Family in Egypt with local ties shares diary of political unrest

At least one family living in Egypt and trying to deal with the rapidly changing political situation has a connection to Eastport. Eastport residents Tom and Susan Rostas' daughter Marcy, a teacher, has lived in Cairo for the last decade and is married to the head of the Foreign Language Department of Cairo American College, which Tom calls "one of the most prestigious schools in the Middle East." The couple have two sons, Seleem and Aley. The Rostas' son-in-law, Adel, was the former radio announcer for Radio Cairo and "conducted the prayers at Tahrir Square and [had] been interviewed by CNN, BBC and many foreign correspondents."
"I am writing this as a reflection of my thoughts and experiences, so Seleem and Aley can remember years from now when discussing this time in history with their kids," explains Marcy, who is allowing The Quoddy Tides to print excerpts from her online Facebook diary.
Tuesday, January 25: "There was a call for a mass demonstration in all towns after Friday prayers. In our area of Maadi, it was calm. Everyone was on edge."
Wednesday and Thursday, January 26 and 27: "We went to school, but school was suddenly dismissed early to get the kids home 'before traffic gets bad. ...'" Thursday night: "Adel had told me he was going to pray downtown on Friday and join the demonstrations. I have asked him before not to join demonstrations, and he has always respected my wishes. This time I told him I completely understood and he must go. This was for the future of his kids, grandkids and all Egyptians. ..."
Friday, January 28: "The kids and I had been staying at the villa because Adel and I decided it was safer there since it was kind of isolated. Adel got a call from Dr. Belnap the night before that his daughter was due to come to Egypt the next day and asked if we could take care of her. We woke up to no Internet. The president had cut it off, hoping that it would stop people from communicating. ... By 10 that morning, the government had shut down all mobile phones."
After the security police had injured or killed many demonstrators, a 6 p.m. curfew was announced. "My heart was in my chest all day. Of course, I was worried about Adel. ... Around 3 p.m. I decided that Seleem needs to come watch the television to know what is going on in his country and how brave the people are for trying to fight for their freedoms and rights."
After the curfew went into place, army vehicles moved into city centers, and the police and security forces disappeared. "The crowds are cheering and welcoming the army. I am confused and scared. There is no way for me to check on Adel since the phones are not working. I am not understanding why the people are happy for the army. It looked more dangerous to me. Around 6:30 p.m., Adel called on the land line. Seleem called from downstairs, and I flew down the stairs and was just asking over and over if he is OK and not hurt. My heart actually started beating again. Adel explained that the army is respected and would not hurt people."
Saturday, January 29: The army allowed demonstrations to get larger, but looting and lawlessness had begun. "This was the absolutely most frightful night. We knew there were bands of outlaws going around, and we had already heard security forces were involved, which made it scarier. ... While Adel was out, I packed an emergency bag and got all my documents and money in one file in case we need to leave in a hurry."
Sunday, January 30: The "demonstrations continue. No problems in our area last night. The men keep up the guarding. Everything is pretty much shut down."
Monday, January 31: "The people are wondering why the foreign governments, especially Obama, don't just tell [Mubarak] it is time to step down. Adel and I have a big 'discussion' over this. I know Obama won't do it because it is not in America's best interest. Adel's perspective is that if they would tell him to listen, he would, and all this suffering and people dying could be avoided. ... The army announces that they will protect the people's legitimate right to peaceful demonstrations, and they will not fire upon the people. Adel will go demonstrate tomorrow, and this time we are not scared, just hopeful."
Tuesday, February 1: "Everyone is excited and hopeful. The trains have been shut down so people cannot get to the city. Everyone is walking there. Adel leaves with a group of men at 10 a.m. I decide to go out to the store down the street. It will be my first time out since Saturday. Seleem has gone out each night for a little bit with Adel or early in the morning to do their shift. Seleem has informed me that he is 'a well known man in the neighborhood now' and should go out to do a shift even though Adel is not here. I disagree.
"The little store is closed, so I go to another one around the corner. There are a few teenagers with knives outside guarding it, but I am able to get some groceries. Our bowab brought us some bread, fresh fruits and vegetables this morning. Adel calls from Tahir and says he wishes he had brought us all, that there are lots of families, and the mood is just celebratory. ... Amazing -- over a million people with no police and everything was peaceful. I don't know any other place on earth where this could happen. Adel started home around 7 p.m., but they had to walk quite a bit of the way. He had been interviewed by BBC, CNN, as well as stations from Japan, Netherlands and Italy. He said whenever foreign media came around the people would push him forward to talk for them.
"If you saw any of the news coverage, you saw how, at every prayer, all the men would line up and pray. Well, during the afternoon prayer, Adel serves as the imam. He is the one that led the prayer for the million protesters who were in the square. What a special day for him. This is the day the people are expecting their freedom, a million plus come together, and he was responsible for their prayer at that time. ..."
When Mubarak announced that he would not run again, "we were in disbelief. The people are offended and promised to keep on. So here we are. ... What will happen today? What is the will of the people? Adel feels like [Mubarak] has made concessions, and the people have won because the Egypt of people being scared and intimidated is over."

The Lotus Revolution
Wednesday, February 2, is "day nine of what some people are calling the Lotus Revolution. ... There is hope in Egypt. I am very emotional as I write this. I have been in Egypt nine and a half years now. I have seen the suffering and oppression of everyday people. The people have always accepted what was thrown their way because they did not have a voice, felt they can make no changes, and were terrified if they complained, the security forces would take them away. Being raised in America, post-civil rights movement, this was something quite amazing to me. In America, we always get a kind of censored idea of world affairs. All it takes is moving out of the country -- anywhere -- to get your eyes opened.
"I am praying again today for the Egyptian people, my family here, my husband and children -- praying that these events will change the fate of the Egyptian people, praying they continue to enjoy their new found freedoms without persecution, praying for the 300-plus who lost their lives in the last few days, praying for security."
Thursday, February 3: "Well, yesterday sure took a turn for the worse. I just woke up and turned on the news. They are now referring to the anti-Mubarak group as the pro-democracy group. That is really what this is all about. I am still in shock that there have not been any direct orders to Mubarak to stop this. There is still no one interfering in the fight."
Late in the afternoon a Facebook post showed Marcy that a friend of hers "was busy organizing people to take medical supplies to the needy make-shift clinics which were treating the injured and directing to which hospitals needed blood donations.
"I had been thinking that Aley was oblivious to all that was going on. I was surprised when I heard him tell [his aunt] on the phone that there are bad men outside and some people are dead. Seleem had nightmares last night."
Growing firm in commitment
Friday, February 4: "Today is being termed The Day of Departure. It is amazing watching the Egyptian Christians protecting their brother Egyptians during the Muslim prayers.... The army is more present today in an apparent attempt to provide more protection than the last two days. ... The [U.S.] embassy sent a message that they are not evacuating today but will have their last evacuation flights tomorrow."
Saturday, February 5: "The protesters are firm in their commitment to not leave until Mubarak does. They will not budge. Their spirit is high. Adel said they were very organized and determined. He said that almost all the men who were there during the battles on Wednesday and Thursday said they could not have done it without the women who were inside.
"Adel said it is very difficult to get to and from Maadi because of the 'vigilante' neighborhood watches. The metro is closed during curfew time. ... The plan is to have a huge protest every Sunday, Tuesday and Friday, giving people the chance to rest in between. There have been a lot of arrests and disappearances of bloggers and organizers if they leave the square. It looks like every day the government meets a few demands, but there have been no discussions about lifting the 30-year emergency law which gives the government free reign. You can get arrested for insulting the president, because that is not being loyal.
"It is certainly easy for us people sitting at home to get tired of it all. The man that lives below us asks Adel and the other men in the building that protest, 'When are you all going to finish so the rest of us can get on with our lives?' My view is: the poor just try to survive and they are having difficulty doing that right now, the middle-class (like us) live pretty well in Egypt, and it is very easy to just leave things status-quo; the rich all benefit under Mubarak. So it is only those with the idea of democracy and freedoms that are persistent on winning this battle for all."
Sunday, February 6: "Cairo is trying to go back to work today. The metro was full this morning and banks will reopen. One school is opening for a half day, another is starting on the 20th, no news from ours yet."
Tuesday, February 8: "Today has taken an unexpected turn for me. I was so sad and discouraged this morning that the people would lose their momentum, but looking at the news now in the evening I was wrong. Today was one of the biggest crowds that they have had.
"Part of this is due to the release of Wael Ghoneim, who has been in police custody for 12 days and is one of the original organizers of the Facebook movement for the demonstrations. ... A lot of the protesters today were there for the first time because he moved them so much during an interview last night. Adel left around 6:30 p.m. and will spend the night.
"I hope something big happens this Friday to get the old man moving."