desert dream(awakening)
All I had to do now was come back to the routine which I did happily because I had had enough excitement to last a lifetime! Now I was well into my second year at this place, if you have not read my earlier writing, I was in a place called EL GUBBA in Libya. You know I am a medical doctor having come here under government contract.
Now my resolve to get out of this country was getting stronger by the day. Finally one day, I remember it so vividly; there was good news for me at the bank. Had my salary at the bank and I could go there to collect it. You may not believe, even now they take anything like a month to transfer money to another country in Libya. Alright, you have no choice.
Having done that I reminded the director of the hospital about our understanding on my resignation. He was not at all happy. He wanted me to take a holiday back home and return to work. I would have too. But in Libya it is very difficult for the family. If I wanted I could take my wife and son there, but what they will do there was beyond my imagination. So I did repeat my resignation. I did everything twice in Libya. In duplicate (one for the file, eh?)
The next task before me was to get a ticket from the Libyan authorities and again I had to visit Tripoli and this was the time when I waited for twenty hours at Benghazi airport.(I have written about it earlier)Even during my last couple of weeks Mr. Murphy who wrote that famous law did not keep quiet. Go to the treasury, clear the tax dues, go to the bank, buy travelers cheque,get clearance for return ticket, go to the Airlines office. All this took more than one visit. This is where I learnt the meaning of patience, this is where I learnt
to use public transport. This place taught me what it is to be deprived, underprivileged, above all FEAR! I had no clue what would happen next because all that I expected did not happen for me here. I have no happy memories of this country where I stayed for nearly two years. Almost alone in a country where people do not speak anything other than Arabic which is not an easy language to learn.
But I have nothing against those people. Their only problem is ignorance. And that is because as far as I can make out even now is that they have no say in Government and the rulers do not bother to keep the people enlightened. Once that happens they will certainly be better of. Hope that happens soon. Though it does not look like happening.
Now my resolve to get out of this country was getting stronger by the day. Finally one day, I remember it so vividly; there was good news for me at the bank. Had my salary at the bank and I could go there to collect it. You may not believe, even now they take anything like a month to transfer money to another country in Libya. Alright, you have no choice.
Having done that I reminded the director of the hospital about our understanding on my resignation. He was not at all happy. He wanted me to take a holiday back home and return to work. I would have too. But in Libya it is very difficult for the family. If I wanted I could take my wife and son there, but what they will do there was beyond my imagination. So I did repeat my resignation. I did everything twice in Libya. In duplicate (one for the file, eh?)
The next task before me was to get a ticket from the Libyan authorities and again I had to visit Tripoli and this was the time when I waited for twenty hours at Benghazi airport.(I have written about it earlier)Even during my last couple of weeks Mr. Murphy who wrote that famous law did not keep quiet. Go to the treasury, clear the tax dues, go to the bank, buy travelers cheque,get clearance for return ticket, go to the Airlines office. All this took more than one visit. This is where I learnt the meaning of patience, this is where I learnt
to use public transport. This place taught me what it is to be deprived, underprivileged, above all FEAR! I had no clue what would happen next because all that I expected did not happen for me here. I have no happy memories of this country where I stayed for nearly two years. Almost alone in a country where people do not speak anything other than Arabic which is not an easy language to learn.
But I have nothing against those people. Their only problem is ignorance. And that is because as far as I can make out even now is that they have no say in Government and the rulers do not bother to keep the people enlightened. Once that happens they will certainly be better of. Hope that happens soon. Though it does not look like happening.
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