It's been 18 years!

I remember exactly what I did that day. I remember my father calling us from Jordan to wake me up at 10 AM sharp. I even remember going home late after spending a wonderful night out in Salmiya with my friends. It was unusual, I never used to stay out till around 9PM, but I did that night.

I remember going under the building to hang out with my neighbors. I remember seeing the car of my sister's friend parked bellow our building and how excited I was that it must mean that we are going out for a spin!

I remember my older sister shouting at me for going out of the house when there was WAR raging in the streets!

I remember the last Kuwaiti police man who stopped the traffic on the whole highway, for me to cross. While waving his semi-automatic beretta in the air.

I remember watching 3 helicopters dogfight atop our neighborhood and how one of them, an Iraqi one caught fire and crashed nearby and how all the kids ran over there to see how a crashed helicopter look like!

I remember getting the last international call from my Aunt who still lives in Qatar, and how she was worried, and how my parents were worried that they couldn't get through from Jordan. How she told us to remain calm, stay away from the windows and if we heard explosions or noises.

I remember rushing to the roof of our building (I know stupid) while the Iraqi army was bombarding Shaikh Saad's Palace as we watched and heard the horrible sounds of bombs and shells.

I remember how everyone rushed to fill their cars with gas, get bread and other nonperishable foods, "just in case"

I remember hearing the joke about the Iraqi soldiers eating Nivea thinking it's yogurt!

That infamous day was imprinted in my memory for ever, for life as I knew it, seized to exit after that!