Stuck and waiting
Comments (2)
Monday, December 4, 2006 | 12:21 PM ET
By Laurie Graham
Sitting inside Terminal 2 at the airport in Dubai. As I look out the window, the sun is shining. Palm trees are still. A beautiful morning, from the outside. But here inside, the picture is not so pretty. People are sitting on the floor, some have even sprawled out and are sleeping with their mouths wide open. Those who were lucky enough to get a chair are hanging off them, fast asleep. No music in the air, just the sound of snoring coming from some corners.
Like airports across the world, people here, including myself, are waiting and have been for days. They're trying to get to Kabul, Afghanistan, but flights into the Capital city have been cancelled for three straight days. No, the Taliban haven't taken over the airport, there's been no security threat, not even any violence. Nope. The reason
for the cancellations...wait for it....SNOW!
Yes, Kabul has been hit by a winter storm; not nearly as bad as the storms we get in Canada, but bad enough to shut the runway down making it impossible for planes to land.
Since Saturday, people have been showing up here at about 4:30 in the morning, waiting for hours, only to find out their flight to Kabul has been cancelled, yet again.
There are Brits, Aussies, Americans and Afghans. Some work for the UN, others are with government agencies and some are locals trying to get home. They're tired, anxious, have little to do, and yet, there is a certain calm in this terminal. No yelling, no swearing, no blaming the ticket agent or the guy at the information desk. Instead, people are patient, respectful, kind.
They all come from different cultures, different religions and backgrounds but for now, here at a Terminal 2,
most everyone is the same. Stuck and waiting.
« Previous Post | Main | Next Post »
This discussion is now Closed. View the Comments.
Kandahar Dispatches »
Recent Posts
- A helping hand in Kandahar
- Kandahar Dispatch
- Friday, May 30, 2008
- Kandahar Kash
- Susan Lunn
- Thursday, May 15, 2008
- Under the Kandahar sun
- Susan Lunn
- Thursday, May 8, 2008
- Reporting the Pakistani Taliban 'confession'
- Carolyn Dunn
- Sunday, October 28, 2007
- The promise of hope
- Carolyn Dunn
- Monday, October 22, 2007
- Subscribe to this blog
Recent Comments
- Enjoyed chatting with you through part of your wait. I wa...
- Stuck and waiting
- Welcome to this side of the world. You are lucky you are ...
- Stuck and waiting
Archives
- May 2008
- (3 postings)
- October 2007
- (5 postings)
- September 2007
- (2 postings)
- June 2007
- (1 postings)
- May 2007
- (2 postings)
- April 2007
- (4 postings)
- March 2007
- (6 postings)
- February 2007
- (5 postings)
- December 2006
- (4 postings)
- November 2006
- (1 postings)
- August 2006
- (1 postings)
Comments (2)
John
Dubai
Enjoyed chatting with you through part of your wait. I was glad to see you get through security and on your way. Hope your trip is productive and safe. Best of luck to you up there.
Posted December 6, 2006 12:34 AM
Juan
Afghanistan
Welcome to this side of the world. You are lucky you are not stuck in Kabul, so don't complain too much.
Posted December 4, 2006 11:40 PM