and then a revolution happens. sorry i've been kind of MIA. understandably, i was without internet for a week and a half and then battling reverse culture shock since i've been back. so yeah. the revolution. i'll start this off by saying that no one thought this was coming like it did. on january 24th, me, ty, and sarah sat in deal's, our favorite neighborhood pub, and talked about how we couldn't imagine that anything that significant would come of the rumors that the next day, national police day, hundreds of people would demonstrate downtown. we, and hundreds of other specialists, reporters, other co-workers, really anyone with an opinion on regional politics just didn't see the Egyptian people rallying enough to make a protest effective. we were obviously very wrong. and the next week and a half saw incredible protests, violence, uncertainty, and a lot of tenses days and nights waiting.
for all intents and purposes i was definitely safe the whole time and never really felt in harm's way. but the tension of being under house arrest for 15-20 hours a day and only being able to sit on our roof and watch the helicopters and fighter jets circle. or listen to the crowds from Tahrir Square. or look down below at the looters and neighborhood watchmen going at it to protect their shops and houses. it was frustrating to say the least. it was exhausting and trying and definitely more affecting than i initially thought.
the decision to leave or to stay was just as tumultuous to make and i went back and forth with my parents all week long. i was frustrated because there's really no way to know what was going to happen. every day was a roller coaster of stagnation turned into escalated violence back to calm. things changed in minutes and we never knew what was going to happen next. so making a decision about whether or not to walk away from the internship, to leave and hide out in europe for a while and come back, or to just leave and hope to come back someday. ultimately, it made sense to leave on thurs, feb. 4th and try to come back if i could.
i'm glad to be back. it's nice to have a little vacation and destress at home. but honestly, it was really hard to leave. it felt like i was punking out on the people i work with and live with and the Egyptians that i've become close to over there. like i should be there with them through the whole thing, even though it's not my fight. in the end, i'm excited to go back (i bought a ticket for february 21st) if its possible and safe to do so. as we speak, i'm watching CNN's coverage of Tahrir and state tv in Egypt is reporting that Mubarak will address everyone tonight and it's possible he'll resign. if that's the case, i'm sad i'm not there to witness the celebrate, but i know it'll be a different Egypt to go back to.
the coolest thing about this situation is that this is what i studied. this is what i spent four years at UGA writing about and learning about and wanting to be involved in. it's so incredible to have witnessed a part of this and to hopefully go back and witness the transition into a stable, new government for the people who have wanted this for so long. this changes so much in regional politics and its pretty freaking awesome to be this close to it.
anyway, i wanted to give y'all the story. there are more funny anecdotes about living through the revolution that will come out in time. but i wanted y'all to know how much it affected me and how excited and anxious i am to get back to cairo and finish out my internship. hopefully, it'll be safe and secure enough for me to be able to do that. i'm going to put a link for the editorial i wrote for the Williamson Herald today. it's groundbreaking journalism. (c:
i'm going to athens this weekend! i'm so excited to see everyone and generally just have a weekend in athens to have fun. walkers, the loft, and trapp are a must. i love you guys! i hope you're all doing well. if i was made of money i would go on a cross country tour to see you all. but, alas. we'll have to all wait our turns.
love love love.
Williamson Herald Article
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