Nile Fraser is a quarterly newsletter that provides ECCS-BC members & friends with its latest news, activities and upcoming events.
Issue 5 - December 2015

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Nile Fraser

...Your Home Away From Home

ECCS-BC

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ECCS-BC RE-OPENS ITS

EGYPTIAN ARABIC SCHOOL

(EAS)

School opens on January 31, 2016 and will provide a variety of activity-based learning experiences

The date has finally been set for the much anticipated reopening of the Egyptian Arabic School (EAS) in Burnaby! ECCS-BC has decided the first day of Arabic language lessons in its reopened school would be Sunday, January 31, 2016. EAS' classes and activities will be conducted inside Byrne Creek Community School, located at 7777 18th St, Burnaby, BC, V3N 5E5.

ECCS-BC's vision for its school is to develop and utilize an innovative educational system to teach the Arabic Language, while providing activity-based, personalized, easily accessible and affordable learning experience to all its members and friends. This includes a smaller number of students per class and per instructor, and experienced and well reputed instructors and volunteers providing the service.

The school will be funded through suggested donations, simply for cost recovery. For parents and other members and friends, other activities during the school time shall be be organized from time to time, via ECCS-BC Sunday Club onsite. Prior to the reopening, an Open House will be held to provide more information and answers to all inquiries; scroll down to "Open House" for more information.

Happy Mawlid Nabawi!

ECCS-BC congratulates its Muslim members and friends for the passing Al Mawlid Al Nabawi on Rabih Al Awaal 12, coinciding December 24th. The date signifies the observance of the birthday of Prophet Mohammed. The season in Egypt is characterized by family outings, street entertainment and acquiring special treats and delights, the most famous and popular one with the children is The Bride of Mawlid: an eatable bride made out of and decorated with a variety of colourful sweets and sugar. The tradition goes back to the tenth century and is common in many Muslim countries, especially in North Africa, where it originates.

Happy Mawlid Nabawi!

Merry Christmas!

ECCS-BC congratulates its Coptic members and friends for the coming Orthodox Christmas on January 7, coinciding Kiak 29. The date signifies the birth of Christ. The season is characterized by decorating Christmas trees and exchanging gifts with family and friends. Prayers and celebrations will be held in Coptic churches throughout BC, ending a 40 days Nativity Fasting preceding Christmas, during which, Coptic Orthodox Christians abstain from eating animal products and commit primarily to a vegan diet. On Christmas Eve (January 6), liturgies and special services are conducted in churches until midnight; thereafter the Fasting ends, followed by a celebration with a variety of meals containing meat, cheese, eggs and butter usually served. As in the previous year, ECCS-BC’s board is planning on joining the Christmas celebration at Saint Mary’s Coptic Orthodox Church in Surrey.

Merry Christmas!

Happy 2016 to all of ECCS-BC's Gracious Members!

The Egyptian Canadian Cultural Society of BC (ECCS-BC), would like to wish for all its members and friends a wonderful new year and would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your welcoming and generous spirits towards us and your community. You have demonstrated kindness and support through your eagerness to participate, volunteer and contribute with your presence and voices in each and every event with us in 2015. Your encouragement has helped us overcome all the challenges we faced to have the Society, functionally and fully, up and running actively again since 2013. In the coming year, We wish you success and joy in all your endeavours, and we are looking forward to providing you with the best possible services and organization. This issue of our newsletter will summarize in part the upcoming events of 2016, which are currently being organized for you. Keep checking our updates for any changes or new exciting events to be announced. Happy New Year!

ECCS-BC Board.

2016 Activities & Events

ECCS-BC has decided to host a number of events this year; and below we show you a sneak peek of what's coming up. These are definitely not going to be the only events for 2016, as we are working on some other ones, so don't miss our updates and notifications for more exciting events and updates!

On Sunday, January 17, 2016, ECCS-BC is hosting an Open House at Byrne Creek Community School in Burnaby. The purpose of the Open House is to provide onsite information regarding our renewed Egyptian Arabic School that will open its doors on January 31, 2016. The Open House will include many exciting activities for children and will display, hands-on, the tools and capabilities of our much anticipated classes; it will also be a great opportunity to introduce our instructors and volunteers to interested parents. Don't miss out! Reminders will be sent via email to all ECCS-BC's members. Also updates will be available on http://eccsbc.com/beta/egyptianarabicschool/

For those who missed last year's snow-skiing event will have another chance to participate in the fun this year! ECCS-BC will organize the event in February in Seymour Mountain; it will include BBQ, site seeing and, of course, snow-skiing. The environment is 100% safe and family friendly. Brrrr!

As promised, starting March and throughout 2016 ECCS-BC will organize soccer activities with the aid of the distinguished coach Nour Fathy! Several teams will be organized based on various age groups and skill levels; and we look forward to participate in official tournaments soon! For inquiries, please contact us via email on soccer@eccsbc.com soon as possible.

Coloured eggs, coloured faces, outdoor activities and excellent seafood dishes is what it's all about in Sham El Nessim in April 2016. ECCS-BC preserves the ancient Egyptian festivity on Canadian soil. We look forward to celebrate it with all dear members.

The summer camp of last July was outstandingly praised and was a main source of joy for many of us. Therefore, ECCS-BC is continuing the tradition this year in the same month. And because of the selfless volunteering spirit gracefully displayed by all our members last year, we promise to outperform ourselves this year and organize even more special activities for the entire family!

Proudly Our Member

Dr. Tarek Sayed

Dr. Sayed, a distinguished member of ECCS-BC, is a professor and a researcher in the department of civil engineering at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Sayed has been granted a 2015 Prince Michael International Road Safety Award, for developing an innovative computer road safety analysis system. The new system allows for the detection of collision risks by analyzing traffic conflicts and near misses, without the need of collecting data of actual collisions. This development will possibly save lives and prevent injuries by helping safety professionals diagnose safety problems on the roads and select the best countermeasures. ECCS-BC congratulates Dr. Sayed for his advanced achievement and wishes him more success in the future!

For references and more details, check the link: http://www.civil.ubc.ca/news-events/2015/11/prof-tarek-sayeds-innovative-road-safety-technology-selected-2015-prince-michael-international-road-safety-award

Middle Eastern Music Hosted by VICO in 2016

Lovers of Middle Eastern music are in for a treat this coming February from the 22nd to the 28th, 2016 in North Vancouver, as Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra or VICO will be hosting various traditional Middle Eastern bands from Lebanon, Turkey and other countries. Traditional instruments, such as Oud and Qanun, are expected to be masterfully played. Tickets are affordable and special discounts for students are applicable. Enjoy listening!

For more information, click the following link http://www.vi-co.org/en/upcoming-shows

WorkBC Launching New Programs in 2016

WorkBC is launching a variety of employment and funding programs targeting current and previous E.I. recipients to help them secure long-term employment. The programs include job-haunt training, certificate training, workshops and self-employment services. Most of these new programs will start by mid January 2016. Check the link bellow for more information on how to apply. Good luck!

http://www.clearwateremployment.ca/funding-information

Egyptian Fish Tagine

For the holidays and festivities, we've chosen for you The Egyptian Fish Tagine dish. The Tagine is the conical-topped clay cooking pot that cooks spicy stews to perfection. This seafood recipe uses the traditional Nile perch, with authentic squid and prawns, being the fruits of Egypt's Mediterranean coastline and its famous river.

For the actual recipe, click on the following link: http://www.sbs.com.au/food/recipes/fish-tagine.

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Below is the Nile Fraser's Advertisements Section. ECCS-BC ensures that all advertisements posted are relevant to the subject-matter of the newsletter. For advertisement requests, referrals, recommendations, or inquiries on our advertisement policy and else, kindly contact us via the email address ads@eccsbc.com

To make this newsletter truly yours, your feedback, ideas, recommendations for improvement, sharing of relevant news and inspirational stories are all welcome and needed! Contact us via nilefraser@eccsbc.com

Copyright © 2015 Egyptian Canadian Cultural Society of British Columbia, All rights reserved.
Nile Fraser Quarterly Newsletter - September 2015

Richmond, BC, CANADA

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