LI teen in Egypt having 'time of his life'

While most of the world watched on TV as Egyptians took to the streets in an effort to overthrow their government, a college student from Northport had a front-row seat.

Patrick Reid, 18, was studying at The American University in Cairo when street demonstrations broke out Jan. 25. With classes canceled, he headed for Tahrir Square, video camera in hand, and began recording what he saw and posting videos, still photos and commentary on the Internet - when the Egyptian authorities weren't blocking it.

He was still there Saturday morning, getting ready to return to school. He said by telephone that the party was still going on in the square, where, he estimated, many thousands of people were gathered. "I was there this morning for a bit," he said. "They're still celebrating quite a bit and there's also a big cleanup effort under way."

On Thursday, Reid said, he shimmied up a pole on the square for a better camera angle when President Hosni Mubarak said in a televised address to the nation that he was turning over control of the government to his vice president but was not resigning. The next day, Reid said, he was in his hotel room near the square when Vice President Omar Suleiman announced that Mubarak had resigned.

"I could hear people cheering in the streets," he said. "I put on my shoes and ran out into the square."

His mother, Donna Reid, says she has been somewhat apprehensive because of occasional violence during the protests. But, she said Friday in a telephone interview, "I've got to tell you he's having the time of his life over there."

Said one of Patrick Reid's Facebook posts, "Sporadic gunfire could be heard in the vicinity of Tahrir Square, starting Wednesday evening and continuing for more than a day."

Yet he said the only times he felt he was in danger were during a few days when pro-Mubarak interests tried to counter the popular protests, sometimes violently.

"Most of the violence against Westerners was brought about by pro-Mubarak elements," he said. "I was very careful to avoid places where they might be."

Donna Reid said her son's long-standing interest in politics and international affairs led him to study abroad, first in Morocco, then in Egypt, after he graduated from Northport High School in 2009.

Proficient if not fluent in Arabic, Patrick Reid said he conversed easily with Egyptians, many of whom speak English.

He plans to return to the United States in May to continue his college studies.