Much of the world watched events unfold in Egypt during January and into February 2011. I know I couldn’t pull away from CNN on the day that pro-government thugs pushed through Tahrir Square on camels and horseback (map). I kept watching into the wee hours as running street battles unfolded on live television. So I felt a connection to the events even as I sat thousands of miles away in some nondescript hotel room.
I don’t have much insight to add to the situation. I’ll leave that for the news blogs and the mainstream geo-blogs. I do wish the Egyptian people the best of luck as they embark upon their journey towards democracy.
However, I have observed quite happily that their world may be returning to “normal” — whatever that might be in this nascent context — based upon an extremely small sample size from the Twelve Mile Circle reader statistics. I’ve received three website visitors from Egypt, the first set of visitors since the turmoil began. Their interests were completely typical for the site with no signs of stress or concern whatsoever:
- One reader from Suez wanted to know more about the landlocked Bolivian navy;
- Someone else from Ad Duqqi had an interest in the State of Oregon;
- And finally, a reader from Cairo observed a T-shirt design appearing in various parts of the world. I guess the pyramids at Giza attracted them.
I can only imagine that people must be feeling a bit more comfortable. They can now afford to focus on mundane topics. Today it pleases me to see the ordinary becoming extraordinary.
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