one night in Dubai

My flight was canceled. I expected to board at 7:30 am to the flight towards Kabul. But it was 8 am and I had no idea why nothing was announced, I was confuse since no body was around to even ask, I also saw some Iraqis ladies who were flying to Basreh with Iraq airline and I saw them being around again! They had got my attention because of their very pretty dresses, I have never seen some thing like that before, long skirts with a sort of dress on top it, very colorful, with lots of hand work on it. Any way I would give any thing just to be able to sleep some where, the chairs where very uncomfortable to sleep and I wasn’t daring to lay down on the ground. Around 9 am I realized that all the flights were cancelled because of accident which had happened with a Singapore airline while it was taking off. It was a big caos, and it was interesting to see how people are reacting to that, so much of rumors about how many people were killed or so, next day I heard it was just one person who ha to go to hospital and another 14 people got some brouses.

Around 10 am they collected our passports. The reason: for the immigration we were registered as we had left the country so they had to again register us as getting in to the country. I was really scared to give my passport away, I wasn’t alone , it was an Italian guy who was freaking out too, he was working in Italian embassy.
There were a lot of foreign workers, from different countries. I got to talk to an Australian, and a South African security guys who were working in military bases and US embassy, a girl who was doing internship to build a an art school, a girl from a small French NGO working for women organizations. Also two Egyptian guys who were working as contract workers. An interesting German boy, who was working in the afghan providences with a German NGO to set up help for post war traumas. He was coming back from Darussalam, where he had a training program for some workshops, and decided to skip his week of vacation work, to be with his German friends. Last week one of his colloquies had got shot and that was a big thing for German developing workers.

There were also an interesting couple who have a big mobile (telecommunication) company, in Afghanistan; later, I learned that they are one of the main providers, and people think they are too expensive. He was very talkative and funny.

Giving back the passports took too long. There were announcing almost every 10 minutes: “Dubai airport is nonsmoking airport, there are some designated area for smokers ” . This became a big joke between people. Imagine you are stuck there with no information and no idea of what is happening, and some random guys come and take your passport!! Nevertheless they remind you of not smoking!

At last they came, to give back the passports, it was hilarious! Imagine an Arab guy who is trying to read all this strange foreign names. And can not read them! And just show the passport from far away and asks, whose is this? Well we had lots of fun there. Every body got his passport. Except of people who had Afghan passport as well as me and the Egyptian guys! Problem: we needed visa to get out of the air port! So now? “Wait it is going to be arranged in half an hour!” OK! Lets a get a coffee, and smoke in designated area!

Well it wasn’t too bad. In these situations people become friends, I heard so many stories from one of the Egyptian guys. He lived and worked in Afghanistan for almost 2 years. It gave me a nice chance to hear the perception of some of the foreign who were there, who are more an observer, since they cannot talk or understand the language. Who were there really JUST FOR JOB, good money. No romantic ideas that I have! And also they see how things are working, so no fancy fluffy imaginations. I really liked that!

The passports didn’t show up until 4 PM. Suddenly they announced you can get to the flight! We were very happy and surprise, but then we found out that was a “trick” white lie! to get every body quickly to the gate. We were transferred to a hotel some where in the city and they just gave us a piece of paper and said, you can come back tomorrow and get your passports. I was happy that at least I got to get my ticket, and suitcase.

In hotel we had to share our room, I was really annoyed I didn’t want to share my room with somebody who I do not know. We were 3 women, who were actually traveling sort of alone. An African, an old Afghan lady from Hazara’s area, and me. At that point I didn’t realize that the Afghan lady was alone, I thought the man who was with her was her son. (later I figured out that he was just a far relative trying to help her, with trip, amazing that she was absolutely illiterate) actually it came a little ugly, because when I was arguing that I do not want to share my room, (just as the principle that they messed up and I am not going to pay for it, too naive and stupid of me any way!) the African lady thought I do not want to share my room with her because she is black! And she kept cursing me and repeating “I have a god”! (well I might have a god too!) She was not listening to me a tall, also because she was just hearing the half of talks which was in English not my Persian words in arguing with other people. The old lady was saying I do not want to share my room with the black girl because she smells. Total nonsense! and it was such a wired situation. Also because the afghan lady was Hazara, during the war many Hazaras lived in Iran, and I could see the face of arrogant Iranian girl who is thinking she is superior! At the end I decided to stay with the old lady just because she was too much dependent, not even knowing how to use the lift! And any way me trying to talk to the African lady was not any use too! Honestly it was a good reminder of hey step back, there is no principle here! They even didn’t try to get their right! They even weren’t allowing me to ask why can’t we get our private room when we had paid for the flight, just accepting that if the airline says you have to share the room, means we have to share with no word! Also the whole black, Iranian , Hazare, thing was really wired! I had totally forgotten about the influence of prejudice, based on races and color.


It was not too bad, I was happy that I have a room and I can sleep. But I had to take care of afghan lady. She was funny, I suddenly had found a grandmother, who hardly could understand her accent, (afghans speak Dari, which is like Persian, but with different accent, often different word usage and grammar). We went to get lunch, the hotel was full of Iranians, who were there for holidays. I got to talk to couple of them. I really wanted to sleep.