The past seven days brought an ordeal Wanda and I will never forget.  The following is a chronology of our personal experiences through the most incredible and unhappy stretch in our lives in Egypt.

We awoke to a phone call on Wednesday morning.  It was our MCC country reps Tom and Judi.  Egyptian security forces had begun to clear the Muslim Brotherhood sit-ins in Cairo.  While the specter of such a move had been hanging over the entire country for weeks, it seemed few dared imagine the grave implications.

I immediately hopped up out of bed and over to the TV.  Egyptian state coverage showed chaotic scenes at Cairo’s Rabea al-Adawiya Square.  Live commentators breathlessly lauded the bravery of the police as they sprayed protesters with bullets.  Many news channels offered split screens, displaying both the carnage in Cairo as well as colourful music videos celebrating the greatness of the Armed Forces.

After about half an hour of watching I suddenly heard a sharp “pop-pop-pop” out the window of our home.  More shooting followed.  And then still more, until the air was filled with the fighting between Brotherhood supporters and policemen outside.  Tear gas wafted into our apartment, and motorbikes of armed men whizzed down our little street below.

Beni Suef had been amazingly safe and quiet throughout Egypt's transitional turmoil.  But all that changed dramatically on Wednesday.  The once advantageous location of our central apartment suddenly became a huge drawback.  And the two major streets and square that sat a mere stone’s throw from our front door was Beni Suef’s primary battleground. 

Around this time many Egyptian friends began calling telling us we had to leave Beni Suef.  Unfortunately all entrances to Cairo were blocked, and the safety of the roads was anything but guaranteed.  The chaotic state of the city, however, also made staying at our apartment untenable, as any criminal or zealot could easily find 'Beni Suef's only Westerners' if they wanted to.  These were dark moments, and I was almost overcome by feelings of vulnerability and fear.

After some confusion, it was agreed that we would go to the home of one of our school managers.  A kind student drove to our door to deliver us- even though our destination was just blocks away. By this time the fighting had died down completely.  Looking out the car window as we drove, I almost did not recognize the city that passed me by.  Makeshift civilian checkpoints sat propped up, and groups of neighbourhood vigilantes hurriedly tried to organize themselves.  Otherwise all was still.  

We arrived at our manager’s home without being seen.  Walking into the apartment, we were warmly greeted by his wife, and two beautiful young children.  It was in this small home where we would lie low indefinitely until an opportunity to escape to Cairo presented itself.

That night, the extent of the damage in Beni Suef became clear.  All police stations in the city had been burned, along with the courthouses, the governate headquarters, a Franciscan school, and numerous other government buildings.  The police forces in the mostly pro-Brotherhood city had simply been out-gunned and fled.  The army was inexplicably nowhere to be seen.  And for all intents and purposes the city had fallen into the hands of an angry and organized mob.

The coming of a new day brought little comfort.  Entrances to Cairo remained blocked, and still no army or security forces were visible in Beni Suef.  Without access to the internet, we did not have much to do but try to relax and wait- praying that the bad dream would end.  Thankfully our hosts were more generous and welcoming than we could have ever imagined.  We spent much time playing with the children, who proved to be the most calming influence of all.  Otherwise we remained in constant contact with our supportive local partners and country reps, the latter of whom worked to keep our families updated.  

Ultimately the eerie quiet of the day prevailed, as Thursday passed with little to no action.  Friday morning I again woke to more phone calls.  It was going to be another violent day in Egypt.  Yet still the roads were closed, and thus still we were trapped.  We longed for a change of clothes and access to email.  But we did not dare leave the relative safety of our hiding place.  And so we continued to wait.  Television images showed the great disorder in Cairo.  But aside from sporadic outbursts of gunfire throughout the night, Friday too was quiet in Beni Suef.

We finally received good news on Saturday.  The highways were open, and numerous sources deemed the paths secure.  And so we sat together with the family for one last time.  Throughout this time our Coptic hosts were eating vegan in observance of the St. Mary’s Fast.  Nevertheless, they insisted on making us delicious dishes of beef and chicken each day.  Unfortunately my frayed nerves had left my appetite weakened, and I indulged far less than I would have liked.

On Saturday afternoon we made our way back to our apartment in order to pack up for the imminent drive to Cairo.  Some of our kind neighbours were even sitting out visiting.  There was almost a sense of normalcy in the street, but any such feeling was illusory.  

Rumours swirled that the security forces would finally assert themselves that night, and sure enough the action began around 8 pm.  The thundering of the army’s high caliber weaponry was unmistakable, and our small side street once again became the scene of much movement as a battleground developed. 

Behind locked door we packed our bags well into the night, and by 3 am the fighting had ceased.  Hours later we were met by a driver early in the morning, and quickly loaded up our things.  Our quiet final drive out of Beni Suef was completely surreal, though few moments over the previous days had not felt like fantasy.
  
Mennonite Central Comittee's administration had decided we had to leave Egypt due to the pregnancy amid all the uncertainty and isolation in Beni Suef.  Thus after a smooth trip to Cairo we stayed with our country reps for one last night.   Much of the evening was spent calling friends in Beni Suef in attempt to salvage some sort of a goodbye.  Then we flew out early Monday morning.  Now we are home in Canada, and it will likely take some time to process all that transpired.

Ultimately our time in Beni Suef came to a crashing end.  A city in which we had felt completely safe for two and a half years became completely lawless.  Buildings (including many churches) across the country were burned.  Much blood was spilled, and we are unlikely to ever know how many people were actually killed.  The situation is tragic.  And no matter what anyone might say, it did not have to be this way.