, as well as high ranking women in Egyptian business. One thing I have found notable is that, despite what our media tells us, the women here have not had problem becoming successful business people in this society. The women we spoke with feel they are treated the same as the men and they had to prove themselves no more or no less than any of the men. I found this a wonderful insight that completely differs from what our media would like us to believe. I also learned that, though the culture here is more conservative than ours, the decision for women to cover or not cover oneself is a personal choice, not a religious mandate. Certainly I believe that there are horror stories that will refute what I am saying, but I think you can find those horror stories in any culture, including our own. Just as a note, the people we visited were chosen by Jim, Siv, and the students pretty randomly. They were not chosen by anyone based on their political views or what they may or may not say to make the government look good.
Lunch was spent on a boat on the Nile. The restaurant, TGIFridys, surreal!
Wednesday-Zoe takes a day off
So, I tried, I really did, but I just couldn't do it. I crashed last night, missing the laser light show at the pyrmids, and slept 16 hours. I got up the next morning nd found that it took all my energy just to get to breakfast, which I didn't eat, and decided to call it day. I stayed back under the guise of being there in case any of the 2 or 3 students who stayed behind that day needed anything, which I would have and could have done had anything come up. I went bck to bed and slept another 4 hours. When everyone got back from the days adventures I was sitting by the pool reading book. It didn't look good but I really needed the extr time.
Tuesdy-The Great Pyramids of Giza
Statue of Ranses II- To get an idea of the size of this, look at the people in the bckground. They are all level with the statue
The day I've been looking forward to, the visit to the great pyramids. We have been teased by these structures daily as we come and go to and from our hotel. I couldn't wait to see them! I awoke this morning with a raging head cold, but I wasn't going to miss the pyramids, and I didn't. Fortunately for me, Memphis (not the one in Tennessee), the first pyramids built, the great pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx are all in the same area, but not close enough to walk the whole thing (I never would have made it if I had to walk the whole thing). Everything was absolutely amazing! From the site of the first "test" pyramids to the Sphinx. I did walk around Memphis and the great pyramids, but saw the Sphinx from the bus, I just didn't have the energy to get out and walk.
One big surprise about this area. At the bottom of the hill near the Great Pyramid is .........a Kentucky Fried Chicken!
Monday- Our first official business meetings
I discovered a hooka bar at the hotel
Today we spent some time at IBM Egypt. We met with three people pretty high up in the orgniztion, each with a different perspective on IT in Egypt. We learned a lot about what is going on in Egypt in IT and where IBM thinks it's going to go. One of the things I found most interesting is how IBM is positioning itself with the Egyptian government. They have started a new unit which is designed to help the government figure out it's IT needs, infrastructure, etc. From a marketing and contract standpoint, this is a brilliant move. IBM's experience and resources will be invaluable to the government. And what will IBM get out of this?.....
Sunday afternoon- The Egyptian Museum
First let me say that the pyramids are right cross the freeway from our hotel. That was very odd to me. The pyramids are supposed to be out in the middle of the desert, not the middle of the city. Our guide said that about 10 years ago people began building on some of the most fertile agricultural land in the world. That building has increased to the point where some of the pyramids are no longer in the middle of the desert. The ironic thing is they have now lost all that rich farm land and are spending millions of dollars refurbishing desert into farmland.
The Egyptian museum houses many of the artifacts found in the pyramids, Tutankhamen's tomb and in other archeological sights throughout Egypt. It was amazing to be in a room that had so much rich history and culture behind it. The feeling I got running my fingers over some of the carvings and realizing that they were hand carved, in stone, thousands of years ago by a people whose culture we are still learning about. The craftsmanship and detail are absolutely amazing.
Tomorrow is our first day with entrepreneurs. We have an exciting day planned that culminates with a night voyage down the Nile river. Stay tuned.
Sunday afternoon- The Egyptian Museum
First let me say that the pyramids are right cross the freeway from our hotel. That was very odd to me. The pyramids are supposed to be out in the middle of the desert, not the middle of the city. Our guide said that about 10 years ago people began building on some of the most fertile agricultural land in the world. That building has increased to the point where some of the pyramids are no longer in the middle of the desert. The ironic thing is they have now lost all that rich farm land and are spending millions of dollars refurbishing desert into farmland.
The Egyptian museum houses many of the artifacts found in the pyramids, Tutankhamen's tomb and in other archeological sights throughout Egypt. It was amazing to be in a room that had so much rich history and culture behind it. The feeling I got running my fingers over some of the carvings and realizing that they were hand carved, in stone, thousands of years ago by a people whose culture we are still learning about. The craftsmanship and detail are absolutely amazing.
Tomorrow is our first day with entrepreneurs. We have an exciting day planned that culminates with a night voyage down the Nile river. Stay tuned.
Sunday early morning-Cairo
We arrived in Cairo in the wee hours of the morning. All of us were exhausted, but happy to be at our destination. Our guides met us and, much to our great pleasure, had our Visas ready to go, transportation organized, and room keys on hand. After we gathered our luggage and made a quick trip through customs and we were on our way to the hotel.
The trip was quiet with little traffic but I was struck by all the people that were out. It was almost 4 in the morning and people were playing soccer in the streets, many street vendors were open nd doing a brisk business, and groups of men where leaning against cars idly chatting. From my perspective it was odd seeing so much life at that hour of the morning but I suppose, in a desert region, the cool parts of the day are the best time to relax and socialize.
Saturday-Amsterdam
Our flight to Amsterdam was uneventful. The ride was smooth and the stewards and stewardesses on the KLM flight were wonderful. Good service is still possible in the airline industry!
I spent much of the 12 hour lay-over in Amsterdam exploring the city with Siva and Fazana. High on my to do list was to visit the Anne Frank house. I'd heard it was a marvelous tribute to Anne nd other victims of the holocaust. So the three of us set out on a drizzly morning to find the Anne Frank house.
Our first adventure was trying to purchase tickets for the train to get us into town. Once we figured out how to operate the machine, method of payment came into play. The machines do not take cash and, as we soon discovered, they require a pin number for a credit card transaction. Do you know what your credit card pin number is? As it turns out we were able to get it to work by putting in a debit card and telling the machine we wanted to charge it as credit (it wouldn't accept it as a debit card). This way we had the required pin number for the transaction.
The train ride was comfortable and quiet, A short tram ride and a quick walk and we were there.
The house was unremarkable from the outside, but the inside was beautifully presented. Though there was no furniture in the house photos and representations gave you a good sense of what it was like to live there during the 1940's. The entire exhibit was beautifully presented and focused on not just the residents of that house, but of life in general during that time period. The exhibit was truly moving.
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