Mo better Monday

Sand storms off and on for the past week.  It seems a little early in the year for it but then again, we're almost to March.

Weather is also starting to warm up a bit and there are a couple of days forecast at low 80's in the coming week.

I love the Fall and Spring here in Cairo, but the short Winter and the ever lasting Summer really just aren't that pleasant.

We recently bought a kind of small sized emergency light.  You charge it by plugging it in, but then the light will last for quite some hours, so it will be useful in the Summer when the power goes out all the time.  I do also have the hand crank flashflight, but you have to keep winding it every few minutes or so or the light starts getting dimmer and dimmer.

:::

Finally decided it was okay to post the log/journal that I kept while the internet was down during the recent activities here in Cairo.  Looking back it seems that I kept a log for about 5 or 6 days, can't remember exactly.

I'll be posting a couple of entries a week.  They're kind of long in one sense and there's no way I want to post it all at once and overwhelm anyone.

So, the first one today and then the next one either Wednesday or maybe Thursday.
Would appreciate any feedback on these posts.  I had hubby read over the first day and he thought it was accurate and enjoyed reading it.

Unfortunately, most of what I got regarding images were videos, in which you can kind of clearly tell where we live.  I'm not so excited about posting those up and I got very few pictures, so I'm not sure what to do about that.  I may post up the videos privately for family or something to see.  Will think about it.

So, onto the first day.  By the way, this first day is fairly long but by the last log, it was much shorter.

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Jan 29, 2011

The sun has set some few hours ago.  And now, in the dark, we hear gunshots.  I am told that they are signals, from sentries on nearby streets.  What they are signaling, I'm not certain.

It's disconcerting to hear them from a few streets away, and more so to hear them right on your own street.

I hope they don't keep at it throughout the night.

It is said that police were letting the prisoners out of the police stations.  Which explains all the looting of electronics that has been happening in the last 24 or so hours.  And not just thieves hubby says, they are "thugs".  Apparently this has been done to keep people too busy guarding their houses to be able to go out and demonstrate.

They have looted many many places, some large, some small, all over Cairo.

I would have to say, not so safe to be walking the streets at night now.

Even the very young boys on the back streets are carrying around weapons, perhaps something like bats.

There is supposedly a curfew, from 6 p.m. til 7 a.m., but I don't know how long that is supposed to stay in effect.


Last night (Friday night), after things settled down on our street, was the quietest night I've ever spent here in Cairo.  Hardly a car going by and not much to speak of for foot traffic either.  It was eerily quiet.

But we did hear unexplained firing.  My first thought was that it was tear gas being fired somewhere not too far away, the sound carrying in the quiet night.

Hubby thinks more along the lines of gunfire of some kind, which may be more accurate, since it was more rapid fire than I think the tear gas cannons shoot.

This went on through the wee hours, every 20 minutes or so from 3 a.m. til maybe 5:30 a.m.

They cut the internet by midnight on Thursday night, and when we woke at noon on Friday, all cell lines were dead as well.

The phone lines came back by 11:30 a.m. today, Saturday, but they still have not turned the internet back on.

With cell phones, communication and information is able to spread more easily, once again.

We hear news that there are buildings that have been set afire in Tahrir square, the area that seems to be the main meeting point for the protesters.

We know someone who knows someone living in Tahrir square, with a direct view.  I wonder what it has been like the last few days, and although I'm not sure I'd feel safe living there right now, I wish I had been able to capture some of that on film.

The army was out with tanks on Pyramid Street last night (about 5 or 10 minutes walk from us).  Not sure if they are still there or what is going on.

I heard that the army is being sent out to guard the streets because the police are just gone.  But, I hear that the army is nicer than the police, that the police are justs corrupt and can't be trusted.

So, presumably we will have an army guy, gun and all, guarding somewhere nearby?  Probably quite a few since we live just off the main street.

After things died down yesterday, hubby went out to buy some supplies, as we weren't sure what would happen.

He got a case of water and food and even some candles.  We had heard that they might cut the power and though I have a flashlight that runs by manual power, it's always good to have a backup.

There is still a smell here and there today of tear gas.  It got up onto some of the roofs and I suppose with the wind blowing off and on it hasn't all gone yet.  I hope it goes soon.  I hate to leave the windows open with drying laundry, if there's a the chance of even little bits of tear gas blowing in.

It actually sprinkled about 3 times in the night, but only for about a minute each time.  We could hear the splatters on the air conditioner outside our bedroom.  And it was very windy as well.  There was even dust in the air but thankfully that didn't turn into a dust storm today.


The army has asked everyone to guard their selves and their possessions until they can get to each area to protect us.


well, 10:00 p.m. and it seems they are attacking on our street?  I just got out of the shower and hubby got a call while I was showering that the building his business partner lives in was attacked.  I believe they were able to take care of the situation, but it seems that things are getting out of hand.

It can't be just prisoners that were let out who are attacking, so I don't really understand this.

The people wanted freedom and a fair government, and how does that jibe with stealing and looting?  Are the two factions completely separate, one only taking advantage of the groundwork the other laid?  (I figured out the answer to this later on, with the additional information that the police let out the prisoners on purpose, to keep people busy and from demonstrating)

So, things are a bit beyond not safe on the streets right now, and I think I'd even be reluctant to go out in the daytime.

Hubby was telling me about the gun shots in the neighborhood and what they mean.  It seems that this is well known, and he knew about it because he was living in Kuwait when the takeover happened there.

So what happens is this, the block or parts of the block get together, and they separate out all those people that have guns.  Those people take turns, up on the roofs, guarding the buildings.  They fire shots at intervals to let the others know that everything is okay.  The first guy starts and it goes down the line.  If anyone misses firing a shot, then they know something is wrong.

There are also guys down at the beginning of every street, and you need to get a password before leaving the street, and then when you come back, you need to repeat the password to pass by.

Sounds like a lot of work but perhaps it's effective.

Okay, just heard from hubby, apparently the gun that was going off on our street was just the owner of the building "saying hello".   *sigh*

I don't know what will happen in the coming days.  I'm excited and nervous and happy and scared.

The banks are still closed and not sure when they will open.  I know the stock market has taken a tumble as well.

And I hear that things have erupted in Jordan as well, and other countries.  It seems the middle east is having some kind of general revolution!

I have to say, they way the government has handled this whole situation is just disgusting.  They obviously care nothing for the people, for rights, for freedoms.  For peoples well being and happiness.  The things I have seen the government doing in the past few days give me just the tiniest hint of why the people here are so fed up.  I don't blame them.

I'm not about to take to the streets and protest.  And I feel bad for those who do, getting tear gassed and water cannoned, and even being shot at.  Even a rubber bullet can kill you when they shoot in the right place.

But the people have rights, everyone has rights, and after 30 years of being denied the rights, people are simply fed up.  They've had enough.

I'm tempted to play some music and chill out a bit, but I don't want anything to interfere with the sounds outside, as it's a very good clue as to what is going on around us.  We need to be at least somewhat alert.

I've put a chicken in the oven to roast, so at least we'll have something nice to eat for dinner.  Wouldn't mind some home made macaroni and cheese with that, and a nice crisp salad, but no such luck, don't have the right ingredients for either.  Maybe just some pasta. 

Not sure when it will be "safe" to upload videos of the protesting and attacks that happened here yesterday, Friday, but when I feel it is safe I will.  Or I'll send them to someone else to upload and link to them.
I'm not sure how far the government will go in that department.  I know that they don't have the same freedoms here in that way that we do in the States, the freedom to post what you want, to state your opinions and thoughts.  So I worry about stepping over any lines. 

I'm sure the government has bigger fish to fry than an American housewife who mostly talks about how dusty it is, but still.... doesn't hurt to at least be somewhat cautious?  People have gone to jail here for posting online.  I don't want to be one of those people.

Hubby just said he wants to help guard the building.  This raised immediate alarms for me.  "What if.., what if... what if...", but he feels that he needs to help, and that more people make a better show at scaring off thugs.  Not sure when he will go down.  He will sleep for a few hours and then see how things are.

I have a feeling this will be a long night, and like many nights recently, I may not sleep til the sky is light.

10:45 p.m.  Just heard from my folks.  They used my calling card I left them to call my cell phone.  Nice to hear from family and back home and feel connected to something outside the mess here.


Midnight and eating dinner when a gun goes off four times in rapid succession.  I'm not sure gunfire makes for good digestion.

12:41 and shooting and a scuffle on the street.  Not sure what's going on.  Hubby is down at the cafe on the corner......and now the scuffle seems to have moved a street over or a little further up but it's still going on.  Some yelling and shouting and now it sounds like a big fight.  Time to go look out the window and see if I can see anything.  Hmmmm, couldn't see out the window so went out onto the balcony.  There seemed to be a small group of guys harassing a car on the street but I don't know why.  Several small groups of men going about with bats and such.  The streets are definitely not the safe place to be.  All in all lots of activity going on.  People in small groups talking, or walking around.

There is a mosque nearby that plays some quran for a while every now and again, which is nice and somewhat comforting, but I'm not sure if they'll do that into the night or what.  It's almost 1 a.m. now.  I do hear a speaker somewhere broadcasting something but it's not the quran, more like someone speaking?  Maybe it's a radio on a speaker or something but I can't tell.

Also, it's rather chilly out tonight!  The weather was absolutely perfect for the demonstrations on Friday.  It went from being in the mid 50's lately, to what I believe was mid 70's Friday.  Couldn't have asked for better weather.  Sunny and warm but not hot.  Still nice today, though it was cloudy very early in the morning.

1:11 and sounds of another scuffle outside. 

Hubby called a bit ago and when I asked him about the earlier commotion and the cars being stopped he said that the groups were stopping cars they didn't recognize and making sure everything was okay.  Glad I don't have to be out driving!

1:38 and another scuffle down on the street.  Quran has been playing nicely somewhere nearby for a while.
Scuffle going up and down in intensity.  Wish I could understand what they were yelling.  Though it's possible even if I understood Arabic I wouldn't know what they were yelling.  Definitely fighting going on though.  Doesn't sound good.  Hubby still down there somewhere.

2:13 and time for the next scuffle.  Little farther away but I can still hear it, and it's moving closer.

2:24 quran still playing outside somewhere.  it's calming.

3:09 and I hear several people whistling and a loud rumbling noise, and I had heard the same things several times in the night but always missed what was going on by the time I went to look, though my suspicion was that the people out on the street were whistling whenever the army was going by on their tanks.  This time when I heard the whistling start up and the noise that was there as well, I ran to the window, and sure enough, there's a tank rolling down the street.  Dorothy, you aren't in Kansas anymore.

3:31 and I can hear a tank rolling down the street.  They're quite loud.

3:41  gun shots in the near distance.

4:06 and quran still going.  I wonder if it will stop or just keep playing?

4:15 gun shots in the near distance.

4:17 and a group of guys going by whistling.  I really don't understand what the whistling is about?  It seems every time a group goes by there are some people who are whistling.  Maybe it's some sort of signal.

4:36 finally tired and worn out and want to go to bed, but hubby is still down at the front of the street on guard duty with some other guys.  I think he likes it, being involved somehow.  I think they all do.  Feeling like they have some control over what is happening, at least on our own little turf.  I will be happy if I wake up rested tomorrow, to bright sunshine and day life that is somewhat normal compared to what the night life is here now.

I wonder what is in store for this country.  Whether or not the demonstrations will have their intended effect remains to be seen, but they have affected this country to it's core, to be sure.  I have a feeling that things will be unsettled for a time, though no idea how long.  And I have a feeling that some things will change, but I can't get a handle on exactly what.  If the current government remains with no change to it, I think things will get worse, and I feel that the people, if they can't maintain the demonstrations at the same level as now, will go underground and things will get somehow uglier and scarier.  And even if the government changes and someone new comes to power, things will obviously change, but it is not so easy.  Even if the changes are good and moving in a positive direction, it is not so easy.

And, sorry to say it, but Egypt is now going to be on a list of places not to vacation in the coming months and perhaps years.  And this is sad, because it is a big part of how the country and its people bring in income.  It's a beautiful country, with a simple and lovely people, and there truly are wondrous things to see and explore.

I don't know how I feel about living here, I will have to see how things turn out after all the dust settles.  Maybe things will feel at least somewhat normal again at some point.  Maybe not.  Too early to tell.  But I don't think I will feel so carefree about life here for a long while.  I'm not sure anyone will.

I had hoped that my son might spend a semester or year in college here, but I'm not sure how I feel about that anymore.  If I had him with me now, I would wish that he wasn't experiencing this, that he was back in the States.  It's not the worst thing I've ever gone through, (though it's certainly all sorts of surreal), but we never want the ones we love to be in any sort of harms way.

5:00 and I think I hear a tank coming.  I had wanted to get video of one going by but honestly I'm too tired to get the camera out and run out to the balcony.  If they're going about in the day I'll try to get a picture or some video.

5:05 lots of multiple shot gun fire in the middle (to far?) distance.  And our local rooster crowing, who crows at all hours of the day and night.  Quite the conversationalist he is!

5:15 hubby finally home.  says we can stay at the in-laws tomorrow (night?) if I want to.  Not sure that's a fantastic idea.  We'll see how I feel tomorrow.

5:16 and now the morning call to prayer is starting up in all the mosques around us.

6:00 and time to lay down in bed and try to sleep.