By Madame Sosostris � There is nothing quite as enjoyable as enriching as allowing your mind to be transported to some other world -- through fiction, through art, or through the photographic capturing of one moment in time. I had the opportunity of such indulgence at the Gezira Art Centre, my dears, where a group of talented Spanish artists were invited to display their collection depicting a Journey through Syria. The exhibit was inaugurated last week, and the three photographers -- or artists, shall we aptly say -- warmly greeted guests. Pablo Perez- Minguez, Fernando Herraez, and Ciuco Gutierrez were invited by the Spanish Cervantes Institute. Among those enjoying the opportunity of visual escape from the present, were Luis Moratinos, director of the Cervantes institute, Pedro Lopez, Spain's Ambassador in Egypt, and other distinguished individuals. My dears, you should take the time to really indulge in the richness of the artistic works around the city. Look beyond just composition and try to transport yourself to that other place. I am not, my dears, a big fan of national days, as I think this trend of named "Days" has become too much of a commercial ploy. Perhaps national day is slightly different to that pack, but I believe that nationalism and patriotism should be celebrated daily through one's appreciation of life in that country. But if there is one thing I am a fan of, it is celebration! And so, when the Venezuelan ambassador, Victor Carazo, invited me to partake in Venezuela's national day festivities, I was prompt to accept. The fun took place aboard the Nile and Golden Pharaoh Boat, where the host of dazzling guests enjoyed the glimmer of Cairo while indulging in Venezuela- related fare. Those gathered aboard most certainly know the meaning of how to have a good time. We danced, and ate, and partied in typical South American style -- with vigour. Among those who added sparkle to the night, were Hoda El-Eguizi, wife of Egypt's former Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmed Maher, Victor Carazo himself of course, and the most dynamic Esmat Al-Merghani. National day aside, it was the perfect opportunity to party. � It is most pleasing to witness the growth of a youngster and the evolution of a cherished one into an individual of strong character and admirable drive. So it came as wonderful news that 22-year-old Natasha Girgis was recognised at the University of Rochester in New York for her outstanding work. Girgis, the daughter of Al-Ahram Weekly 's very special friend Nazih Girgis, graduated with a BSc degree in microbiology. The charming young woman, who has remarkable focus for someone her age, was recommended by her thesis committee and the undergraduate programme in biology and medicine, for the award of "distinction in research". The award, the first of its kind at the university, was a means of highlighting exemplary work on her thesis "Enhanced infection and human monocyte-derived dendritic cells sing modified adenovirus targeted to DC-SING". Well my dears, what exactly all that means I must admit I have absolutely no idea, but shall we just say it is complicated matter! Natasha will head straight to Philadelphia, where she is to pursue her PhD at Pennsylvania State University -- of course under a full scholarship. For those who know Nazih, his daughter's accomplishments make perfect sense. Nazih himself is dynamic -- he is a renowned children's writer and book publisher, and the founder and chairman of the US Mid-East Music and Fine Arts Council. Among his many activities, is that of teaching children about the environment and hygiene through music. Such families are most inspiring, provoking one to think about life, and its length, and how much we can accomplish and fulfil if we make a full life our mission. � Some events are truly intriguing. One such happening will take place on 18 July, where popular Egyptian pop singer Hisham Abbas will speak about his impressions of India -- a nation he speaks of with love -- and its influence not only on his work, but on his life as a whole as well. Abbas has long been known to be a trendsetter in the musical arena, one such experiment of his being the merging of Indian and Egyptian tunes. One of those songs, Nari Nareen, has been received incredibly well -- making it to the top of the Arab and Indian pop lists. As a result of the hit, Abbas was selected by the organising committee of the First Afro- Asian Games held in HyderabadIndia, to participate and sing in the closing ceremony. The event will take place at the Indian Cultural Centre, under the sponsorship of the Egypt-India Friendship Association (EIFA). My dears, some events are simply pivotal to the development of the country, and hence worthy of recognition. History has revealed an unfortunate tendency towards neglegance by mankind -- we leave our natural, cultural, architectural, heritages to decay and crumble before we recognise and appreciate their worth. Beaches are no exception. Last Friday, my dears, I was delighted by the refreshing news that over 400 young volunteers cleaned up the beaches from Al-Saraya down to Al- Montaza. The "Clean up the Med" campaign was held on Friday afternoon for the second time in Alexandria, and organised by the Youth Club of the Friends of The Environment Association (Alexandria FEA) in collaboration with Taking it Global (TIG), an international non-profit organisation led by youth and promoting youth actions in improving their local and global communities. The one day beach clean- up is an international annual summer event where over 850 organisations participate from 23 different Mediterranean countries such as Albania, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Italy, and Spain. Young volunteers who congregated on the beach were equipped with gloves, rakes and plastic bags and participated in cleaning the beach. Among them were representatives of Roter Act, Caritas as well as other non- governmental organisations, schools and the Alexandria scouts. The campaign focussed on attracting and convincing more volunteers to promote environmental awareness and protection activities. Among those who joined efforts with FEA was Onyx, the French company currently managing Alexandria's solid waste. Company employees made special rounds with their garbage collecting trucks on the beach, following the young volunteers as they cleaned up. The closing ceremony of the campaign ended by the sea at the Water Sports Club in the Al- Montaza beach, where the young participants were awarded certificates of honour from FEA for all their efforts. Last summer, over 200,000 people participated from all over the world to clean up the Med. A most fruitful effort, and definitely something of national need.
