Synopsis (from 1 week ago)

I experienced the revolution both as an Egyptian citizen and as an American visitor.

I was fortunate enough to spend an entire month living in Egypt and making the most of it. During this time, I discovered a significant part of my identity that had been waiting to mature and finally emerged. I came to feel as much at home in Cairo as I do in Chicago.

When demonstrations against the Egyptian government began 19 days ago on Tuesday, January 25, everyone was excited and impassioned. These sentiments grew as demonstrations continued throughout the week, but and as rumors spread and the warning signs began (e.g. periodic blockage of Twitter and Facebook), everyone braced themselves for the anticipated escalation of Friday, January 28. I left the student apartments in Dokki in central Cairo to stay with my uncle’s family in a neighborhood farther from the downtown area.

My family and I were watching the news and on the phone for two days straight. My nerves were in a frenzy the whole time, and my emotions were on fire. I was terrified for my cousins demonstrating in the streets, terrified for my friends trapped in Dokki, afraid for our own safety, afraid for future of Egypt, and afraid that the University of Chicago would be forced to pull its students out of the country. By the time the latter was realized on Saturday, January 29, I had come to terms with the fact that there was no way the University could maintain a program amidst the crisis. I also knew that, despite my desire to be with my family through this ordeal, their fear and sense of responsibility for my safety would have been too much of a burden at that time. I had no choice. I had to go.

I left my heart in Egypt. It was devastating to watch my country erupt in chaos, and leaving my family at such a critical time was very painful. I reassured my relatives and myself that I will return to Egypt as soon as I can.

Escaping the country ended up being even more of a challenge. We had to endure harrowing crowds and chaos amidst thousands trying to escape the country at once; being stranded in the airport, with many refugees and resources running out; evacuation by the US Embassy on a charter plane to Athens; and ultimately, relocation to Paris. By the time I arrived in Paris, the adrenaline rush of escape mode had dissolved into an overwhelming sense of grief and bewilderment.

This blog will be an account of my entire experience: the joy of living in Egypt for a month; the odyssey of living through the revolution and evacuation; and the culture shock and post-traumatic stress of adjusting to Paris; and, now that the immediate crisis in Egypt is over, what I predict will be a bittersweet experience of being able to enjoy Paris but also coping with separation from our family at this critical time.

Every day, I will share a portion of the thorough account I kept during those first few days of the revolution, when we when cut off from the world. I will also share experiences from the evacuation process, from my new life in Paris, and from my time in Cairo before the revolution.