So, no one really knows what’s going on. The general consensus is that classes tomorrow have been cancelled, but I hope that’s wrong. It would be really nice to be able to get to campus tomorrow and talk to Fadi or Professor Ikram face to face.
Some people are getting ready to leave, even though they’ve only been here a week. Parents are apparently freaking out, booking tickets out of the country as fast as they can. Lots of students are planning on just getting out of Cairo for a week or two, going to the Red Sea or an oasis for a while. I’d be more worried about getting back in than getting out, and getting too far from the airport isn’t high on my list of things to do.
Apparently Mubarak fired his cabinet. That’s not the issue here, buddy. Good try, though. Maybe just go one step further and fire yourself.The entire internet is still down, except for the notable exception of AUC’s website. It’s not much help, though, since I still can’t access my email account to contact anybody. I don’t know why that one website out of everything escaped the block, but I’m guessing it’s because someone high up in Egypt’s bureaucracy who is responsible for cutting off the interwebs is an alum, or the parent of a current student.
Okay, that might have been gunfire, or it might have been someone rolling a heavy cart over uneven tiles. I’m leaning toward the latter, because it’s more comforting, and because I thought slamming bathroom doors were gunfire last night. Maybe I’m a little on edge.
This morning I left the dorms in search of coffee and sustenance, only to find everything closed. Even McDonald’s. I bypassed my chance to visit Alfa Mart and stock up on food, which is slightly unfortunate because apparently we’re under curfew now. I’m sure I’ll survive, though. I have a jar of peanut butter.
20:33
There were apparently demonstrators outside, so everyone who was downstairs was made to go up. Apparently we have to huddle in our rooms. I spent the afternoon hanging out with two new friends who were both here last semester. We watched The Fast and the Furious, and paused it every half hour or so to go out on the balcony and look for smoke, helicopters, and protesters. Then I played a rip off version of Scrabble downstairs. When we were done, the board included words such as ‘quaffle’, ‘jaaa’, ‘heil’, and ‘snun.’ Official rules? What rules?
I keep checking the AUC website, even though I know there isn’t anything to see on it. It’s just a little comforting to have one piece of the internet that still functions, I guess.
22:44
I tried to call home, exactly the same as I did this morning, but the number didn’t work. First there were two men talking in Arabic, saying something about Egypt, and the phone was ringing in the middle, and then a woman said hello, and then something I didn’t understand, but she sounded sorry. I think she was saying something about not being able to reach America, but I’m not sure. I’ll try again tomorrow morning, just in case.
Oh, and classes are cancelled for all of next week.
Some people are getting ready to leave, even though they’ve only been here a week. Parents are apparently freaking out, booking tickets out of the country as fast as they can. Lots of students are planning on just getting out of Cairo for a week or two, going to the Red Sea or an oasis for a while. I’d be more worried about getting back in than getting out, and getting too far from the airport isn’t high on my list of things to do.
Apparently Mubarak fired his cabinet. That’s not the issue here, buddy. Good try, though. Maybe just go one step further and fire yourself.The entire internet is still down, except for the notable exception of AUC’s website. It’s not much help, though, since I still can’t access my email account to contact anybody. I don’t know why that one website out of everything escaped the block, but I’m guessing it’s because someone high up in Egypt’s bureaucracy who is responsible for cutting off the interwebs is an alum, or the parent of a current student.
Okay, that might have been gunfire, or it might have been someone rolling a heavy cart over uneven tiles. I’m leaning toward the latter, because it’s more comforting, and because I thought slamming bathroom doors were gunfire last night. Maybe I’m a little on edge.
This morning I left the dorms in search of coffee and sustenance, only to find everything closed. Even McDonald’s. I bypassed my chance to visit Alfa Mart and stock up on food, which is slightly unfortunate because apparently we’re under curfew now. I’m sure I’ll survive, though. I have a jar of peanut butter.
20:33
There were apparently demonstrators outside, so everyone who was downstairs was made to go up. Apparently we have to huddle in our rooms. I spent the afternoon hanging out with two new friends who were both here last semester. We watched The Fast and the Furious, and paused it every half hour or so to go out on the balcony and look for smoke, helicopters, and protesters. Then I played a rip off version of Scrabble downstairs. When we were done, the board included words such as ‘quaffle’, ‘jaaa’, ‘heil’, and ‘snun.’ Official rules? What rules?
I keep checking the AUC website, even though I know there isn’t anything to see on it. It’s just a little comforting to have one piece of the internet that still functions, I guess.
22:44
I tried to call home, exactly the same as I did this morning, but the number didn’t work. First there were two men talking in Arabic, saying something about Egypt, and the phone was ringing in the middle, and then a woman said hello, and then something I didn’t understand, but she sounded sorry. I think she was saying something about not being able to reach America, but I’m not sure. I’ll try again tomorrow morning, just in case.
Oh, and classes are cancelled for all of next week.
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