The reality of being an Aussie stuck in Dubai during the Middle East crisis

A stopover in the United Arab Emirates is often an essential circuit breaker for anyone doing the long-haul trip from Australia to Europe, almost a jet lag cheat code, so we thought little of it when we committed to a two-night stay.

As it stands, many days later, we are stuck in Dubai. No return date, just the hope of a ceasefire and an update on when the airspace will reopen.

"Stay in shelter, stay in place" orders are keeping everyone safe inside the hotel and we've engaged all resources available, including the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and Smartraveller, to us as Aussies abroad.

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The surreal events on Saturday have made me grateful to be in Dubai and not any closer to the strikes.

As frightening as it is here, I'm imagining it's absolutely terrifying for the intended targets and I hate the thought of it.

Living in Australia, we are blessed to be far removed from the physical horrors of war and in a way I feel guilty that I've managed to live a mostly peaceful life free from this worry.

The first 48 hours since the initial strikes have felt like a nightmare. We've heard (and felt) thunderous explosions in the near distance, and witnessed debris hurtling from the sunny skies from intercepted drones.

Or maybe they were missiles – you don't get the specifics when you're running for cover.

We've been startled awake in the middle of the night by phone alerts urging us to "seek immediate shelter" as booming blasts sound.

Overall, there's an unsettling panic that something bigger might happen and there's nothing we can really do to escape.

The stressful reality is there's nothing we can do, we have to stay put and follow the advice from authorities.

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As each day drags on, we're in a constant loop of refreshing our flight's status, searching for news, check-ins with worried family back home and taking walks through the lobby to try and think about anything else.

Then the nerves set in as the sun goes down – it all feels more chilling in the dark.

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The goal each day is to avoid spiralling at the thought of how long this could go on for, as world leaders boast about how this war could go "far longer".

Life is currently on hold, but we know it could always be worse. We have a place to shelter, we have access to the essentials and we are safe.

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