Gift of the Nile and Circle of Life
Forty students from two Year 4 classes visited the Egyptian Embassy today and learned about the circle of life, papyrus, obelisk, cats and lots of mummies.
H.E. Excellency Ambassador of Egypt to Korea, Khaled Abdel Rahman, greeted the students and staff, alongside his embassy staff, including two military attaches in smart uniforms. The lobby of the embassy is a mini museum, with replicas of a world-renowned obelisk with hieroglyphics and hand-carved limestones with the emblematic circle of life symbol on them, featuring a man holding papyrus, from which the word, paper, originated from.
H.E. Excellency Ambassador of Egypt to Korea, Khaled Abdel Rahman, greeted the students and staff, alongside his embassy staff, including two military attaches in smart uniforms. The lobby of the embassy is a mini museum, with replicas of a world-renowned obelisk with hieroglyphics and hand-carved limestones with the emblematic circle of life symbol on them, featuring a man holding papyrus, from which the word, paper, originated from.
Year 4 students listened intently as Amb. Abdel Rahman talked about how in Egypt, when they say the heart is light as feather, it means they have done good deeds in their lifetime. He talked about the importance of the sun in Egyptian culture and cats as protectors of the home. Students asked outstanding questions such as "Is it true that 96% of Egypt's population lives along the Nile River?" The Ambassador replied yes, and the country is often called the Gift of the Nile because it doesn't rain or snow, and the Nile was the only source of water in the region.
One of the things most often associated with Egypt may be striking pyramids that served as kings' tombs. Students were fascinated by the masks covering the mummies and how body parts were separately preserved in jars [is this too graphic?]. One interesting fact learned was that the reason they enclosed the bodies in masked caskets is because they believed the soul leaves the body after death to ask questions about whether they had stolen or killed anything. When the soul returns to the body, the mask helps it recognize which body to "return" to.
In addition to Egypt's incredible history and tradition, the country boasts a modern metropolis, whose entire population is double that of South Korea. Many Korean companies including Samsung and LG have factories in Egypt. Egypt is also celebrating 30 years of friendship and diplomatic relations with South Korea this year.
After an intensive question and answer session where our students asked back-to-back questions about everything from how mummies are preserved to how artisans carved into something as heavy and hard as limestone, one student modelled their traditional costume and happily posed in front of the two obelisks by the entrance.
After an intensive question and answer session where our students asked back-to-back questions about everything from how mummies are preserved to how artisans carved into something as heavy and hard as limestone, one student modelled their traditional costume and happily posed in front of the two obelisks by the entrance.
Then came snack time: an assortment of delicious Egyptian food including healthy falafel patties made from chickpeas, thin flatbread stuffed with ground beef, and a fried dough ball dipped in honey (what's not to like about this delight?) for dessert. The students lined up in orderly fashion and got a taste of Egyptian delicacies.
Huge thank you to Ambassador Abdel Rahman and his embassy staff who made this visit possible and Ms. Cho and Mr Kim who helped plan the visit. Thank you to Ms. Goddard, Ms. Rowbottom, Mr. Gomersall, Ms Han and Mr Williamson for their support.
Huge thank you to Ambassador Abdel Rahman and his embassy staff who made this visit possible and Ms. Cho and Mr Kim who helped plan the visit. Thank you to Ms. Goddard, Ms. Rowbottom, Mr. Gomersall, Ms Han and Mr Williamson for their support.
