" Hello Grand Frere!

Deja deux semaines apres Alexandria! 

 J'aimerais, au nom de ALA et en mon nom, vous dire un grand merci pour l'excellente conference que nous avons eue a Alexandria. Les collegues avec qui j'ai parle, nous sommes tous contents d'avoir pris la decision d'aller a Alexandrie. Et vous savez que dans tout cela, votre poids a joue pour beaucoup: on fait confiance ou ne fait pas confiance au grand frere et a ses collaborateurs..Tout a bien marche, et chacun est rentre sain et sauf, heureux d'avoir fait le voyage. 

Portez-vous bien, et encore merci."

"Hello Faiza!

I hope the after-conference is going smoothly...I talked to people since Alexandria; the general sense is that "c'etait superbe"!   Malheureusement trop court.. All of them say the are happy they decided to go. Maybe, one day, we will go back. . . .

Again, congratulations and thanks for a wonderful conference in Alexandria."

Excerpts from some of the many messages from ALA members:

"it was a great conference, in all respects. faiza shereen made sure our

needs, our safety, and all aspects of organizing were carefully met. it was

absolutely fabulous being in egypt, and especially meeting with students,

with academics: alexandria's library was an amazing building to see, to be

in; alexandria and cairo were wonderful cities. though it was disconcerting

to be there when the war broke out, but our feelings of solidarity were

only heightened by our presence in egypt. it became one of those

unforgettable ala experiences, where the presentations, the talks, the

surroundings, and the solidarity all enhanced each other."

"I just wanted to drop you a short note to let you know how much I appreciated your efforts in organizing this year's ALA conference. The whole trip came off flawlessly and the conference itself was truly wonderful. You handled complicated arrangements and last minute crises with grace and skill. Thanks again for all your hard work!"

"Well done for a successful conference, and thank you for all your hard work and belief in us and the venue!"

"Dear friends, I wish to express my sincere gratitude to you all, and also to your collaborators, for the enormous amount of time and work you put into our Conference. I think all participants would agree with me: our days in Egypt were marvelous, and our sessions, on the whole, very stimulating. Needless to say, I found the Bibliotheca Alexandrina marvelous (and so so moving when you realize what that place represents...);  . . . . As for the trip to the Pyramids, there is no word to express what I felt there ... I am, of course, sorry, that a number of people cancelled their trip, but no one can live for anyone else... I will come back, some day (that was my first trip to Egypt). We all have so much to learn from that part of the world.

Again, thank you to our Egyptian hosts for their graceful hospitality, their elegance and courtesy; thank you to Edris, Faiza, and Amira, for making these memorable days possible.

Warmly,"

"Just a quick note of profound thanks for organizing such a wonderful conference. It was a memorable experience as well as an intellectually fruitful one. The fluidity with which you brought it off in the face of such serious obstacles is truly remarkable."

"I just wanted to write and thank you for the extraordinary work you did in arranging the fantastic conference in Alexandria. I don't think I have ever been to a conference where the participants were treated so well. . . . All in all, it was an amazing two weeks and I thank you deeply for making it possible."

"Dear Faiza, Edris and Amira!

I wanted to THANK you so much for an exceptional conference in Cairo and Alexandria, particularly in view of the awful and disturbing international situation.  It was indeed a very generous, grand and intellectually challenging meeting, very well organized and sponsored: at all times we had someone who will appear and ask us if we needed some help, who would guide us or talk to us. The STUDENTS at the library and at the hotel were exceptional too, always present and efficient.  The STAR of Egypt staff: GREAT also and always ready to get out their way to please and help us. I have heard only praise so far from my colleagues and friends and I hope they will let you know too. I know what it takes to organize such an event and i say: BRAVI to all of you and also to the staff at the library, particularly Ms. Hanan El Rakkad who has been so generous with her time. The tour guides were also so wonderful and "disponibles" for us, in Cairo as in Alexandria....  It was indeed a real pleasure to be your guests and the guests of the LIBRARY and the City. The various excursions were very well organized and I particularly enjoyed our guide"kemet".   As for the receptions and the food: it was a delight and we have been so well received, everywhere we went... Thank you too for providing the security : they too were very nice and willing to discuss with us, which made everything very relaxed, for us at least.  Congratulations to Melody-Ann for a well and beautifully kept website that was so helpful all along...... 

MERCI, Shokran (sic) and Thank you to you Faiza and Amira for working so hard to make our stay a remarkable one in your country! thanks to Edriss too and to the University of Dayton and all who helped make this 29th meeting of ALA in the home of the Sphinx and the Pyramids possible.

Cordialement, chaleureusement à vous trois"