I stayed up until midnight in Doha (1am Sharjah time) on Thursday night waiting for Hosni Mubarak to come on TV and make the speech that everyone was hoping would be the one where he finally relinquished power.
Jeremy and the girls were already in their beds, asleep, though since we were in a hotel room, we were all just a few feet away from each other. I was huddled on my half of the bed, curled around my laptop with one earphone in, trying to stay awake long enough for Mubarak's speech (once it did begin) to make some kind of sense. That never happened. I finally gave up and went to sleep.
Then yesterday, on the flight home from Doha to Sharjah, the Egyptian man sitting next to Jeremy told us that Mubarak had stepped down. All at once, I could not - and absolutely could - believe it.
Now I can watch this video again (it's still the most evocative music/footage/text combination about the protests that I've seen) without reservation, and embrace the emotion it expresses and inspires.
The moment where the resignation was announced is here:
And here is a lovely interview with Al-Jazeera English reporter Ayman Mohyeldin:
You know, it's been a while since I've had a journalistic hero (Richard Quest and Hala Gorani come to mind, but it's been a solid eight years since I've had access to CNN International and could idolize them). I think Al Jazeera English (and Ayman Mohyeldin specifically) are my new journalistic heroes for presenting Egypt's story so meaningfully.
Congratulations, Egypt!
Jeremy and the girls were already in their beds, asleep, though since we were in a hotel room, we were all just a few feet away from each other. I was huddled on my half of the bed, curled around my laptop with one earphone in, trying to stay awake long enough for Mubarak's speech (once it did begin) to make some kind of sense. That never happened. I finally gave up and went to sleep.
Then yesterday, on the flight home from Doha to Sharjah, the Egyptian man sitting next to Jeremy told us that Mubarak had stepped down. All at once, I could not - and absolutely could - believe it.
Now I can watch this video again (it's still the most evocative music/footage/text combination about the protests that I've seen) without reservation, and embrace the emotion it expresses and inspires.
The moment where the resignation was announced is here:
And here is a lovely interview with Al-Jazeera English reporter Ayman Mohyeldin:
You know, it's been a while since I've had a journalistic hero (Richard Quest and Hala Gorani come to mind, but it's been a solid eight years since I've had access to CNN International and could idolize them). I think Al Jazeera English (and Ayman Mohyeldin specifically) are my new journalistic heroes for presenting Egypt's story so meaningfully.
Congratulations, Egypt!