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...