Long Live Egypt!

About an hour after the Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak, stepped down to the demands of the Egyptian people, we could hear the people of Jordan chanting out of the cars as they drove down the streets of Amman, "Long Live Egypt, Long Live Egypt, LONG LIVE EGYPT!" Cars filled with people, clapping, dancing, honking their horns as they celebrated the news they have been waiting for during the 3 weeks of protesting. Jordan, for those unfamiliar, is a country filled with Immigrants from the neighboring Arab countries. I was unable to find the actual number of Egyptians living here in Amman; however, you find Egyptians on every street in Amman. Those celebrating tonight are not only Egyptian, but also Jordanians. My father-in-law, a Jordanian, admitted to shedding a few tears of joy when he heard the news of victory. The news broadcasters found groups of people proudly celebrating throughout Amman tonight. We saw and heard fireworks being launched into the air. The sounds of victory! The sound of freedom!

What does all this mean for Jordan? We are uncertain what it means, if anything. The news speculates that Jordan could be next; however, those of us living here don't feel this to be true. That being said, there have been some demonstrations around Jordan. The demonstrations two weeks were held because people were unhappy with the Prime Minister and the inflation of prices. Around ten days ago His Majesty, King Abdullah, let go his Ministers including the Prime Minister. The process usually it takes only a couple of days to replace the Ministers; however, this time King Abdullah took his time to ensure selecting Ministers that will accurately represent the Jordanian people...and limit the demonstrations in Jordan. The people who hold government positions, recently received an increase in pay, in an attempt to make up for the recent inflation. One can not say for sure what the future of Jordan is, yet we are hopeful that things remain calm and proactive.

Victory today in Egypt! History in the making! A day to celebrate! A day for Democracy! We don't know exactly what the future holds for the Egyptian people, but we pray for democracy and for a better future for the Egyptians.