WESC

The Wadi Environmental Science Center is a small, self-sustaining education facility set on an organic olive farm owned by Wadi foods, a large Egyptian food conglomerate. It lies on the West side of the Alexandria Desert Road, a road that runs through the desert, west of the delta, from Cairo to Alexandria. How do they get their water? I don't know. Maybe olives don't need much water. But, for the past two days I have been lucky enough to be a part of the teaching staff at WESC, and what a rewarding experience it was. 

I woke up very early on Sunday morning (the Egyptian equivalent of a Monday), and got myself to Mohandiseen, a neighborhood not far from mine. I got on a microbus with a half dozen other people, all around my age or a few years older. I was the only white person, and the only native English speaker. The center was founded by a Belgian couple, so it has the French language in its roots, and the person who had recruited me speaks only passable English. I was shocked, though, at how smoothly everyone could transition from Arabic to English to French. Without pause they slip in and out of English and French, but speaking mainly Arabic. For the most part, I could understand the French, but either way, I chose to keep my mouth shut, not wanting to sound like the stupid American kid who knows only one language.

The center is a field trip destination for schools in Cairo. The children have barely left their urban hell-hole, let alone seen an Egyptian tortoise or had a fresh salad. They certainly do not have Earth Science built into their curriculum, so seeing an olive farm and playing with earthworms is a welcome escape for their teachers, and a wonder for the children. My first day was a shadowing of a leader teaching about animals in French, but yesterday I got to lead my own group of English-speaking kindergardeners through a tour of plants: what they are and how they work. When, as a class, we went to the garden and made a fresh salad, they were amazed, and they all agreed that they would ask their parents for salad for dinner tonight. 

Eighty Egyptian Pounds for a full day of work in the sun of the desert sounds awful, but I had one of the best days I have had while in Cairo. Hanging out with five-year-olds generally isn't my idea of a good time, especially if I have to explain things like "roots" and "chlorophyl" in extremely simple english, but I had a wonderful time, and I'm glad i could find a fulfilling activity in Cairo.