Where Learning Lives

View from our balcony of east harbor in Alexandria in the early morning when the Korniche (walk along the water) is relatively empty, unlike evenings when it is full of people enjoying the breezes.

Ptolemy I (who succeeded Alexander the Great)  would be proud.  This I decided after a three-day stay in the coastal city of Alexandria last weekend.  No, he probably would not be amused at all the high-rise buildings hugging the Mediterranean Sea. He might not like seeing the crowds of human and auto traffic on the streets and beaches with their noise and refuse. However, he would find the treasures of the mind still alive.

     This amazing library also houses museums, art exhibits, a planetarium, and cultural events. I happened in on a folk group named “Ebn el Balad” practicing for a performance. I recommend that you listen to them on Youtube. 

Not only was love of learning evident in the library, but as we wandered among the streets of Alexandria, we chanced upon a large book market of thousands of titles, and we spotted numerous bookstores elsewhere.  I did not see this apparent valuing of books in any other place we have visited in Egypt. It seems that most people here, as in most of the world, are tied to some technological device rather than books.

I think Mohammed Ali, who ruled Egypt from 1805 to 1848 would also be proud. He is credited with creating “a grand modern city” wherein normal secondary schooling was excellent and people spoke four or five languages because of the mix of nationalities. While Egyptian education, in general, is much maligned today, I felt that somehow Alexandrians have better opportunities to learn, having had strong foundations in the past.

Saint Mark, one of Christ’s disciples who brought the teachings of Christ to Alexandra in A.D. 49 and was martyred for it, would also be happy to see that today the Coptic Orthodox Church is alive and well in the heart of downtown Alexandria. His initial teachings of the words of Christ also gave birth to the monastic communities that are still alive in the deserts of Egypt.

To the right is an icon of Mark that we saw inside Saint Mark's Coptic Cathedral in Alexandria.

From the hum and bustle of life in Alexandria, we went to the lovely Coptic retreat center of Anaphora to spend a few quiet days before returning to noisy Port Said. Besides being a retreat, this place is also a center of learning that has a sizable library and teaches such practical skills as weaving and organic agricultural methods. We stayed in one of the rooms pictured at left. The ancient domed structure keeps the space cooler than would any other style.

It was there that we met a team of Polish and English scholars who are working to put together a research library of ancient Coptic texts (6^th century and later) found nearby in a monastery called Deir el Surian. You can read about this amazing project if you look up “Levantine Foundation.” Saint Mark would be so happy that someone cares about preserving these precious works of Christians who were his “disciples.”

As teachers here in Port Said, we often hear stories from students who are angry about the poor state of education in their classrooms and in this country. Thus, it was refreshing to find that there were, and still are people in Egypt who care deeply about learning and are doing something about it. Yes, both Ptolomies I and II would be glad, as are today's Coptic scholars who are trying to keep their language and history alive.

Ahmed

Ahmed, you could say, is just one among hundreds and thousands of Ahmeds in Egypt, like the stars in the sky.  However, like a planet among stars, this student has a unique shine.

Last week in class my students were discussing types of crime and ranking them as: not very, somewhat, or very serious. Typically, most students agreed that murder of humans is the most serious. Knowing that many Egyptians consider it bad luck to kill cats, I threw out the question, “How serious is it to kill a cat?”

Several of the students smiled and said, “Not very serious.” 

Ahmed, however, disagreed. With a very serious expression he asserted, “It’s very serious! Then he proceeded to tell us of having hit a cat on the street and seeing, in his rear view mirror, its death struggle. “I didn’t sleep for two nights after that,” he said.

Two of the girls looked at him amazed, and one of them burst out  “You are so kind!” I think we were all surprised at this admission of his feelings.

Last night Ahmed, who works full days and attends class ten hours per week (two classes), came late and then almost immediately left the classroom to take a long work-related phone call. I was a bit annoyed that he had missed half the class, even though it’s hard for him to show up given his tiring job and busy schedule.

However, after class he came to me and said shamefacedly,  “I’m so sorry. I know I came late, I didn’t bring my book, and I didn’t do my homework. I’m a bad student. Really, I respect you and I like your way of teaching. I’m so sorry!”

True! He does not shine in academics, but what’s not to love about a young man with this kind of drive, honesty and sensitivity?!

Red Sea Reverie

Red Sea outside our hotel in Ain Sokhna

I thought it was a tale of twenty years ago when they said

dolphins swim in the Red Sea waters along the coast at Ain Sokhna,

but what did I know?

Much longer ago, young Saint Antony (251-356 AD) gave the poor his hefty inheritance

And headed for the hills west of the Red Sea to live with God alone,

But what did he know?

And even longer ago, when Moses saw that bush burning strangely in the desert

And heard God calling him to lead his people out of Pharoah’s wilderness of sin and slavery,

What did he know?

So little we know.

Antony, through duals with demons and desire for God, became the father of

many who left home and sought in the Egyptian desert the wisdom of

a life lived on bread and prayer inside a solitary cave.

Yet, I wonder what he knew of dolphins and roses,

Of children’s laughter, of songs and sunsets?

Moses, that fugitive shepherd, was shocked into reluctant obedience

to the One God who gave him courage to face down a powerful king,

and a sea that any sensible person would never think could part.

I wonder if he spotted any dolphins diving for cover

As they swam through a sudden wall of waves in that sea?

And I, sitting on my balcony by the Red Sea in the morning, marveled to see

the graceful arcs of a half dozen dolphins swimming along the

aquamarine coast toward a further point where they turned

and came back for another showing in the deep blue waters of the afternoon

beside a lightly pebbled beach with shells like alabaster.

So little we know of God’s ways.

So little we know of God’s world.

At St. Anthony's monastery with Laurice Louis and Father David.

 This is the site of the first monastery in Egypt, begun in the third century. Antony first lived in a burial vault in the mountains for 20 years. Eventually, he travelled to the inner desert (this site) where he found a spring of water and lived in a cave near the top of the mountain. While there, a few disciples gathered around him, and this was the start of Christian monasticism. Many came to him in his later years for prayer, healing, and inspiration. He lived to the age of 105. We made our way to the first chapel through the arched doorway seen in back.

The first formal monastic chapel was constructed in this building in the fourth century.  There is a new chapel on the grounds for the 90 monks who live there now.

This monastery is situated by the mountains, less than an hour off the road by the coast of the Red Sea.

Inside the chapel are various icons. This shows Christ at the top, and Mary holding Jesus at the bottom. This one is the central icon of the small chapel.

To the right is the "keep" where monks kept themselves safe from marauding Bedouins in the sixth century.  They entered by way of the wooden bridge and then pulled up the bridge so that no one else could enter.