Feild Trip Frenzy

The Wissa Wassa Community Invaded by 8th Graders

This small community was started by one man who hoped to keep alive the art of traditional Egyptain weaving and batik fabric painting. The people were very gentle, humble and gracious.

We got a tour of the grounds and their museum, which documents the history of the village and the crafts they expertly make by hand.






I'm guessing the palm shoots are put to some use? I was lucky enough to get a video of the man climbing the tall palm tree. I'll post it on my youtube site for those that are interested. It was amazing! Just a rope around his waist and his strong legs and he was at the top in about 5 seconds.













There were 3 small children checking us out, the oldest of which was quite bold. I took his picture with my digital camera and showed him the image. He seemed quite pleased with the results and starting pushing various buttons, with a big smile on his face. One of my students spotted us, and grabbed up my camera saying, "Here Ms. Maxwell, let me take your picture with him. He probably thinks you're a ghost because you're so white."
Thanks Majd.































































































































This was just inside the entrance to the museum. They had photos depicting the history as well as examples of various types of weaving and batiking. The largest woven piece took three years to complete.

The highlight of the morning (besides being called ghostly white)? A student came up to me and said, "Ms. Maxwell, there's an example of perspective and proportion! The ducks are really big in the front and the buildings are really small in the back."
Moments like that help me make it through. God bless 'em.