In the winter of 1988, my Austrian grandmother came to spend Christmas with us in Baghdad. It was her third and last visit to Baghdad. We went to pick her up from the airport in the evening. There were only few people at the airport, because of the travel ban we had in Iraq since 1982. I’m not quite sure but I think travelling was allowed again sometime in 1989. The Airport, at that time called „Saddam International Airport“, was built between 1979 and 1982 by French and English companies. It was one of the biggest and most modern Airports in the Middle East. Unfortunately not many Iraqis got the chance or had a reason to see this beautiful building at that time.
Anyway, we went to the arrival area and stood in front of the thick transparent glass wall separating the reception area from the arrival area. On the display we saw that the Austrian airlines plane coming from Vienna had landed, but it took a while till the first passenger appeared. Slowly, the passengers started to fill the hall and at the end of the crowd we saw her, my dear grandmother.
She was wearing an elegant beige trench coat and her short curly hair was white and shiny as usual. I was more than happy to see her. She was following the crowd to the conveyor but her eyes were searching for us. We waved to her but she didn’t spot us through the glass. It must have been reflecting because of the bright lights. She stood at the conveyor waiting for her luggage, while her eyes kept searching for us. Then we noticed that she started to look worried because she couldn’t find us. We went to the arrival exit and stood there waving and even calling out for her, but it was useless. She was too far to hear us.
The security officer standing at the exit was watching the situation. Seeing us jumping and waving while my grandmother was looking in all directions except ours, made him smile. We looked to him hoping he would help us, but he said: „I’m sorry, I cannot leave my place.“ Of course he could not leave his please, no one was allowed to enter the arrival area from that exit unless he was an employee of the airport and he was in charge of that. But his face showed that he was really thinking of a way to help us, and he did. I don’t know who had the idea first, but he told me: „you may get in to help your grandmother.“ We were very grateful. It was a great exception he made and he risked to get in serious trouble. I ran in while my mother and my sister were thanking him for his kindness.
My grandmother was so happy when I came to her and hugged her. At once the puzzling and worried look on her face turned into a big happy smile. I pointed to my waving mother and sister and she finally saw them. We took the bags and headed to the customs. Every bag that enters Baghdad had to be opened and checked by the customs service. The customs officers usually had to be very strict and they also had the bad reputation that they would take things they liked out of the bags. Thinking of the Christmas presents stuffed in my grandmother’s luggage, I became very nervous while heading to the customs desk. The officer standing there was polite and even tried to joke with me. He looked at me smiling and said: „You look angry. Aren’t you happy that your grandmother is here?“ It seemed that my concern showed on my face. I don’t think I smiled back. I just told him: „Of course I am. But my grandma is tired and we want to go home but you want to check the suitcases. She is an old lady. She wouldn’t bring anything forbidden with her!“ I hoped he would tell me: „Ok, just go through.“ But he just said: „Put the small suitcase first.“ We placed it on the desk and I opened it.
I wanted to let him take a quick look and close it immediately but when I saw what was inside, I had to look twice. The bag was full with apples. Shiny red and yellow apples. My grandmother said to me in German: „I had a lot of apples in the garden this year and this is your share! I know my daughter loves them“ I translated it to him and tried to keep my voice happy but hey, I was 14 and apples weren’t number one on my wish list for Christmas.
The officer was even more surprised than I was: „I’ve never seen anyone coming with a bag full of apples! What will you do with them?“ If I had known, at that moment, how good they tasted and that my grandma will soon turn them into delicious apple strudel, crunchy dried apple slices and a lot more, I would have told him or maybe gave him one to taste it. But I didn’t say anything. I just closed the suitcase. We lifted the second suitcase and put it on the desk. This one was the one I was dreaming of. It was full with clothes and packed gifts. That was it. That was the Santa bag, I was sure my grandmother would bring with her. The officer was just trying to take a second look when I closed it. I thought: „No, no, this suitcase is too precious to keep it open!“
He smiled and said: „I told you, little girl, you are very angry today. Take your suitcases and your grandmother and go home to have a good rest!“ Then he looked to my grandmother and said: „Welcome in Iraq madam. El hamdillah ala el salama.“ (That’s Arabic for: „thank God for your safe arrival“). Just then, I felt guilty that I was so impolite to him. He was actually nice, and I don’t think he had the intention to take anything, especially not from the apples!
We left the arriving hall, where my mother and sister were waiting. They hugged and kissed her and we all thanked the kind officer at the exit and left the airport with my dear grandmother, a suitcase full of presents and on top of it all a suitcase full of lovely Austrian apples.
The Christmas of 1988 was one of most beautiful Christmases I had in Baghdad.
Later, whenever my grandmother told the story of her last trip to Iraq, I appeared as the little hero that rescued her from the labyrinth of the huge airport in Baghdad. I loved it.