A Global Education

When organizers plan a tour of a foreign country for students, directors and alumni, they do not usually anticipate a revolution.

For the month of January, the Augustana Band and a group of alumni traveled in Egypt on a scheduled tour that originally included five concerts. Political action immersed the country in radical government change, giving the travelers a firsthand view of what was happening.

The tour was a cultural experience that had the musicians and travelers moving throughout the country. Students stood on pyramids in Cairo, saw the famous Library of Alexandria and even sailed down the Nile on a cruise passing by temples and scenery.

"We ended up doing everything on the itinerary that was originally planned, except for the last concert," Ben Eisele, Assistant Director of Admission and member of the touring band, said. "That was disappointing, because it was our tour organizer's baby. There were originally between 1,300 and 1,500 tickets sold."

The experience abroad gave a personal and immediate account of what was occurring in the country even though there was little access to sources at home. Television stations such as the BBC and CNN International were available, but the situation seemed much more sensationalized back home.

"It was a somewhat stable society, as far as I know," Eisele said. "Even after the Tunisia uprising, it was a gradual process in Egypt and we were removed from the threats."

"Overall I would say there was never a moment where we felt we were in danger. The anxiety stemmed from the inability to communicate with the people back home," Eisele said.

Upon returning to Cairo for the final part of the trip, students found an increased police presence gathering in the city.

"We had security while we were there and the tourism police was everywhere," junior Ethan Edzards said.

On a few occasions students saw protestors, but the demonstration was vastly different from what was seen on television.

"On a Wednesday night we saw some protestors from our hotel downtown and it was really peaceful."

"It is really awesome just because this is a good example of the people getting what's best for them," Edzards said. "It's really cool we were there. We got to meet all of those people and see their side of it while so many seeing what's on television don't understand."

Though the extreme moments were isolated, Eisele and Edzards emphasize that the reports about the airport were accurate. The large amount of people moving in and out of the country was chaotic.

"The airport was insanity. There was a huge room with hundreds, if not thousands, trying to get through six metal detectors. That was the worst of it, trying to check our bags," Edzards said. "There were so many people trying to go through every direction. It was hard to communicate and tensions were high."

In light of the events, both feel grateful for the opportunity to watch a part of Egypt's history unfold and see the political climate change. Eisele cited a tour guide stating that nearly 95% of the Egyptian population was excited about what was happening.

For many, that excitement peaked when Mubarak stepped down last week. The Augustana group felt the Egyptian anticipation at rebuilding their country.

Eisele has been in contact with one of the group's tour guides, Ahmed, via Skype.