8/24/90 - The Filipino's Get To Leave

0730 hrs. Sylvie's gone. She left this morning about 0500, with Ricky and Freddie. Hopefully it will be easier for them than many of the other Filipinos, because they had official exit visas from the Philippine Embassy. We're down to ten now, counting Carrera. There's only the two Bobs in the other half of the property. These places are built like huge duplexes, with external single level apartments for the hired help. They remind me of enlisted man barracks. For a while, Danny and Phill were sleeping out in one of those. But with all the gunfire, and the threat of soldiers coming to get westerners, they moved inside the large quarters with the rest of us.

Midnight tonight is the deadline for the embassy people getting out. What happens next? Last night, we saw Hussein on TV, with the Brits that were taken from Messina Beach Hotel. Adrian and Wanda received a call that morning from one of the ladies, to tell them they were told to get one bag and be in the lobby in a half an hour. That was the last they heard from them. Sarah also recognized one of the children, Elliot. He attended the preschool/nursery that Sarah ran before the invasion. I guess he's a real terror. It looked like he tried to kick Hussein at the end of the staged discussion. Everyone cheered at that. One of the captive Brits was a real butt-kisser, telling Hussein that Bush was stubborn, and that they all thought the Iraqi initiative was a good proposal. What an a##hole (sometimes I can’t hold back the vulgarity). I hope there were other interviews that didn't make prime time due to people sticking up for their rights and not sucking up to Hussein.

I hope George has made it out, and gotten word to you that I'm okay. Sylvie will be calling you too. It would be nice if they got the international phone lines working again. I can't wait to leave this place. We don't think it's going to be too easy or quick or fun, but we're ready to bear that pain. We figure we will go to Bahrain, where there are international flights. I want to be home, yesterday.