Connected!

Which way is the wind blowing? I am watching with a sad heart the fighting in Tahrir Square. I know I am not alone.


I'm thrilled to be connected to the Internet! What a relief.
Being somewhat concerned that this connection may be brief, I am posting what I can of the past days. I'm not sure when the Time Traveller will get a chance to update his blog, but keep watch: he has a completely different perspective.
The message that is most important to get out: We are safe. Thank God!

It's always difficult to know where the Time Traveller is. Sometimes the vortex of time tosses him into areas of conflict. He leaves behind the following images. Editing may not be possible in this window of communication.

Police at the West End of Kasr el Eini Bridge


One Reason of Many


Tear Gas in Midan Simon Bolivar


West End of Kasr el Eini Bridge


Army Vehicle Leaving Tahrir Square


Arrival of the Army near Sonesta Hotel, Zamalak


Arrival in Tahrir Square


Helping Wounded near Simon Bolivar Square



Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Today, a new Sun rises over the Nile

Mamoun Fandy, BBC interviewee

Dr. Fandy’s statement gave me hope just as I was losing hope. As I watered my plants this morning, I asked myself, “Why bother?” because it appeared that I would have to leave. We’re expecting difficulties as the regime clings to power by strangling its citizens. I don’t want to leave my friends just as they are about to hit bad times. I can’t do anything for them, but staying here would be a sign of support. I would be here with them and suffer, at least to some degree, with them. But perhaps things are not so dire. Perhaps there is hope. That’s what I can cling to.


Monday, January 31, 2011
For better or worse, I am now linked into CNN and BBC news channels. Mahmoud, one of the men who works around our building, dropped a satellite cable down the air shaft, brought it through the bathroom window and across the floor to the TV. Then he worked technological magic with the remotes to make CNN appear. Al Jazeera has been shut down after they showed images of police against unarmed protesters. Having some sense of what is happening in Cairo diminishes the worries of the unknown. The reporters speak of food shortages in the capital and I continue to stock the cupboards with two trips to the village to purchase water, milk, and fresh vegetables.


Some aspects of life continue as normal. The harvest of sugar cane means traffic jams on our road as trucks, donkey carts, and motorcycles travel with wide loads of fodder as I return with my purchases.


I was thrilled to learn that the Time Traveller had managed to get on a flight. I watched as his plane landed in Luxor. To welcome him home after a night spent in the Cairo airport, I made a batch of date squares. In stressful situations, cook.


Sunday, January 30, 2011

No more school, no more books,
No more teachers’ dirty looks.

I bicycled past the neighbourhood school this morning and found it quiet. Too quiet. A few custodians drank tea in the courtyard but there was not a single boisterous student giving the building life. Not a good sign. In Cairo, the Time Traveller reports that Golds Gym and our favourite coffeeshop are also closed for business. A friend in Luxor reports that stores with glass windows have closed and all merchandise has been removed from the premises. People are expecting trouble. “When?” remains the unspoken question.

The army is making itself very visible. It has replaced the police who used to control traffic at our main intersection. Military fatigues do not bring me comfort even though another customer at the government grocery store assured me that I had nothing to fear because the military is strong. I had not realized that the military was respected by the people of Egypt. I hope they are right.


Saturday, January 29, 2011


A murky sunset seems to reflect the mood of the day. Thankfully, the block on Cairo cell phones was lifted at noon and I am able to contact my friends and learn that everyone is safe. I also learn that the Time Traveller, who is supposed to be out of the country, got trapped in a place/time discontinuum and is in the thick of the situation. He tells me he is safe. Do I believe him? Late in the afternoon black clouds rise over Luxor, signaling further troubles. Gunfire is absent, ilhumdulila. As night falls, the muezzin calls the Isha'a prayer across the land. Insha’Allah, everyone is listening.

Friday, January 28

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall possess the earth.
Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.
Blessed are they who suffer persecution for justice’s sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5

When anxious, I move furniture – just ask the Time Traveller, who ate dinner in every corner of my one-room apartment as I wrote my thesis so many years ago. Today I decided to move bookshelves, keeping myself busy with pulling everything off the shelves, dusting, moving the units across the room and then re-shelving, all the while cringing when hearing gunshots coming from the city. I knew good people were getting hurt. As I moved books, a bookmark fell onto the floor. Picking it up, I read it quietly, as a prayer. The situation facing my Egyptian friends gave me a new appreciation for the Sermon on the Mount. And pray was the only thing I could do to help.