Woke up this morning without internet or cell phone service. The ability to communicate within the country and to people outside of the country has been completely cut off all day. It has left us with a feeling of anxiety and paralysis as we wanted to be in contact with at minimum family in the US as well as each other in case of an emergency. Our grocery shopping plans were canceled and we were asked to return to our neighborhood by the police. The city of Alexandria was eerily calm this morning before noon prayers. The riot police trucks were lined up ready for protests to begin; however, there were hardly any people on the streets. We returned to our neighborhood and grabbed some lunch. News came from the resident director that protests had begun and teargas was fired at the protesters. We went back to our apartments and began watching the news. After being in Cairo for over two weeks, it was shocking to see the never-ending barrage of teargas and fires being set every minute. Watching the live shots of protesters attacking the riot police on the 6th of October bridge gave me the feeling that I was watching a sporting event with the commentator giving a play by play description in the background. At one point, my roommates and I clapped when the protesters took over a riot police truck. After resting for about an hour and a half, I woke up to my roommates saying things had gotten crazy. In fact, the city of Cairo looked as if it was closer to Baghdad than to the cosmopolitan city it is. The jewel and gateway to the Middle East had changed overnight. Soon our resident assistant came over to make sure that we were all ok; however, the guy students were missing—caught in the protests. Thankfully we all were able to be reunited at the girls’ apartment. It was nice to be together as a group and watch the overview of the events that had so quickly unfolded during the day. News came that the President would be addressing the nation; however, the protests continued to escalate, and the ruling party’s building was set ablaze in Cairo. Watching the news has been very surreal. Even as our relatives and friends have been worrying about our safety here, so have we been on high security alert. The feelings we have vary so much from excitement for the people of Egypt to feeling that we have lost so much freedom while here—no internet, cell phone service, limited freedom of movement. However, this feeling of lost freedom does not compare to anything that the people of Egypt have experienced and continue to experience. As an American, I cannot explain how valuable my freedom has become to me after living here. Even as America has its problems, we are possibly the freest people in the world. I cannot say that it is America’s responsibility to do anything to bring about the freedom of the Egyptian people; however, it is our responsibility to support people worldwide in their quest to attain freedom. The Egyptians are sick of being slaves to an oppressive system, and today they have showed us that they will no longer be slaves to the system. Buildings are burning, but the Egyptians are standing strong. They remain solidified in their quest to bring change to Egypt, but at the same time are solidified under their pride as Egyptians. The final shot of Cairo I have seen tonight is of the Egyptian people protecting the precious antiquities at the Egyptian Museum from fire and looters—Egyptians hold on to the parts of the past they hold dear as the parts of the past they abhor burn to the ground.
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