"I very much enjoyed the evening discussion at Nion on the theme of cleaning, and I was struck by how the conversation turned to the different attitudes towards cleaning in different cultures, and in particular the different experiences of cleaning in schools shared by participants from a range of countries.
This led me to wonder how my own learning experiences had affected my present attitude to towards cleanness and the environment. One of my own school headmasters ran a strict hierarchical regime, but we would often see him pick up litter, in a sense humbling himself before us and leading by example.
I recently had a cleaning experience of my own which I would like to share.
In April this year I completed a teaching assignment at the German University in Cairo (Egypt) and traveled with a colleague and another friend to the White Desert, a day’s drive westward from Cairo. One enters this precious landscape with a qualified guide in an off-road vehicle loaded with provisions. We ate food cooked on an open fire and slept on blankets under the stars. During our stay we encountered other touring parties but most of the time we were alone. At midday we would take shelter from the sun at one of the small oases in an otherwise dry landscape. At one such oasis I was upset to see that much rubbish had been left behind by previous visitors. Food and packaging was lying around and some had already become embedded in the thick bushes. It shows us how even low-frequency selective tourism can leave a profound and lasting mark. Our natural environment is indeed fragile. Our guide, a local resident of Bedouin origin named Yahya, informed me that some tour parties arrive directly from Cairo and do not bring a respectful attitude with them. I asked if he good telephone our host Saad in Farafra to request a rake and some bin-bags, so I could begin to the address the problem in the most direct way possible, by myself. That evening Saad drove to us with the rake and bags and we all ate together under the stars. The next day at midday we returned to the oasis where Yahya and I began gathering rubbish. Yahya took the lead at this point, duly warning me that there may be snakes in the bushes, so sadly I could not clear them completely. He also built a fire for combustible rubbish while we gathered the rest in bin-bags which we then stowed on top of our vehicle. After less than one hour’s work we had succeeded in restoring some diginity to the oasis, and I felt consoled. But I also felt concerned for how long our efforts would last.
I do not recall whether my old school headmaster, A.K. Wareham, sprang directly to mind at the oasis. But following our meeting at Nion, I’m sure his influence was at work some 40 years later."
Adrian Peach, Berlin 27 August, 2019.
photo: Maria Mohr
