Post evacuation dust settles.....

I'm sitting up at 4am local time writing this. The dust is starting to settle, we have had a full day in England now and things are just starting to sink in just a little bit. Facebook has really been useful in keeping up with friends and evacuees and getting news as people leave Cairo and arrive around the globe. Thanks to all who posted messages and emails....they were all appreciated.

Even though myself and Mrs T are exhausted we are not sleeping well. We know from Facebook and phone calls this is part of the post-trauma we are experiencing, many other people are experiencing it too. One minute feeling fine, next minute a bit dazed and emotional. Guess it is all the stress and uncertainty hitting home. We find its hard for people to comprehend what we have been through (particularly when the TV only shows footage of chaos at terminal 3 Cairo airport, which was nothing like terminal 1!). We realise the reference people have in their minds of a busy airport does not fit with the reality of our experience.

Today we have to go out a buy some clothes, we could only face food shopping yesterday. Worries like schooling will have to wait for a few days. Our main concern now are the Egyptian friends we have left behind. I spoke to my team yesterday, one is stuck in Aswan trying to get to Cairo and sleeping at the airport. The other is in Giza. He tells me the food situation is ok at the moment, but it is hard to get money and of course many people are paid on a weekly basis. We also spoke to Ahmed the driver and told him to take as much food as he wants from the house and that we would find a way to get him and Mahmoud money.

Last night Mubarak addressed the nation and still wants to stay on. This is of course unacceptable to most people. There is also a worrying development of groups of pro-Mubarak supporters on motorbike causing trouble (?police). The army could have its work cut out.