Week One in Cairo: An SU Abroad Experience
Zach Schatz September 26, 2011 PRL 214
As the protesters continued to push towards the center of Cairo, Egypt, the riot police resorted to violent methods of crowd control. Water tanks, rubber bullets and tear gas were not enough to discourage the protesters. As a few Syracuse University abroad students witnessed, the scene turned from an unprecedented outcry against the dictatorship of President Mubarak to unbelievable police brutality. Ankit Sethi, current senior at Syracuse University, remembers watching in amazement as a canister soared through the air, leaving a trail of smoke behind, and eventually landing right beside him. "I thought I was running as fast as I could, but I booked it!" recalls Sethi in a recent interview, "First it smells like sulfur and burns your nostrils, then it hits your eyes and makes you cry. It's similar to pepper spray but when you inhale it your lungs tighten up so you can't breathe." As Sethi can attest, studying in Cairo this past semester was anything but the typical abroad experience. Sethi is majoring in international relations and economics, planning to graduate in the spring. His concentration within international relations is the Middle East and international security and diplomacy. Already completing four semesters of Arabic, Sethi was interested in continuing the language as well, leading him to choose Cairo as his abroad destination. He knew a city such as Cairo would provide a rich cultural experience as opposed to a "party-city" such as London.
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No Internet, no phone, no communication between the four Syracuse students and the university. The students had just arrived in Egypt as tensions between the people and their leader reached its peak. Prior to the violent outbursts there had been several protests throughout the week of January 19th. President Mubarak had been in power for 30 years and the people were finally speaking out against the dictatorial regime. Mubarak and the Egyptian government had shut down any means of communication with the world. Classes were yet to begin as orientation drew to a close. The American University of Cairo suspended classes prior to their start. Jon Booth, former executive director of SU Abroad, decided to move the students out of the country at this time. "We do our own assessment, working with the faculty here and the risk management office and the provost's office to make a judgment of what we think is best for the student," Booth said in support of his decision. The SU Abroad program accommodated the to students the best of their ability. With limited contact, the American University of Cairo provided each student with a phone card to contact his or her parental guardian. SU Abroad contacted the parents as well to ensure the safety of their children. Once securing their protection, SU Abroad relocated the students for the remainder of the semester. SU Abroad provided the students with options. After being given a list of alternative locations, three of the Syracuse students chose to finish the semester in Istanbul, Turkey. The fourth student decided to return home. These options helped the students recover from the week in Egypt. Sethi applauds the work of SU Abroad, stating that they are one of the top abroad programs in the country. Booth was certain to be available for the students and became a
reliable shoulder to lean on. As Sethi waited about 24 hours to board a plane he contacted Booth for the first time. "I would call him at 2 am, 3 am, 4 am Syracuse time. He would be up all night asking about our status and to call back within the hour," says Sethi. "He really made us feel like we had a life-line [while abroad]." Syracuse University was especially accommodating while dealing with fees for student travel and program transfer. The university covered the cost of the flight from Cairo along with the difference in cost between programs for the students that moved to Istanbul. Given the unforeseeable circumstances that Syracuse dealt with to ensure the safety of its students, the university did a great job. Sethi is grateful for the opportunity that SU provided. He says that one day he hopes to return to the city for the experience he original sought out. As if he needs more incentive, Sethi was remains determined to see the pyramids one day something he was unable to do in his short visit. Although he enjoyed the semester in Istanbul, Sethi will never forget his time in Cairo. He and his friends witnessed change that will be in history forever. They experienced what pictures cannot justify. In the interview with Sethi, he seemed to display a sense of pride for his experience. For one week Sethi lived under the regime of a falling dictator. For one week Cairo was disconnected from the world. That one week was truly a once in a lifetime experience. Syracuse University will begin offering abroad studies once again in Cairo this spring.
Sources Interview with Ankit Sethi http://www.dailyorange.com/news/su-abroad-egypt-protests-force-students-in-cairo-tomake-plans-to-leave-1.1951165 http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/29/world/middleeast/29cairo.html