Blogging Iraq (2): Diary from Baghdad has an ‘adventure’ on her way to the Airport

Rose is a 27 year old civil engineer from Baghdad, married with a 3 year old daughter. She blogs at Diary from Baghdad. Recently Rose’s husband accepted a job offer in Dubai. But first she had to fly out of Iraq from Baghdad airport.

“An American convoy was stuck few cars behind us and they were hit by RPG, we heard a very large explosion then the Americans start shooting, everyone who was standing outside their cars went down and my husband shouted lay down with your daughter, the driver was standing out side, he ran and drove the car on a dusty road and took a short cut and ran away, many similar cars did the same thing, I felt afraid that we might be hit by any of the fighters. The driver shouted lay down and he drove as fast as he could. We arrived to a safe road, where there where many houses and he said that's it I will not take you to the airport, I was going to lose my life, it is not worth it. We told him what? what about our airplane? he said cancel it, nobody could reach the airport. during that time my husband called the airlines and asked them what shall he do? they told him the airplane will fly late because nobody of the passengers had arrived yet, so they asked him to wait till things calm down and then go to the airport again.

So waited for another hour and arrived at the airport about1:30. inside the airport we heard many bombs and we also saw the exploded car near the check point. we took off at about 4 pm and arrived Dubai at about 6 Pm. we where very exhausted tired and I felt dizzy all the way in the airplane. Well let me tell you how airplanes take off from Baghdad airport. There is a small zone around the airport that is secured by the Americans in the meaning that no one can hit an airplane as long as it is in that zone. So the minute the plane takes off, it starts going up like a spiral inside the safety zone until it reaches a certain altitude and that process is very scary.

my husband was having a bad flue and I have a problem with my right shoulder , the doctor told me it needs months till it will be normal again. so He carried many of our luggage.

This is the end of my story. when we arrived to the airport my husband called his friend who was waiting for us at the airport for more than 4hours, he said the airport did not know for how long the plane will be late and whether the airplane will fly or not so he just sat there and waited till they told them it flew”. (AJ)