Revolt! Feb. 6

It is raining again today. And Egyptians were standing in line (IN LINE!) at the banks this morning waiting for them to open for the first time in about ten days. The small trash cans attached to the street lights are being used and the street lights are on. Basically Cairo is becoming Oregon!

Well, not quite...

A really scary article came out in Al Masry Al Youm, an independent paper today giving more details about the arrests of foreigners, which have been grinding through the rumor mill for days:

http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/news/foreign-residents-become-tense-amid-rising-xenophobia-egypt

Another guy posted on the expat list serve I am on that the secret police are sweeping apartment buildings in Downtown looking for foreigners.

My office has informed everyone that working hours will be 9-3 but so far is not providing any support for those of us foreigners who are still around (there are two of us who have stayed) to safely get to and from the neighborhood where we work, which is surrounded by roadblocks as it is a ten minute walk from Tahrir Square. This is extremely frustrating to me because although I am doing my best not to be hysterical, I do still want to be cautious, and the advice I’ve received is don’t be anywhere near Tahrir in the afternoon or evening, don’t take taxis because drivers are turning foreigners into police, and ride with Egyptians whenever possible.

Unfortunately, this makes me dependent on my friends for rides and as only one of my friends lives in my neighborhood, if she is not going back right when work gets over at three (and she rarely does), then I am in a situation where I must either take a taxi, stay where I’m not supposed to be into the afternoon or evening, or work from home instead of going into the office. I have chosen the latter for tomorrow. All my work is on the computer anyway and I have remote access so I have absolutely no problem with spending more time with my puppy in my PJs if there isn’t any secure way to get to and from the office.

The fires of xenophobia stoked again and again by State TV are manifesting in completely irrational and self-defeating ways. For one thing, the government is simultaneously blaming the Muslim Brotherhood (Egyptians) as well as foreign agents (of Israel and “the West”) for the protests and their impact on Egypt’s economy and security. We can’t all be involved because since when do the West, Israel, and the Muslim Brotherhood work together? In addition, encouraging ordinary citizens to fear and intimidate foreigners only works against the economy by continuing the billions in tourism losses Egypt has already suffered since the revolution began. By pressing the people to harass foreigners, Mubarak is undercutting the fabric (not to mention the funding) of Egyptian society, which, like much of the Middle East, is centered largely on hospitality; the welcoming and protecting of guests.

For those of us who have been in Egypt long enough to make friends and build lives, we feel a twinge of betrayal. Although our particular friends are sympathetic and loyal, we can no longer trust “the Egyptian people” as an abstract, and this trust that strangers will not only not do us harm, but will welcome and help us, is foundational to our ability to live and work in Cairo despite its various smaller dangers (traffic, pollution, untrained medical staff, signs all in Arabic, etc.).

I feel like because there are only two foreigners in the firm now who are not at least dual Egyptian citizens, the office is preoccupied with other things, like finding new work arising from the revolution, getting things back online and checking systems after the internet blackout, securing the office and the building from intruders since so many new people are in the immediate area now, etc. I can’t say I should rank at the top of anyone’s list of things to worry about in a time like this but at the same time, although I am ready and willing, I simply cannot go to work tomorrow because I have no safe way to get home. This is frustrating because I want to be a good employee and set a good example by being at the office but I feel extremely selfish informing human resources that their revolution is inconveniencing me.

I am loving the early work hours and the later curfew, which between the two give me four hours to run errands, walk the dog, and possibly find beer (that will have to wait for tomorrow, since I missed the time window for delivery tonight). On one hand, I am relieved that many things returned to normal today. Offices and restaurants reopened, delivery started up again (a lot of my friends got calls from the restaurants they normally order from notifying them that delivery was once again available…one friend got calls from FIVE places…guess she doesn’t cook much!), and the banks opened, albeit withdrawals from the ATMs are limited to 500LE (about $80). On the other hand, I am concerned that this government push for a “return to normalcy,” and the emotional response (relief, gratitude) from ordinary people like me will take some of the steam out of the revolution and reduce the population of the protesters. If this fizzles out and Mubarak weathers the storm, a lot of good people could be in great danger. So says the great Robert Fisk (http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/robert-fisk-the-wrong-mubarak-quits-soon-the-right-one-will-go-2205852.html) and although I am all for security and stability, the potential for many knocks at many doors is too high a price to pay for Normal.

On a lighter note, the pic of Whiskey on this post is not relevant to anything, he is just adorable.