Sometimes even the greatest differences can be bridged in a three-hour taxi ride with a stranger. I now call an Iranian stranger my friend.
Like thousands of other travelers in the Middle East, I have spent the past week looking for a way to make it out of the crisis safely. Bouncing between airline call centers, travel agents, government agencies and endless hours on hold has filled the long days and sleepless nights of foreign citizens trapped in the Persian Gulf.
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Vaughn Burnheimer is the general manager of The Tribune-Democrat in Johnstown.