This is Wusfi. (Pronounced [wuss-Fee])
Since he was one of the guards at Amideast, he was one of the 1st people I met and that I saw pretty much everyday. Within a week of being here, I wanted to buy a bicycle and Wusfi offered to help me find one in Cheikh Othman. He is a robust man with a big enough belly, and, as is often befitting of those physical attributes, jovial to the bone. Wusfi is a funny guy and loves to joke with everyone. He enjoys qat and studying for exams while chewing qat. He believes it helps him concentrate and memorize. As a result of this desire to chew and learn, his teeth are often stained from this sacrifice. The color, however, goes well with the occasional henna-dyed highlights he has done on his hair. One funny incident occurred, when a student left him the keys to his automobile, in case it needed to be moved. Wusfi had to move it, but in that process, he mistook the gas pedal for the brake pedal and wrecked into a wall. It frightened some people, but luckily there were no casualites. Afterwards, everybody worked rather efficiently as a team to repair the wall that had been damaged.This is Teacher Louis:
Louis is from Montreal, Canada and had lived here a year before I arrived. As he was the savvy veteran, he always had good advice and interesting anecdotes. Plus, having worked abroad considerably, he possessed a worldly vision. Louis actually converted to Islam and was and remains quite beloved by the students who knew him. He is a very nice man and had also lived in Mexico before. He also is one heck of a ping-pong player to boot.This is Mahfood at the Sheraton Hotel Beach at Elephant Bay, Aden. Can you guess why they call it "Elephant" Bay? Take a good look at the picture.
Originally from Aden, Mahfood left about 15 years ago and didnt come back until this year. During his time away, he studied and/or worked in Russia and Estonia. He is now a Professor at a Techonology School in LA. This year when his mother was very ill, he returned here to spend some time with the family. He was here for about 5/6 months and we became buddies. He used to work out at the Sheraton Hotel gym, and I'd tag along with my guitar and hang out on the beach. Mahfood is quite a talented singer and often would do a set of popular songs in English at the nearby Aden Hotel. This usually included some Bob Marley, "Bailamos" by Enrique Iglesias, and "Don't Go Changing" by Billy Joel. He is rumored to be learning Spanish and taking Tango lessons in Argentina.
