Jani.R
12-30-2005, 07:09 PM
BAGHDAD - Maybe it was the time the taxi dumped him at the Iraq-Kuwait border, leaving him alone in the middle of the desert. Or when he drew a crowd at a Baghdad food stand after using an Arabic phrase book to order. Or the moment a Kuwaiti cab driver almost punched him in the face when he balked at the $100 (U.S.) fare.
But at some point, Farris Hassan, a 16-year-old from Florida, realized that travelling to Iraq by himself was not the safest thing he could have done with his Christmas vacation. And he didn't even tell his parents.
Hassan's dangerous adventure winds down with the 101st Airborne delivering him to the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, which had been on the lookout for him and promises to see him back to the United States this weekend.
It begins with a Grade 11 high school class on "immersion journalism" and one overly eager — or naïvely idealistic — student who's lucky to be alive after going way beyond what any teacher would ask.
Hassan was assigned to choose an international topic and write editorials about it. He chose the Iraq war and decided to practice immersion journalism there, though he knows his school in no way endorses his travels.
"I thought I'd go the extra mile for that, or rather, a few thousand miles," he said.
Using money his parents had given him at one point, he bought a $900 plane ticket and took off from school a week before Christmas vacation started, skipping classes and leaving the country on Dec. 11. His goal: Baghdad. Those privy to his plans: two high school buddies.
Hassan's parents were born in Iraq, but left 35 years ago.
Their son is a true American teen, a born-and-bred Floridian sporting Nike tennis shoes and trendy jeans. And as soon as the lanky, 6-foot teenager opened his mouth — he speaks no Arabic — his true nationality would have betrayed him.
Travelling on his own in a land where insurgents and jihadists have kidnapped more than 400 foreigners, killing at least 39 of them, Hassan walked straight into a death zone. On Monday, his first full day in Iraq, six vehicle bombs exploded in Baghdad, killing five people and wounding more than 40.
Hassan's extra-mile attitude took him east through eight time zones, from Fort Lauderdale to Kuwait City. His plan was to take a taxi across the border and ultimately to Baghdad — an utterly dangerous route.
It was in Kuwait City that he first called his parents to tell them of his plans — and that he was now in the Middle East.
His mother, Shatha Atiya, a psychologist, said she was "shocked and terrified."
"He thinks he can be an ambassador for democracy around the world. It's admirable but also agony for a parent," Atiya said.
Attempting to get into Iraq, Hassan took a taxi from Kuwait City to the border, 90 kilometres away. He spoke English at the border and was soon surrounded by about 15 men, a scene he wanted no part of. On the drive back to Kuwait City, a taxi driver almost punched him when he balked at the fee.
`If they'd let me in from Kuwait, I probably would have died.'
Farris Hassan, Florida high school student
It could have been worse — the border could have been open.
As luck would have it, the teen found himself at the Iraq-Kuwait line on Dec. 13, and the border security was extra tight because of Iraq's Dec. 15 parliamentary election. The timing probably saved him.
"If they'd let me in from Kuwait, I probably would have died," he acknowledged. "That would have been a bad idea."
He again called his father, who told him to come home. But the teen insisted on going to Baghdad. His father advised him to stay with family friends in Beirut, Lebanon, so he flew there, spending 10 days before flying to Baghdad on Christmas. His ride at Baghdad International Airport, arranged by the family friends in Lebanon, dropped him off at an international hotel where Americans were staying.
He says he only strayed far from that hotel once, in search of food. He walked into a nearby shop and asked for a menu. When no menu appeared, he pulled out his Arabic phrase book, and after fumbling around found the word "menu." The stand didn't have one. Then a worker tried to read some of the English phrases.
"And I'm like, `Well, I should probably be going.' It was not a safe place. The way they were looking at me kind of freaked me out," he said.
It was mid-afternoon on Tuesday, after his second night in Baghdad, that he sought out editors at the Associated Press and announced he was in Iraq to do research and humanitarian work. AP staffers had never seen an unaccompanied teenage American walk into their war zone office. ("I would have been less surprised if little green men had walked in," said editor Patrick Quinn.)
The AP quickly called the U.S. Embassy. Embassy officials had been on the lookout for Hassan, at the request of his parents. One U.S. military officer said he was shocked the teen was still alive. The 101st Airborne lieutenant who picked him up from the hotel said it was the wildest story he'd ever heard.
Most of Hassan's wild tale could not be corroborated, but his larger story arc was in line with details provided by friends and family back home.
Hassan says he thinks a trip to the Middle East is a healthy vacation compared with a trip to Colorado for holiday skiing.
"You go to, like, the worst place in the world and things are terrible," he said.
"When you go back home you have such a new appreciation for all the blessing you have there, and I'm just going to be, like, ecstatic for life."
His mother, however, sees things differently.
"I don't think I will ever leave him in the house alone again," she said. "He showed a lack of judgment."
Hassan may not mind, at least for a while. He now understands how dangerous his trip was, that he was only a whisker away from death. His plans on his return to Florida: "Kiss the ground and hug everyone."
Urleyh (http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1135896621913&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154&t=TS_Home)
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But at some point, Farris Hassan, a 16-year-old from Florida, realized that travelling to Iraq by himself was not the safest thing he could have done with his Christmas vacation. And he didn't even tell his parents.
Hassan's dangerous adventure winds down with the 101st Airborne delivering him to the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, which had been on the lookout for him and promises to see him back to the United States this weekend.
It begins with a Grade 11 high school class on "immersion journalism" and one overly eager — or naïvely idealistic — student who's lucky to be alive after going way beyond what any teacher would ask.
Hassan was assigned to choose an international topic and write editorials about it. He chose the Iraq war and decided to practice immersion journalism there, though he knows his school in no way endorses his travels.
"I thought I'd go the extra mile for that, or rather, a few thousand miles," he said.
Using money his parents had given him at one point, he bought a $900 plane ticket and took off from school a week before Christmas vacation started, skipping classes and leaving the country on Dec. 11. His goal: Baghdad. Those privy to his plans: two high school buddies.
Hassan's parents were born in Iraq, but left 35 years ago.
Their son is a true American teen, a born-and-bred Floridian sporting Nike tennis shoes and trendy jeans. And as soon as the lanky, 6-foot teenager opened his mouth — he speaks no Arabic — his true nationality would have betrayed him.
Travelling on his own in a land where insurgents and jihadists have kidnapped more than 400 foreigners, killing at least 39 of them, Hassan walked straight into a death zone. On Monday, his first full day in Iraq, six vehicle bombs exploded in Baghdad, killing five people and wounding more than 40.
Hassan's extra-mile attitude took him east through eight time zones, from Fort Lauderdale to Kuwait City. His plan was to take a taxi across the border and ultimately to Baghdad — an utterly dangerous route.
It was in Kuwait City that he first called his parents to tell them of his plans — and that he was now in the Middle East.
His mother, Shatha Atiya, a psychologist, said she was "shocked and terrified."
"He thinks he can be an ambassador for democracy around the world. It's admirable but also agony for a parent," Atiya said.
Attempting to get into Iraq, Hassan took a taxi from Kuwait City to the border, 90 kilometres away. He spoke English at the border and was soon surrounded by about 15 men, a scene he wanted no part of. On the drive back to Kuwait City, a taxi driver almost punched him when he balked at the fee.
`If they'd let me in from Kuwait, I probably would have died.'
Farris Hassan, Florida high school student
It could have been worse — the border could have been open.
As luck would have it, the teen found himself at the Iraq-Kuwait line on Dec. 13, and the border security was extra tight because of Iraq's Dec. 15 parliamentary election. The timing probably saved him.
"If they'd let me in from Kuwait, I probably would have died," he acknowledged. "That would have been a bad idea."
He again called his father, who told him to come home. But the teen insisted on going to Baghdad. His father advised him to stay with family friends in Beirut, Lebanon, so he flew there, spending 10 days before flying to Baghdad on Christmas. His ride at Baghdad International Airport, arranged by the family friends in Lebanon, dropped him off at an international hotel where Americans were staying.
He says he only strayed far from that hotel once, in search of food. He walked into a nearby shop and asked for a menu. When no menu appeared, he pulled out his Arabic phrase book, and after fumbling around found the word "menu." The stand didn't have one. Then a worker tried to read some of the English phrases.
"And I'm like, `Well, I should probably be going.' It was not a safe place. The way they were looking at me kind of freaked me out," he said.
It was mid-afternoon on Tuesday, after his second night in Baghdad, that he sought out editors at the Associated Press and announced he was in Iraq to do research and humanitarian work. AP staffers had never seen an unaccompanied teenage American walk into their war zone office. ("I would have been less surprised if little green men had walked in," said editor Patrick Quinn.)
The AP quickly called the U.S. Embassy. Embassy officials had been on the lookout for Hassan, at the request of his parents. One U.S. military officer said he was shocked the teen was still alive. The 101st Airborne lieutenant who picked him up from the hotel said it was the wildest story he'd ever heard.
Most of Hassan's wild tale could not be corroborated, but his larger story arc was in line with details provided by friends and family back home.
Hassan says he thinks a trip to the Middle East is a healthy vacation compared with a trip to Colorado for holiday skiing.
"You go to, like, the worst place in the world and things are terrible," he said.
"When you go back home you have such a new appreciation for all the blessing you have there, and I'm just going to be, like, ecstatic for life."
His mother, however, sees things differently.
"I don't think I will ever leave him in the house alone again," she said. "He showed a lack of judgment."
Hassan may not mind, at least for a while. He now understands how dangerous his trip was, that he was only a whisker away from death. His plans on his return to Florida: "Kiss the ground and hug everyone."
Urleyh (http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1135896621913&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154&t=TS_Home)
123