Real time

I finally got those videos up from Sunday's festivities (compliments my roommate Sharif).


This is very soon after the game ended. We went out into the street after it was over and people were just starting to assemble and stop traffic and such. Things started getting rowdier with every new cheer circle and finally someone (seen below ghostriding his whip) took off toward Tahrir Sq., the main square of Cairo. All the major streets had crowds the size of ours and when they converged in Tahrir this is what it was like. Take note of the Hardee's and Pizza Hut in the background. I suppose I am proud to say I ate my first Hardee's meal of my life that night... and most likely my last.



More in Tahrir Square a little later on. This was pretty typical of the night: a crowd of kids would spontaneously erupt into cheers, and then just as suddenly disband and mingle around until another cheer started (which was generally within the next 2 minutes). I learned a few cheers from some kids, but I've been told I probably shouldn't repeat them outside of a screaming football crowd. The end of the video, however, is what sticks out to me.
Despite all the chaos and relative recklessness, the fireballs, the stunningly dangerous methods of riding vehicles, the climbing and jumping and running mobs, the atmosphere remained very positive where I was and age did not play a segregating role in the crowd. If this happened outside your apartment in the States, I guarantee parents would be barricading their kids in the bathroom. Last Sunday, it was actually the kids that were the most active outside. It didn't matter if you were 6, 16, or 66, you were welcome to hang off the cars and cheer in circles (though most, not all, were male, by the way).
I figure this has a lot to with the lack of widespread alcohol culture here. Something like this in the States would carry with it the assumption that (lots of) boozing was going on, and therefore it would be primarily an "adult" gathering. Here, everything that was going on honestly felt safer because people were (generally) not intoxicated. Yes, there are seven people on that motorcycle, but I guess at least they're sober... Anyway, it was a real ecstatic feeling to have adrenaline as the major substance keeping everyone going. Plus, not once did I see any of the vomit or urine that typically accompany any celebration at MSU. So that was nice.
I'm not suggesting this was a care-free night for everybody (a few of my girl friends fell victim to being harassed and/or groped in the big crowds), nor that alcohol or drugs were totally absent, but the fact that the celebration was so big and so rowdy yet still a place for families was new to me.



A few hours after the end of the game, with everyone still going at it strong, we went back to the apartment to find this parader in his most steadfast noble stance.