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Tales From Travelers: Kurdistan Erbil
Airport
24.9.2006 |
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Oct. 2, 2006 issue
- We asked readers to tell us about some of their
most unusual business trips—and offer advice:
Wes McWhorter
New Orleans
In November 2005, I was on Iraqi Airlines' newly
established direct route from Istanbul, Turkey, to
Baghdad. I had been working on a project for the
United States Agency for International Development
and was the only American on a plane filled with
Iraqi expatriates and Turkish contractors.
Because of a crack in the windshield, we had to make
an emergency landing in Erbil (in Kurdish Hewler), a
city in Iraqi Kurdistan. We passed over snowcapped
mountains and began descending rapidly. When a
civilian aircraft lands in a potentially hostile
location, it's not a gentle glide down onto the
tarmac.
It's generally a gut-wrenching spiral that begins at
35,000 feet and continues until you hit the deck.
We landed safely, but it was late in the afternoon.
It looked like we would be stuck in Kurdistan
overnight.
The airport manager intended to put us up at a local
hotel, but I insisted that I could not go to a hotel
because no one knew where I was and I had real fears
of being kidnapped. "But this is Erbil—Kurdistan
loves America!" said the airport manager to convince
me that I was safe. |
Washington Restaurant in Kurdistan Region-(Iraq), |
He even invited me to his home. I explained that
under different circumstances, I would have been
honored, but this time I had to stay in the airport.
I was now alone in the airport lobby with four
Kurdish security guards. They allowed me to use a
computer to get a message to my wife. And, as I
settled in for a long night, I realized that my
guardians were as curious about me as I was about
them.
They offered me their dinner of lamb kebab and
samoon (bread) and asked me where I was from, what I
was doing in Iraq, did I have a girlfriend, etc. I
asked them about the upcoming elections and how they
hoped things would go in the coming years.
They thought Massoud Barzani, leader of the
Kurdistan Democratic Party, was the best candidate
to head the new government.
I was excited for them and hoped that some shred of
sanity could come from all the madness of the last
few years. One guard brought me a blanket and pillow
and I managed a few hours of sleep.
As the plane ascended on my flight to Baghdad the
next day, I looked down on the ruins of an ancient
city on a hill. I was so thankful for those guys in
the airport.
They showed me kindness, helped calm my fears and
made me feel as comfortable as possible. That day
taught me to look for the opportunity to reach out
to people and to nurture openness, flexibility and
curiosity.
Newsweek com
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