Field trip to the Sinai

As much as some days in the class room can be absolutely draining and disheartening, the field trip with my class to the Sinai Peninsula seemed to wash away all worries, and make it completely worth it. Not only were the kids actually actively engaged with the program, but they got to see a relaxed, inspired teacher side of me that is rare in the classroom, and together we were in a beautiful place in the world, rich with educational opportunities. It was unique in many ways; we were staying in an ecolodge, no electricity, little running water, ran by bedouins in the largest (of seven) protectorate in Sinai.  

[view of the Al-Karm Ecolodge in the Gharaba Valley, Sheikh Awad area]

The field trip was ran by WESC (an educational program that organizes environmentally conscious programs), so we had three "leaders" who took us around various activities. I felt like a kid doing some of these activities. Upon arrival we went on a hike through a canyon, looking and observing rocks. The following day, we met with a doctor from the valley, or in Arabic a Hakim, meaning someone wise, who explained to us the uses of the plants of the valley for medicinal purposes. It was a treat to be with him as he told stories about trial and error in understanding the uses and power of the plants, and it spoke to the Bedouin mentality of resourcefulness and surviving on the bare minimum. Each plant had it's own purpose, from treating asthma, to illness, to helping people with diabetes who are injured, to curing lethal snake bites. At one point one of the children stepped on a hose that was leading to the ecolodge from one of the wells, causing a leak, and Doctor Ahmed went off and found a plastic bag, and a something to tie it with, fixing it on the spot. 

[Doctor Ahmed, explaining about "Batharan" or "Sheeh Baladi," a plant good for Diaherra]

We also had activities making soap with a plant called Agram, learning about rocks and minerals and doing tests on them, going on a fauna trail - learning about the living creatures in the desert, a history trail - learning about the Nabatean people, and a long hike. Not to mention camel riding (where I raced on a camel), and a fortuity of a retired british man to be staying at the ecolodge as well with his 8 inch aperture digital telescope (the most high-tech telescope on the market) and the chance to check out the rings of Saturn and the craters of the moon. 

At times, it was a bit bothersome to see trash from our group, and hear the constant response from every student "it's not mine." Or when four children took the wrong turn on the way back, and got lost for about an hour. Most of all, when we were doing some activities, bedouin kids would attentively watch us, and the GVS students would shrug them off, be rude to them, or be too afraid to interact. This is an upsetting reality of rich spoiled kids who are uncomfortable of stepping out of their class. 

Bedouin women selling their wares outside the Ecolodge

I like this kid's taste. He's drinking Fanta. However, here it's saddening. A new trend of goods coming into Bedouin life when it use to be all disposable, sustainable items. 

Ruins from the history trail. This is the Nabatean village, one of the few landmarks left over from their history, one of the more famous ones being Petra. The Nabateans were a powerful people who controlled the trade routes across the Middle East, to China, from 300 - 0 bc, with a secretive ways, and completely disappeared leaving little trace. They were fearful of the Romans, who wanted to kill the Nabateans for what they saw as an unfair trade tax upon them.