Glimpses of My Life

Chapter 2: Earliest Memories

My first memory(the earliest I can remember), consists of the opening of a door into a well furnished flat. I remember being carried into it. My sis had run forward and was inspecting the different rooms within. Then that memory goes blank.

Vague are my memories. But I know that I had a wonderful, imaginative childhood. But before I elaborate on that fun side of life, let me give you a glimpse into memories before these.

Few months after my birth, Iraq invaded Kuwait (for no apparent reason other than domination). No warnings, no signs. One day we go and sleep with no worries. The next day we are greeted by gunfire and loud voices. As people looked outside they were terrified on seeing swarms of soldiers walking coolly on the streets with guns on their back. Kuwait was no longer safe. People of Kuwait were shot in their homes, their belongings were taken away, their houses burnt to ashes. Iraqis showed no mercy. Our only food was kuboos(a middle eastern bread). But luckily for us who were non-kuwaitis, we got a chance to escape to our homeland. We boarded a bus to Iraq and flew to our country from there.

The war lasted for around a year, after which the Iraqis were thrown out of Kuwait. But they had destroyed almost everything. They had put fire on the oil fields making it impossible to live in Kuwait without destroying your health. But bit by bit, peace and environment was restored.

On coming back we found that our earlier flat had been ransacked. Most of our things were gone. Besides that, the owner of our building had given our flat to other tenants. So we went house hunting. Baba, my dad, always had considered us as his first priority, so he looked for a building with huge grounds for us to play in. We found a decent flat in a building which I believe had the hugest grounds in our town.

Entering this new flat was my first memory and I don't think it will fade away quickly.

NOTE: I extend my condolances to all the families who lost their loved ones in the brutal invasion of Kuwait by the Iraqis. My prayers are always there for them.