One Student’s Experience on the “Day of Rage”

By Audra Foster

Egypt, as anyone who keeps up with the world knows, has recently undergone some extreme political upheaval, starting with peaceful protests that quickly escalated to violent riots, and ending in the resignation of its President. We in America watched on YouTube as protesters went from demonstrations in Tahrir Square to looting museums, as Egypt attempted to contain the revolution by cutting off communication one aspect at a time. We listened to Mubarak’s initial refusal to step down and weren’t too surprised when he finally did. We have sat in our safe houses and couches and viewed Egypt’s transition from an autocratic government to a temporary military rule.

But there were Gettysburg College students there in Egypt as these events were unfolding, and I was lucky enough to score an interview with one of them. Tom Skaggs, of the class of 2012, was studying abroad at the American University in Cairo until he was prematurely pulled back due to the rising dangers of living in a country on the eve of revolution. These are his words, transcribed as accurately as possible, about his all-too-brief time in Egypt.

So tell me a bit about why you decided to go to Egypt in the first place.
Egypt just stuck out as really cool place, a sort of combo between Africa and Middle East.

How long were you actually there? What did you think of it for the time you were there?
I got in, had orientation, and then left. Friday the 28^th—the “Day of Rage in Egypt” as it was known on the television.Their campus puts Gettysburg College to shame. It really does. It had tons of fountains.

View from Tom's dorm window of the 'burbs of New Cairo.

Where were you in comparison to Tahrir Square?
Campus was far enough from Tahrir Square—which is known ”freedom square,” and is very symbolic to the Egyptians—but the police had set up a perimeter around it, keeping the protesters away.

Were there any Egyptian students at the university? Did you know anyone involved?
I knew two Danish guys who went down there Friday and watched, someone else from the school got shot with rubber bullets—which are not like American rubber bullets. These had a rubber center and were coated with steel.

Where were you when the first major protests erupted?
The one on Friday, the big one, I was on campus in New Cairo, 20-30 minutes from downtown, where the riots started. One of the students told me about it the day before, that through Facebook a group was formed—the plan was apparently to have everyone demonstrate after the noon prayer. We could see how crowded it was headed towards downtown. Then we lost SMS, Facebook, twitter, and all internet access, we figured cellular service would be next. I had no idea they could just shut down the internet. The military took over a cell service, sent out texts to everyone saying things like, “Protect your property, don’t let anyone steal from you.”

Anxious students gathered around the TV on the night of January 28th, the 'Day of Rage in Egypt.'

What was your reaction as it happened?
There was excitement, almost, we wanted there to be a revolution and for Mubarak to step down. The closest thing I’ve experienced is September 11, you’re almost in awe as this is going down, we basically—all of us stood in front of the television for about 12 hours, from midday to about one am, just watching the events take place.

Did you have any dangerous encounters?
No, not near us, rumors about what was going on. We were pretty removed, but there were rumors of protesters in the nearby shopping districts. We were strongly encouraged by our RAs to stay on campus, and there were security guards provided by the school, but there was no one from the school to tell us what to do except by landline contact. All information was from people talking to people, landline telephones, and cable.

When did you start thinking you’d have to go home?
After Friday’s riot they started instituting curfews—6pm the first night, and so on, and after about two days I figured I’d be going home. The college had decided to start the semester at some point, but the American Embassy wanted most Americans to leave—they were pretty adamant about that, ‘strongly advised’ it, but even the Embassy never said we had to leave.

Tom said, “I was freaked out on the bus, watching the tanks in the window—if they saw me taking pictures—”

How did you get out of Egypt? Did you have a difficult time evacuating?
The school got a bus for us, we drove to the airport through pretty bad traffic because there were tanks and armored personnel carriers everywhere on the expressway. The farther out from town we got, the stronger the military presence was. We went through four military checkpoints where they slowed it down and looked at the cars, and then there were tons police and military at the airport. America had its own hall, told to bring food and water for three days—we were told it would take that long to leave, and at least 12 hours to get a flight, but we were out of there really quickly, after only two days. The people from the state department handed you a blank ticket, a promissory loan, some paperwork, then it was like you get on the plane and you’re gone.

What was the first thing you did when you got out of the country?
I got out of the gate in Istanbul and had to get a Turkish visa, then I grabbed a cheap hotel room with a friend. But cell phones still didn’t work in Istanbul, so first we went to an internet café and contacted our families.

Do you wish you could have stayed in Egypt?
I wish I could have been down there for more of the protests, I really would have liked to have seen some of the events. I do wish I could be there a full semester, but most of the abroad students left except for a few graduate students—including one from Gettysburg…I haven’t heard from him since.

Oh my!
[laughs] Only because I don’t have him friended on Facebook.

Do you have plans to try and study abroad again? What are your plans for this semester?
This semester I’m trying to make like my fall of senior year, and hopefully go back to the American University in Cairo  next year. And I’m skipping all of the orientation stuff, just jumping right back into it. It is a fascinating place, and I was learning so much. I can’t wait to go back.

Tom’s time in Egypt provides us with a firsthand point of view that few others ever have the chance to experience. I’m grateful he took the time to answer my questions and provide some of the pictures he took while he was there.

If you want to read about the events happening in Egypt while Tom was there, check out this article:
Protests and Tomb Robbers: Egypt Deals with National Turmoil