Teen Travel Blog

Today was what scouting an ARCC trip is all about.  Arranging to see the Pyramids, Sphinx etc. is easy and people willing to take you to see them abound.  What makes an ARCC program different is getting off the beaten path…seeing and doing things that your normal visitor to Egypt will never see.  Getting ‘behind the curtain’, if you will, and experiencing a country in a very different way than others experience it.  This is where contacts, connections and good old fashioned legwork are critical to putting together a great ARCC program.

Finding a local contact, or  ‘expeditor’, is critical whenever we work on a new trip.  Because Debs has been working here for years, she introduced us to her guy in Cairo:  Remy.  Remy is a logistical genius and can get anything done you need.  He is always smiling, always has a kind word, and can be trusted implicitly. He is married to an American girl so he understands our western fanaticism on things like timeliness, reliability, cleanliness and safety. Having someone on your team like Remy, both when scouting a trip, and when you have
groups in country, is absolutely invaluable.   We have “Remy’s” all over the world: Tenzin in Tibet; Russi in Fiji; Thiemo in Tanzania; Lynn in Thailand; Rafa in Costa Rica; Costas in Greece; Damon in Ecuador; Kendra in Belize; etc.

Our task today was to check out a number of local Egyptian orphanages to see if there might be a good fit for ARCC groups arriving in July.  In my experience over the years, orphanages fall into 2 categories, those that just want your money and those that really appreciate the benefits of having loving, caring American kids in their facility for a few days, helping out in any way we can. Today we were fortunate to find 2 that are overjoyed with having ARCC come stay with them this summer.

Our visits to an orphanage are always a curiosity.  The typical routine is for the head of the organization to bring you into her office, and serve you sweet tea or juice.  You make the prerequisite small talk, try to explain the impossibly foreign concept that we would like to bring groups of American teenagers to their orphanage in July.  In the meantime, word is out that some “strangers” are in the building and a constant flow of teachers, workers and giggling kids are peaking their heads around the office door to get of glimpse of the visitors.  Anything new in a place like this is a welcome diversion to everyone.

After the formalities, we are invited upstairs to see the kids…the door opens to a colorful room with 10 adorable 2-3 year old tiny jewels all dressed in jean jackets and corduroys, peering at us from behind the skirts of their headscarved teachers, no doubt all wondering who these strange looking light skinned creatures were.  Pretty soon Zaid, a precocious little boy leaps out and grabs Zach’s hand.  That breaks the ice and shortly all the kids are running around, smiling, laughing while we just melted they were so cute.  The language barrier proved non-existent as we cooed away in English and they babbled in Arabic.  No one minded a bit.

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