neurotic Iraqi wife

To actually be in Athens right now is one helluva an accomplishment. OMG, the trip out from BIAP was a trip from hell!!! I cannot describe the anxiety everyone went through 2 days ago. I was scheduled to fly out on the 18th. On the 17th we had one ugly dust storm, and I knew that the back log at the airport will be a nightmare. It was a blessing I had 2 of my colleagues with me. One of them knew a guy at the airport, where we give him 50 bucks each and he can guarantee us a place.

BIAP was just a nightmare, people pushing and shoving, One old lady, actually fell because of it, poor thing. And no one helped her. Instead they started pushing even more just to get in line. By 830 am we called the guy, he took our papers and disappeared. One of my coworkers, R, or maybe I should say excoworker cause he got laid off killed me. The guy literally was talking non stop to me, complaining about the organization, about the airport, about EVERYTHING. He was soooooooooooooo negative, I knew the day will not go as smoothly as I want it to be.

A, the guy that took our papers reappeared again with our boarding passes and we managed to have a place on that flight. Then it was time for that dreaded passport control. The guy kept looking at my Iraqi passport and my face. Then he said, you arent Iraqi. I laughed, I said, if Im not Iraqi what am I? Indian? He kept shaking his head, no, no you are not Iraqi. I was gonna say something smart like, If I wanna fake a passport, why the hell should I choose an Iraqi one to begin with, but I kept my mouth shut, and said I assure you, I am Iraqi 100%. He then asked me if I hold another passport, and ofcourse the answer was yes. I was finally let go.

We sat in the lobby waiting for our flight to be announced. It was supposed to leave at 1130am. And sure enough, we lined up, we had our bags checked again, and we took the bus, and before boarding the plane we had our bags checked AGAIN. Like I have no idea what the hell can we put in our bags during the 5 minute bus trip to the plane??? We finally boarded the plane and thats when the nightmare started.

We could see the sky is getting hazier and hazier by the minute. An hour passed, 2 hours, 3 hours, and the plane became like one box of sardines. The pilot announced that we were waiting for the weather to clear. You can hear the passengers talking, all of a sudden everyone became an expert on flying, visibility and weather!!!It was kinda funny...

There we were sitting for 3 hours in that darn thing, and Im right next to R, my excoworker, who just wouldnt stop complaining. OMG. By the fourth hour, I needed to smoke, and asked one of the flight attendants if we can disembark for a smoke. The answer was ofcurse no. A few minutes later and we were asked to grab our belongings and go back to the airport. I was soooo ready to cry. One of RJ's crew, knows me as Ive been travelling with them a long time. I asked him, do you think I will be outta here today? He smiled and said, I guarantee you, today you will be having dinner in Amman.

You could hear everyone's moans when the annoncement was made. Everyone was just so eager to leave. There were people who were waiting from the night before. So not a nice sight. Everyone kept asking whether we were actually gonna travel or not. Nobody knew. All the officials said was inshallah, if the weather clears. As we loooked through the window, we can see the dust. The dust turning orange. NOT GOOD. Everytime an announcement was made Id jump. And everyone else would gather around me asking me what was said, since I can understand arabic. And then one by one, airlines started getting cancelled. We found out that for insurance purposes, RJ does not keep its aircraft overnight in Baghdad, so we were all hoping that that will be the case. It was our only hope.

I went to some of teh security guards and asked if there was any other way out. Even a taxi, I dont care I just wanna leaaaaaaaaaaaaaaave!!! They all laughed, and asked me to be patient. They said as long as they did not unload our bags yet, then theres a chance.

5 Pm passed, then 6. Then 7 and 8 pm. They told us by 9 pm things will be more clearer and they will have more info. In the mean time, I was worried about HUBBY. He too was travelling that day. Lucky bastard, he made it to Kuwait. 9pm came and everyone was anxious. Still no word. 10 pm, and everyone just became antsy. The weather was still dusty outside. And we had a few blackouts in the airport. I kept thinking I would be really lucky if I made it. 11 Pm and still no word. We would see the officials walking and Id jump and ask them the latest news. I just gave up. I sat on the floor waiting. Waiting for anything. By 1 am, the passport control guy passed by me, looked down and saw that it was me. He couldnt believe that almost 13 hours ago he stamped my passport and I was still here.

When they announced that RJ was boarding, OMG. Everyone scrammed to the gate. the Passport guy ushered to me and pulled me to the top of the line. I said, I cant, Im with my coworkers. He called them to join me. You can imagine the stares I got from everyone. I felt really embarrased, but hey I will do anything just to leave!!! We had to go through the whole process of security checks, and the guys there recognized me. They said, see had you taken a taxi, you wouldnt have made it.

Ofcourse everyone knew where they were sitting so that didnt take much time. Everyone had their fingers crossed. Again things were taking longer than should be. Then the dreaded announcement. The pilot said, we are still waiting for a final weather check, and things dont loook that good. To say people started cursing, would be an understatement. R was ready to go strangle the pilot. I just couldnt believe my luck. I was tired, sleepy, and desperate. Half an hour later and the plane started moving. We held our breaths. Once it took off, and it was actually in the air, OMGGGGGGGGG, The clapping and the cheers were just inbelievable.

Once in Amman airport, I could barely open my eyes. One of the officials asked me something, I had no friggin clue what it was. I just looked at him like a lost puppy and said, Look, Im sorry, I dont know what you just said. Im tired, Im sleepy and I can barely concentrate. He smiled. Wow first time ever I see a jordanian offical smile. He said its ok, you can go, welcome to Amman.

I have more to say, but tomorrow is a long day. I finally made it. I finally saw HUBBY, and I finally got out of that prison. We arrived in Athens today, and I cant wait to just relax and see some civilization!!! The Athenian Civilization...