Today I woke with my decision to stay in Cairo until the bitter end fully in my mind. I had made a solid decision to stay here and wait for the semester to begin and to stick out this life we have in Cairo.
I went downstairs to the lobby planning to meet my friends for the final goodbye before they left for destinations unknown and was greeted with a chaotic lobby full of suitcases and disorder but friends, I sincerely think I have made for life. I actually cried a little saying goodbye to Brooke, Veronica, Otis, Kelsi, Virginia, and all the others. I can’t believe they are really gone.
The president of AUC came and spoke to us also. She was here for about thirty minutes and she explained that we would be reimbursed 100% of our money if we left prior to the first day of classes and that we would be receiving all the money back for our scheduled trips. This saddened me more than anything because it meant that the trips weren’t going to happen. I wasn’t going to get to see a pyramid. After the president spoke, the move to the buses headed for the airport began so I went out to the curb with my friends.
I hugged them goodbye and went in to sit with Amanda because she had no solid information. As we waited, I exchanged people’s L.E with American dollars because I had them and I was intent on staying in Cairo so I knew I would need pounds, not American. I didn’t know when we would be able to access our bank accounts again so it was nice to have the reassurance of cash in my pocket.
After the chaos died down a bit, Amanda, Andrea and I decided to go out into Zamalek to get them phone cards and so I could take them to lunch because they were low on money and things were pretty dire for them. Much to our surprise the VodaPhone store was open and they were both able to receive a phone card and I was able to attempt to buy a phone. I was told to come back tomorrow.
After the phone cards, we went to the Market and looked for water to stock up on and maybe another low dollar amount phone card for each of them. Neither were to be found, so we left the market. When we left the market, we went into a little touristy shop and smelled a few pure oil perfumes and looked at some little (total tourist crap) trinkets. It felt good to be a tourist.
We left the touristy place and headed to find food, because food is good and you need it to live. in our wanderings, we came upon the Pottery Café, a local shisha place, also a café. We sat down amid the sweet smell of shisha smoke and ordered meals and chatted…well Amanda listened, but there was conversation. 
It felt remarkably normal out. The streets were back to being busy, the police had resumed position at a few of the corner outposts, businesses were open, and the air seemed optimistic, even better; the bank was open and allowing transactions! I didn’t need to do one, but I checked my balance anyway just because I could.
We went to Alfa mart after that and stood in line for nearly thirty minutes waiting for bread. It was warm and fresh and amazing. After that we headed back.
I mean it when I say that after all the people from the dorm that chose to be evacuated today were gone, a sort of resigned peace reigned supreme. We were bored and restless most of the night. Several games of chess with Christina, Cat, Sean, and Wayne were played. Connect four championship tournaments were conducted. Dinner was eaten, and the night wound down. Four of us ended up in my dorm room to watch a pirated copy of Black Swan and just chill.
Around 11:45PM, I received a call from Ryan, my study abroad advisor just wanting to touch base. He wanted to know what I wanted to do and asked me how things were. I assured him that I wanted to stay until we had a definitive answer on if the semester would proceed or if it were canceled and he said he thought that it was okay, but that he was going to call around and cover my bases for me. I felt a whole lot better for talking with him and even more resolute that I had made the correct decision in choosing to stay.
We went on with the movie until we were all exhausted and then we disbursed to go to bed. Then, an hour after I went to sleep, I received another phone call from Ryan telling me I had to go.
Evidently Gilman scholars had to evacuate as soon as the government issued a travel warning for Egypt. I can understand that. I just hope I can figure something out. I worked very very hard to make sure this wasn’t a venture that would cause financial hardship, and it unfortunately looks like it’s going to be one that I may not be able to pull out of without dropping out of school.
Fortunately for me, Ryan is amazing and is working as I type (unless he is sleeping, I am on the other side of the world) to find me another comparable program in a country nearby. Otherwise, I am required to sign a repatriation loan promissory note requiring me to pay the united States for getting me out of Egypt. I hope he succeeds.
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