On the second day of protests in Egypt, the 26th of January, I was in Cairo University sitting for a Trade law exam. I had expected protests in University, but things seemed far too quiet and normal. The one sign of unrest was an odd reception committee of plain clothes policemen standing at the gate.

I had spent the night before tweeting, feverishly spreading advice to protestors and trying to find out whether a fellow law student, whose father is a prominent opposition figure, had been released from police custody. I spent the entirety of the exam trying to calm myself about my friend, who had a few days ago been there in that very hall taking exams with me.

I was the first person to exit the hall and went out to find myself almost entirely alone in the main grounds of the university. The gate had been closed and padlocked and there, standing right before it, was the largest congregation of riot police I had ever seen. A group of girls from the French Law section drew near me and we began chatting. A police officer approached us and said we had to exit – that no-one was allowed to stay. This outraged me and another girl, and we decided we weren't budging: This was our university; no-one had any right to push us out amongst the riot police!

This small incident is somehow representative of the attitude of the young women of Egypt, who are tired of President Mubarak who has proven himself shortsighted and completely out of touch over and over again. We all want for this man who has ruled us for the last 29 years so ineffectually, to leave and be punished for letting corruption and inflation thrive while his people wither and suffer, and refuse to be swayed.

A great many of them have been there from the very first day of protests, and even before that, contributing to organizing the protests and spreading news and information through social networking sites Twitter and Facebook.

Mai El Zeiny, who works in the NGO Nahdet el Mahrousa, was there on the first day in Tahrir Square – the centre of protests in Cairo.

– The atmosphere was very peaceful. At the beginning most of those there were young people and activists, lots of families - generally middle class - and there was this sense of community. Everyone was helping each other and there was no sexual harassment, nor were women mocked or told to leave. As the day went on, more socio-economic classes joined the protests that had an air of impassioned empowerment. And things went relatively quietly till darkness fell and the riot police became more violent to get everyone out, Mai El Zeiny says.

– I did it because I want a future in this country for my children. Somewhere where they can be free and be able to speak their minds without fear, she added.

Ebada Naguib, an independent filmmaker, was there at the largest protest that was held on Friday 28th of January right after the Friday prayers that congregated around churches and mosques throughout the nation. She says all the protestors were very peaceful and all looting and thuggery that occurred was due to the police. She witnessed riot police setting fire to their own van, and word circulated that the looters who entered the museum were high ranking officers. She also says police were especially violent that day and used up to 20 canisters of tear gas at a time as well rubber bullets. Ebaba Naguib has an 8 year old son whom she left at home in order to go out and protest. She said she did it because it was time to take control of her life.

– After such a long time spent being submissive to the system, I felt that the time had come to demand my life. How can I keep telling my son to speak his mind and strive to be free when I myself am not? I was depressed, I despised myself and despised everyone around me, I was fearful of everyone and everything. And yet when I went down into the streets, I discovered all my fears were unfounded. I was helped time and time again by the people I believed saw me as a whore because of the way I dress and act, and whom I feared would hurt me. I've realized when you are treated like a dog you will act like a dog, but once you realize you are human you will act and treat those around you as humans. After the protest I now have a sense of belonging I have been missing all my life.