Students trapped in Egypt

• Egypt

Associated press Fires burn in the National Democratic Party ruling party headquarters, after it was set alight by anti-government protesters, in downtown Cairo, Egypt, Friday.

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WORTHINGTON — Eight Augustana College students with ties to southwest Minnesota and northwest Iowa were safely moved to a hotel closer to the airport in Cairo, Egypt, Friday morning as riots continued to escalate in the capital city.

The students, on the final leg of a three-week tour of Egypt, are scheduled to be on flights out of the country today — good news for parents here at home who are growing increasingly anxious as they learn more about the government uprising.

Patti and David Olson of Luverne received a phone call from their daughter Lindsey Friday morning. She called from a pay phone after being told that all Internet connections would be cut off.

“They are a little nervous, but they feel confident that they have been protected as much as they can,” said Patti Olson. The fifth and final concert of their trip that was scheduled for Friday night in Cairo was cancelled.

Lindsey Olson is a senior at Augustana College and plays the euphonium in the band. She is one of 70 students on the trip, accompanied by a delegation of Augustana alumni. The band usually embarks on an international trip every four years, Patti Olson said.

“I was just watching the TV to see if we could get some sort of feedback,” Olson said Friday evening. “Up until this morning, we were able to get texts from her and Skype with her. When she called this morning, it got a little more nerve-wracking.”

Andrew Paulson, Jackson, an Augustana freshman and percussionist in the band, also called home to his parents, Garen and Kim Paulson, Friday morning.

“About 20 minutes after they left the hotel (where they had been staying), the riots broke out,” Kim Paulson said. When she received the call from Andrew at 6:30 a.m. Friday, the band members were already settled in the safer motel.

“He asked me if I was freaked out, and then he asked if I was watching CNN,” Paulson said of the phone conversation. After chiding him that she doesn’t watch CNN in the morning, he told her she better go turn the TV on.

That’s when Paulson grew concerned.

She had heard reports earlier this week of people protesting and demanding the ousting of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, but Andrew had told her the news agencies were making it sound worse than what it actually was.

“When it started (on Tuesday), they were on top of the hotel, videotaping and taking pictures,” she said. Andrew told her then that it was kind of neat to see such history unfolding before their eyes.

“Today he said it’s not so neat — ‘we want to get out of here and be back in America,’” Paulson said of her son’s words Friday morning.

When Paulson said her son was told he could call home on Friday, she admitted it was “a little gut-wrenching” and eerie.

“We’re hoping that their flights are not cancelled,” she added.

An e-mail from Augustana College Friday afternoon said Delta Airlines had cancelled flights out of Cairo, but the Delta flight to Amsterdam was still on schedule. Students were scheduled on two different flights — one via Amsterdam and the other a direct flight from Cairo to New York.

The New York flight was uncertain as of Friday, the e-mail reported. All students were scheduled to arrive in Minneapolis on Sunday.

Bruce and Karen Juber of Worthington received a call from their son, Brian, at about 6 a.m. Friday. A senior trumpet player in the band, he said everyone was doing OK.

“He had faith they were taking care of him and looking out for his safety,” Karen Juber said. “I was very relieved when he called and said what their plans are.”

The Jubers have remained in contact with their son via e-mail since he left with the Augustana band on Jan. 9. Karen Juber said the group had a “wonderful time,” which is evident on the blog they’ve kept throughout the journey, www.augieband.blogspot.com.

During Friday’s phone call, Juber said her son sounded calm, and it put her mind at ease.

“I’ll be very glad when he’s home. It’s been a long three weeks anyhow, to have it come to an end like this,” she said. “To kids, this is history unfolding and it’s kind of exciting, whereas to us, just get our children home.”

Tags: augustana college, news, egypt, students, trapped, band, members