So where were you eight years ago on this day when the 9/11 attacks happened?
That time, I was working as an emergency room nurse in a small Eastern Saudi province called Ras Tanura. It was in the wee hours of the morning when it happened. There were no patients that time, and the tv was on at the waiting area. Flash news started appearing on all channels.
I was working with some Muslim colleagues that shift, and I will never forget their comments about what’s happening in the United States. They said it’s good for the Americans. And that they deserved it. I wondered what they were thinking why they hated the U.S. so much. Thousands of people were dying, and they could say something like that.
Two weeks after the incident in the U.S., I had to fly home to the Philippines passing at FIVE airports. I experienced long queues at airports because they had to be strict with all passengers, especially those coming from Saudi. Luggages had to be opened and hand carried bags could contain only limited stuff.
I took a shuttle bus from Dhahran Airport to Bahrain Airport. From there I took a plane with connecting flights in Dubai and Hongkong. I stayed in Hongkong for two days before I reached Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila.
And that’s my story. Wala lang, nakuwento ko lang! Hehe!
(photo credits: z.about.com, zdnet.com)
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