Back to school at last!

It is hard to believe that the beginning of our school year has just begun! I think students and teachers alike are glad to be back. The Egyptian government is still very concerned about the H1N1 virus and it can be seen through some of the changes at our school. We now have a quarantine room set up for students who are show any flu symptoms. There is talk also about taking the temperature of all students and staff as they arrive to school each day. We are also not allowed to use air conditioning in the school which already has been difficult for many as our days are still in the 90's and high 80's. There is also a new policy for shutting down the school. If two students in different classes contract the virus (we are a K-12 school with about 1700 students) the school will be shut down for two weeks. Lastly, the school may be shut down between the Eid break in November (Muslim holiday) and our Christmas break to prevent all those who may be traveling (especially those taking the hajj- pilgrimage to Mecca) from bringing the virus into school. Hopefully we will be ready to provide "e-learning" for the students during these times so that no more school will be missed. Our school day and year is already longer now just to make up the time we have already missed.

Wow...........this probably sounds like strange policies to those living in developed countries. Even I have a hard time fully understanding this fear. I think the real concern in countries like Egypt, who have a large portion of the population living in poverty, is access to adequate health care. Many people do not have the money for the things we take for granted such as aspirin to help fight fever. In addition, those in poverty who may contract the virus may never even attempt to seek help knowing that it is beyond their means. There is also a shortage of doctors in Egypt, which in the case of a severe outbreak would put the country in a very unstable situation. With these things in mind, I can somewhat understand the need for these drastic, precautionary measures. This is yet another stark reminder of the differences between living in the United States and living in an underdeveloped country.

We are still trying to make the most of our time, even with the changes. We most recently visited Hurghada, a small city about a five hour drive south along the Red Sea. Creede, Asa, and I went scuba diving seeing some incredible life beneath the water. The clarity of the water is amazing as well as the brilliant colors of the fish and coral. It is hard to believe there are such contrasts in nature.......the vibrant colors in the sea and above water seeing the drab, desert landscape for hundreds of miles around.