There have been a lot of events the past 4 days. On Friday, the opposition had it's largest Sana'a protest to date, with a crowd reported to have peaked around 70,000 after mid-day prayer.
The crowd was amazing. Upon arrival, riot police ushered us away to stand on a sidewalk, for no apparent reason other than to appear to be in control. They then asked if we were students or journalists, I asked them which was better, at which point they laughed and said we could walk into the protest. So, we traversed a roughly 50 yard section of a street, at the end of which was the first line of protestors' own security. It was a bit intimidating walking up to what was thousands of people, but when we got there I asked if they were just security. They said yes and acted very friendly so I knew we were okay.
Once inside the protest, people seemed a bit more inclined to voice their concerns. Normally, they just ask us why we're in the country, but this time they were quicker to assume we were journalists, and took the opportunity to tell us their opinions. I never get tired of talking with people, but after 10 minutes there are easily 30 people in a halo around us which is a bit unnerving, considering the definite presence of undercover police there. I did note, however, that there seemed to be considerably less police presence than normal. The opposition are getting very good at security, and also more assertive, so I'm assuming they're actively turning back whomever they please.
I asked people in the crowd what the long-term plan was, drawing on the fact that they should use the large number as momentum for their movement. They said that this Friday they plan on actually marching, rather than staying put, if numbers permit. In my opinion, and I'm not quite sided with anyone yet, they should become more active, sooner rather than later. They are gaining the initiative and should use a blitzkrieg strategy; don't let up until their goal is quickly and effectively realized.
In comparison to Egypt and Tunisia, Yemen is a different beast altogether. Facing oil and water shortages, massive unemployment, secessionist movements an al-Qaida presence, a very tribal society, low level of education, and an almost non-existent middle class, there are many factors that need to be considered.
What can't really be disputed by neutrals is that the current government does not use resources to the maximum advantage of the people. Part of them are naturally used to appease the tribes and ensure civil war doesn't break out, something that is in the not-too-distant past. However, there are many claims that Ali Abdullah Saleh uses money to enrich his and his family's fortune in a very Mubarak- and Qaddafi-esque fashion. That being said, the threat of society being plunged into civil war as a result of anti-government protests is very real. While change could definitely be used, no one can say with any measure of certainty what costs that will require. That can be said for all revolutions, but Yemen stands in stark contrast to a completely-unified Egyptian society who, with seemingly one voice, was calling for the ousting of the president. Not all Yemenis necessarily want the current government to go, afraid of what the post-mortem may be. Furthermore, many seem convinced Saleh is a very capable leader of the country and has its best interests in mind.
All of the above being said, I am in no way an expert of the country, but I do feel like the past 3 weeks have given me an insight into its complexities.
The past 24 hours have seen important developments take place as well. Last night, it was announced that many Parliament leaders were threatening to resign. Since then, the country's two largest tribes are reported to have turned against Saleh, many religious clerics are stating that it is a duty for Yemenis to protest against the regime, and as of 3 hours ago Saleh announced that he will form a national unity government in 24 hours. The other side of that coin is that the JMP, Yemen's largest anti-government party, said it will reject this and will not send members to be part of the new coalition. Saleh's attempts to reconcile, and the JMP's rejection, are a contradiction to previous claims that the current government remains unaffected by recent events. On the contrary, it appears they are making last-ditch efforts to appease the masses before the movement reaches a point of no return. Whether that is an exaggeration remains to be seen in the coming days, but few can deny the movement has had an effect.
Monday 28 February 2011
Tuesday 22 February 2011
Yemen In The Balance
It's approx 0000 right now and news just hit twitter that two more students have been killed at Sana'a University. I'm texting a Yemeni friend who's there right now, and it's surreal to me that this is all going on. Gaddafi just gave his babbling speech about 3 hours ago, and the entire Middle East is in a state of flux. Many people, during the past few days, have switched their opinions on the possibility of a revolution in Yemen from being possible to highly likely. In the same time period, rumors of tribesmen coming from the north to reinforce the protestors have been rife.
Walking through Tahrir today, the atmosphere is incredibly tense. Gone is the festive mood, filled with dancing and 50's era Arabic music. People now seem to be very serious and on edge. Maybe this country will collectively realize the absolute destruction that will befall it if civil war breaks out, but at this point that looks against most odds.
It's easy in times like these to wax lyrical about the wave of change sweeping through the area, and/or dramatize events, such is the media's folly. Yet it is also undeniable the shifting mood going throughout not just the capital but all other major cities as well. Reports from Aden and Taiz reveal a marked lack of police and security presence, with the now-familiar stories of looters becoming increasingly common.
At a protest two nights ago, it was apparent that the organizers of the protest movement are trying to dig in and become more entrenched. Professional signs had been made, permanent living quarters set up, and the general look of determined defiance was widespread.
It's possible that something will happen to avert major crisis; indeed, there are many factors that could keep the protestors from realizing their goal. They must keep cohesion, have absolutely the same goals, and face what is surely going to be a very violent backlash from the government and affiliated thugs. People here say that Yemen isn't Egypt or Tunisia, but only a week ago the same was said of Libya. It only takes a spark to light a fire.
For those concerned about my immediate safety, I live in indisputably the safest part of the country. We are within 500 yards of Tahrir Square, Parliament, and the Ministry of Judges. Police presence here is high, and they all are sympathetic to us being here. By the time any violence makes it this far, Yemen will be occupying the front page of Al-Jazeera, and I'll most likely be either in an embassy or on a plane. All of us here have a lot of Yemeni contacts who report to us breaking developments way before they hit twitter or any other news outlet. I have never felt anywhere near threatened, even when secret police told us two nights ago that 'we should leave, there will be trouble in an hour.' He was right, and we were gone way before the confrontations started. We are all watching the situation here in expectation that it may tip over the brink and be pitched into another civil war. If and when that happens, we'll be long gone, so no one reading this needs to worry.
Walking through Tahrir today, the atmosphere is incredibly tense. Gone is the festive mood, filled with dancing and 50's era Arabic music. People now seem to be very serious and on edge. Maybe this country will collectively realize the absolute destruction that will befall it if civil war breaks out, but at this point that looks against most odds.
It's easy in times like these to wax lyrical about the wave of change sweeping through the area, and/or dramatize events, such is the media's folly. Yet it is also undeniable the shifting mood going throughout not just the capital but all other major cities as well. Reports from Aden and Taiz reveal a marked lack of police and security presence, with the now-familiar stories of looters becoming increasingly common.
At a protest two nights ago, it was apparent that the organizers of the protest movement are trying to dig in and become more entrenched. Professional signs had been made, permanent living quarters set up, and the general look of determined defiance was widespread.
It's possible that something will happen to avert major crisis; indeed, there are many factors that could keep the protestors from realizing their goal. They must keep cohesion, have absolutely the same goals, and face what is surely going to be a very violent backlash from the government and affiliated thugs. People here say that Yemen isn't Egypt or Tunisia, but only a week ago the same was said of Libya. It only takes a spark to light a fire.
For those concerned about my immediate safety, I live in indisputably the safest part of the country. We are within 500 yards of Tahrir Square, Parliament, and the Ministry of Judges. Police presence here is high, and they all are sympathetic to us being here. By the time any violence makes it this far, Yemen will be occupying the front page of Al-Jazeera, and I'll most likely be either in an embassy or on a plane. All of us here have a lot of Yemeni contacts who report to us breaking developments way before they hit twitter or any other news outlet. I have never felt anywhere near threatened, even when secret police told us two nights ago that 'we should leave, there will be trouble in an hour.' He was right, and we were gone way before the confrontations started. We are all watching the situation here in expectation that it may tip over the brink and be pitched into another civil war. If and when that happens, we'll be long gone, so no one reading this needs to worry.
Monday 14 February 2011
Post Protest Update
Things have quieted down just a bit here since the march following Mubarak's vacating of the Egyptian presidency. However, each day has seen a protest of some sort break out, and yesterday's got some attention when people were beaten and shocked by plain-clothed policemen. Tahrir Square right now is filled with huge tents set up for the government to conduct a 10-day 'arts and crafts' exhibition; in reality Saleh's throwing a party for his tribesmen and supporters and keeping Tahrir occupied so that anti-government protesters can't use it.
The army and national police are everywhere right now; we have about 15 living downstairs of our dorm now. I've made friends with pretty much all of them and know most by name, so if anything happens at least the local semblance of stability will be on my side. I figured if anything big does happen, no anti-government protesters are going to know about my interactions with the police, and they aren't the ones with guns anyway.
Right now, I honestly don't see an Egyptian-style revolution happening here. I think the best (worst) they can hope for as far as anti-government activism is concerned would be an all-out civil war. There is certainly a large faction of anti-government people, but equally enough people here are cognizant of the differences between their country and Egypt, mainly the plethora of guns, and recognize how bad it could get. I think that very real possibility, as much as anything, is what's keeping people from really going after the regime. It really is very Mubarak-esque in that President Saleh favors a small elite around him and swiftly uses his supporters to quash dissidents, but he also appears to be much more politically and socially savvy. Mubarak never really had an air about him; he was a straight-faced military general and didn't try to hide out. Saleh, on the other hand, seems well versed at the smile-and-kiss-babies side of politics, and people here seem rather fooled by him. Testament to this is the fact that two days ago, my roommate and I were walking through the big party at Tahrir when some government supporters yelled at us and told us to come eat with them. Apparently, Saleh has been using cooked chicken to bribe loyalty; I must admit, he has a good chef because the chicken was tasty. I guess feeding thousands of men who could otherwise take up arms against you is an effective tactic.
Anyways, all of us at the college are just going to classes and kinda waiting to see what happens next. I could see it remaining 'stable' for a long time, or I could see one person doing something heavy-handed and spark an all-out war. This country really does sit on that kind of fault line, and seemingly only the fresh memory of recent wars is what keeps that from happening.
The army and national police are everywhere right now; we have about 15 living downstairs of our dorm now. I've made friends with pretty much all of them and know most by name, so if anything happens at least the local semblance of stability will be on my side. I figured if anything big does happen, no anti-government protesters are going to know about my interactions with the police, and they aren't the ones with guns anyway.
Right now, I honestly don't see an Egyptian-style revolution happening here. I think the best (worst) they can hope for as far as anti-government activism is concerned would be an all-out civil war. There is certainly a large faction of anti-government people, but equally enough people here are cognizant of the differences between their country and Egypt, mainly the plethora of guns, and recognize how bad it could get. I think that very real possibility, as much as anything, is what's keeping people from really going after the regime. It really is very Mubarak-esque in that President Saleh favors a small elite around him and swiftly uses his supporters to quash dissidents, but he also appears to be much more politically and socially savvy. Mubarak never really had an air about him; he was a straight-faced military general and didn't try to hide out. Saleh, on the other hand, seems well versed at the smile-and-kiss-babies side of politics, and people here seem rather fooled by him. Testament to this is the fact that two days ago, my roommate and I were walking through the big party at Tahrir when some government supporters yelled at us and told us to come eat with them. Apparently, Saleh has been using cooked chicken to bribe loyalty; I must admit, he has a good chef because the chicken was tasty. I guess feeding thousands of men who could otherwise take up arms against you is an effective tactic.
Anyways, all of us at the college are just going to classes and kinda waiting to see what happens next. I could see it remaining 'stable' for a long time, or I could see one person doing something heavy-handed and spark an all-out war. This country really does sit on that kind of fault line, and seemingly only the fresh memory of recent wars is what keeps that from happening.
Friday 11 February 2011
First Encounter With Yemeni Protest.
I just got back to my apartment after experiencing the revolutionary air that swept across the Arab world. Walking back after having dinner, my group and I looked down the street and noticed an oft-seen sight on Al-Jazeera, a procession of angry protesters. We stepped to the side of the street and let the near-1000 strong group pass. We then decided to follow them. Most of us have experience of living abroad, and we rarely leave our apartment without our cameras. This time, they would come in handy.
By speaking with people in the march, we learned they were going to the Egyptian embassy. It was more a celebration than protest, so we didn't sense any danger. We marched through streets choked with pedestrians and honking cars, many people shaking our hands and smiling due to the news of Hosni Mubarak stepping down as president. The crowd eventually merged with a procession coming from the other direction, and we stayed there for about 10 minutes until a consensus was seemingly reached by the protesters to head back to Liberation Square. We turned around with them and marched as well. After seeing people jumping on top of SUVs in order to gain a better view point, I asked the riders of a nearby one if I could join them. They agreed so I climbed atop, and informed them I was American. They were very happy to hear that the outside world might hear of their struggles as well, and we rode the half mile to to Liberation Square shooting video and talking. We eventually reached there, and the most famous anti-government protester, a woman whose name escapes me right now, began anti-government chanting. I didn't know who she was until I asked a Yemeni man nearby, then I recalled reading about her. I was suddenly within 10 feet of someone who up to that point seemed as fictitious to me as any other protester on the TV; suddenly, I sensed the importance of this protest and I gained a new appreciation of the events.
As the army and riot police started to move in, we backed away a bit as this wasn't our protest. We stayed back about 20 yards from the epicenter and talked with a man who eventually revealed himself as one of the infamous plain-clothed policemen. He told us as long as we stayed there we'd be fine, and taking pictures was permissible as well.
All in all, I never really felt danger, save when a pro-government group met the anti group head on, causing a brief stampede in which I was forced to partake. Fifty yards later though, the danger had passed. We stayed back a bit further and talked with a man who works in Aden and speaks impeccable English; we later started noticing people carrying the long wooden sticks carried by anti-looters and determined we'd stayed long enough and would make sure we could get back to our apartment. The army throughout all this time had consistently reinforced itself throughout all the events, and even now from the 6th story rooftop of my apartment I can hear the chanting. I'm going to sleep tonight, not knowing if Yemen is the next Egypt or not. The future is very unclear, but it promises to at least be exciting.
By speaking with people in the march, we learned they were going to the Egyptian embassy. It was more a celebration than protest, so we didn't sense any danger. We marched through streets choked with pedestrians and honking cars, many people shaking our hands and smiling due to the news of Hosni Mubarak stepping down as president. The crowd eventually merged with a procession coming from the other direction, and we stayed there for about 10 minutes until a consensus was seemingly reached by the protesters to head back to Liberation Square. We turned around with them and marched as well. After seeing people jumping on top of SUVs in order to gain a better view point, I asked the riders of a nearby one if I could join them. They agreed so I climbed atop, and informed them I was American. They were very happy to hear that the outside world might hear of their struggles as well, and we rode the half mile to to Liberation Square shooting video and talking. We eventually reached there, and the most famous anti-government protester, a woman whose name escapes me right now, began anti-government chanting. I didn't know who she was until I asked a Yemeni man nearby, then I recalled reading about her. I was suddenly within 10 feet of someone who up to that point seemed as fictitious to me as any other protester on the TV; suddenly, I sensed the importance of this protest and I gained a new appreciation of the events.
As the army and riot police started to move in, we backed away a bit as this wasn't our protest. We stayed back about 20 yards from the epicenter and talked with a man who eventually revealed himself as one of the infamous plain-clothed policemen. He told us as long as we stayed there we'd be fine, and taking pictures was permissible as well.
All in all, I never really felt danger, save when a pro-government group met the anti group head on, causing a brief stampede in which I was forced to partake. Fifty yards later though, the danger had passed. We stayed back a bit further and talked with a man who works in Aden and speaks impeccable English; we later started noticing people carrying the long wooden sticks carried by anti-looters and determined we'd stayed long enough and would make sure we could get back to our apartment. The army throughout all this time had consistently reinforced itself throughout all the events, and even now from the 6th story rooftop of my apartment I can hear the chanting. I'm going to sleep tonight, not knowing if Yemen is the next Egypt or not. The future is very unclear, but it promises to at least be exciting.
Week 1 Round Up
So today is day 7 of my stay here. It's the last day of the weekend so I have more classes tomorrow.
The adjustment has been surprisingly easy thus far. Not really any culture shock or re-immersion to be done. The biggest difference has perhaps been going from a very frigid environment, to mild summer temperatures. No complaining here.
One of the biggest surprises has been the relative quiet of Sana'a. I say relative, but in reality it seems just as quiet as back home. All of the dramatized media reports, painting Yemen as a country coming apart at the seams, couldn't seem further from the truth. Yes, it is a country with a large proliferation of arms, yet the capital is very quiet. The police and military presence is quiet unnoticed, and I personally feel no danger when walking the streets. Yemenis are famous for their qat chewing habits, and the city as a whole seems to have a set schedule for conducting business or for chewing. Many people have written that this could be a major difference between the revolution we see in Egypt, and the more moderate protests in Yemen, and I would have to agree with them.
I visited the large Old City markets yesterday, and felt as if I had taken a step 500 years into the past. With the exception of lights and cell phones, almost everything found in the market would be found many years ago as well. It felt more like a broadway stage for Aladdin than anything else I can relate to. The only navigation tools that could be used were the highest minarets towering above, otherwise the winding alleys would've left anyone lost.
Coming back from the market, I was stopped by some boys and they convinced me to play a game of FIFA with them; it didn't take very long before there was a whole throng of kids watching us.
People here are very nice. They may be a bit stern-faced at first, but a quick greeting makes almost every single person smile and reply. It's a very conservative country, but not very hard to live in.
I'll try to start posting more, I lose track of which stories I've told and which I haven't due to the length of time between posts. It becomes more of a recitation than it does anything with spontaneity or creativity. Boring...
The adjustment has been surprisingly easy thus far. Not really any culture shock or re-immersion to be done. The biggest difference has perhaps been going from a very frigid environment, to mild summer temperatures. No complaining here.
One of the biggest surprises has been the relative quiet of Sana'a. I say relative, but in reality it seems just as quiet as back home. All of the dramatized media reports, painting Yemen as a country coming apart at the seams, couldn't seem further from the truth. Yes, it is a country with a large proliferation of arms, yet the capital is very quiet. The police and military presence is quiet unnoticed, and I personally feel no danger when walking the streets. Yemenis are famous for their qat chewing habits, and the city as a whole seems to have a set schedule for conducting business or for chewing. Many people have written that this could be a major difference between the revolution we see in Egypt, and the more moderate protests in Yemen, and I would have to agree with them.
I visited the large Old City markets yesterday, and felt as if I had taken a step 500 years into the past. With the exception of lights and cell phones, almost everything found in the market would be found many years ago as well. It felt more like a broadway stage for Aladdin than anything else I can relate to. The only navigation tools that could be used were the highest minarets towering above, otherwise the winding alleys would've left anyone lost.
Coming back from the market, I was stopped by some boys and they convinced me to play a game of FIFA with them; it didn't take very long before there was a whole throng of kids watching us.
People here are very nice. They may be a bit stern-faced at first, but a quick greeting makes almost every single person smile and reply. It's a very conservative country, but not very hard to live in.
I'll try to start posting more, I lose track of which stories I've told and which I haven't due to the length of time between posts. It becomes more of a recitation than it does anything with spontaneity or creativity. Boring...
Sunday 6 February 2011
Day 1 Post Mortem
I have some extra time, due to not having classes yet and therefore no homework, so I figure I'd fire off another post.
Breakfast was interesting, to say the least. I've broken many fasts in Egypt and was expecting similar food, but was mistaken. We were served only bread, frosted flakes with the option of putting them in yogurt, and hard boiled eggs. It's just something I'll have to get used to. Also, special mention goes to the cockroach who I disturbed while he was hiding under the orange juice. Carry on my friend.
The students here are few in number but the West is well represented. There are those from America, Britain, Denmark, Italy, Germany, Canada, and Texas. So, 7 countries in total.
We returned to our apartment and succumbed to jet lag's effect on our sleep cycle and took a nap for a shortwhile. Later, we joined up with a couple friends and rode a taxi to a yemeni restaurant. The food was amazing, my favorite being how they brought the flat bread and laid it on the table like it was a tablecloth, and left us to ourselves to tear it and dip it into the different soups. We later walked around the city a bit, and returned to our apartment.
I had my placement test and so have classes tomorrow beginning at 9. I'm looking forward to them as right now I'm kinda outta the loop of everything, which is cool in the long term because they more or less leave us to ourselves.
We later went and ate shawarma from an outside stand; it was okay, I've definitely had better, but it's something I've missed since Egypt so enjoyed it nonetheless. We then walked around Tahrir Square, and then up and down a few streets before returning.
One of the guards here is rather talkative but very nice. We talked with him for easily an hour about all things, and got some pointers on the yemeni dialect. It's never a bad idea to become friends with those tasked to protect you, a savvy PR move by us if I may say so.
Everyone here is nice; it's a lot more conservative than Egypt but that doesn't make anyone unapproachable. The dialect really isn't difficult to understand or anything; I already feel as proficient as I was the last day I left Egypt. I'm hoping after 3 months I'll have made similar strides in the language, so I'm anxious to see where I end up. I like Sana'a a lot and think the next 3 months are gonna be very enjoyable. I don't want to compare Yemen to Egypt for many reasons, the foremost of which is that I'm much more experienced in the first days of my time here than I was when I first went to Egypt.
I'll sign off now, I don't at all feel like sleeping but probably should to combat the jet lag. I didn't take pics today like I was expecting, but I'm going to explore the Old City soon and will have a lot by then.
Breakfast was interesting, to say the least. I've broken many fasts in Egypt and was expecting similar food, but was mistaken. We were served only bread, frosted flakes with the option of putting them in yogurt, and hard boiled eggs. It's just something I'll have to get used to. Also, special mention goes to the cockroach who I disturbed while he was hiding under the orange juice. Carry on my friend.
The students here are few in number but the West is well represented. There are those from America, Britain, Denmark, Italy, Germany, Canada, and Texas. So, 7 countries in total.
We returned to our apartment and succumbed to jet lag's effect on our sleep cycle and took a nap for a shortwhile. Later, we joined up with a couple friends and rode a taxi to a yemeni restaurant. The food was amazing, my favorite being how they brought the flat bread and laid it on the table like it was a tablecloth, and left us to ourselves to tear it and dip it into the different soups. We later walked around the city a bit, and returned to our apartment.
I had my placement test and so have classes tomorrow beginning at 9. I'm looking forward to them as right now I'm kinda outta the loop of everything, which is cool in the long term because they more or less leave us to ourselves.
We later went and ate shawarma from an outside stand; it was okay, I've definitely had better, but it's something I've missed since Egypt so enjoyed it nonetheless. We then walked around Tahrir Square, and then up and down a few streets before returning.
One of the guards here is rather talkative but very nice. We talked with him for easily an hour about all things, and got some pointers on the yemeni dialect. It's never a bad idea to become friends with those tasked to protect you, a savvy PR move by us if I may say so.
Everyone here is nice; it's a lot more conservative than Egypt but that doesn't make anyone unapproachable. The dialect really isn't difficult to understand or anything; I already feel as proficient as I was the last day I left Egypt. I'm hoping after 3 months I'll have made similar strides in the language, so I'm anxious to see where I end up. I like Sana'a a lot and think the next 3 months are gonna be very enjoyable. I don't want to compare Yemen to Egypt for many reasons, the foremost of which is that I'm much more experienced in the first days of my time here than I was when I first went to Egypt.
I'll sign off now, I don't at all feel like sleeping but probably should to combat the jet lag. I didn't take pics today like I was expecting, but I'm going to explore the Old City soon and will have a lot by then.
Saturday 5 February 2011
First Day in Yemen
After a god-awfully long journey which kicked the pants off of last summer's trip to Egypt in terms of length and torture, I'm finally experiencing Sana'a. I wouldn't say I'm well-rested, as jet lag definitely has its grip on me, but at least I got to sleep horizontally for a few hours last night.
Now to the interesting part: the first thought after crossing the plane's exit door threshold was the smell; I'd forgotten what it smelled like to be in a foreign country. I'm sure each place has its own aroma, and Sana'a certainly demonstrated that. It didn't stink or anything, it was just an olfactory-punch reminder of where I was. I eventually got into the terminal, and the first time I spoke Arabic the guy said "you're accent...it is Egyptian." Hehe. Shows I learned something last summer. Then he said I must learn the Yemeni one. Of course.
After an hour's sparring with Arab bureaucracy, we were finally cleared to leave the terminal. We had our driver, a student who is also kinda the greeter girl, and another new student from Italy, crammed in a 4 runner. It's safe to say I've missed riding with Arabs, the driver wasted no time in having a near-collision with a car that made the dumbfounding decision to stop in the middle of a near empty street.
I didn't realize how much I'd missed being in a foreign environment. The monotonous plane ride was an experience that could be likened to torture, at least to those like myself who can't sit still for very long, so I became rather dull to everything. As soon as we hit the road and took everything in my senses finally came alive and I had a new lease on life.
Sana'a itself is very Arab. Now I know why most Egyptians don't consider themselves Arab; at this point, I'm inclined to agree with them. The early morning call to prayer was cool since I hadn't heard that in awhile, and it quickly reminded me of my first night in Egypt. This time around, I feel much more experienced about things and can't wait to dive in head first guns blazing. Speaking of guns, my roommate swears he heard an AK peel off a 5-round burst last night. I didn't hear it, but it supposedly came right when the calls to prayer started. Yemenis are known for using their weapons for celebration, so I'm sure that's what it was. Regardless, that's something I never heard in Egypt and a reminder to the different environment I'm in.
We eat breakfast in 10 minutes, so I have to wrap this up. We're gonna be given a tour of the Old City today; hopefully I can get a few pics up.
It's really good to be back in the saddle again.
Now to the interesting part: the first thought after crossing the plane's exit door threshold was the smell; I'd forgotten what it smelled like to be in a foreign country. I'm sure each place has its own aroma, and Sana'a certainly demonstrated that. It didn't stink or anything, it was just an olfactory-punch reminder of where I was. I eventually got into the terminal, and the first time I spoke Arabic the guy said "you're accent...it is Egyptian." Hehe. Shows I learned something last summer. Then he said I must learn the Yemeni one. Of course.
After an hour's sparring with Arab bureaucracy, we were finally cleared to leave the terminal. We had our driver, a student who is also kinda the greeter girl, and another new student from Italy, crammed in a 4 runner. It's safe to say I've missed riding with Arabs, the driver wasted no time in having a near-collision with a car that made the dumbfounding decision to stop in the middle of a near empty street.
I didn't realize how much I'd missed being in a foreign environment. The monotonous plane ride was an experience that could be likened to torture, at least to those like myself who can't sit still for very long, so I became rather dull to everything. As soon as we hit the road and took everything in my senses finally came alive and I had a new lease on life.
Sana'a itself is very Arab. Now I know why most Egyptians don't consider themselves Arab; at this point, I'm inclined to agree with them. The early morning call to prayer was cool since I hadn't heard that in awhile, and it quickly reminded me of my first night in Egypt. This time around, I feel much more experienced about things and can't wait to dive in head first guns blazing. Speaking of guns, my roommate swears he heard an AK peel off a 5-round burst last night. I didn't hear it, but it supposedly came right when the calls to prayer started. Yemenis are known for using their weapons for celebration, so I'm sure that's what it was. Regardless, that's something I never heard in Egypt and a reminder to the different environment I'm in.
We eat breakfast in 10 minutes, so I have to wrap this up. We're gonna be given a tour of the Old City today; hopefully I can get a few pics up.
It's really good to be back in the saddle again.
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