Letter Received, September 28, 1994

Greetings to St. Olaf, Parents, Siblings, Friends and Pets!

        The Communication Committee has assumed our responsibility - with
pleasure - and therefore write to you from Cairo, Egypt. We'll relate
our Greek and Israeli adventures (with details to be filled in later
by your son or daughter.

        Three phrases describe the Global Greek Week: Greek salads,
Myrto, and culture.  While not all of us loved the tomato, cucumber
and feta cheese Greek salads, most everyone found something appealing
in the traditional Greek menu. Most of the men in our group frequented
what they believed to be the best gyro stand in the city. Others
visited restaurants within the Plaka, a market area near our
hotel. The Plaka also provided excellent shopping and night life - for
those with the energy!

        But don't let this introduction fool you - Global took a quick
academic turn! Myrto, our guide throughout the week, reminded us of
Global's academic/scholarly nature. From the start, Myrto amazed us
with her Greek omniscience. With Myrto, we visited the historical and
cultural landmarks: the Acropolis (including the Parthenon) the
National Archaeological Museum, the Epidaurus Theater, the Varros
Museum, a Greek Orthodox Church, and various other ruins and
temples. Through Myrto we learned, and certainly will retain, the
political, historical and artistic significance of each location. Mac
also contributed to our education as he led discussions on the
architectural or artistic features...oh yes - Mac's class started this
week as well, complete with lectures and a quiz!

        Finally, we experienced culture in Greece (beyond the food and
tours by Myrto). Much of the group toured the Greek islands, either
independently or on a boat cruise. Others enjoyed a run in the stadium
of the first modern Olympics. And everyone enjoyed random swims in the
Mediterranean, including a dip on the first day of classes back at
Olaf. Wow, can Global be difficult! Also, the group enjoyed a folk
dance night and a contemporary ballet, "Romeo and Juliet".

        We celebrated a birthday in Greece. The group sang "Happy
Birthday" to Beth Truesdale a couple of times but may have missed the
goal of 21 renditions.

        Filled with Greek salads, Myrto's information, and Greek
culture, our Greek week ended. we bade our hotel and Athens farewell
and boarded the plane for Tel Aviv.

        It didn't take long to experience culture shock in the new
country - Israeli soldiers carrying large guns were everywhere. There
was always some sort of military presence. Armed soldiers about our
age stopped us at checkpoints, patrolled the streets, and relaxed in
the shops. It was easy for us to see how tensions could flare up.

        Our visits to the West Bank and Gaza were real eye-openers to
the part of the story the American media generally doesn't tell. We
visited Bir Zeit University, a Palestinian University in the West Bank
and a center of Palestinian political activism. The president of the
student body spoke with us; he fully expects to be imprisoned this
year because of his role in the student government. Ninety percent of
the men on campus have been imprisoned at some time, many for two or
three years. At present, 82 Bir Zeit students are in prison, two of
them women. Everyone we spoke to seemed eager to engage in political
debate about the peace process and eager to tell their stories.

        The same was true at the Ramallah refugee camp in the West
Bank. They gave us a tour of the rubble and garbage-filled camp,
telling us their stories as they went. The Palestinians see us, as
American citizens, as their route to changing US foreign policy toward
Israel and the occupied territories, so they are often very aggressive
in their bid for willing listeners. The dusty camp was a sharp
contrast to the lush Israeli settlement only ten miles away.

        Even art and architecture and archaeology can be political, as
we learned from our expert guide, Dr. Beatrice St. Laurent. We were
scheduled to go to Gaza on Yom Kippur but the Israelis did not permit
travel on the Jewish holiday, so we switched the Gaza visit to
Saturday and walked to the Dome of the Rock instead. Mac pointed out
the irony: a Christian group went to visit a Muslim sanctuary because
of a Jewish holiday. Despite Beatrice's string-pulling - she has
worked closely with the architects for the restoration - we were not
permitted inside; the Israelis had closed the Dome to tourists for the
day to prevent any incidents. We received an expert tour of the Church
of the Holy Sepulchre instead.

        Of course, no visit to Israel would be complete without visits
to the holy places of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. In addition to
our attempted visit to the Dome of the Rock and our tour of the Church
of the Holy Sepulcher, we made visits to Bethlehem's Church of the
Nativity, the Garden of Gethsemane and the adjoining Basilica of the
Agony, and the Western Wall (or Walling Wall). Several people took
time during the week to visit the Wall and put prayers in the cracks
of the stones.

        Israel was a big souvenir stop for many members of the group
as well. Beautiful tiles handmade in Jerusalem by an American family
were a great favorite, as were olive wood earrings. The shopkeepers
were always eager to have our attention and patronage. "For you, half
price...student rate!" became a familiar cry.

        Now, after our first few days in Cairo, we're starting to get
into the academic groove at the American university in Cairo, which
bills itself as the "Harvard of the Middle East". Lectures occupy
several hours a day. AUC students are from the upper crust of Egyptian
families and they're very in tune to Western fashion so the world we
see inside AUC is very different from the one outside. Most of us are
also recovering from our first fight with the truest of travel
diseases, but we've been getting plenty of sleep and eating our Jello
and we're all right now!

        We're thinking of you all and looking forward to more of your
letters.

Postscript from Jackie Gimse:

        Karla Hult and Beth Truesdale wrote the above report, so you
can see our committee structure is working well. The travel committee
has efficiently seen us through five of our 16 flights and everyone of
us became porters from the bottom of the hill at St. Stephen's Gate
over cobblestone streets to Ecce Homo Hospice in Jerusalem. It seemed
like many blocks through narrow streets full of cabs, carts and
honking trucks in 105 degree heat. Porters were hired to carry our
many heavy bags but did not show up for either direction. The group
sweated and strained and never complained. Well, maybe Mac did a
little! We're planning a "where's the porter" party. The students have
been planning birthday celebrations, discussions, gift presentations,
devotions, grace, housing assignments, etc. They are eager to learn
and remain attentive through jet lag, noisy tourists and even honking
Cairo traffic. They ask excellent questions and we have received
unsolicited compliments on the decorum and dedication of the group
from each of our hosts and guides. Mac and I feel privileged to travel
with such a stellar group of young people and thank their families for
sending them out here. You have given them values and sensitivities
instilled at an early age.

        Cairo bombards our senses and we feel that 3 weeks in 5
countries is a great way to make the transition from Manitou Heights
to the densely packed confines of Cairo. Our air conditioned rooms at
the Cosmopolitan Hotel, as well as our classroom at the American
University in Cairo are welcome relief from what we are told is
unseasonable heat. The World Population (explosion) Conference was
held in Cairo, an appropriate site, since 16 million people live in an
area the size of Minneapolis/St. Paul, a number estimated to be almost
4 times the whole population of Minnesota. The city's infrastructure
was designed for no more than 2 million inhabitants so the apparent
chaos is staggering at first encounter. We've learned to slither
through beeping and mostly slow moving traffic on our way to class or
to visit the Cairo Tower at night. When we were first in Cairo in
1977, which was just after the war, 70% of the national budget went to
military defense. Miraculously since then we have seen tremendous
progress in the standard of living, sanitation, and education. The
Egyptians are proud of their ancient heritage and anxious to please us
in every way.

        The student scholars began their on-site reporting this
morning with Ann Ogdahl at the Pyramids and Katie Ness at the
Sphinx. It is so exciting to see their summer research come alive with
the "real thing"' The guide was very complimentary about their
research. In the morning we leave for Saqqara and Kevin Hedrick
reports. Parents be proud!

        We are enjoying quite luxurious living by Global Semester
standards, which is a blessing as students adjust to their first
radically different culture. Mail Call is still the most popular time
of day, so keep those letters coming.

Love, Jackie and Love from the whole Global Group.