Here is the quickest break down of how I have ended up back in Canada. [Incidentally the phrase 'break down' has been used to describe a lot of things lately - including me.]
Friday January 21 @ Church.
I am talking with some friends about Egypt and Tunisia, and the protests planned for Tuesday's "Police Day" holiday. A friend who knows more about the Middle East and Egypt than any of us, explained that there were protests planned but the police knew about them and it was Egypt, after all, and nothing would really come of them. These things always lose momentum quickly.
Tuesday January 25, Police Day
We had no school, and were urged to stay away from large crowds of people, and preferably stay in Ma'adi. Things would not be too bad, but pay attention.
Things were far worse than everyone thought, and the protests were huge. We stayed in all afternoon, clicking refresh on a website that gave a live feed about the protests. It appeared that the problems were worse in Alexandria and Suez than in cairo.
The government blocked Twitter to squash the movement.
Thursday January 27
The leader of the oposition, El Baradei returns to Egypt after a personal exile out of fear of his life. There are calls for massive protests and demonstrations after prayer time on Friday.
Friday January 28
When I woke up I saw that I had no internet connection. At church, others expressed the same thing. By the time church was out, no one had any cell phone use at all.
At home, I was glued to CNN And AlJazeera along with everyone else. Things were getting drastic and a bit crazy. Violence, shouting, and passion. Go Egypt!
Being without means of communicating is a scary thing, especially when you live alone. We had a birthday party planned for a friend, and we could not cancel it, so I headed to Sara's house, threw some overnight clothes in a bag, and spent the night. As we watched tv, we saw that the government imposed a curfew for 6pm. We tried to go out to take some of the girls home from the party, and every single person on the street (there weren't many) tried to force us back inside. One man said "this is big day for Egypt, but not safe, not good." We put them in a taxi and went back inside.
Saturday January 29
In the morning I returned to my home, and eventually cell phone use was available, at least sporadically. I did some things around the apartment, packed another overnight bag and headed to Maggie and John's. I just didn't feel safe being by myself, as we heard that the police were no longer going to be protecting people and had retreated.
Sunday January 30
Throughout the night we had heard gunshots and saw many men on the streets with sticks. This was a touching "Egypt moment" where the young men in our neighbourhoods and the boabs (door people) took to the street to protect Ma'adi against looting. Without police, they knew things were in their hands. Later we learned that the gunshots were a method of communication, not a problem.
I also learned later that people who lived on Road 9, or in other areas of Ma'adi and Cairo, had a lot more problems than we did in Degla.
As Sunday progressed, things became less and less secure, as we learned that entire prisons had been emptied out, and that things were getting a big chaotic. It's hard to say that I ever felt 100% unsafe, but things were not stable. The school called us and said "pack a bag, possibly one for multiple-country evacuation. We are going to Sharm el Sheikh to wait this out."
Monday January 31
8 hours in a convoy of 4 buses headed through the Sinai peninsula. In yet another "Egypt moment" we were mistakenly led through Egypt's most dangerous city, Suez, instead of around it.
We arrived safely in Sharm, and were told that our stay was indefinite.
Tuesday, February 1
Breakfast. Meeting. Run. Shower. Lunch. Friends. Supper. Drinks. Bed.
Wednesday, February 2
See above. Internet comes back on.
Thursday, February 3
Lather, rinse, repeat.
Friday, February 4
Before going to bed, we were called to an emergency meeting. We were told that by the end of the weekend we would be flown to our home of record to wait things out. Egypt wasn't going to fix itself any time soon, and it would be cheaper to send us home than to pay 10 000 $ a day to keep us all at the resort. We were elated.
Saturday February 5
12 hours after being told we were going to our home of record, the school announced that Cairo was safe, and we would be headed back there on Sunday to resume life as normal. Shannon breaks down, but is not the only one. This is not the time for up and down roller coaster emotions, and we're done. I booked a ticket for Canada.
Sunday, February 6
I left Sharm El Sheikh for Canada, via London. In my suitcase I have 3 swimsuits, 4 pairs of capris, 12 t-shirts, 2 light sweaters and 2 pairs of jeans. Definitely ready to go to Canada.
Monday February 7
Upon checking in for my Heathrow-Pearson leg, I started to cry uncontrollably. I got my own row out of the deal, and yes, I have now learned an important life lesson.
Monday February 7 - ???
I'm in Canada, waiting. The Western attention span with Egypt is very short, and this frustrates me. I check BBC and AlJazeera regularly, but this just isn't news anymore. Nor is it finished.
Friday January 21 @ Church.
I am talking with some friends about Egypt and Tunisia, and the protests planned for Tuesday's "Police Day" holiday. A friend who knows more about the Middle East and Egypt than any of us, explained that there were protests planned but the police knew about them and it was Egypt, after all, and nothing would really come of them. These things always lose momentum quickly.
Tuesday January 25, Police Day
We had no school, and were urged to stay away from large crowds of people, and preferably stay in Ma'adi. Things would not be too bad, but pay attention.
Things were far worse than everyone thought, and the protests were huge. We stayed in all afternoon, clicking refresh on a website that gave a live feed about the protests. It appeared that the problems were worse in Alexandria and Suez than in cairo.
The government blocked Twitter to squash the movement.
Thursday January 27
The leader of the oposition, El Baradei returns to Egypt after a personal exile out of fear of his life. There are calls for massive protests and demonstrations after prayer time on Friday.
Friday January 28
When I woke up I saw that I had no internet connection. At church, others expressed the same thing. By the time church was out, no one had any cell phone use at all.
At home, I was glued to CNN And AlJazeera along with everyone else. Things were getting drastic and a bit crazy. Violence, shouting, and passion. Go Egypt!
Being without means of communicating is a scary thing, especially when you live alone. We had a birthday party planned for a friend, and we could not cancel it, so I headed to Sara's house, threw some overnight clothes in a bag, and spent the night. As we watched tv, we saw that the government imposed a curfew for 6pm. We tried to go out to take some of the girls home from the party, and every single person on the street (there weren't many) tried to force us back inside. One man said "this is big day for Egypt, but not safe, not good." We put them in a taxi and went back inside.
Saturday January 29
In the morning I returned to my home, and eventually cell phone use was available, at least sporadically. I did some things around the apartment, packed another overnight bag and headed to Maggie and John's. I just didn't feel safe being by myself, as we heard that the police were no longer going to be protecting people and had retreated.
Sunday January 30
Throughout the night we had heard gunshots and saw many men on the streets with sticks. This was a touching "Egypt moment" where the young men in our neighbourhoods and the boabs (door people) took to the street to protect Ma'adi against looting. Without police, they knew things were in their hands. Later we learned that the gunshots were a method of communication, not a problem.
I also learned later that people who lived on Road 9, or in other areas of Ma'adi and Cairo, had a lot more problems than we did in Degla.
As Sunday progressed, things became less and less secure, as we learned that entire prisons had been emptied out, and that things were getting a big chaotic. It's hard to say that I ever felt 100% unsafe, but things were not stable. The school called us and said "pack a bag, possibly one for multiple-country evacuation. We are going to Sharm el Sheikh to wait this out."
Monday January 31
8 hours in a convoy of 4 buses headed through the Sinai peninsula. In yet another "Egypt moment" we were mistakenly led through Egypt's most dangerous city, Suez, instead of around it.
We arrived safely in Sharm, and were told that our stay was indefinite.
Tuesday, February 1
Breakfast. Meeting. Run. Shower. Lunch. Friends. Supper. Drinks. Bed.
Wednesday, February 2
See above. Internet comes back on.
Thursday, February 3
Lather, rinse, repeat.
Friday, February 4
Before going to bed, we were called to an emergency meeting. We were told that by the end of the weekend we would be flown to our home of record to wait things out. Egypt wasn't going to fix itself any time soon, and it would be cheaper to send us home than to pay 10 000 $ a day to keep us all at the resort. We were elated.
Saturday February 5
12 hours after being told we were going to our home of record, the school announced that Cairo was safe, and we would be headed back there on Sunday to resume life as normal. Shannon breaks down, but is not the only one. This is not the time for up and down roller coaster emotions, and we're done. I booked a ticket for Canada.
Sunday, February 6
I left Sharm El Sheikh for Canada, via London. In my suitcase I have 3 swimsuits, 4 pairs of capris, 12 t-shirts, 2 light sweaters and 2 pairs of jeans. Definitely ready to go to Canada.
Monday February 7
Upon checking in for my Heathrow-Pearson leg, I started to cry uncontrollably. I got my own row out of the deal, and yes, I have now learned an important life lesson.
Monday February 7 - ???
I'm in Canada, waiting. The Western attention span with Egypt is very short, and this frustrates me. I check BBC and AlJazeera regularly, but this just isn't news anymore. Nor is it finished.
I, for one, am so glad that you're back in the country for now. Have you left many of your ex-pat coworkers behind in Egypt?
ReplyDeleteShannon, Egypt doesn't sound exactly safe. Perhaps you should try the school in Iraq? Hope to see you soon.
ReplyDelete