The Day of Rage- Engraved in Memory. Remembering Jan 28th 2010.

January 23^rd, 2010-

A Night out for a friend’s birthday. Girls showing off costumes, manicures, new work achievements. Post dinner, group gathers for a shisha in Mohandessin where politics comes in argument – a rare incident.

Birthday girl:  So what is happening after tomorrow. Some people are demonstrating for I don’t know why.

Some other friend: well there is a reason, do you like the country how it is.

A third friend: what could possibly happen, lets just have coffee Tuesday morning.

Monday, 24^th January 2010-

10 pm- small gathering in a café in Heliopolis. A couple and 2 more people..

“so what’s going on tomorrow?”

Me “well I don’t know, looks like it’s going to be something. But nothing ends up in big change anyways.”

Friend, “My parents believe, if a revolution breaks up. That’s only going to be the Hungry Revolution. Just poor people asking for money.”

Me, “well it might be, yet we don’t know. We never really encountered something of the sort, how can you possibly make a judgment. I just had a fight with my family because they keep proposing assumptions too..”

January 25^th, 2010.

Ahram Newspaper headline “Egyptians congratulate Police officers with flowers in parks for their day- Police Day.”

4:00 pm- family’s house.

“What’s going on? Seems a big demonstration is going on. Guys we need to see that. It might be history in the making.” Sister

Brother: I will go and see what’s going on.

8:00 pm

Brother (phone): nothing is going on- people just hanging around. Might be nothing.

January 26, 2010- 1 am.

Posts over Facebook- Attacking #Tahrir now.

A post from friend- “thanks everyone- I am still in one piece. Just my eyeglasses did not make it safely through the running and tear gas.”

January 26, 2010-

8:00 am- going to work with a smile on my face. Feels good.

January 27, 2010-

Calls for bigger demonstrations on Friday. All my family decides to go.

Pictures of people being kidnapped, beaten, detained, tear gas and dogs were so public. Egyptians didn’t see much in those pictures, We all witnessed a real life experience at a certain time. I can clearly remember AUC strike in 2003. Everyone got a bit, some fainted, some beaten, fewer detained and later released. It wasn’t surprising, it was stimulating.

January 27, 2010

3:00 pm- Facebook and Twitter Down.

6:00 pm- Internet down-All Egypt

7:00 pm- Mobile phones down

9:00 pm- Data services for blackberry, iphone is down.

Dear Egyptians, ‘if you give a darn about your mama, call her on your landline” that’s what it felt really cutting down internet and phone services.

Only then, that was a clear message that something drastic is going on. Only then we knew its time.

January 28^th. Friday.

Family gathered at home. We split up. Me, my sister and husband went to catch up with some of my sister’s friends in Mohandessin.

Where shall we park the car? Navigating through the side streets in mohandessin, spotting girls and guys all wearing jeans, comfy pants, hair tied up, scarves around necks and bottles in hand that might contain water or vinegar. Groups of threes moving together. Not more. That’s your quote of company when you have emergency law.

Heading to the meeting point, calling friends from a restaurant, they can’t come.

Lets head off to Dokki or Tahrir..

Trying to reach Tahrir through all side streets, All blocked. The smell of tear gas canisters is all over the place. All shops closed. A very weird feeling. I have been in those streets millions of times before. I don’t feel the same.

Here we go, let’s park here- let’s walk till we see where the people are..

2:00 pm

Tahrir Street- Dokki leading to Kasr el Nil bridge. Two huge Central Security Force vehicles blocking the entrance through the bridge. People filling the street and the Square. Tensions between some and the police occasional.

From 2-6 pm-

Tear gas canisters being thrown at people randomly and with quantities like no tomorrow. Small kiosk opens and makes a skyrocketing sales figure for soda drinks.

The upper class would wash their face and nostrils with a soda drink. A middle class will do that with vinegar a poor guy carrying along a batch of onions. At times of need, you will find all three options in hand. Acidity neutralizes the effect of tear gas. People did make some homework.

A random canister fells inside a balcony about 9 floors far and the balcony partially catches on fire.

Occasionally, CSF vehicles split onto the crowd. The crowd runs. Truck returns back to position. Solidarity between people is beyond imagination. No one wants a stampede. Hold whomever’s hand tight, never let go. None will fall if you hold on tight to them.

Every once in a while joins a demonstration from a different area. The less fortunate the bigger the size and the fiercer the calls and the higher the cheers. Omraneya, Helwan, Dokki, Giza and Finally Imbaba makes their Royal entrance.

How the tear gas feels? Well any Egyptian by now must know how that feels. Feels like you are high on burning pepper. Pure Evil in a canister. Holy Crap. Depends on how close that is to you, you’ll feel it. Primarily, feels like you voluntarily want your nose and eyes away from your face right now.

Injuries started to show up- bird shots in arms, eyes and legs. Ambulances carry asthma sufferers and suffocating young men and women of the tear gas. The evil part of tear gas is that if it’s still on the floor anyone who moves on it might stimulate the powder again.

Right now I cannot see how big that is. We are in the middle of the Square. I can see Qasr el Nil bridge packed, Dokki packed. Only way out is through side streets off to Giza.

Loud Chants are now clear- People Want to demolish the Regime- Down with Mubarak.

Fear is no longer there. People are now aware of what they want.

5:00 young guys standing and cheering on top of the Central Security Force Cars- people are breaking into Dokki police station, the Gaz station is currently a rest and an emergency unit. The police officers have vanished- entirely.

Celebrities are here- I can see Belal Fadl, Sabbahi, khaled Youssef, Khaled abul Naga, Fathy Abdel Wahab, and many others.

Me: Something is not right. How did they leave those vehicles and left.

Husband: I don’t know. I think we should go.

Sister: no, I will stay..

Me: let’s go, we haven’t heard of dad nor my brother. There is no way we can know about them. It’s getting crazy.

5:30- Imbaba Joins. (not sure if it was Imbaba- but that’s what I ve been told)

At the Entrance of Embaba demonstration, more less fortunate Egyptians, younger, more men, more passionate, less tolerant and one chant, “Police, we All Feel your oppression”

At this point exactly, I knew, this is not an ending strike or a demonstration.

As we hurry leaving, a local coffee place has a TV. Al Jazeera runs its Red Breaking strip, “Curfew by 6- Army is restoring Order”

Me: Curfew, what the Hell does that mean?

Husband: Dunno, doesn’t seem pretty…

6:00- Rushing to the car. Leaving my sister’s car.

Roads blocked- Ring Road blocked- Giza blocked and finally, panic is haunting the streets and the homes. Stories of roads blocked and cars attacked and fires all over the place were much more that what is going on.

Just across the Nile from Agouza, clearly witness, the National Democratic Party premise in flames.

We finally made a decision to take the 6 October bridge. The bridge was in chaos but was not unsafe. People in a state of ecstasy, someone screaming “police escaped, ND party is on fire”

A Vehicle of the CSF is burnt on the side, people panicking it might explode…

We pass..

As we exit, the Army forces have begun spreading. Not knowing what they are for, was a little scary. They blocked some roads and opened some. After many detours and a lot of soliciting we managed to reach Heliopolis.

After making one phone call we knew our family is finally safe. Brother got a birdshot in his foot and is now at home.

The panic in the country escalates. Al Jazeera was live with those pictures of the NDP on fire and the police cars on fire.

We are in complete confusion and astonishment. Is this happening?

It is one of those moments where you get in touch with your anarchic side and enjoy a chaos against oppression in mixed feelings..

Hope Rises, cheering rises, determination, devotion- that’s what it was later for 15 days.

Happy 28^th Jan Revolution- This is a day that can never be fraud by a pro Mubarak a pro Muslim brotherhood. It’s a day people witnessed themselves and made it themselves and shall never go in vain.

Adieu