March

Well it's hard to believe that February is gone! I can't believe it. I've started classes and they're going good. They all have a slight Egypt twist to them this semester. They are "Human Rights in the Middle East" "Human Rights and Identity Groups" and "International Humanitarian Law". This should be a really interesting semester.

Libya is breaking my heart. I can't believe what I'm reading and seeing and I have two good friends here at AUC that are Libyan. So listening and talking to them is hard because they are so distraught over what is happening. I can't imagine watching this happen to your country while you are in a different one. Especially since they both have family still there. It must be hard and I can't imagine.

Yesterday I received an email from a journalist I know that there are some Palestinian refugee families that are trying to flee Libya through the Egyptian border and are being held up and detained because of their ID and status cards. She wanted to know if I knew any lawyers who work on refugee or Palestinian issues because they are greatly needed at the border. I thought and I do - so I sent the information on because there is a group of lawyers I know that are traveling to the border this week for just those kinds of issues. WOW... I've only been here for 7 months and I already know people who know people and I know people who can help with stuff like this... I am so glad I chose my major and I chose the location I did to study it.

I think my English teaching classes will start again next week. I just sent another email to confirm. I am coordinating teachers for the center now, so the unrest has really disrupted what is possible for that program.
The biggest part of the unrest is behind us - but not completely.
People are still in clashes occasionally.
Someone was shot recently on the Alexandria Desert Road.
This weekend a police officer shot a cab driver in the foreigner-filled suburb of Maadi and the newly-emboldened public responded by killing the cop and setting his car on fire. So we are not out of the woods yet...but we are getting there.

The Constitutional Committee has revised the 6 amendments they were supposed to look at to allow smooth and fair elections to take place and so there is some political reform happening and things should change even more drastically soon. Time will tell how the situation will progress. Here's hoping it happens fast!

I will be interviewed tomorrow by Road 90 (one of the Student newspapers on campus).
I was interviewed and appeared last week in Masry Yom (Egypt Today) one of the biggest independent newspapers in Egypt and I will appear shortly in the IU Alumni newsletter as well. Stay tuned.....