Deep English

Man Trapped In Airport For 17 Years

For the majority of us, an airport is nothing more than a place to wait for a journey to begin. But for some, an airport has become a home. In a perfect storm of unlucky events, Mehran Karimi Nasseri found himself stranded at the Charles de Gaulle airport in France for more than 17 long years.

In 1977, Mehran was stripped of his passport and kicked out of his home country of Iran for protesting against the government. He fled to Europe, seeking asylum in several countries. In 1981, he was given refugee status in Belgium, but his briefcase carrying proof of his status was stolen in a Paris train station.

The Big Break

The struggling young man was a wannabe actor down on his luck. He barely had the money to pay rent on his rundown Hollywood apartment. He says, “I was 26, totally broke, going nowhere VERY fast, owned two pairs of pants that barely fit, shoes that had holes in them and dreams of being successful were as far away as the sun.” He also had three mouths to feed, including his wife and his dog Butkus. He loved the dog, but the young man was in dire straits. He had to say goodbye to Butkus. He tied his dog to a lamppost in front of a liquor store and held a sign offering to sell the dog for $100. A man named Little Jimmy came by and talked him down to $40. He kissed his dog goodbye and walked away, crying.