Waleed J. Iskandar
(By Melanie and Rob Holmer)
~ A Friend ~
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It is February 14, 2002, and I have just heard the news about Waleed. Although he left us months ago, for me, I feel as though I have not had a chance to mourn him, some sort of delayed reaction. I have a funny feeling that Waleed would not really want us to mourn him though, but to think of him and realize that there is not time enough in the world to be sad, to hold grudges, or have regrets – only to live life to the fullest. My husband Rob and I had the wonderful opportunity to meet Waleed and Mirel close to the beginning of their around-the-world adventure. We met Waleed during a full day of diving while Mirel was in scuba class to get her certification on Caye Caulker in Belize. He was the first person we met that day as we stepped on the boat and happened to sit next to him, the first fellow traveler that we met during our trip to Central America, and the only person in all of our travels that we had ever kept in contact with. One day we all decided to snorkel instead of dive, and during a break on Caye Ambergris; we decided to split the cost on an underwater camera, with the agreement that we would send him copies of the photos upon our return. Of course, I got lazy and never sent the photos. I always hoped we would be able to give them to him in person. After going our separate ways at Caye Caulker, we ran into them a week later in Flores, Guatemala, at the doorstep to the Mayan ruins of Tikal. Then again weeks later at a crowded marketplace at Chichicastenango. Rob and I were eating in the far back room of a restaurant as Waleed passed by the front door. He though he recognized us, and instead of continuing on, he fought his way to the back and we met again. They had a hotel room nearby, and offered to let us keep our huge travel backpacks in their room for several hours while we trotted around town, saving us from potential pickpocketing and incredibly sore backs. They were always so thoughtful. Rob met up with them yet again in Antigua, Guatemala. We promised to contact them at the end of their 6 month journey. When we did, we found that they were in Houston. We were lucky enough to talk to Mirel once again before she passed. Both she and Waleed were such an inspiration – her for her fight to overcome leukemia and he for being with her so selflessly every step of the way. We were glad to know that eventually, Waleed was able to find Nicolette. He would write of their trips to the Seychelles, riding in Tuscany, planning for safaris in Africa, and we talked about diving together again in the Red Sea. He joked that it seemed as though life was just transitions between vacations. Though we don’t know much about Nicolette, and she probably doesn’t know anything about us, we knew she must be an amazing person as well. For the world, September 11th is still something we are trying to understand. For Rob and I, it is a complicated bag of mixed blessings. My father was scheduled for surgery that day, and I was at the airport waiting to fly home to him early that morning as the airport was being closed because of the attacks. Fortunately, he has almost fully recovered. A friend of mine from high school happened to sleep in that day and missed an appointment near the Towers; her fiance left the South Tower only 6 minutes before the first plane struck, and both are safe. Rob and I were married on September 11th, 1999. Many feel sorry for us when they hear that fateful coincidence, but for us, it is a precious joy on an otherwise dreaded day. With the news of Waleed, that thought is strengthened even more; that there are precious joys – however small, however few – that shine on even the darkest of days, and that we should not lose sight of those treasures. For I believe that his memory will ignite the fire in us all to live in this moment, and cherish what time we do have with the ones we love, wherever we happen to be. Though our friendship with Waleed was short (I can count the number of phone calls we’ve had on one hand, as the majority of our correspondence was via email), we are so grateful to have known him at all! The attached photos will always represent my memories of Waleed – happy, fun, full of life. The fellow traveler that always had a contagious smile and infectious laugh. I hope it brings some joy for you to know that even the people he stumbled across throughout the world, for however short a time, were deeply touched by him. (Melanie and Rob Holmer) |
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