Dear Family and Friends,

We regained full access to our cell phone services just hours ago. We are also back on line.
Things have been very tough the past 5 days in the communication black out.
My Canadian friend Angela who had been staying with me in my flat, have formed a bond that can never be broken after days of being hauled up in an apartment. I had been up for almost 6 days straight, going out for provisions and stocking up on supplies during the day and keeping watch at night from my apartment with the lights off to spot looters in the area. We were armed with kitchen knives and home made mace, in case any of them were able to penetrate the male citizens and residents of our building and neighboring buildings.
I now know first hand the physical, mental and emotional exhaustion that soldiers go through. I had always respected them, but my respect has deepened since all of this happened.
I can’t help but admire and be eternally grateful to the Egyptians who took it upon themselves to take the law in to their own hands when the police had (un officially) been dismissed and thousands of prisoners, some of whom were armed were terrorizing neighborhoods. I salute them!
Our area had been fairly safe and quiet up until 9pm Sunday night when our area when from being a green zone to a red zone in a matter of seconds. Rounds of machine guns, riffles, hand guns and tanks were fired. We lay flat on the ground away from the windows in case a stray bullet came through the window. It shook us and neither of us could sleep after that.
Angela was evacuated the following morning, my friend and I drove her to the airport and she is now in Frankfurt. I didn’t want to stay
alone and I couldn’t (and still can’t ) get to Alexandria because going down town to get a train was very unsafe and now the roads from
all major cities have been closed off.
I am presently staying with a very close friend (Becs) and his family in Heliopolis, very close to where my flat is. I am forever
in their debt for taking me in and making me feel like I’m a member of their family. If it hadn’t been for them, i don’t know what state of
mind i would be in right now. I was able to sleep for the first time in 6 days without having to stay on guard.

I have been keeping a diary and i will be posting it on my blog soon.

Much love to you all and thank you for all your support, prayers and well wishes.