David Gibbon, 24, of Lower Makefield went to Cairo in May to learn Arabic, and in the process has received a front-row seat to history in the making.
Gibbon is a Temple University student who is studying abroad for 15 months to learn Arabic at The American University in Cairo.
While the Department of State has warned American students to leave Egypt at this time because of the unrest, Gibbon plans to stay on, his mother, Karen Gibbon said.
Cairo recently has become the center of global attention and concern as its citizens called for the ouster of President Mohammed Morsi, Egypt’s first democratically elected president.
The Egyptian military overthrew Morsi on Wednesday after four days of mass street demonstrations that sometimes turned bloody.
On Friday, a 21-year-old American college student who was taking photos of the protests was stabbed to death by a protester.
“We’re hearing that he’s very, very safe in the part of Cairo where he lives,” she said. “I’m thrilled he’s getting this experience, but I have my typical mother worries. My son is in a place where there are major changes going on.”
David’s dormitory is in a residential part of the city called Zamalek, situated on an island in the middle of the Nile, roughly five miles from where the mass protests took place.
Gibbon is one of 95 Americans studying at The American University in Cairo this summer, according to the university.
The university has closed its campuses in Cairo and New Cairo since June 28 because of the protests and has warned students not to venture near the areas of unrest.
“My son has promised me he won’t go where the danger is. And he’s got a level head on his shoulders,” Karen Gibbon said. She said she was relieved after talking to him via Skype Thursday.
Gibbon, who is also in the U.S. Marine Corps, graduated from Pennsbury High School in 2007 and received an associated degree from Bucks County Community College in 2012, according to his LinkedIn profile.
He plans to study abroad for 15 months and finish a bachelor’s degree at Temple University with an expected graduation in 2015.
“Our Study Abroad people have been in touch with him about possibly evacuating,” said Eryn Jelesiewicz, director of University Communications at Temple.
