December 23, 2007

As a delegation leader, the greatest gift I received was to watch the students learn and grow. I saw them develop into mature, independent, responsible, wonderful, young adults. At the beginning of Peace Camp, many of them found themselves relying on leaders, family, and friends. But by the end of the journey, they realized one must ultimately depend on themselves, and the strength, character, and good judgment that has been instilled in them throughout their life. As teenagers, they did something most adults only dream about. They should be proud of their accomplishments. Each of them, in their own way, contributed to the tapestry that weaved our delegation together. We've all learned, Peace Camp isn't a place you visit, but a place in your heart! These 50 students exemplified what President Eisenhower's dream was all about! I love them all!

Barb Capozzi, Buffalo/Niagara Falls, NY
Delegation Leader for Peace Camp

December 16, 2007

U.S. Delegates Arrive at JFK!

The U.S. Delegates have arrived at JFK! Check the status of their return flight by either calling the airline directly or by monitoring the airline's website. Welcome home!

December 15, 2007

Last Day of PTPI's Peace Camp 2007









We began our morning with a trip to a newly renovated Egyptian grade school. The school was one 100 public schools in Egypt that are to be renovated under a plan put forth by the First Lady of Egypt, H.E. Mrs. Suzanne Mubarak. It was an impressive display of the best Egypt has to offer; a peek into the future of Egypt’s education system.

Keeping with the theme of the youth of Egypt, our next stop was at an Egyptian orphanage. It was once again a glance into the dreams of Egypt’s future. The facilities were just over three years old and well kept. Yet the greatest achievement was not in the orphanage’s buildings, but instead it was the miracles inside. It was amazing to see a place that is typically thought of as a place of sadness to be so full of hope. It was a privilege to look into the eyes of the children and see only happiness.

After a little bit of free time we joined the adult delegation for an Interfaith Panel. We heard experts on religious relations in the Middle East and Africa give their thoughts on the current state of affairs. It was particularly interesting to notice that they all shared a common theme: religion is meant to be a force that unites people rather than divides them. Furthermore, they asserted that no conflicts past or present have been driven by truly religious motives. They proposed that we should instead view these conflicts in economic and political perspectives. In the end, they shared a message of hope and encouraged us to continue educating our peers, working our hardest to share our dream of world peace and eliminate ignorance.

To conclude our final day, we headed to a stationary boat on the river for a traditional Egyptian dinner. While the food itself was wonderful as usual, tonight’s dinner took a backseat to the general atmosphere. It was a night filled with hugs, pictures and shared memories. We did our best to negotiate the complex waters with which we were faced. On one hand, a wonderful experience came to an end. On the other hand, the mission that we all so passionately pursue is just beginning. We go forward with heavy hearts, saying our goodbyes, uncertain of when we will meet again. In spite of that, this feeling reminds us that citizens of 27 different countries came together and parted knowing that we share more than just memories. We share a world.


Michael Shoenfelt - USA

December 14, 2007

Back to Cairo






Another early wake-up call for us today, 4am! Our taste buds were yet again tantalized as we enjoyed a buffet breakfast with made-to-order omelettes, fruit, pastries and traditional Egyptian food. We were herded onto the bus at 5am, ready to drive to Aswan airport where our flight took off at 7am. Only one hour and fifteen minutes later, we were back in the busy bustle of Cairo. On the way to the International Friendship garden where we would plant our friendship trees, we stopped off at Sadat’s tomb, the late president of Egypt. We soon learned that his tomb, which was appropriately shaped like a pyramid, was positioned at the site where Sadat, a great campaigner for peace in the Middle East, was assassinated during a military parade 1981.

Following this stop off, we arrived at the International garden, in which every country was represented by their native flower, tree or plant. We were guided to two sections of the garden, where pre-dug holes and large trees in pots were waiting for us to bury them! After some heavy lifting and getting our hands dirty, our trees were finally planted (some of them named!). It was amazing to know that a piece of us would be living in Egypt forever, and everyone was talking about coming back in 20 years to Cairo, to see how big our trees had grown.

After this, we traveled a short way by bus to our next destination in downtown Cairo, Felfela. This was a rather elaborately decorated restaurant serving traditional Egyptian cuisine, a type of food we all have grown to love! We ate breads with traditional dips such as hommus and baba ganoush, followed by falafels and chicken. After this, we had free time for almost three hours, a first for us in an extremely hectic but fulfilling trip.

Anna Mackenzie – Australia








Today, after we had the time to check into the Semiramis Intercontinental , and make ourselves comfortable with the new roommates , we headed down to the Osiris meeting room , where we were challenged by our leaders to break the record in preparing care bags for Egyptian children … and since we are blessed with a group that works together as perfectly as a puzzle , we were able to beat the record made by the former peace campers , by 18 minutes. During the assembly of the care bags , Mary Eisenhower was present to support us , and right after we finished , we had the final and the most touching open microphone session in order to step out and go beyond the set itinerary and any kind of imposed script and simply speak our hearts and minds out, that being the last one , many of the campers took advantage of that time to say goodbye to the new friends and the inspiring leaders who have guided us all the way through our journey exploring ourselves and exploring 26 nations other than ours. As an Egyptian , I took my two minutes to address my friends and I started by reminding them of what our beloved leader Barb told us at the very beginning of peace camp , she said :” No one really knows you here, so you can be anyone you want to be.” I took the liberty of granting the 49 peace campers with whom I was lucky to share my country , culture and myself for the past week, the title of Ambassadors of Egypt to their 26 nations, believing in the power of the word and knowing that there isn’t another time in the history that I have witnessed where my country and the entire middle east needs good ambassadors more than now. We owe it to Egypt where we had the best memories of our lives , and the blood that is shed everyday both in places that we know of and others that we don’t, as we sit whether at our 5 star hotel , or our one of a kind Nile Adventurer cruise ship. I would be speaking for all the campers when I say that we believe in the power of youth , and that we’re going to prove that we have been worthy of such a once in a life time opportunity , to treasure it , share it with the world , and try to make one little change every day. Of course parting is tormenting , but as Barb said: that is just the beginning of the rest of our lives! She took us through our experience since the very first meeting at the lobby of our hotel , till a few hours ago. There were many tears among us , because of many reasons, some of which are , the overwhelming feeling of the friendships that were formed , the joy of honor to have been part of Peace Camp and definitely sadness as we approach the end of the camp.
We were given time and told to look pretty because we were dining out. We had a wonderful evening at an Egyptian home , hosted for dinner , both the students and the adults were present and the students mingled and shared their experience with everyone.
I leave you now in peace to go to bed , for tomorrow is a new day with so much more to explore , thus , I need to recharge.
Randa Fadly - Egypt

Aswan



Today was our 6th day at Peace Camp. Wake up call was at 6:30 this morning, very early according to most of us… but some determined Peace Campers made it up even earlier: the magic of being on this amazing cruise boat on the Nile and watching the sunrise, is a sight you don’t want to miss! When the rest of us got up we had a lovely breakfast and at eight we began our only session of the day: Peace & conflict. As usual we divided into five different groups and our discussing began. It was a hot topic, and we realized that even within these very small groups it’s difficult to agree and compromise all the time. I believe that all people are made different and are meant to be so, but that it doesn’t mean we can’t make our planet a peaceful place. Afterwards we divided into two bigger groups and visited two schools in Aswan. The children at the schools don’t often get to experience visits like this and they were so excited! The priceless sight of the smiles on their faces made us excited as well – and that’s being mild! The school had a library, several computer labs, classrooms and a special room for art and crafts. Some of us bought the things that they had made and I’m sure even that little something made a huge impact on those who had made them. Before we left the schools we enjoyed an invigorating dance and song by the children of the school, one which we eventually joined in on. The feeling of being there – in the middle of a room with such different people, dancing, singing, smiling people, from all over the world, made me realize that spite all those differences we are supposed to have, we have so much in common we should cherish.

After that experience-of-a-lifetime trip to the schools of Aswan we had lunch back at the boat again. Today the theme was American BBQ and it was appreciated by most of us. Fries, chicken, meat – and ketchup! We soon realized after lunch that this was our last day on the A&K boat. To make the best of the last hours here most of us spent our free time on the sun deck. Swimming, sunbathing, conversing, and all those things we love to do – wherever and whenever we are. After our free time on the deck we joined together in the lounge to take part of speaker Mrs. Dalia Khalil’s lecture about iEARN Egypt. She spoke of many things, amongst these, the education system in Egypt and the world, the percent of children living in poverty, and the number of illiterate youths of the world. It was serious, but well-needed information. At the end of the lecture, many of us were interested in joining the organization and involving their own countries and cities. iEARN is meant to enable youth to make a different – a positive difference, sometimes small, but a difference just the same. 120 countries are involved in the iEARN activities since it was founded in 1988 and everyday more people are interested. At the end of the lecture many of us were interested in joining the organization and involving our own countries and cities.
Well, take care – wherever you are.
PEACE

- Annika, Sweden




Right after the great lecture by Dalia Khalil, we were greeted by two sail boats that were to transport us to the Nubian society which is located on an island right off the coast of Aswan. We had a great time bargaining at a traditional Nubian market, we also noticed that the language that these Nubians were speaking was not the traditional Arabic heard in local Egyptians markets. Later on we came back to the ship and enjoyed a sit down dinner on the ship, with an extravagant dessert of three ice cakes shaped as pyramids. Today, was a sad day for me because we are going to be leaving our little piece of heaven, our sanctuary, our home away from home, the "Nile Adventure" cruse ship. To conclude the night we began to travel to the sound and light show at Philae, and many of us learned about ancient Egyptian mythology, which many of us didn’t know existed, the show was remarkable I have never seen such coordination and effort put into shows such as this one. One amazing thing that happened on, was when Barb came up to a few of us and began to cry, we all became really emotional and were haunted by the thought that in a few days we would be in different parts of the world, away from each other. What amazed me most about the people attending this program, is that we all became really good friends really fast, according to a lot of the delegation leaders, our group was the fastest group to get to know each other in such a short time. Again I can’t believe that in just a few days I will be back home away from my friends that I feel that I have known for years.

Kareem – Palestine

December 13, 2007

From Kom Ombo!

Kom Ombo Temple


Today is an amazing day in Peace Camp, as always. The sun is bright; the river is blue; the sky is high. I thought it was amazing! Our peace camper started the day at 8 o’clock with a delicious breakfast. Hope everyone enjoyed it. J I thought it was amazing! The biggest event during the morning was the culture-sharing session. We mixed all together instead of splitting into different groups. People were very active in talking about their each own culture and we focused more on the festival that each of our own country has. Besides talking about Christmas, Halloween, New Year festival and so on, we also had friends from China, Australia, Bulgaria sharing the celebration of Chinese spring festival, drinking-a-lot festival and strange but interesting festival of beating others for them to be beautiful and young. We even got some gifts from several countries. There were ear rings, movies, necklaces, foods and flags passing around in the room. I was really amazed at the difference between countries. It was an experience of a lifetime to have heard about them all. And there was also a rather shocking event that I can not skip but write it in. We got the chance to write to each of our home country’s leaders with a message of peace! Though the president may not read it, I saw everyone writing with the biggest passion they have. When we send out our letter we are sending out our love to our country, we are sending out the hope for peace, we are sending out the future of the world. I, sure, will cherish this memory in the bottom of my heart as long as I live for I will never forget that I did my own contribution to the coming of the better world.

Mary - China





“You have beautiful eyes..Come, come, I give you good price! 500 Egyptian pounds! No? Ok, ok, 300!”

Following today’s lunch on board the Nile Adventurer, we stepped ashore to visit the majestic Kom Ombo Temple, where one of the most fascinating aspects included a set of mummified alligators. The animals were so well preserved that we could still see the claws on their hind limbs!

Afterwards, we got time for some much needed shopping! And yes, the merchants are incredibly friendly and will say anything to lure you to their stand. Most of us have learned to bargain by now and the very experienced get many trinkets for free. As a side note, if you’re ever traveling with Barb, watch her bargain – no one could do better.
The final adventures of the night included a fifth peace camp session in which we discussed the different school systems within our countries. Many of us noticed surprising similarities and striking differences. The session was followed by an Egyptian cooking lesson best summarized by “Ooooh, Aaahh, and Mmmm.”

Last but not least, tonight was deemed “Egyptian night,” resembling a festive and loud costume party. We all had a chance to don our newly-bargained-for galabeyyas (gown) and ghottras (headdress) and cake on eyeliner for a crisp, pharaonic-eyes look. We danced and sang the hours away and even “raided” the neighboring boats to show off a massive line dance. The best part was that our great leaders and even Mary Eisenhower joined in on the fun. And as if the night could get any better, we managed to fit ourselves in the smallest of cabins to watch our Peace Walk from a few days earlier on Nile TV.

It was a wonderful afternoon, but as Barb reminds us daily, we shouldn’t compare our days. We should simply lay our heads down at night and reflect on what we’ve experienced and what personal barriers we’ve struck down. That’s something I believe we will all be doing as we lay down to rest tonight.
Ralitza Peneva – Bulgaria

December 11, 2007

Edfu




Today we got the chance to sleep like normal people after an exhausting day. While we slept, the ship was moving south, from Luxor to the direction of Edfu. We had an 08:00 o’clock breakfast which was amazing as the other ones! The sight of breakfast in the Peace Camp won’t stop amazing me. Everyone is talking to each other, laughing, sharing. I LOVE IT. We went upstairs the lounge to have our Peace Camp Session #3 – Religions.

Brooks did quick overview about what religions do we have on the boat:
Muslims – Shiite and Sunni, Christians – A Lot of types! , Jews – secular and conservative and Buddhism. We spread into groups of 10 and started the session. I was with Mickey! We started talking about what is religion, and what part does it have in out individual lives. Samar from Bahrain talked about the Islam and explained what is the different between the two big streams. Naturally, the conversation just really “flowed” and everyone listened to everyone and respected each other very much! I have never participated in such a good dialogue that the conversation actually was on the same subject all the time, and it didn’t end up at being really mad at each other. We talked about the Christianity in Poland, how does the mixture of religion and government goes in different countries, why is Islam is separated, are there any Jews in South Korea, and do they accept Islam in Romania? In the end of the dialogue we talked about how does the media affects the opinion of others about religions and stereotypes and how history can be easily twisted.

Right up next we had some free (best) time! I took a really long video of us hanging out in the pool, getting some tan or just sitting with each other on a cup of tea. Seeing the Nile from the top deck of the ship was amazing! Beautiful clear blue sky in the background of Egyptian agriculture fields separated by some sand hills. I got refreshed in the modest sized pool and did some crazy jumps to the water with Kareem and Mahmoud from Egypt. Later on we got the liberty to sit in the captian’s chair and blow the horns of the ship! Yay! We got photos and everything, don’t worry!

Right up next! Lunch…which was amazing as “usual”. Then we had Peace Camp Session #4 about problem solving. Again we spread into groups of 10, and we had to choose a Leader from a group and 2 observers to watch how the team works together. We were handed out papers which one of them was a problem and the rules of the solving the problem, and on the other a list of items. The problem was: out space ship was damaged during flight to the mothership, and we had to do a crash landing on the moon, in a point which is 300 kilometers from the mother ship. We needed to rank the items in the list from 1 to 15, which 1 is the most important thing we should take and 15 is the least important. The rules were – we got 5 minutes to rate individually every item and then 20 minutes to agree on a Team rate for the list. Plus, we can’t make any votes and we can’t compromise! I was chosen to be the leader after a hard party campaign and debates, and Vince and Randa were the observers. After we ranked individually, we started to make the team rating. We all agreed the most important thing from the list was the tanks of oxygen and then water. We had in the list stuff like Food Concentrate, 45 Caliber Pistol, Solar FM transmitter, Magnet compass, 20 meters of nylon rope , etc. we did work as a team and everyone was heard what did they rank and in what number and we explained everything we did to everyone. After some arguing about the rating of the life raft in comparison with the condensed milk, we decided that the Pistol was the last thing we need to take in order to get to the mothership. After we finished, Brooks read the rating that NASA did for this list of items and we were pretty close at the start but after he read their explanations we noticed that you can’t really neither eat nor drink in space since you have the big spacesuit on! Plus there is no magnetic field on the moon, so using a compass is useless.

Out observers told us that we really worked well, everyone had the chance to speak and we elaborated on everything.

Yep, another great day in Peace Camp. LOVE RESPECT PEACE!

Alon – Israel






After our fourth Peace Session we came together to share in an open mic time. It is so incredible hearing the stories and experiences every person has to share. There is so much support and understanding amongst us all that quite a few students who vowed not to share have been prompted to come up and tell tales that have touched us all. Peace Camp really is “interconnectedness” on a whole new level!
Our only outing today was to the Edfu temple. After hearing bits of Barb’s visit to the monument I was sure that it would be amazing. But honestly, I cannot begin to describe the wonder and the beauty of the structure. It is the only fully preserved Pharaonic temple; from a distance its architecture seems no different to other ancient Egyptian structures, but once inside one can really appreciate the Greek influence and design as it was built by Greek Egyptians after Alexander the Great invaded Egypt. At the time it was built it would have been the tallest temple in Egypt as it is three stories high.

Our tour guide, Ahki, shared myths and guided us around the hieroglyphic-covered walls. As we left we all had a bit of time shop for galabeyyas, an Egyptian dress, in preparation for tomorrow’s dinner.

Michelle Vogelzang – South Africa

December 10, 2007

Luxor!



Having to wake up at 2 am to take off to Luxor for our 4 night cruise, caused most of us not to sleep until we had to meet in the lobby. Seeing everyone waiting in the lobby with all their bags packed and all ready to load the buses wasn’t really a clear image as my eyes were barely open to catch such a sight. Streaming the streets of Cairo at 3 am with all the streets lit and empty was a new sight to everyone as they have experienced Cairo’s real traffic.
The airport was packed with passengers. We were striving our way to the gate to get to our airplane. The next thing I could see after I got on the plane was the runaway of Luxor’s airport. Everyone was waiting to take the buses to start our touring around Luxor.
I opened my eyes after a deep sleep to find myself in front of the Valley of the Kings. It took us some time to get out of the buses as we were all dreaming already. But once we were inside the temple, it blow our minds away. It was just fantastic. All the colors, different designs and the huge amount of things written and drawn by the ancient Egyptians were very impressive for me, because it was the first time to visit these historical places.

Maged - Egypt








We went to the Luxor temple with tired minds but what lay ahead of us was to only reenergize our passion for the ancient monuments and our own search for ourselves and the mission of peace. From the outside it appears as though these royal figures, very tall and regal with eyes shining into eternity, were keeping watch over some sacred secret. Well today some of that secret was unlocked. We walked passed the towering obelisk, imagining the golden tip touching the unreachable sky. That is the key to the secret: the ancient Egyptians did the impossible, they conquered that eternity and they accomplished the un-accomplishable. And I think we are much like those people that lived five thousand years ago… we, like the ancient Egyptians, are here to build something to last for eternity. We are here to make friendships that will withstand all time. We, like the ancient Egyptians, are here to inscribe not upon stone but the hearts and minds of our fellow delegates and these warm hearted Egyptians that have been so welcoming. We are here to make our own monuments, shape our own destiny, and the world’s future. We walked through the columns, and like those ancient priests with shaven heads, we have a passion for our beliefs. For what ever has caused us to come and reach this point below the countless papyrus topped columns of the Luxor Temple, we are here now, bridging the gap between those ancient times and our own hopes for future peace. This massive monument was expansive and on its walls was a story of a whole society, and as tourists we might be able to identify the god Horus or Ma’at, but the whole meaning is yet to be discovered. Our wonderful Egyptologists verbalized some of those stories. The massive Ramses II was sitting upon his enemies, conquering them, while uniting the crowns of both upper and lower Egypt. Like this ancient king, we are here to conquer our stereotypes and make peace through understanding.

We went back to the boat and started our second peace camp session. We were all divided into groups and we were set to the task of discussing culture. We spent time to open our minds and hearts to new ideas of what this means to us. Each persons experience was unique and I am unable to capture all that we do here. It is just unable to be put into words. We are living here, being who we want to be in these few and precious moments and realizing that with every new seed of knowledge, every new growth of a friendship we are changing into more vibrant and worldly people. We came back all together and people began to share their thoughts so far. Each of us had a story, each of us has a reason to be here. Some among us do not have a real country (Palestine) but as Shahd said today, everyone has a country…each of us belongs to a country of peace, each of us belongs to friendship. We are here to realize that instead of first seeing what country we belong to, we should first look at who we all are individually. We are all the same… we are all human beings that suffer, love, hope and change. Maybe we should look upon our nationality as something that enriches us, not defines who we are. Our background and countries are part of our identity but we are not only people who belong to countries but are people of the world. Hearing fellow delegates speak so passionately only makes us want to hold onto every moment here and we know that it will be the hardest thing in our lives to leave this adventure into entirety. But that is thing about this peace camp, because it is an adventure to eternity, we will never forget and our words, experiences and actions will shine like the eyes of Ramses II into infinity.


Samantha – USA

December 9, 2007

Day Two – “Day of Dreams Come True”


Dr. Zahi Hawas

When we woke up this morning, none of us could imagine how extraordinary this day would turn out to be. After the already “usual” breakfast at the Night and Day Cafe we listened to a lecture that was given by the best Egyptologist in the world, Dr. Zahi Hawas. For many of us this was the first dream to come true, meeting a person who does great service to his country every day and who is one of the greatest cultural ambassador a country could have.

Time flied fast and before we knew it we were on the bus to visit Memphis, the ancient capital of Egypt. Beneath the blazing sun we saw our first sphinx for the day, made of alabaster. Then we went to Sakkara, where we visited the world’s first freestanding stone structure, the pyramid of King Zoser. This pyramid was built by Imhotep, who is considered to be the first architect in the world!

At SaKkara Pyramids


Today’s lunch was a special variety of dishes from India and Pakistan, at the Oberoi Mena House Hotel, which is situated in the proximity of the Great Pyramids. As usual we sat down with different people, we chatted, we laughed – to make a story short: we had a great time together!

But the truly fantastic part of the day began right after lunch. The three Great Pyramids built on the Giza Plateau revealed their beauty to us, making our childhood dreams come true. Both our human and electronic eyes were searching, exploring and memorizing the wonderful view, the sights to remember for a lifetime.



The media and the camel riding law enforcement were there and they followed us when we started our Peace walk. We walked from a plateau to the Pyramids, all wearing white People to People T-shirts and carrying the “Peace through Understanding” message in our hearts and in our minds. While we were walking, we were all amazed by the ancient wonders in front of us, their greatness and beauty. The words describing the experience I got when making a quick survey were “amazing” and “pretty unbelievable”. Our last stop was the Sphinx, which looks like a guardian of the Pharaohs’ tombs.



We have to go to sleep very quickly tonight, because we’re having an early start tomorrow. There are still many “wonderful things” to see…

Flavia - Romania

December 8, 2007

First day @ 2007 PTPI Peace Camp :)


Today started at 7:30 a.m. with a delicious breakfast buffet at the Night and Day restaurant at the hotel. There were omelets, fruit juice, pastries, cheese, and much more. We then went to a morning meeting at which Mary Eisenhower welcomed us to Peace Camp and spoke about the purpose of this amazing program. We then split up from the adult delegation and played a “get-to-know-each-other” game. We were given a list of questions and we had 30 seconds to answer them to the other person. It was a very fun- and fast- way to get to know many more people!

At 9:30 we boarded the bus and headed to the Khan El Khalili Bazaar. We were divided into 5 groups of 10 people to play in a treasure hunt to practice our bargaining skills. Each group had at least one Egyptian who could help us with the bargaining. For example, while looking for a Galabaya (a traditional Egyptian outfit), the salesmen would offer it for 60 Egyptian pounds and we could end up getting it for 20. The bazaar was amazing; there were tons of little shops and cats walking around everywhere! I think that we all really improved our abilities to bargain!

We then got back on the bus and went to a beautiful park for lunch that looked over all of Cairo. Before lunch, we each released one white balloon and said “Peace” to symbolize the spirit of peace. We had traditional Egyptian food for lunch and then had some free time to walk around and enjoy a lovely day in the park. We left the park and transferred to the Egyptian Museum where we were guided by our two amazing Egyptologists, Aki and Mohammed, who are the best in the world. We saw many ancient artifacts (there are over 120,000 in the museum), including ones from the tomb of King Tutankhamen. It was simply incredible being able to see and hear about ancient Egypt and especially about King Tut! That was our last activity before we returned to the hotel to get ready for dinner.

Written by:
Tra My Do - Vietnam
Alicia Beekman - USA



Dinner tonight was at the Four Seasons Hotel, a short bus ride from our hotel. Here, we were joined by the adult delegates from the Global Peace Initiative. Everyone was dressed up in their fancy or traditional clothing. We were in for such a treat—a four course meal with performers and entertainers. Quincy Jones gave a short speech, and then all of the youth had our photo taken with him. After the first course of goat cheese, the tahkt performers came out with their instruments to play for us. There were singers and dancers also. A whirling dervish awed us with his constant spinning and dancing. We couldn’t even imagine who would come out next. A horse! Two Egyptians were dressed in a horse outfit and went around to each table to kiss the guests. All of this was going on as more dishes—fish, beef, chocolate cake—were arriving at our tables. After the horse made his appearance, there were more dancers and singers. The night was never ending, but it was an amazing, unique experience. Now we are back at the hotel to rest up for our exciting, adventurous journey to the pyramids tomorrow.

Leslie, NC, USA

First couple of pictures

The students, who arrived early to Peace Camp, were helping out with the welcome packs


The First lecture that was hosted by Ms. Mary Eisenhower for Peace Camp and Global Peace Initiative

Some of the students at the Khan El Khalili Bazaar

December 7, 2007

Arrival of Peace Campers!

Dear Everyone,

We want to let you all know that all the Peace Campers are here with us in Cairo and they are all doing great.

We will be updating the blog with pictures and posts daily.

Thanks,
People to People International Staff