I want to talk a bit about the political situation in Egypt right now. I'm certainly not a native Egyptian and not as updated about current events as I would like, but I'm still watching and anticipating the June 30th protests that are coming up on Sunday. The other summer abroad participants and I have been instructed to stay on the island (where we'll be away from any protests in Tahrir if things get a bit ugly) and I'm just praying that there won't be a bloodbath across the bridge.
Again, I'm not a native Egyptian. I won't bother to give you my perspective on President Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood, or what I think will happen on Sunday. But here's what I've noticed so far:
People are talking. Whether it's our professor, tour guide, or random foreigners that we meet at bars and conferences, everyone is talking about the upcoming protests, the government, the military, and what's going on right now.
Traffic is horrible because of the gas crisis - people are leaving their cars parked everyone and blocking the roads since they can't drive. (Someone in my study abroad group suggested that people are stockpiling up on gas and food for the protests, which might have exacerbated the gas crisis.)
My professor is nervous. Not for our safety, since Zamalek is one of the safest places in Cairo, but nervous that the university is going to overreact and send us home. As much as I miss California, I'm definitely not ready to go home - I haven't seen Luxor yet! I haven't seen Alexandria! I haven't snorkeled in the Red Sea! I've only been in Egypt for a week and there's so much left to see, so I'm hoping (for myself and for Egypt) that things stay peaceful on Sunday.
Again, I'm not a native Egyptian. I won't bother to give you my perspective on President Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood, or what I think will happen on Sunday. But here's what I've noticed so far:
People are talking. Whether it's our professor, tour guide, or random foreigners that we meet at bars and conferences, everyone is talking about the upcoming protests, the government, the military, and what's going on right now.
Traffic is horrible because of the gas crisis - people are leaving their cars parked everyone and blocking the roads since they can't drive. (Someone in my study abroad group suggested that people are stockpiling up on gas and food for the protests, which might have exacerbated the gas crisis.)
My professor is nervous. Not for our safety, since Zamalek is one of the safest places in Cairo, but nervous that the university is going to overreact and send us home. As much as I miss California, I'm definitely not ready to go home - I haven't seen Luxor yet! I haven't seen Alexandria! I haven't snorkeled in the Red Sea! I've only been in Egypt for a week and there's so much left to see, so I'm hoping (for myself and for Egypt) that things stay peaceful on Sunday.
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