Yella Misr Part II

If we thought things were pretty crazy after the soccer game a few days ago, it was nothing compared to the awesome energy and excitement following the Egypt vs. Algeria game last night. The rivalry between these two countries is strong, and I've heard people say that it doesn't matter if Egypt wins the Africa cup, as long as they beat Algeria. Luckily, Egypt had a decisive victory with a score of 4-0. The Algerian team managed to get 3 red cards during the game. A bunch of AUC people watched the game downtown at the Hard Rock Cafe. In retrospect, it would have been better to go to a local cafe with more Egyptians and lower prices. Luckily, the main excitement began after the game ended. After the victory, It was as if the entire city exploded. I have never seen anything like it in my life, and I don't think that there has ever been this much excitement, energy and country pride shown by so many people at once in the U.S. Literally the entire city was involved and I'm sure most of the entire country. The streets were crowded with parades of people cheering and screaming and banging drums. The roads were filled with cars honking horns with people coming out the windows waving flags. People were even riding on the tops of cars and hanging on the backs of trucks. It was complete madness and insanity but the energy was like a living entity. We walked about two miles from the Hard Rock Cafe to the Zemalek dorms where we caught a bus back to campus. It was one of the most amazing and memorable walks of my life! Everyone got caught up in the mad energy and joyous shouting. We were all yelling "Yella Misr!!!!" to everyone we passed and everyone cheered and yelled back. We got caught up in a marching parade at one point and we were jumping up and down and screaming with everyone. Never in my life have I seen a whole city united in joy like Egypt was last night. This experience is one I will remember for a very long time.
Ellen Beste