What was meant to be a milestone birthday trip has turned into a nightmare.
Shanice, an American woman who flew to Dubai to celebrate turning 30, is now stuck in a hotel room watching CNN for updates on Iranian missile strikes. She has tried to leave three times. Three different airlines. Three cancelled flights. And no way home.
'I'm an American tax-paying citizen, and I've now been stuck over here since the twenty-fourth,' Shanice said in a tearful TikTok video posted one day ago. 'I am desperate to get home to my family.'
Her plea is directed at PresidentDonald Trump. She is one ofthousands of Americans stranded across the Gulfafter Iran launched retaliatory strikes on the UAE and neighbouring countries following joint US-Israeli military action that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
In an earlier video posted three days ago, Shanice described what it is like being caught in a war zone 9,000 miles from home.
'We've heard bombs from our rooms,' she said. 'My friend was downstairs at the beach the first day this all happened, and she actually seen a missile fly over her head.'
She and her friend have been glued to the news. Sleep has become an escape.
'We've kind of slept our days away to like, contain the tears that like flows after we wake up,' Shanice admitted. 'Just pray for your people in Dubai. It's a very, very tough situation to be in, and I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy.'
The 30-year-old also pointed out what she sees as a disparity in government response. 'A lot of different countries are like taking care of their citizens, but unfortunately, we're from the US,' she said. 'We started this war.'
The US State Department told Americans to 'depart now' from 14 countries on Monday, citing 'serious safety risks.' The problem? Dubai International Airport, the world's busiest international hub, had already been shut down for over 48 hours after Iranian strikes damaged the facility and injured four employees.
Source: International Business Times UK
