The Wonders of the

Motherland

Egypt North African Region

والصحة والرفاهالحياةLife, Health, and Well-being

Weather

LanguageThe official language of Egypt is Arabic.These are the most common questions and statements we will be using on our

trip.English Arabic

Hello مرحبا

How do you get to…? ... ؟ على تحصل كيف

What time is it? الوقت؟ هو ما

Thank you! لك !شكرا

How much does this cost? هذا؟ تكلفة كم

Currency of Cairo, Egypt$1 USD=6.13207 EGP

1 U.S. Dollar=6.13207 Egyptian pound

1 Egyptian Pound=0.163074 USD(U.S. Dollar)

The Egyptian pound has ranged in value over the past year from 6 pounds to equal 1 U.S. dollar to now 6.13207 pounds to equal 1 U.S. Dollar

Etiquette

Greetings are based on class and religion of each person. Handshakes are customary greetings among individuals of the

same sex. If a greeting is between a man and women, the women must

approach her hand first. If not, then the men should bow as a greeting.

When visiting an Egyptian home, bringing sweets and pastries are appreciated.

Do NOT bring flowers. They are only for weddings and if someone is ill.

Do NOT open a gift upon receiving it; wait until all guests leave. Remove your shoes upon entering an Egyptian home. If you have a good relationship with the person, you greet with

a kiss both cheeks while shaking hands. Man & Man; Women & Women

Social Aspects

Past

Each city had a prefect, a type of mayor who provided the needs of the people of their city. The prefect was assisted by a judge and by a scribe. One of his functions was to regulate labor and employment. 

This is extremely similar to American society today. Every state has a mayor is who directly responsible for the well-being of the people and status of their state.

Differences between Egyptian and American Culture

If people may speak English in Egypt, it’s the British dialect of English, not American.

Generally, women are still considered less essential than men.

There are mostly two classes in Egypt; no middle classPoor (Majority of Population)Rich

Similarities among American & Egyptian Culture

Both derive our architectural styles from the Greek. Football is the most popular Egyptian sport. The Egyptian film industry is the largest within Arabic-

speaking cinema just as America is ranked highest in award winning movies

Both countries share the love of belly dancing and pop music

12/16/2012Today I took an exclusive tour in the federal

courts of Egypt and to my surprise, my tour guide was former President Mohammed Morsi! As we walked through the federal offices, he told me of his inauguration and swift success in the beginning of his campaign. But, it quickly came to an end once he took place in office and CHANGED an important Egyptian law, “I felt that Judicial Review was and is unnecessary to our federal decrees. If I am President, and a law is necessary for this country, it should immediately be put in action, without the waste of time of being reviewed”. At this point in our conversation, I felt the man was crazy and evoked the vicious strikes in Cairo himself. I mean, what if he one day went crazy and placed an unreasonable law, with no one to check the law just in case. That sounds more like a dictator me. Besides this rough discussion, the tour was amazing and though the Egyptian government may be very different from America’s it is on it’s way to a democracy.

Artifact

Canopic Jars were first used in Ancient Egypt to preserve the ashes of deceased royalty. They are still used in present-day Egypt to preserve deceased ashes.

Works Cited " Weather for Local and International Locations -

AccuWeather.com." Weather for Local and International Locations - AccuWeather.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2012. <http://accuweather.com>.

"Egypt Information- Egypt facts." Egypt Travel information | Egypt Trips | Tours to Egypt | Egypt Vacation | Egypt tours | Egypt escorted tours | Egypt trip package. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2012. <http://www.ask-aladdin.com/egypt.html>.

"Google Translate." Google Translate. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2012. <http://Translate.google.com>.

"Social Life in Egypt." Directory Search Results | CSAIL. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2012. <http://people.csail.mit.edu/hanna/Egypt/index18.html>.

Traveling, Learning, Discovering

KENYA

NAIROBI, KENYA TO

MAPUTO, MOZAMBIQUE

Kenya Weather

Swahili Kenyan Language

CURRENCY

Kenya Etiquette

RELATED SOCIAL ASPECTS

Commonalities & Differences Kenya is the most advanced country in east Africa much

how America is most advanced when compared to other countries.

Like ComEd, there is Kenya Power that does regular matenence and electricity retailing throughout the country.

Agriculture is the biggest contributor to Kenya’s Gross Domestic Product, so rain season is appreciated, unlike in the consumer-savvy Americas.

Kenyan’s have small mini buses called Matatu’s for public transportation, but the difference is theirs aren’t systematic so they are dangerous.

U.S. had 9/11, but Kenya has frequent terrorism attacks; many from within.

Don’t we all compete in the Olympics?! True!

MET SOMEONEI met Mercy Myra, an upcoming Kenyan R&B artist and former member of the female supergroup “Divas of the Nile.” On the first day she showed me her hometown, her mother and her father and a couple of childhood friends. She took me to the Festival Mundial and the Kisima Music Awards. Mercy Myra graciously let me take back one of her Msanii Awards for Kenyan Musicians and gave me her latest album Nyisri Malong’o. We went to a party in the slums on our last night together and partied while listening to her boyfriend Malimo Chahonyo Andega, “Attitude”, rap.

ARTIFACT Kenyan War Shield

WEBSITES Google.com (&google.com/translate & /currency) Myra, Mercy. Mercy Myra’s Myspace Music Page. Myspace. http://

www.myspace.com/mercymyra254 Gichane, Charles. Kenya vs America: A Comparison of

Firsthand Experiences. MrYoungScholar. 7 April 2012. <http://mryoungscholar.com/2012/04/07/kenya-vs-america-a-comparison-of-firsthand-experiences/>

Kwintessential.Kenya: Language, Culture, Customs and Etiquette.14December2012.<http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/kenya.html>

Wandibba, Simiyu.KENYAN CULTURES AND OUR VALUES.Wajibu.PhPeace.2.2.3.<http://africa.peacelink.org/wajibu/articles/art_4484.html>

Kenya:History and Politics. www.iss.co.za. <http://www.iss.co.za/AF/profiles/kenya/Politics.html>

Mozambique • Region: Southern Africa • Currency: Meticals

• 1 USD= 29.57 Meticals • 1 Metical= 0.03 USD

• Language: Portugese • Etiquitte: Impolite to refuse food if offered. Never

use left hand to give and receive items. Direct eye contact unless the person is an elder. Arm’s length & no touching when talking to opposite sex. Light touching and closer proximity with same-sex conversations is acceptable.

Traveling, Learning, and Discovering

Sierra Leone

Western Region

Flight from Sierra Leone to Cairo, Egypt

Executive Turboprop King Air 200, King Air 90, Pilatus PC-12 $1,050 - $1,450 per hour

3,233 miles distance Privot Jet flys 675 miles per hour/mph $6,945 for trip

Sierra Leone Weather

Sierra Leone Language

Sierra Leone speaks English as their primary language.Common questions needed are: Hello Goodbye What’s your name? How are you? Which way is? How much money?

Currency of Sierra Leone

1.00 SLL = 0.000231639 USD Sierra Leone Leones=United States Dollars 1.00 USD= 4,317.06 SLLUnited States Dollars=Sierra Leone Leones

Etiquette of Sierra Leone

Extremely polite and manner-consciousOnes neatness of dress and presentation style is paid much attention Courteous and eloquent greetings are a way of lifePolite to leave for on the plate which is to thank the hostA good host is always a giving host

Social Aspect

Sierra Leone’s culture has created a group of families called “traditional elite families.” These families are people who can usually relate to their ancestors as warriors or hunters who were upon those first settled in the area. These families are usually the ones who are in charge of the land which a very valuable asset in their society as in any society. As their culture goes, someone who wants to use their land must show a elder from the family respect in which he will be granted land. Another high social cultural belief is that anyone who owns westernized items such as clothing and cars is considered rich and higher ranked in class. We see this in our society today yet we are not really divided into classes. If someone has a Porsche or a Lamborghini, they must be rich and someone who has an Iphone or new Galaxy must have deep pocket so to speak. If someone has a cheap 15 year old phone their not wealthy. It is either new and rich or old and poor. To elaborate, if you have something new, you must be doing well with money, if you haven’t upgraded, there is a very good reason why. You must be broke. At least this is what many people think.

Sierra Leone compared to the U.S.

Sierra Leone, a place known for respect of elders and respect of yourself. Compared to this cultural belief, the U.S. is filled with many disrespectful people, is it not? As you walk down the streets, you can see many gangs, kids cussing, 14 year olds who are pregnant, kids kissing and touching on each other. This is not only disrespectful to people who see them like this, but it is disrespectful to themselves. In Sierra Leone, public affection can not even be shown and I know that respecting your elders is very important. As told earlier in the presentation, you have to give an older person a gift with a certain hand and you have to shake their hand a certain way. You can not be rude or show any disrespect in any way to them. You can definitely say that the U.S. and Sierra Leone are worlds apart.

Meeting a New Friend

He is not only their leader but their inspiration. Today I have met with a new friend, Ernest Bai Koroma. My stay is very short but I wanted to meet the President of Sierra Leone. As I walked around his country, I learned how important he was to the people. The people know that they have dealt with corruption in the past and they wanted something different. They wanted a man like Ernest Bai Koroma who is recognized for his favorable public record. Unlike historical presidents and office holders, Koroma has never been a sign of corruption to government.. Sierra Leone people deserved a president who is loyal and honorable and that is Ernest Bai Koroma. “That honesty and fair opportunity for all will lead the journey from grass to grace”(Ernest Bai Koroma).

Product from Sierra Leone

This Home Jersey of Sierra Leone cost $66.99 USD(United State Dollars) which amounts to 289,199.85 SLL(Sierra Leone Leones).

MLA Cites Used

Koroma, Ernest Bai. "The Republic of Sierra Leone,official Website Of  Ernest Koroma." The Republic of Sierra Leone,official Website Of  Ernest Koroma. Customerworth, 19 Nov. 2012. Web. 17 Dec. 2012.

"Countries and Their Cultures." Culture of Sierra Leone. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2012.

"Sierra Leone Currency." Sierra Leone Currency. N.p., 1995. Web. 17 Dec. 2012. "Weather in Sierra Leone â Freetown." �� Freetown, Sierra Leone Weather and

Forecast. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2012.

Out of all the places explored, what was your favorite place and why?

How many USD is equal to 5 SLL in currency?

How would you say hello in Sierra Leone?

Why do you think U.S. commonalities and differences compared to Africa are so far apart?

Give an example of etiquette from each country that was traveled to.

Quiz