Like in many other places in the world, the Egyptian community in the valley is worried about what is happening in their home country.

Dr. Sonia Alianiak teaches classes on the Middle East at UTPA in Edinburg.

She wasn't born in Egypt but lived there for over 20 years.

She says what her country is going through doesn’t surprise her.

"It’s not a big surprise. The magnitude is a surprise but there were a lot of complaints before," said Dr. Sonia Alianak who has lived in the US most of her life.

But her mother still lives in Egypt and keeps her updated on the situation back home.

"She tells me there are a lot of vigilante groups.”

Neighborhood guys have blocked and stopped traffic to make sure the looters are not coming in the neighborhood.

The citizens are taking over and defending their neighborhood, “said Dr. Sonia Alianak.

Having experienced firsthand some of the frustrations of the protestors, Dr. Alianak and her students also speculate on the political future of Egypt.

"I think Egypt is not only an example of how people are changing and how the western civilization is influencing them but you can notice that over thirty years people want something different and they are not taking no for an answer,” said one student.

Another student mentioned “If we go too much in and denounce it, then obviously we are coming against the people however if we go straight out and support it what happens if the demonstrations aren't successful and we risk the chance of losing that ally.”

Dr. Alianak wants to get her students thinking about foreign events and how even though they are happening half way across the world -- they can eventually have an impact on students’ right here in the US.