By: Joaquin Gesulgon and Mason Robbins

EGYPT

Geography

HI! Guys we are in Cairo, the capital of Egypt. So anyway, this place is big and very hot but awesome though! We are having fun, yesterday we went to the Pyramids of Giza! They are in the Sahara, the largest desert in the world! It is the largest geographical feature of Egypt! Cool right? Well, we also went on a boat ride down the Nile river awesome right?! Also the Nile is the longest river on Earth! As we finished the boat ride, we went to one of Egypt’s famous mountains, Mount Sinai. It was a long way up but we made it to the top, finally. Also we should give you some more info as to where we are. We’re in Africa. Egypt shares borders with Sudan (south), Libya (west), Israel (northeast), Mediterranean sea (north), and the Red Sea (east). Cairo is a really urban area with lots of people. Just a warning this place is hotter than you expected it to be and it doesn’t snow so don’t expect any, it is only wet and dry. Sincerely, Joaquin and Mason!

Culture

Hi again, we’ve been exploring the cultural aspects of Egypt. We’ve tried food, activities, and explored the Islamic belief, well Egypt is 90% Islam and 10% Coptic Christian. I have a little history lesson. The British colonialized Egypt for their resources and good farming along the Nile and also for control of the Suez Canal. The British were very selfish and because of the color of their skin they thought the black Africans were equivalent to animals. They enslaved the best workers and took over. They also didn’t know how to share back then. So anyway we ate food at a restaurant here and we had trouble ordering because we didn’t speak Arabic (Egypt’s official language). Also the Egyptians wear normal styles and western attire. Well anyway we have no more time to talk, BYE.

sincerely, Joaquin and Mason

Effects of colonialism

Hello again!! Today we decided to explore Egypt’s history of colonialism by Britain. It started many many years ago (1882) the British ruled them indirectly which means non-violent. The reason why Egypt was colonized in the first place was because of their natural resources, they had a lot. They had oil, gas, iron ore, phosphate, limestone, manganese, and finally talc. There were tons of problems, like the British heavly taxed them and that prevented the Egyptians from leaving the country. We learned that they gained independence in 1922. Now their government is a republican since the monarchy was abolished in 1953. The government here is very similar to ours except the president has power at every level. We’ve had lots of fun and wish you were here!

sincerely, Mason and Joaquin

Hello Again! Joaquin and I decided to explore the health aspects of the country. We learned about a lot of infectious and terrible major diseases. We learned that Hepatitis A and E are common because they are from eating or drinking contaminated things. Some others are Typhoid fever, Malaria, Dengue fever, Yellow fever, and many more. It was very sad because many people died of these diseases because they don’t have the proper cure. Over time they have gotten more knowledge on personal hygiene and on the ways to stop the spread of diseases in Egypt. It was a learning experience for both of us. Well, we have to go now so see ya later!!!!!!!!!

Sincerely, Joaquin and Mason

Current events

Hello!!! Mason and I have decided to explore the current major events. We went to our TV to check the local news. We learned of many religious groups fighting. The main story was sad. There was a gunfight between some Christians and Muslims. One Muslim died and four Coptic Christians died. The mourners for the funeral were attacked as they walked out. Another Christian man died. The main conflict in Egypt is between ethnic groups. We learned that since Egypt’s Government is new that they are having trouble controlling violence. After that we decided to go have lunch. As always the food was good! We then decided to call it a day and just hang out.

See ya! Joaquin and Mason