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Canfield student feared for family’s safety in Egypt
By EMILY GIANETTI
Many have been following the news of anti-government protests in Egypt that have sent the Egyptian government and President Hosni Mubarak into a frenzy as citizens demanded democracy.
But for Canfield High School student Amy Awadalla and her family, the chaos is much more than a news story — it’s personal.
“My entire family was worried,” said Awadalla, “My parents watched the news constantly just to find out what was happening. We were all really scared.”
Awadalla, a sophomore, has only been to Egypt once, but has many relatives that remain in Cairo, including cousins, uncles, and aunts. Her relatives live in Cairo, the capital of Egypt and the epicenter of the protests.
Pro-government protestors have taken to the streets, clashing with the anti-government protestors and bringing normal life in Egypt to a screeching halt.
Images of these protestors standing amid clouds of smoke have been splashed across the Internet, television and newspapers since the protests began.
After Egyptians lost their Internet and cell phone service, Awadalla and her parents struggled to keep in contact with they family. Awadalla had been using Facebook as the main way to communicate relatives. But now the only way is to call them on their house phones.
Being relatively well-off and having no big issues with Mubarak, her family did not protest. They were housebound as a result, afraid to go out into the streets. Errands were rendered unimportant, or, in some cases, impossible.
“There were people that were setting fire to supermarkets, so they couldn’t actually go buy food,” said Awadalla, “They had a lot of food saved up, so they just ate out of that.”
Another big fear was the barbaric nature of the some protests. Looters began raiding homes, something Awadalla’s family feared would happen to them. Protestors broke into museums, in one instance ripping the heads off mummies and damaging historic artifacts.
More importantly, the human death toll rose as the situation escalated.
“Some of the things they did were ridiculous. They could have done it in a more civilized way. It really embarrassed Egypt,” Awadalla said.
Recently, however, there has been a decrease in violence as protestors make the move toward more peaceful means. Protestors were recently videotaped singing together in Tahrir Square during a demonstration. For now, the decrease in violence means Awadalla’s fears are relieved, but not completely gone.
“I am still concerned for it, but it’s definitely gotten better. They’re not afraid to go out in the streets anymore,” Awadalla said.
Her family, who had not left their homes for more than a week, planned to attend church on Feb. 6.
“I still like Egypt, but I’m grateful to be in America at this time,” said Awadalla.
She said she wants to go back and visit her family, maybe not in the near future, but certainly when the country is stable again.
The protests have been a reality check of sorts for Awadalla.
“I never thought anything like this would happen to my family. It made me realize that anything can happen at any second.”