A student from Columbus, Indiana is back home after evacuating from Egypt.
John Pence, a William and Mary student, arrived in Cairo on Jan. 18 to study Arabic and International Relations at American University. He was supposed to spend a semester there, but just seven days into his trip that plan changed. The day before the protests broke out, Pence received a call from his Egyptian friend telling him he should stay inside because it could get ugly. His friend was right.
"I saw large groups of people, I saw people throwing rocks, I smelled tear gas," Pence said. "I saw buildings burning on the horizon on top of our dorms, and then I saw and heard the F-15 fighter jets flying low over the city."
Pence took several pictures showing smoke rising, and tanks patrolling the streets. He says he and the other students at American University were forced to take their security into their own hands.
"People literally were just in front of our dorm with sticks and metal bars, and we had a fire hose set up to get rid of people if they charged the dorm," Pence said.
Monday, Pence evacuated and by Wednesday night he had made it home to his family. Now he's reflecting on what's happening in Egypt, what he says is a government collapsing in front of the world's eyes.
"This is more than people who are just a little upset. They want real change, and hopefully that happens in some form peacefully."
Click here for the raw interview.