Even in Boone, eyes are on Egypt
by Kellen Moore
For many Watauga County residents, the only connection to the conflict in Egypt is through the television set.
But for a surprising number of local residents, especially in the ASU community, ties to the ancient African nation go deeper.
One Appalachian State University sophomore was flown from a study abroad program in Cairo on Monday, and another faculty-led trip set for May is now uncertain.
Even those with no plans to be on Egyptian soil in the near future have set their hearts and minds there, proving just how interconnected our globe is.
Miriam Makhyoun, president of the ASU Graduate Student Association Senate, who has dual citizenship in the U.S. and Egypt, has spent much of the week unable to focus on classes, communicating through Facebook with extended family in the country and reading about the protests.
"It definitely doesn't feel miles away," Makhyoun said Thursday, tears forming in her eyes. "People have been very empathetic and watchful over the situation. This community is special; people here live outside of themselves."
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Peaceful protests began last week in Egypt, with pro-democracy crowds filling Tahrir Square in Cairo to call for the removal of President Hosni Mubarak, who has served for decades and was believed to be prepping his son to take control.
Mubarak pledged not to run for another term Tuesday, but protests turned more violent Wednesday as pro-Mubarak forces - some of whom were paid by the government to protest - emerged en masse.
As the situation became more fragile, ASU sophomore Katherine Steussy-Williams, an international business major studying Egyptology in Cairo, evacuated to Athens, Greece, on Monday.
Steussy-Williams will return to her home in Indiana, where she plans to take the semester off, and hopes to return to Egypt when it settles, said Jesse Lutabingwa, associate vice chancellor for international education and development.
The clashes have also threatened a fledgling relationship between ASU and Egypt, which has emerged from growing student interest in the area and culture, Lutabingwa said.
Professor Gary Moorman was set to lead a group of 14 students on an educational trip to Alexandria, Egypt, from May 14-28, but that trip is now tentative.
"We know people that, if things broke into a bad situation, we could find safe haven there, but I don't know that we want to take that risk," Moorman said.
ASU senior Cory Sherman, who accompanied Moorman on a spring break trip to Egypt last year, said he also has been paying close attention to the situation.
Sherman took a year off from school and went to Alexandria for six months, where he taught English. He still keeps up with friends there, including one he spoke to Wednesday, who described the stressful situation firsthand.
"I think the protests in Egypt are going to have a much more far-reaching effect than people realize," Sherman said. "I don't think Egypt's going to be disappearing from the TV screens anytime soon."
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The connections to Egypt don't stop there.
Boone resident Laila Patrick lived in Egypt at age five and six when her Egyptian father returned there on a sabbatical.
She spoke with extended family on the phone Saturday and was pleased to find that all were safe.
ASU professor William Hutchins, a renowned translator of Arabic literature, studied in Cairo in the late 1960s and taught for two years at the American University in Cairo in the 1990s. He and a small ASU delegation visited two Egyptian universities for about 10 days in December.
"I'm living it vicariously," Hutchins said of the situation.
He also pointed to other local ties, including a food services employee who grew up in Egypt and a recent ASU graduate set to teach at Egypt's Fayoum University this year.
Miral Al-Tahawy, an award-winning novelist who teaches in ASU's Department of Foreign Languages and Literature, was born to a Bedouin family in the Egyptian Delta region and moved to the United States in 2007.
Each of them will continue to watch the situation unfold through their own unique lenses.
Makhyoun, in particular, is hoping to become more involved in Egypt going forward. She is hoping to vote in the next election and urging friends through Facebook to contact the U.S. State Department and share their thoughts on foreign policy.
"I'm glad the spotlight is on Egypt, and I'm sorry for the pain it's inflicted on the people," she said. "I'll just be watching for the basic rights to be delivered to the people."
But for a surprising number of local residents, especially in the ASU community, ties to the ancient African nation go deeper.
One Appalachian State University sophomore was flown from a study abroad program in Cairo on Monday, and another faculty-led trip set for May is now uncertain.
Even those with no plans to be on Egyptian soil in the near future have set their hearts and minds there, proving just how interconnected our globe is.
Miriam Makhyoun, president of the ASU Graduate Student Association Senate, who has dual citizenship in the U.S. and Egypt, has spent much of the week unable to focus on classes, communicating through Facebook with extended family in the country and reading about the protests.
"It definitely doesn't feel miles away," Makhyoun said Thursday, tears forming in her eyes. "People have been very empathetic and watchful over the situation. This community is special; people here live outside of themselves."
Peaceful protests began last week in Egypt, with pro-democracy crowds filling Tahrir Square in Cairo to call for the removal of President Hosni Mubarak, who has served for decades and was believed to be prepping his son to take control.
Mubarak pledged not to run for another term Tuesday, but protests turned more violent Wednesday as pro-Mubarak forces - some of whom were paid by the government to protest - emerged en masse.
As the situation became more fragile, ASU sophomore Katherine Steussy-Williams, an international business major studying Egyptology in Cairo, evacuated to Athens, Greece, on Monday.
Steussy-Williams will return to her home in Indiana, where she plans to take the semester off, and hopes to return to Egypt when it settles, said Jesse Lutabingwa, associate vice chancellor for international education and development.
The clashes have also threatened a fledgling relationship between ASU and Egypt, which has emerged from growing student interest in the area and culture, Lutabingwa said.
Professor Gary Moorman was set to lead a group of 14 students on an educational trip to Alexandria, Egypt, from May 14-28, but that trip is now tentative.
"We know people that, if things broke into a bad situation, we could find safe haven there, but I don't know that we want to take that risk," Moorman said.
ASU senior Cory Sherman, who accompanied Moorman on a spring break trip to Egypt last year, said he also has been paying close attention to the situation.
Sherman took a year off from school and went to Alexandria for six months, where he taught English. He still keeps up with friends there, including one he spoke to Wednesday, who described the stressful situation firsthand.
"I think the protests in Egypt are going to have a much more far-reaching effect than people realize," Sherman said. "I don't think Egypt's going to be disappearing from the TV screens anytime soon."
Numerous connections
The connections to Egypt don't stop there.
Boone resident Laila Patrick lived in Egypt at age five and six when her Egyptian father returned there on a sabbatical.
She spoke with extended family on the phone Saturday and was pleased to find that all were safe.
ASU professor William Hutchins, a renowned translator of Arabic literature, studied in Cairo in the late 1960s and taught for two years at the American University in Cairo in the 1990s. He and a small ASU delegation visited two Egyptian universities for about 10 days in December.
"I'm living it vicariously," Hutchins said of the situation.
He also pointed to other local ties, including a food services employee who grew up in Egypt and a recent ASU graduate set to teach at Egypt's Fayoum University this year.
Miral Al-Tahawy, an award-winning novelist who teaches in ASU's Department of Foreign Languages and Literature, was born to a Bedouin family in the Egyptian Delta region and moved to the United States in 2007.
Each of them will continue to watch the situation unfold through their own unique lenses.
Makhyoun, in particular, is hoping to become more involved in Egypt going forward. She is hoping to vote in the next election and urging friends through Facebook to contact the U.S. State Department and share their thoughts on foreign policy.
"I'm glad the spotlight is on Egypt, and I'm sorry for the pain it's inflicted on the people," she said. "I'll just be watching for the basic rights to be delivered to the people."