Hanging around the house

Well, I am hanging around the apartment today but I got some work done like an overdue teaching observation and some other WCU work. I also was researching desert safari outfits for the Western Desert. I made some emails, answered others. Elnafeza papermaking facility in El Fostat is in desperate of funding. They do such humanitarian work, helping single women and the deaf mute community that it would be a shame if they had to close. Mohamed Nagy is a friend of Shayma (she seems to know everyone!) and he was so prompt in emailing me. I suggested to him that we organize an artist's papermaking workshop and book art session.

I will try to find some funding resources and talk to Fair Trade Egypt about them. FTE is now starting to buy some of their paper products and journals. During Ramadan they are open on Wednesdays from 10 am till the afternoon so starting on the 21st their hours will be longer and more days of the week.

I've been researching the rice straw burning phenomenon in Cairo which contributes to the Black Cloud over Cairo. It is already polluted and the rice straw burning contributes greatly to the problem. Of course, the diesel belching millions of taxis, microbuses and city buses besides the private cars are way too much for the air to assimilate. Luckily for me, I live in an area with more trees. It's not nearly enough. The problem is that recycling is very costly. So no recycling of plastic bottles which I contribute to on a daily basis. The paper is recycled into more paper but not everywhere. Basically, it occurs at APE in Moqqatam and at el Nafeza for some of their papermaking. The only recycling of plastic bottles is its reuse by the poor for their drinking water which we are told not to do in the U.S.

Beautiful Egypt has many problems and many people who want to help but not nearly enough funding. At least they include the arts in the curriculum but teaching really needs to be revamped. Some students who are poor are physically abused by teachers; others don't get passing grades even though they study and do pass. If you have money, teachers tend to pass students who are otherwise unprepared for exams and then they get the good jobs. A very unstable state of affairs. Shayma is an example of a student who fought hard for her education. But not everyone has such inner strength.

I hope to help in some way; as soon as my boxes of art supplies arrives, I will organize some children's art workshops in the area with Shayma. Lots of opportunities for that.
Tomorrow I will get myself up early and walk to the Agricultural Museum in Dokki - scenes of daily life, agricultural stuff and my favorite, animal mummies from ancient Egypt. Good night