Talk about culture shock. 

Egyptian sophomore Mina Botros was already overwhelmed by the isolation and pervasive quiet of Pacific Union College’s idyllic campus in the forested hills east of St. Helena. Now that his country has erupted into violent protests, Angwin and Egypt have become a study in contrasts.  

His father in Alexandria sleeps against his family’s front door gripping knives. Meanwhile, Botros, 19, sleeps in a dorm room where the loudest noise is often a sparrow’s song. 

“I wish my family would be here, too,” Botros said. “Right now, I don’t want any connection with Egypt. It doesn’t mean I don’t love the country. Things are scary.”

Botros is one of a handful of Egyptians in Napa County reeling from news of unrest at home. In his Statistical Methods class, he has been preparing for next week’s midterm with half a dozen Egyptian students majoring in accounting. Like the college they attend, they’re all Seventh-day Adventists . 

After talking percentages, they talk politics. 

“It’s just so sad to see my country like this,” said Ramy Fahmy, 21, of Cairo. “I like the president, and I don’t want to see him leave.”

Botros agrees. “It’s the government that’s corrupt, not the president.” A city boy, Botros slicks his hair with gel and sports a black jacket. 

But their friend from a farm town in Upper Egypt throws down the gauntlet. “I want him out because he’s stayed 30 years,” said Amgad Ramzy, 22. 

He compares it to their recent economics lesson in the diminishing margin of utility. “You get the first donut, and you like it. By the third one, you want to throw up. The Egyptian people are sick of Mubarak.”

Millions of Egyptians have flocked to the streets this week, mostly in Cairo and Alexandria, to protest President Hosni Mubarak, the sour economy and a dearth of personal freedoms. Some of the protests have turned violent, killing three people and injuring more than 600 so far. 

The students said their families are safe. But they worry that religious extremists could take the helm and persecute their minute minority of Adventists in Egypt — about 900 of the country’s 83 million population, far less than one percent.

The protesters are irresponsible and destroying the country, the students said. 

A local author agrees. Selwa Hamati, a half-Egyptian raised as a Seventh-day Adventist, lamented the looting of mummies and ancient artifacts from Egyptian museums. “If you don’t want a dictatorship, rally for democracy in a peaceful way.”

But at least one Napa resident from the Middle East supported the protesters. Ahmad Musa, owner of Small Word Restaurant in Napa, left Nazareth, Israel, at the age of 15. 

On a recent afternoon, he took a break from stuffing pitas with radishes and tahini to talk about the riots. 

“It’s time to elevate the people with choices and freedom of speech, not to throw someone in jail every time they say something,” said Musa, who is a Muslim. “My wish is to have peace between Israel and Palestine ... I’m sure the new generation in Egypt will move on with the peace process.”

While riots rage at home, Botros and his Egyptian friends said they’re thankful for the respite in Angwin. They still miss the vivacity of Africa, where weddings draw a din of honking cars and revelers’ ululations.

But lately, their “boring” campus seems cushy. 

The students hope to graduate as accountants in a few years and return to a stable Egypt, said Michel Shouda, 21, of Cairo. 

“It’s going to be a mystery to see how the country is going to look,” Shouda said.