Travelogue Egypt: Day 5 St. Andrews and Where I Lived and Worked

Every new day means one can start over. So it was with our family. Everyone had a good night’s sleep and was ready to go. We slept in and didn’t have to leave until 9:15, that was nice. I went down for a hotel breakfast. It’s part of the cost of our stay and it is a large buffet. There is mostly breads, a salad bar with cheese and meat slices, fruit, a hot plate area, juices, tea and coffee. They also have an Egyptian breakfast of fuul and aish baladi (beans and pita bread). It’s hard to find a seat at the busy hour there (about 7 a.m.) as all of us tourists are scrambling to eat before our tour departs. If the heat weren’t so bad later in the day, I would say let’s sleep in. As it is all tours try to start early to ‘beat the heat’.



Ashraf, our driver, and Mohamed were waiting for us as usual, on time (that is a way to win the hearts and minds of westerners). We headed up towards Heliopolis to an area called ‘El Is’aaf”. It took a moment (because we were coming from another direction than I used to come, or was it 20 years of faded memory?) but after seeing the Anglican church across the street I looked and, voila, there was St. Andrew’s. We crossed the street and walked in just as people were coming to worship. Mission accomplished, Mohamed wished us a good service and left.



The congregation looked to be very small but eventually at least 50 were seated. An international group of westerners (NA and Europe), Africans, Egyptians, Indians and Asians. It felt wonderful to be back at the church after 20 years. An interim pastor for the summer, Amy, a Lutheran from Minnesota (imagine that!) now teaching at the Coptic Catholic Seminary, was our worship leader and preacher. A short service and a short message, our girls were impressed. Afterwards we went over for tea and instant coffee in the fellowship hall. We sat with Elizabeth and met a number of people. Finally Wahba arrived. He looked the same, perhaps a bit thinner. And of course all three of us have graying hair now, that’s what 20 years will do. “Eamil eh?” was the first thing he said (what are you doing?). I hadn’t heard that in 20 years.



So eventually we made our way out of the fellowship hall, called Mohamed and went to lunch, again at Felfelas Restaurant. I could eat there every day. Wonderful food and great atmosphere. The whole Amstutz family ordered ice cream sundaes for dessert and the girls were right, the best ice cream in Africa so far. We had a great time catching up with Wahba and Elisabeth. We talked about health (occupational hazard, for them) and about our time in Ethiopia, would we extend? Let’s just say that we are praying for God to bring the right person/ family forward as soon as possible. So we parted ways after Ashraf dropped them off near the church, a quick good bye on a busy road.

The rest of the afternoon was an exercise in futility mostly. We found all the places where I lived and worked but that was about it. Ramses College for girls was closed and the guard wouldn’t let us walk around. There were no volunteers in the compound otherwise I would have cold called them to ask permission to come up. Rules are rules, no one allowed to wander. It was unfortunate but understandable. The Coptic Orthodox Cathedral compound was the opposite (but with the same result), tons of people wandering around, especially children, but no one that I knew. We eventually found the floor I taught on and even the English department offices but no one knew who Hala was. Strange since the MCC’ers said she was still the supervisor. The large Cathedral was closed and the basement was no longer one big room. They had renovated it into many small classrooms. Finally we went looking for the Coptic Evangelical Seminary on 8 El Sekah El Bedah Street. Mohamed and Ashraf had to ask a couple of times but we finally found it. Again much has changed in 20 years including my classroom. It is now an office. Of course no one was around so we wandered up the stairs to a new 3rd floor of beautiful marble and amazing walls. We also went to the new dormitory, 6 floors high and stood looking over the city from there. But it was all changed now. Time to go.

And so we went. The girls were relieved. We were going back to the hotel (and more importantly, the pool) early. And so we made our way on the city streets back down to Giza to the Grand Pyramids hotel. Tonight was going to be a happier night.

The girls swam until they had their fill (2 hours). They came up to the room and turned on the TV and didn’t want to leave the room. We had bought chips and pop at a small souk on the way back and that was all they wanted. After the debacle the night before, I was happy to let them eat on the cheap while Wanda and I would go once again to the Thai restaurant. My mouth watered in anticipation. So it was Wanda and I had a delicious Thai meal and the girls happily stayed in their room with their chips and pop. And everyone was happy.