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For many traveling from Australia to Europe, a layover in the United Arab Emirates is a strategic pause, often seen as a hack to mitigate jet lag on such a long journey. Thus, committing to a two-night stay in Dubai seemed routine and inconsequential at the time.
Now, days have passed, and we find ourselves stranded in Dubai with no definitive return date. Our hopes rest on a potential ceasefire and news of when the airspace might reopen.
Following orders to “stay in shelter, stay in place,” we’ve been confined to our hotel for safety. To navigate this situation, we’ve reached out to all available resources, including the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and Smartraveller, essential tools for Australians traveling abroad.
The surreal events that unfolded on Saturday have left me thankful to be safely in Dubai, rather than nearer to the conflict zones.
While the situation here is unsettling, I can only imagine the terror faced by those directly under threat, a thought that is deeply troubling.
Living in Australia, we are blessed to be far removed from the physical horrors of war and in a way I feel guilty that I’ve managed to live a mostly peaceful life free from this worry.
The first 48 hours since the initial strikes have felt like a nightmare. We’ve heard (and felt) thunderous explosions in the near distance, and witnessed debris hurtling from the sunny skies from intercepted drones.
Or maybe they were missiles – you don’t get the specifics when you’re running for cover.
We’ve been startled awake in the middle of the night by phone alerts urging us to “seek immediate shelter” as booming blasts sound.
Overall, there’s an unsettling panic that something bigger might happen and there’s nothing we can really do to escape.
The stressful reality is there’s nothing we can do, we have to stay put and follow the advice from authorities.
As each day drags on, we’re in a constant loop of refreshing our flight’s status, searching for news, check-ins with worried family back home and taking walks through the lobby to try and think about anything else.
Then the nerves set in as the sun goes down – it all feels more chilling in the dark.
The goal each day is to avoid spiralling at the thought of how long this could go on for, as world leaders boast about how this war could go “far longer”.
Life is currently on hold, but we know it could always be worse. We have a place to shelter, we have access to the essentials and we are safe.
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