Amber Judd has been to Egypt before, she’s spent significant time there and despite warnings from her home school, Michigan State, and her abroad institution, she says now is not the time to leave.
“I’m a part of history,” said Judd. “I’m not going home now.”
Judd is in Cairo and is about to start her Spring semester. She has been affected by the curfew in place and the protesting.
“MSU has suspended the program, basically, saying that it’s not safe and that I should go home but I decided to stay here,” said Judd.
MSU had seven students abroad in the country and they are all making their way back to the United States.
“All the students in Egypt wanted to be there,” said Brett Berquist, the executive director of the study abroad program at MSU. “They didn’t feel like they were in direct danger but understand that we want them to return home.”
Judd has no intention of returning home just yet. She feels an allegiance with some of the Egyptian people.
“I see that the economy [in Egypt] is actually really stagnant. It’s about time that things change. Mubarak has been in office for about 30 years. He hasn’t really done much. I think it’s time things change and that the people are able to vote for who they want and participate in a democracy,” said Judd.
She says this is a once in a lifetime experience that she doesn’t want to miss.
