Memories of the Kuwait War~Chapter 1~ Amma drops a bomb

Summer holidays were something I eagerly looked forward to, because of two main reasons. The first one being that it was 3 months long (June, Jul7y and August) unlike other Gulf countries where it’s only for July and August, and the second one being the chance I had to go to India. 

Kuwait, a country in Western Asia, situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the north and Saudi Arabia to the south,  was home to me since 3 years of age. My father was the only parent working while my mother was a housewife. We are a family of 3 children, and you can imagine how much that would be to take a family of two adults and three children on an annual trip back home with just one person’s salary. I don’t remember perfectly, but I think we went once in 2 years. Oh, how much joy that trip brought me!! An escape from the dry land to my dreamland of rivers and greenery,  from a land of camels to that of cows and chickens!!!

It was one summer holiday where we didn’t travel home to India. I somehow pushed June and July aside and stepped into August. One more month!!! Uggh! It has been so boring, and there are more days to sail through. The good thing was that I had a toddler sister so playing with her was entertainment, and of course I didn't miss my cartoons, TV series and my books. Still, I was massively missing Kerala and my ammachi’s house. Schools were set to open on the 4th of September. Well, not much longer! I could meet my friends soon. They are all going to have long stories to tell and I’m going to have none, I thought as I went to bed that night.

The next morning I was woken up by the voice and shaking up by my rather excited mother, “Wake up, Saddam Hussain has attacked Kuwait! We are in a war now”

I sat up in bed all confused. My first reaction was “What!! Are there going to be bombs and fire?!” Well, thinking of this scene now, all I can think is, “What a way to wake up a hibernating teenager!!” Anyway, back to the war, Amma had no more idea than what she had just told us, me and my brother, as she woke us up. My father didn’t go to his office that day, I think, but he was getting ready to go somewhere. The news was on and it was all about Saddam, and Iraq, and Kuwait, and war, and what not! It took some time for me to process all this information. 

“So are we going to die? Will they harm us?” Amma didn’t have a proper answer to my questions. “Just pray to God, we will be safe and everything will be ok soon”, my father assured. I heard him telling my mother to give him a list, and that he will be back soon. He was going to the ‘Jamaiya’ (the corporative society supermarket) close to where we lived. We were short of supplies. “ We don’t know how things will be over the next few weeks, better to be prepared”, I heard him say. 

The three of us brushed our teeth, and sat for breakfast. It said on the news that airports were closed. That was the first bomb in my head! ‘How do we go to India now? Or will the war end soon and we go to school in September?’, were my thoughts. For my brother it was, “Chechi, will the soldiers have machine guns? Will they come in tanks?”. And for my baby sister it was nothing but walking around with some silly toy of hers, with no care or questions.

Quite some time later, Acha (my father) came back with loads of shopping bags full of provisions for the next few days. “The shops are full! People everywhere, panic buying. They say the Emir(the King), and Sheikh Sa’ad ( the Crown Prince) have fled, and so have many other royals”, I heard him narrate to Amma. “Oh my God! They’ve all left? Then who is going to take care of us!” I thought. “Maybe the Iraqi people attacked the Palace and Emir and Sheikh Sa'ad went hiding in their secret tunnel!” gleamed my 10 year old brother. “What secret tunnel?! They can’t hide there for long. There is no air in the tunnel, and no lights too. Maybe no bathroom either. And anyway, their wives and children won’t fit into some tunnel. Stupid idea you have!!”, I quipped. “Then maybe they escaped by helicopter”, he didn’t give up, “or maybe by ship!”

“I don’t know, let’s ask Acha”, was my reply. But our father was tensed. He was seen calling people and discussing something serious. Amma shooed us away and said, go inside and play. Well, ok! It’s not all that bad maybe, I thought, and ran inside to our room.

~priya~