Middle East Essay: A Peaceful Vacation
From ThePlaz.com
World Cultures Middle East Essay Instructions, Rubric
Africa: HDI Graph Reflections - Decolonization Report
Middle East: Population Density Report - Essay: A Peaceful Vacation
South Asia: Rainfall Report - South Asia Comparisons Graph - Postcards
China: Sphere of Influences Report - Mao Button Journal
Japan: Natural Resources Report - Japanese Violence Journal
Korea: Physical Map Report
Latin America: Landforms Report
Worldwide: T-Shirt Trade Report
Only a DRAFT!
May change/be updated - still in progress - may still contain inaccuracies
This is a work of fiction!
As I stepped off the plane in the Dubai airport (AUH) I was amazed. The place was brand new and clean. I hardly even realized I was in the Middle East, the most troubled spot in the world. Why, then, had the State Department warned me not to come here! I didn't see any trouble, where's the conflict. Iraq, I guess, but I planning to steer clear of Iraq! I know I read about it every day in the newspapers, but I don't see any problems here. Now I'm staying clear of Iraq, so I should be ok. Right? I am only planning to stay in Israel. The pictures I saw there seemed pretty nice. But, I also wanted to see other parts of the Middle East, so I chose to fly to Abu Dubai and drive to Israel.
I left the airport and started to drive through the Middle East. Abu Dubai was a busy, modern city. It seemed very western to me with all of the luxury hotels and skyscrapers. The place seemed like New York except much cleaner and newer. How could terrorism occur here?
I soon moved along into Saudi Arabia. However, I had a little problem at the border. They confiscated my bottle of liquor I was planning to bring home as a gift! They claimed that the entire country was dry! I remember hearing about the probation in the US and the problems that caused. I wounder how Saudi Arabia could cope. I would soon find out, as I rolled across the border.
Saudi Arabia was dry in fact. However in more then one way. This was a desert. Big expanses of sand dunes stretched as far as the eye can see in either direction from the highway. I was also warned that Saudi Arabia practiced this sharia law. They said that it was this sort of strict religious code, so they warned me about stay away from trouble with the police.
The last country I drove through before entering Israel was the occupied Palestinian territories. This place was like a empty wasteland, except there were people living in it. I was getting hungry by this time, so I wanted to stop somewhere for lunch. I didn't see a single place to stop. There wasn't a McDonald's or western restaurant for miles around. The only half-decent looking place was boarded up and closed. All of the other places seemed too dirty. I would not even go near them, not alone eat.
As I entered Israel, I was famished. I immediately notice a big different in the landscape as I was looking for a place to eat. In Israel the streets were full of life and crowded shops. The farms were full of food and were very colorful. Water seemed to be everywhere. I heard this is a desert, but I don't see any evidence of one. There were even a few McDonald's in the city (some closed on Sunday!) This seemed like Dubai and America. I'm starting to like this place. They even have malls with my favorite designer stores like Gucci.
...?
Boom! All of a sudden, a suicide bomber detonated right in front of me! I was scared for life. I had never know this sort of horror. Against my better judgment, I ran to the scene. Blood and glass was everywhere. The was a small crater in the road with a twisted pile of metal of what was once a car. Smoke was smoldering up from the wreckage. The police were all ready running to the scene of the crime. They ordered everyone back, afraid another suicide bomber would take advantage of the crowd. I quickly decided to leave.
Most of the people in the city acted as if nothing had happened. This response was nothing like what I remembered after 9/11. How could this have happened??? The place seemed so normal. How could these people live with this threat?
The next day, President Moshe Katsav was on the TV denouncing the attacks and arguing to punish Hamas for sponsoring them. He wanted many more forces to pour into the occupied territories to crack down on Hamas's power.
give position
The next day I went parasailing. ...
other things
Unfortently it was now time to go back home. I flew back happy with my trip, except for that sort scare. But I was thinking about what it would be like to live with such volatility. I would not want that instability in Philadelphia. I would die from the fear of being killed!
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