12/18/2009
One of the highlights of this trip to Egypt was visiting the Nubian Village near Aswan and visiting a school for 3 to 5 year old children. The school seemed very large for such a small age range. We only saw 4 or 5 classrooms and an outdoor playground, but the school seemed to wrap around the block. We went into one of the empty classrooms and a Nubian teacher came in to teach us. He taught us how to say the Nubian and Arabic alphabet and taught us the numbers. He taught us by pointing to the symbol on the blackboard, saying the sounds aloud, and then having us repeat it. After we had gone through it a couple of times, he would call someone to the front of the room, point to a symbol, and make them try to recall what he/she had learned. If the person did not remember, he would turn them around and pretend to hit them on their rear with his pointing stick while saying the word he/she had forgotton. It was hilarious and very entertaining. I specifically remember Anthony Jahr, Derek Harris, Corey Meyer, Dr. El-Bermawy, and Dr. Walsh being beaten for their forgetfulness. I was just relieved he had not called on me. After our learning experience, we visited a classroom full of kids. The children were so adorable and all wanted to take their picture with us. We took a lot of pictures and had a great time with the kids sitting on our laps, giving us hugs, and giving us high-fives. Even though we did not speak their language and were not able to communicate with them, they seemed to be thrilled that we were there. I especially enjoyed this experience because I love being around kids. In the future I plan on working with children everyday. I hope to be a pediatrician because I love children so much and want to help them in any way that I am able. I definitely have a weak spot in my heart for a child with a smile. They truly melted my heart, and it was hard to leave them. I wanted to take each one home with me! This was a truly wonderful experience for me.
Posted at 11:23 AM by Alexis Westerhausen