Borders are the limit [Short stories series] I

Photo by Maxine Anne Martin 

From www.artfinder.com

Episode I

[We came as peers. Jordan 2013]

I never liked borders as much as I've always hated rules. I'm not referring to rules that regulate daily life activities that make things easier on everyone. Like joining school or get a new car. I'm talking about rules we make to make it harder on each other's to achieve like; freedom of traveling, the international declaration of human rights preserve the right of traveling to everyone regardless of their sex, age, color and religion. Right? Well good luck trying to figure out why or how this right is not verified for everyone. People from certain places can not -or in best case scenario can only travel if they are able to provide a tones of evidences that they will (return) back to their home country. What if their home was full of chaos that they couldn't just get along with? What if they had greater ambition of achievement? And since when being born somewhere should determine who the person really is? Or where should they be/stay at? Said by who? I understand there are legal ways to get things done, but what if these ways would always hit a great wall of rejection? 

I've been always a traveler; even when I didn't know what was happening. The first time I was on a plane I was four years old Turing five and it was to Saudi Arabia from Egypt. And since then I've traveled to nearly 20 countries and lived in about a 100 cities. But traveling is not always fun. Sometimes it can be a safety concern. It can easily be a nightmare, things can escalate in less than a second, and the next thing I know, I'm in trouble! 

In this series I will come across all the hard moments I had to witness as a third-world country resident who happened to love traveling! 

This story took place in the beautiful country of Jordan, one calm hot summer, I've had applied for some workshop that was going to take place in Amman, Jordan. I was supposed to go there to actually instruct the workshop, it was about new media and filmmaking in the post Arab-spring era. I was so happy and proud, eight long years of hard work and self-education and of course a revolution is finally showing some outcome. I was so proud to the extent where I called my parents to tell them I will be getting paid to teach people how to form their ideas and voices into motion pictures and videos. This was two years after all the big events in Egypt took place during the revolution, things were calming down, the horizon was much calmer and there was no way I was going to turn this opportunity down. I said yes, and right after I hit that send virtual button I started putting together my program that I was supposed to teach to the trainees. 

I was was excited that I almost forgot to prepare my suitcase. A whole week of hard working to put everything together, subjects, examples, writers to look for, filmmakers to watch and techniques to use. I've covered the whole nine yards. Within a week I was ready to travel. Prior to that I've had travel once to Jordan, I was an actor among an acting group we played in Amman's biggest theater festival, I loved everything about the country, the people, the culture, the food and of course their rituals when they drink the coffee. It has to be a certain type prepared in a certain way, not over cooked to boil and the aroma of it is like a thousand story and one! 

Alexandria [summer, early in the morning]

On a hot summer day I woke up way too early, it was still dark, few hours before dawn, I took my suitcase, all my gears and went straight to the airport. I love airports they are a continuous live-show. Thousands over thousands of stories intersect in that place for few hours and they never see each other again. There is a certain feeling of adventure can be only found in airports. When I arrived there I was so happily surprised to meet a very nice friend/co-worker ge was a poet. 

(I'll referr to him as Adam) 

Me: " Adam! What a coincidence! Good to see you! Where are you traveling?"

Adam: " hey man! This is an early surprise. I'm traveling to Jordan, where are you going?"

Me: " Jordan!! I'm going to Jordan too!"

Almost Adam and Me in the same time: "But Which part?... Where? ...For what???"

It was obvious we were going to attend the same event, he will instruct trainees in poetry while I'll be working on filmmaking! 

"This is great" I almost chanted, two weeks of work and fun with this particular guy would be amazing, he is a true poet, any true artist is a beautiful confused spirit that I always find it enjoyable to hang around! 

I got very excited, we started looking into our options to smoke a cigarette, while we were looking if the airport had a smoking area we heard someon hollering "what in the world are you guys doing here?" We looked at the source of what was just said. It was another not so good friend (at the time) another poet I knew and I really liked his work but at that time we never had the chance to get to know each other closely. 

(I'll refer to him as Omar) 

Me: "oh look at that! It's Omar!"

Adam: "good to see you man" 

Me: "don't say it! You're traveling bro Amman too!"

Omar approached to us and after shaking hands, he started looking around as if he is looking for someone and said "Yes I am!

I wonder who is else here from Alexandria? Seems like the best are on that plane" We laughed. It was a good little surprise that I will be having some company. I had no idea known people (friends) will be on the flight heading to the same destination! 

It was still early in the morning...

And..

We took off to Amman.

Around 7:00 AM we landed in Amman, Jordan. We are not required a visa to enter Jordan from Egypt. But we had to have a reason for traveling, either a person/friend or entity from Jordan stating why we are here? How long are we planning on staying...etc. 

I've traveled to Amman once before that, we were performing in their national theater festival. A welcoming beautiful country. 

This time though from the moment we landed in the airport things did not seem like they'd be nice. Prior to that me and my two fellows had a conversation about the letter we had from the organization which invited us. We were not comfortable with the first line they stated in the letter...

"Post Arab-spring era.." 

At that time in 2013 mentioning that particular word (Arab-spring) was not pleasant anymore. It started having more negativity than anything else. As we approach the customs I noticed they asked Omar to wait, then Adam. I was still in the line to go to the custom window. I looked towards my fellow and asked? They both pointed at the letter. The same letter I have! 

And it was my turn...

Custom officer looked at the letter for a good bet and then looked back at me and said. "Oh, I can't let you in, you will have to see my boss" just like that? Then the next thing the three of us were taken to a zone in the airport where there was no passengers almost none, it was full of people in authority suites going back and forth. 

Omar: guys this doesn't look good! 

Adam: it's their right to know what's going on. Remember we talked about the letter? 

Me: do you guys have any phone numbers to the that association that invited us? 

We all shared that empty look of 'negative'

How would we know any of this could happen? We were still living in that sweet falls feeling of 'our country is free now' we talked a little bit while we were waiting to see the 'Boss' then a solider came out and separate us at least 10 ft away from each other and asked us to remain silent! 

That was the moment I started feeling that weird feeling of worry! Are we accused for something? Why are we treated like criminals? And how is this going to end? I needed to smoke a cigarette, and of course drink my morning coffee...

We were left for a good bet, I'd say nearly an hour. We were silent. The whole area was silent. Everytime a soldier would pass he gave us the 'look' ask his fellow solider who is standing at the boss office door "what's wrong with them?" Or things like "Drugs?" And everytime His fellow soldier would nod his head No. It was unpleasant moments of humiliation. And time was slow as an exhausted snail in a hot summer. 

Then the door was open and we were asked to go in to finally meet the 'Boss'! 

A mid fifties gray hair strict looking man with wrinkles all over his face and a grumpy natural look in his eyes was behind the desk. He had the same invitation letter between his hand. He started talking by saying "welcome to Jordan" we felt a bet of a relief. Adam was the oldest so he started talking while me and Omar were fine with that sense we did not want to start the talk. 

Omar: " thank you very much, there must be a mistake, we were invited to come here to held workshops each in his field of speciality and..."

Boss interrupted Adam waving his hand in the air while saying "post the Arab-spring ear that the middle east have witnessed in the passed couple of years we are glad to announce our first workshop that is going to be focused on the technicallities of freedom of speech!!" He read out the first couple of lines in that letter as of he was reading a crime list. 

We were all silent for a second or two and it felt like eternity. Then he looked back at us and went off...

Boss: This country (talking about Jordan) is not Egypt, not Tunisia. You all can see what's about to happen in Syria now! A civil war is taking place. Again this country is not going to go through the same chaotic phase that some Arab countries had to go through. I won't allow anyone to come here to teach or mentor the (techniques of freedom of speech) this is not going to happen...(pause) now why don't you tell me who you are and how did you all came up with this concept and who is this organization?" 

The heat was going deeper with every second. We were stressed out, and we had no idea what could happen next. We tried to explain to him that we had nothing to do with the organization that invited us. That they can call them and check with them about the permission the organization should have gotten to be able to held such an event. We told him that we're here to give a workshop on how to use certain mediums such as writing, filming and media production but we don't have any intention to cause any chaos to anything. 

It was a long couple of hours talking back and forth about patriotic elements from his point of view. Things like "people only care about food, housing, religion and education for their children nothing more..." Or things like "freedom of speech, freedom in general is unapproachable path in life, so you all think the western world is so free? They want you to think they are so you can start some chaos in your country and then when things get really bad no one will care..." 

Things of that nature. Very preservative to the dectatorship soil. We kept nodding out head yes we were ready to go out! 

We knew also they have called the organization and it seemed like the organization has already some serious stuff to worry about. The had something with their registration allegations. 

The Boss finally said "okay guys, as much as I hate this, you are not going to be able to go in Amman. You will be here with us until the next flight heading back to Egypt comes available" 

Omar: "here where? In your office?" 

Boss after smiling a creepy smile "around my office" 

Adam: "when is the next flight available?" 

Boss: " tomorrow around 7:00 AM"

Me: "with all do respect sir, can't we go in Amman and come tomorrow or whenever the flight is available?" 

Boss: "with all do respect No! Anymore questions?" To the soldier "take them to the cell"

We followed the solider to the 'Cell' and it was a wide empty cold room had benches around the wall. We went in there and started laughing. It was that kind of laugh that you use as an escape cause there is a locked brust of emotion that needs to go out but the ego is in the way so instead of crying or feeling sorry you laugh. 

We've spent a whole day, 24 hours in that cold cell [all cells are cold around the world] we talked about everything, the bright side of this was we got closer to each other, we had nothing else to do but to talk, talking, singing, talking about art and poetry, it was very difficult but had some touches of positivity. I found out that Omar was a very nice guy, a baby in a man suite. Adam was a very wise man who is peaceful. We started talking about what would we do differently when this is all end. 

We came to hold workshops about freedom of speech, and we ended in lack of freedom! The hardest part was when we had to wait for a soldier to come and take us to the rest room (one by one of course) he would put the hand coughs on and walk us to the rest room then take it off at the door then after using the rest room come out (after making sure he hears me washing my hand) then have the hand coughs back on again and then back to the cell. 

They served us good launch meals though. Very generous. We've had some rice and meat made with very good smells spices. We ate our brains out then it was very hard cause we needed some cigarettes...

Around 10:00 PM the door opened and some youngman came in. Adam started talking to him to get to know him. He was a Syrian guy (Kurdish) who came from Turkey and was trying to go to Syria through Jordan when they stopped him. He had no clue why was he kept. But he was afraid to go back to Syria and asked them to be sent back to Turkey. 

The night was very long. Probably the longest. I needed to go to the rest room but the soldier was sleeping on the chair. It was very sad, everyone wanted 7:00 AM to arrive. Was it such a big deal to teach others how to write? Or how to make a video clip? How come this is a state security issue? 

At 7:00 AM we were out but this time we were taking the plane back to Alexandria, Egypt. We traveled 24 hours to be locked in a cell in the airport of beautiful city of Amman, Jordan. 

Freedom is achievable if we believed it was!

Mississippi, USA, Spring 2022