Americans living in the Middle East have been scrambling to get out as the war with Iran has only intensified since it began nearly two weeks ago.
While the conflict continues to escalate, Deema AlSaffar Patterson said she still feels a sense of safety despite the chaos. Patterson and her husband relocated to Dubai last summer for work and welcomed a baby girl just one month ago.
"It's been great till the last few weeks. It's been a little stressful," Patterson said.
The couple never imagined it would be a war that would interrupt life in their "baby bubble" or keep Patterson's mother from sharing in the experience. She traveled to the region to help with the newborn, but the war has now left her stranded.
"She came here to help with the baby," Patterson said. "The air space is closed. There is no way for her to leave."
A new mom in a new country, Patterson is now adjusting to a whole new meaning of chaos as she navigates life under the threat of aerial attacks.
"We have heard some explosions. Most of them were interceptions, so missiles or drones intercepted midair, we have gotten alerts on our phones," Patterson said.
Patterson noted that the alerts often come within minutes of each other when missiles are overhead, prompting the family to immediately turn on the news to see what is happening.
Recent images have shown the U.S. Consulate in Dubai hit by a strike and the Fairmont Hotel in a popular shopping district catching fire from debris that fell from the sky. Patterson lives only 20 minutes from that hotel.
"It’s pretty scary," Patterson said. "No matter how safe you think a place is it’s still kind of scary when you hear about it because you never know how close it is. I know some things we've started doing are we've started to sleep further away from the window. We keep the baby far away from the windows out of caution."
Despite the 11-hour time difference and the proximity of the conflict, Patterson said the family still finds moments of peace. Because it is currently Ramadan, the streets remain full of people attending late-night events.
"The streets are full of people, so we do feel a lot of peace and calm here in this area," Patterson said.
