Right or wrong, Indonesia remains the best home. And when distance\nmakes longing feel real, one simple sentence rises from the heart:\nIndonesia is always worthy of being a home to return to.<\/p>\n
Singapore (ANTARA) - There are prayers that are sometimes uttered too\nlightly, as if merely a small wish passing through the mind.<\/p>\n
A prayer that journeys be extended, that one could stay a little\nlonger in the beautiful city, that there would be no rush to return\nhome. But life often answers prayers in ways that are unexpected.<\/p>\n
That is how it feels when a journey that was supposed to be simple\nbecomes a stranded experience for days in a foreign country, with no\ncertainty of when one can go home.<\/p>\n
From this arises a very simple, yet strong lesson: wherever someone\nis stranded, in any place as beautiful as it may be, without certainty\nof returning home, no one truly feels at ease. Home remains home.<\/p>\n
Even the golden cage can never replace the thin mattress in one\u2019s own\nsimple room, which provides security and freedom that cannot be\nsubstituted.<\/p>\n
That feeling is perhaps what dozens of Indonesian citizens found\nthemselves experiencing when they were suddenly stranded in the United\nArab Emirates as airspace in the Middle East region was closed at the\nend of February 2026.<\/p>\n
Everything began from a journey that should have gone normally. On\nthe night of 27 February 2026, a plane carrying a number of passengers\non a layover landed at Abu Dhabi\u2019s Zayed International Airport. This\nairport is one of the world\u2019s most important global flight hubs.<\/p>\n
Before the geopolitical disruption, the airport served more than 22\nmillion passengers per year and connected Asia, Europe, Africa, and the\nAmericas.<\/p>\n
Its terminal is spacious, modern, and designed with futuristic\narchitecture. Inside, thousands of passengers from various countries\ntypically move in a highly orderly rhythm.<\/p>\n
The travel plan at that time was simple: a few hours of transit\nbefore continuing the flight to Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Because the layover time was long, some passengers chose to leave the\nairport to rest for a while in Abu Dhabi city.<\/p>\n
The city is known as one of the most well\u2011organised in the Middle\nEast, with clean streets, modern buildings, and a transport system that\nruns smoothly.<\/p>\n
But who would have thought that the following morning, 28 February\n2026, around 10:00 Abu Dhabi time, the situation would change\ndrastically.<\/p>\n
The social media timeline suddenly filled with news of American and\nIsraeli military strikes against Iran. Not long after, reports of\nretaliatory strikes emerged.<\/p>\n
In the Middle East, such news is not merely a geopolitics\ndevelopment. In minutes, security situations can change.<\/p>\n
Not long after the news spread, the sound of blasts could be heard\nfrom afar. The phones of residents and visitors simultaneously received\nemergency alerts warning of heightened vigilance. Tensions rose.<\/p>\n
Airspace Closed<\/p>\n
The authorities of the United Arab Emirates quickly took\nprecautionary steps by closing parts of the airspace. Flight operations\nwere restricted, and several major airports halted commercial air\ntraffic.<\/p>\n
Abu Dhabi International Airport, Dubai International Airport, and Ras\nAl Khaimah International Airport were included in this alert system.<\/p>\n
In a short time, thousands of international passengers were suddenly\nstranded.<\/p>\n
Abu Dhabi\u2019s tourism authorities recorded around 20,000 international\nvisitors affected by the airspace closure. Most were transit passengers\nwho were supposed to continue their journeys to various\ndestinations.<\/p>\n
Uncertainty began to set in. Passengers still inside the airport\nfound it relatively easier to obtain airline or hotel facilities, even\nif they had to queue for hours. But those who were outside the airport\nfaced a different situation.<\/p>\n
When attempting to return to the airport, access to terminals was\ntightly guarded by security personnel. Patrol vehicles were stationed at\nseveral points, and anyone was asked to stay away from the airport\narea.<\/p>\n
The airport became a restricted zone. Efforts to contact airlines did\nnot immediately provide certainty. Reply emails simply stated that\nflights were suspended until further notice.<\/p>\n
Such a situation showed how fragile travel plans can be in the midst\nof a geopolitical crisis.<\/p>\n
Amid the uncertainty, solidarity among fellow citizens felt very\nreal. Indonesian nationals residing in Abu Dhabi opened their homes to\nfellow Indonesians seeking temporary accommodation.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Indonesian Consulate\nGeneral in Dubai moved quickly. The Indonesian Ambassador to the UAE,\nJudha Nugraha, ensured all affected Indonesians were registered and\nconnected in a single communications channel. A communications group was\nformed so that every development in the situation could be conveyed\npromptly.<\/p>\n
Online meetings were also held to listen to the conditions of each\nIndonesian citizen who was stranded. This approach provided a sense of\nreassurance that the state is protecting its people.<\/p>\n
The following days unfolded at a different pace. The uncertainty\npersisted, but gradually the ability to adapt emerged.<\/p>\n
Interestingly, UAE society appeared to face the situation with\nremarkable calm. Trust in the government and the country\u2019s security\nsystem seemed very strong. People continued their activities with\nheightened vigilance, but without excessive panic.<\/p>\n
Schools were shifted to remote learning for several days. The\ngovernment also introduced a number of prevention measures to ensure\npublic safety.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the emergency alert sounds that were initially tense\ngradually became part of daily life.<\/p>\n
Although some foreign nationals still stayed in hotels, some chose to\nsleep in lobbies for fear of being too close to windows after hearing\nthe perceived missile detonations.<\/p>\n
One Indonesian passenger who was stranded at the band<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/stranded-in-a-good-place-1772755604", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }