Yeah-Man!...notes from Miguel in Arabia Felix

Random Snapshots in Aden...

2007-06-29T13:24:00.000-07:00

I found this on the side of an old blue truck. You may recognize this from the flag of Saudi Arabia. It is the shahada or Islamic declaration of faith (written in a special script):
لا إله إلا الله محمد رسول الله
la ilaha illa llahu muhammadun rasulu llah
"There is no god but Allah; Muhammad is the Messenger of God"

An old friend from Mauritania grows wild here...Calotropis Procera. There's actually some useful latex fibers produced by this shrifty shrub. But watch out for the milky substance that oozes out of the leaves. It is reputed to blind one permanently should it come into contact with the eyes.

So riding on a minivan from the university to my place, I noticed this steering column sans the epidermis. It caught my attention immediately. It seems to be like a "How Things Work" Encyclopedic diagram brought to life.

Fellow English Language Fellow Whitney and Amideast Academic Coordinator Nafisa enjoy a moment of laughter. Whitney wears the abaya now because it makes life easier, in the sense that she gets less attention out in public than she would otherwise. Nafisa laughs and jokes a l'Africain quoi...after all she grew up in Kenya and still speaks Swahili fluently. Nafisa has good memories of San Antonio when she attended the TESOL 2005 conference on the Riverwalk. :)

I whipped up some guacamole last week and it wound up being a hit with the Amideast staff. It didnt last long in the teachers lounge and several of them asked for the recipe. And that wasn't even MOLCAJETE guacamole!!!

Wonderful News

2007-06-25T09:10:00.000-07:00

CONGRATULATIONS NUHA!!!!

Today, I received some wonderful news from Nuha Gamal, one of my university students. She has been awarded one year of undergraduate study in the USA! I am so elated that one of my students won this prestigious award. I feel a special honor with her success because I informed her of the opportunity and wrote a letter on her behalf.
Ultimately, her superior academic accomplishments and language abilities have earned her this life-changing opportunity. She is an exemplary student that seeks to excel in English and I'm very proud for her, her family and her community.
And so, as my year in Yemen draws to an end and I prepare for a return to America, Nuha is at the beginning of an incredible journey where she will leave Yemen for a year and head to America this fall. Mabrook Nuha! (Congratulations!)

Dramatis Personae

2007-06-20T23:04:00.001-07:00

I want to present some colorful characters I've met here in Yemen. They have spiced up my journey in their own unique ways and merit mention...

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.

noshing on sealife

2007-06-20T22:36:00.000-07:00

Jogging along the corniche, basking in the Arabian heat and humidity listening to Fatboy Slim, the Rolling Stones, Donovan, Juanes etc on my iPod I spotted a family in the harbor collecting clams at low tide. Somehow out of place this seemed amidst the buzz of morning traffic and the rising heat of the volcanic crucible called Aden.

But Yemeni seafood is one treasure I'll definitely miss when I leave here. The other day I went again to the market bought some fish (derak=kingfish) and ran home to make sashimi a la Shohei. Not quite Niki's Tokyo Inn on Hildebrand and San Pedro in SA, but hey raw fish is raw fish and it was good enough for me. Domo arigato to my sashimi sensei Shohei the shutterbug from Tokyo I met in Mukalla.

Then the other day, I opted for a crab boil...I bought 1/2 a kilo o' crabs for $2 and googled for a recipe. It's quite easy. All you gotta do is boil some water with plenty of salt, throw in some chili powder, coriander, pepper or whatever spices you like and then toss in the crabs with shell and all. 10 minutes later your mouth is teleported to the docks of B-more as you voracioiusly crack these crustaceans into oblivion. They went rather well with a garlic butter dipping sauce I conjured up. ummm yummy.

and today...i'm doing ceviche....the fish was alive at 4am, caught at 5am, brought into Aden's fish market at 7...I bought it at 7:30, at 7:45 it was deboned and filleted. By 8:30 it was sittin in my fridge marinating in the ascorbic acidity of freshly squeezed lime juice. 6 hours from now, my mouth will teleport to veracruz and prompt me to belt out some son jarocho.

I'm also gonna make a crab dip. For seafood lovers and seafood cooks, aden is another playground. I wonder what I can do with clams...some kind of pasta clam dish comes to mind....linguini...hm, i gotta go google now. peace out

A Typical Day in the Life of Teacher Miguel

2007-05-30T06:24:00.000-07:00

These days, I get up at sunrise, 6am, and rush over to my computer and listen to WOAI's live broadcast of the Spurs games. After a win, I'll call home and enjoy the victories over the phone with Mom & Dad, Patty, Orly or anybody else not afraid to answer the phone when they see 77777777 on the caller ID. lol While doing all of that, I check my emails, look over papers, schedules, etc.

Usually, I head to The University of Aden around 7:30. I check in with the English Department because, sometimes they have news for me. The secretary, Shaharazade, helps me out with any administrative tasks. Often, she generously shares Yemeni coffee, tea and sweets with everybody. Her coffee is different from what you might expect. It's a kind of cereal drink with some grains in it. It's hearty and kind of special and there's another name for it, but I forget it. Since, it is only made in homes, it's hard for foreigners to come by, so I treasure it when it shows up at the office.

The professors there are quite nice and we have a good time talking about funny things that happen around campus or about life in general. One Professor's name is Negah, which means "Success". What a great name, no? About half of the professors are female and half male, most being Yemeni. There is one from India, Dr. Baskar who is teaching a Research class.

Some days I have 4 hours of classes there, sometimes 2, and sometimes none, depending on the day of the week. On one or two days, I'll have my Arabic class there at the Language Institute. We have one more week of classes, then it's exam time there.

In the afternoon, I head home to Amideast and have a bite to eat. Amideast now has a pretty cool place called The Palm Cafe. They offer all kinds of food and drink, so if my fridge is running empty, no problem. I dont teach until 6-8pm, so I might go to the beach or the mall and study some Arabic/play guitar, grade papers, prepare lessons etc.
Yesterday, I started a new weekly extracurricular Game hour with my advanced students at Amideast. I introduced them to Scrabble and Boggle. They really took a liking to it. We all wanted to just continue playing, but class had to start at 6pm.
At 6:30pm, we take a 10-minute break for Maghreb prayer time. On site, there are men's and women's prayer rooms, and an ablution area. They get crowded at that time. After class ends at 8pm, again they fill up with students and staff gathering to pray. One guy will lead the men in the prayer, it's nice to hear.

I like to go out into the city at 8pm. I'll catch a minivan to either Crater, Aden Mall or Maala and grab some food or just get lost, maybe buy some funky things. Last night I went to Maala and bought a colorful magnetic Arabic alphabet- that'll fit nicely on the fridge- and some spoons (made in Japan) that have palm trees, swords and an Arabic inscription that says, "Welcome".

Then, I usually return home and strum the guitar some.

Typical day in Aden filled with cheap thrills.

:)

ال لاردن air jordan!

2007-05-24T15:03:00.000-07:00

Yours truly atop the citadel in downtown AMMAN.

CHECK OUT MY JORDAN PHOTO ALBUM ON PICASA.

fresh off my spring 2o07 tour in Jordan...got a couple of remarks to make about the Hashemite Kingdom...it rocks! - literally...plenty of rocks to go round...rocks at Wadi Rum- the fabled place where majestic desert cinematography was captured for the story of Lawrence of Arabia. and Petra..a petrified city that was in fact carved into stone mountains and cliffsides 2000 years ago.

Well, here's the rundown...1st off...Royal Jordanian Airlines rocks! Great airline, staff, TV menu and it felt regal enough. Arrived in Jordan at 7am and grabbed a bus headed for Amman. Amman is a big city and I enjoyed a day there. Went to the Citadel and the Jordan Archeological Museum. Dead Sea Scrolls my friends, Dead Sea Scrolls, and how about an Ummayid Mosque and some gargantuan classic columns oozing history.

Met up with another ELF...actually a Senior English Language Fellow, who is now completing his 2nd and final year of work. Mr. David Roderick is a gentleman and carries a good humor befitting of an Oregonian...Eugene, that is. Oregon is definitely a place in America that i need to visit soon.

David treated me to lunch at the culinary arts department restaurant at his university campus. Oh how I love culinary arts and again, I feel the need to devote some learning time in the future to haute cuisine.

In the p.m. I went to SAFEWAY. Safeway Amman beats Safeway DC by a mile. Had some fun just perusing around...sushi dept., cheese selection etc. mmmmmm Picked up some H2O & snax for an excursion to Wadi Rum. I went along with some Americans working on various development projects in Jordan. Interesting to meet others from different fields. Along the way, there was a commmotion... a wedding caravan on a major highway. lol

In Wadi Rum, I met up with Kathleen Keiser, a friend of a friend, who I actually had met in NYC last summer when she hosted a rooftop party in August. That was the weekend I went to Brooklyn to see Manu Chao! what a great weekend that was! - Anyways, Kathleen was gracious enough to invite me to accompany her colleagues and friends on a trip to Wadi Rum. We were to hike Ad-Daali, reputed to be the highest point in Jordan...from the peak we'd be rewarded with eagle eye views of Saudi & Israel. Gnarly huh?!

We checked into camp with our guides. Drank tea...ate food in a tent, and then naturally, sat down by the campfire and made...SMORES. God bless Amber! She was gifted with the foresight to plan that delight. :)

Next day...the mountain was ours...of course, with the help of local tribal guides. Without them, we'd 've needed maps and gps and alot more time. lol

So great workout, nice hike, but terrible visibility. hmmm, u can plan all u want, but if mother nature has other plans, then the weather can affect your time. By the way, 4 days outta 7 in Jordan I enjoyed precipitation.

Next day...PETRA. Phantasmagorical. That's all I gotta say. Beyond description and belief...this lost Nabatean city bewilders one and all with it's majestic setting and workmanship. Easily spent a whole day hiking and checking out the ruins. Not bored at all my friends...not bored at all. wondrous wondrous, supercalifragilisticexpialadocious! If u go get the 3 day ticket...it's worth it.

Spent the next morning checking more of it out with Emmanuelle from Bordeaux. She was independent traveler that also wanted to go to the Dana Nature Preserve. We split a taxi there for 13 JD (Jordanian Dinar ; 1JD=$1.40) and got to check out Showbak...a Crusader castle, along the way.

In Dana, we hiked around for a couple of days. It's a great nature lovers place. Set amidst mountains, there is flora and fauna to delight eco-tourists. There's a cool funky backpacker place to stay..."The Tower Hotel". Hamza the manager is very friendly and informative. The food is definitely worth it there too.

Next day, I set out alone for the Dead Sea...hitching rides here and there. For the most part it was easy as pie. The Dead Sea is a trip. I guess I can say I came back from the Dead now. All u do is float...rub mud all over your body and get a tan. This was the perfect recipe after 5 days of hiking.

Then I went back to Amman and went over to David and Nola's place . (Nola is his wife) So good to take it easy then. It was nice comparing notes about Jordan and Yemen and America, Turkey, Oregon, really all kinds of things. They're good people. I am indebted to their hospitality and their words of wisdom.

On the last day, I followed Edward's advice. (Edward is the Director of Amideast Aden and knows the Peninsula quite well). He had suggested several places including a place called Jerash. There I found a great site of Roman ruins. Again, we were blessed with rain. :) That pm I topped off my weeklong sojourn with a visit to the 5-story Mecca mall. Starbucks!

Jordan is a wonderful country with so much history and there is alot I didnt see. Much of it relates to biblical times...John the Baptist, Jesus, Moses, Mohammed etc. I found it interesting that there were a fair number of Arab Christians. There are also a good number of Palestinians and I heard Israel on the radio. There are quite a few French tourists that go there, and really just a lot of tourists compared to Yemen at least. My Arabic was functional and useful there, which was encouraging. Though, it seems my visit to Jordan has somehow teleported my mind into another realm and I'm still adjusting to life back in the wild wild place called Yemen. Gotta love it! esp. b-cuz I'm heading home so soon. Maybe it's all the Spurs mania that brings on a wave of nostalgia coupled with the upcoming end of the school year. Put your orders in for souvenirs now. ;)

for more info on Jordan checkout wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordan

Items of Nutritional Interest for Homo Sapiens

2007-04-29T05:25:00.000-07:00

How about Yemeni food? What’s it like?

(To read about it, read below. To see some photos of food: CLICK HERE! )

Well there are all kinds of things available and they’re cheap: 50cents - $5. There is a fair amount of standard Middle Eastern fare available…lamb stew, grilled lamb, lamb shwarma, grilled chicken, hummus, kufta etc...

and then there's the signature Yemeni dishes:

Saltah: a stew made of ground beef or goat/lamb meat, potatoes, okra, assorted veggies and spices. One noticeable spice is this fenugreek, which is fenugreeky. That is to say it’s a bit freaky and you gotta get used to it. I’m not a big fan, but on the other hand, I’m not ready to ban the substance. Nevertheless, there is something to be said about a bubbling hot pot of saltah laid before you. Let it cool a bit or you’ll scorch your digits.

Marrak: a lamb &/or veggie broth/soup that is served at lunch with meals.

Zoorbiyan: Stewed lamb and potatoes laid on a bed of biryani rice. Simple, classic and nourishing. The rice may have an occasional clove or cardamom or cinnamon, so bewares. If you can get some Kobsah ( a spicy pickled lime sauce) it’s pretty good.

Sahowek: This is a nonchallenging version of salsa, that Yemenis adore. I don’t mind it, but it tastes like they forgot to put chiles in it. Kind of refreshing complement to the main hot dishes. Sometimes they blend in a dryish salty cheese and that's good too.

Fool: That's right fool! Refried Beans Beans Beans, the musical fruit! (though these may not be pintos…sometimes they are white or mauve or taupe or Vandyke brown, but rare to find something pinto-esque)

Fasoolia: The musical fruit mixed with hot peppahs, onions, spices etc. You can ask for eggs to be mixed in to this or fool. Both to be sopped up with a giant tortilla (hobz)

Hobz: Giant oven baked tortilla. NICE.

Broast: Yemeni Fried Chicken. It does the job. Served with a white garlic lime sauce.

Chips: aka Fries. Don’t you just love fried things? They serve em with hot sauce - not ketchup or mayo.

Beverages: Aseer Leem (lemonade) : they like to grind up the rind seed and all in the blender with lotsa sugar. Its good.
Aseer Manga: Mango nectar
Chai: By far the most popular…tea- comes in red (akhmarr) or milk (haleeb). Either brewed or sprinkled with a mix of cardamom and other special secret ingredients. Nice.
Qawha: Yemeni-version coffee. Made with the husk of the bean and maybe some other seeds added giving it a oatmealish quality. Not bad. Not great, but not bad.
Global soft drinks: Canada Dry, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Red Bull. Non-alcoholic beers are somewhat popular too: Becks and Moussy (Apple flavor!).

Those are the standard everydays here in Aden…but occasionally you’ll find something different out there. I like this one place that invented a sandwich called “Megnoona” (which means crazy lady). Basically a panini with tomato, boiled egg and “Vache que rit (Laughing Cow)” cheese.

Of course, since this is the economic capital of Yemen, we do have some international fare available. Lulu Hypermarket offers Indian and Chinese foods to go. There are a couple of Chinese restaurants: Ching Sing in Malla and The Pink Pearl at the Sheraton. There are a couple of Indian restaurants too: The Himalaya (Maala) and Reemi (Crater).
Maala also boasts a Lebanese Bakery: Le Chateau. I like their chocolate croissants and baklava.

Then there’s also Pizza Hut! And a burger facsimile in the mall. :P isn’t life wunderbar!

Okay, I’m not mentioning everything of course, but more or less you get the picture…and if you click on the Picasa link, you’ll get the pictures. I made an album devoted to food here in Yemen. Bon Appetit for your eyes!

Yemeni-style Day Trippin'

2007-04-29T03:23:00.000-07:00

I've been visiting different places here and I just uploaded some photos of Jibla on Picasa (click on link to the right to see them). It's a small town with a lot of history. From 1086-1138, Queen Arwa ruled the Sulayhi state. During her reign she moved the capital there and built a palace with 365 rooms- one for every night! Because of her knowledge, wisdom, support of the arts and also for spending the budget on the good of her people, she is still revered today. Her tomb is still in the Mosque of Queen Arwa today.

Jibla is a wonderful town nestled in the mountains near Ibb. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit there which included the palace a home and a walk through the market.

It's very nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and retreat for a weekend into the mountains or just to get out of town and see something different. Last weekend, I went to a place further north called Hammam Ali. There are hot spring bath houses there and it felt good to relax there awhile. The mountains are majestic and peaceful. I'll post some pix of that place and other trips soon too...Hudayda, Zabid, Beit al Faqih, Abyan, Zingibar, Ibb, Hammam Damt, Ad-Dala', Dhamar.

Kashidas, Futas, and Abayas!

2007-04-17T23:03:00.000-07:00

This is everday male attire in Aden and in many parts of Yemen too. I don the garb from time to time and pass for a yemeni, sans probleme. Its fun to go incognito into the markets. It consists of a "Kashida" which is a big colored scarf used like a turban. They come in all kinds of colors and designs and are worn in all kinds of ways. It comes in handy as protection from the sun, as a handkerchief, or as a seat when tied together as a buttress for squatting comfortably on the ground.There a couple of different male "skirts". This one is called a "Futa" and is popular in the south. Sandals are the normal footgear.

So where do the wallet and keys go?

Under the fold near the waist, there is a special belt with a pouch for carrying money, keys etc. I actually use a fanny pack that I bought for $1 at a thrift store off of SW Military Drive in San Antonio. In general, I find the local dress comfortable and very convenient to wear when I go to the beach. I have my swimsuit on underneath and all I gotta do is take off the Futa et voila! Then I use the Futa as a beach towel. :)

So what do the women wear ?

Well, they wear "Abayas" which is a black frock that covers the whole body and the head and most women also cover their face as this lady does.

non-sequitir: I'm delighted that Joey Crawford is history! Finally, justice!

Muchísimas Gracias al Don Q. y a Sancho Panza

2007-04-13T13:07:00.000-07:00

Saludos desde Yemen amigos! Como están todos? Pues sigo aquí esperándoles, pero no creo que vienen. Ja ja ja. Pues si si, que me traigan unas chelitas bien heladitas. :)

Bueno la razon por la cual les escribo hoy, es para explicar algunas cosas aquí que tienen más que ver con el mundo hispanoparlante. Mi experiencia aquí en este pais del medio oriente, ha sido hasta la fecha muy interesante. Claro hay cosas obvias que distinguen el mundo hispano del mundo arabe..pero a la vez hay tantas cosas similar. Tal vez te preguntas, ¿Qué diablos serán esas cosas? Pues acuerda bien la historia de España…desde el año 711 hasta 1170 a.d. la peninsula iberica fue dominada por musulmanes. Por eso aun existen muchos restos de la cultura árabe…por ejemplo, la giralda en Sevilla, el palacio del Alhambra en Granada y pues vocabulario semejante entre el arabe y el castellano. Descubrí, últimamente, que “acequia” es otra palabra en común- suena similar y significa lo mismo en arabe.

Hay que reconocer esto, y muchas veces se nota en los apellidos tipicos de hispanos. Conozco tantos que se apellidan ‘Medina’. Y pues Medina es el nombre de una ciudad sagrada para los musulmanes en Arabia Saudita. Medina también, en muchos pueblos arabes, por ejemplo en Marruecos, significa la parte vieja de la ciudad, donde muchas veces se encuentra un mercado. Otros apellidos que tienen algo que ver con el mundo arabe…Marroquin, Alcazar, etc.

Además de esto, a veces me siento que hay algo en común entre la cultura árabe y la cultura latina. Digo esto pensando en experiencias que he tenido asi caminando o bromeando con la gente en Cairo y México. Puedo decir que cuando camino en un souk (mercado árabe) parece en muchos sentidos a un mercado latino o los tianguis de Chilangolandia. Ademas, a veces me sorprenda como algunas personas yemeníes aquí parecen a parientes o amigos míos latinos. Tal vez te has confundido una vez en tu vida, comenzando una conversación en cristiano (el español) con un árabe. Así me han dicho algunos yemeníes que así les paso cuando estuvieron por un ano allá en el USA. Y yo siempre me paso por arabe, de un tipo u otro.

No lo niego- hay que admitir que hay grandes diferencias. Acuérdense que les había dicho, que extrañaba a la cultura latina. Pues, por suerte hace como 2 semanas conocí a varios cubanos que trabajan aquí como médicos y enfermeras. Como estamos muy lejos de Latinoamérica, pues le da un toque especial al conocer hermanos latinos. Este fin de semana me invitaron a festejar y pues lo pasamos bien chévere! Como buenos cubanos son muy alegres y talentuosos para gozar. Esa noche, lleve mi guitarra y cantamos hasta que ya no sentía mis deditos y ya no podían mas aguantar. Con gusto nos cantamos, y algunos recitaron versos, y nos bromeamos mucho, muriendo de risa. Aqui les mando una foto!

Como ellos son un equipo de cómo 20 y pico, siempre así pasan los fines de semana, pero para mi, ya parecía un siglo que habia ido asi de bohemio y bailarín de chachachá, salsa, merengue etc. Pues, nos seguiremos aqui luchando como Quixotes y Sancho Panzas contra los molinos malditos! hasta las chanclas mis cuates!

Beach Clean up.

2007-03-28T22:02:00.000-07:00

At the end of each Amideast session, I lead a group of 40 scholarship students on an activity to promote civic awareness and responsible citizenship. Last Thursday, along with 3 other groups of 40, we cleaned up a beach along the causeway between Khormaksar and the mainland, Cheikh Othman. This area is actually a protected bird preserve, but suffers from pollution because many of those who drive along there, merely jettison their plastic bags and bottles out the window. There was all kinds of consumer trash: plastic..plastic bags, potato chip bags, bottles, plastic pipes, plastic cups, broken glass bottles and tires too. It was very dirty and stinky, as you can imagine. A TV crew showed up and filmed us, but nobody told me that we came out on TV, so I dont think we made the final cut. It was a workout picking up so much trash in the hot Arabian sun. It wasnt that bad, but it was dehydrating. Afterwards, we debriefed the activity and reflected on the experience over sandwiches and soda back at Amideast. These kinds of volunteer activities are great for promoting awareness. I noticed that the students were impacted by the "unusual" nature of this activity and wanted to share it with their community and perhaps create more clean-ups on a regular basis involving their schools.

As Margaret Mead once said, "Never underestimate the power of a few committed people to change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

انا أسمي ميغيل كنشس

2007-03-23T22:30:00.000-07:00

انا أسمي ميغيل كنشس‘ وَ انا مدرس في كُلية التربية عدن. انا من تكسَاس من مدينة سان انتونيو.
دائماًً أقرأ العربية

Check it out! I am learning to type Arabic too now. It’s fun and there are a couple of fonts that are really cool looking. I can handwrite this as well, but not as beautiful as this.

So, I am really enjoying my study of Arabic these days. I have found a teacher, Dr. Ahmed Mohammed Saleh, Dean of the Language Institute at the University of Aden. Originally from the Yaffa region of Yemen, Dr. Ahmed is an accomplished scholar who did years of study in Moscow. Of course, he is an expert in fooshal (classic) Arabic, Yemeni dialect, Russian and English as well.

We meet 6 hours a week and look over several lessons. I am noticing that I can go pretty quickly through the lessons because of my previous experiences with Arabic. At San Antonio College, I took a class with Father John Al-Nahal from Lebanon. A pastor at St.George Maronite Church, he taught our class the Huruf, or Arabic alphabet which has 28 letters. This helps and then of course my informal studies of the Hassaniya dialect while I was working as a Peace Corps volunteer in Mauritania also help…though there is considerable difference between it and Adeni Arabic or Classical Arabic. Even basic words like Yes and No are very different:

Yes & No:
Yemen: Nam & La
Mauritania: Ehay & Abday

Funny enough, I occasionally discover Arabic words that are more or less identical in Spanish:

Arabic: 1.zaytun 2. inshAllah 3. thor 4. fulana
Spanish: 1. aceituna 2. ojála 3. toro 4. fulana
English: 1. olive 2. Godwilling 3. bull 4. Ms. So & So

These words sound very similar and mean the same things in each language. It’s always a delight to discover the connections that bridge languages and cultures.
The challenge, though, in learning Arabic, is the richness of it’s lexicon or vocabulary. From different people here in Yemen I have heard 2 things about “camel”….one is that there are 17 different words in Arabic that mean camel. Another person told me that there is an old poem that lists 70 different words for camel. I’m not sure which is true, but I am impressed by the lexical luxury of such a language. (how do you like that alliteration?)

Needless to say, it is not easy to learn this language, but I count my blessings. Arabic has an alphabet that has 28 letters that are very graphophonemic in nature. That means the letters represent a sound each time they appear, which makes it easier to read for someone used to a similar kind of alphabet. Though the direction is the opposite of the English alphabet, that is it goes from right to left. I still recall when I first began learning the Huruf in Mauritania how fun it was to try and read signage. It felt like a game where I was “breaking the code”. I like doing that kind of stuff, like cryptoquips, igpay atinlay etc.

Yemen’s a good place to learn Arabic, so that’s what I try and do. Though, they have their own omnia or dialect of Arabic, everyone speaks one language. This makes learning that one language easier. In Mauritania, the various languages kept me on my toes and I used mostly the lingua franca there, French. I picked up some basic language in Hassaniya, and some in Pulaar as well. I even learned some words in Bambaara and Wolof.
Yemeni’s all speak Arabic.
As I’ve mentioned before, learning their language helps me bond with students and understand the challenges they face learning English. I think it’s an opportunity for me to grow and develop a skill that can be useful for connecting with people in the Aden community and the Arab-speaking populace in general. Plus, it’s fun!

Perhaps you’re wondering what in the wide wide world of sports the Arabic script above says. Well here’s the translation:

My name is Miguel Conchas and I’m a teacher at the College of Education in Aden. I’m from San Antonio, Texas. I always read Arabic.

No I don’t always read Arabic, but it was nice to write it.

If you'd like to learn more about Arabic, here's a link to a site that gives a free course online:

http://www.madinaharabic.com/Index.htm

I highly recommend studying a foreign language for the rest of your life. Any language will do: Romance languages, Khmer, Russian, Japanese, Arabic, Chinese or Nahuatl. It raises your consciousness and may even be useful to you sometime in the future. Furthermore, it’s more than just words: it’s people, its culture, & it’s alive.

blogosphere & EL learning

2007-03-21T04:59:00.000-07:00

As you can tell, I have really enjoyed blogging about my experiences here in Yemen. It's been a great way to share the experiences and adventures as they happen here. Family and friends have been able to read regularly about life for me here in Yemen. Since I saw this positive international phenomenon happening, I recalled a session on using blogs had piqued my interest at the 2005 TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) convention in San Antonio. So, about 4 weeks ago, I decided to experiment with blogging and English Language learning. First, I set up a blog for this semester's Writing II class at The University of Aden,

http://writing2aden.blogspot.com

It's very practical as a bulletin board. I can post news for my students and upload handouts or announcements for activities, scholarships et al. I'm planning on having them work in groups to produce collaborative writings which I will then post to the blog.

At Amideast, I mentioned the blog idea to staff and then along with Teacher Lindsay Martin-McCormick developed one,

http://amideastaden.blogspot.com

This blog shows student writings from various classes at Amideast. Several writings are already posted and it's interesting to see what they choose to write about. If you want to hear what Yemeni students have to say, check it out. Eventually, we could easily take some of these postings and make a simple newsletter as a hard copy for those busy students who cant find the time to surf.

Both blogs also have links to useful sites related to English Language Learning and English sites aimed at Yemenis. If any of you have any comments or suggestions about these blogs (including mine), please email me.

in the infamous words of mr. jon bon jovi

2007-03-08T00:34:00.000-08:00

"oooooh we're 1/2-way there...oooooooo- OH! LIVING ON A PRAYER!" That's right folks, hard to believe, but I'm at the 1/2 way mark already. 4 months down and 4 months to go. The glass is half full and half empty too. What can I say? It's been intense, interesting and the pace is picking up too, because I'll be conducting teacher trainings at Amideast using the Shaping Teaching course materials that I picked up in Cairo. I'm excited.

So another semester has begun at Aden University’s College of Education in Khormaksar. I’m now teaching Writing 2 and I feel comfortable now that I have a semester under my belt there. Also contributing to my comfort zone, is the fact that I’m teaching the same students as last semester. More of them know me at the university and really like me. So much so that, I feel like a rock star at times. I roll up on my Chinese-manufactured giant “Rocky”-brandname, full-suspension bicycle listening to Cha-Cha-Cha classics like “El Bodeguero”. I think I’m the only westerner still on campus and I’m also the only one riding around on a bicycle. So, my presence is well-known and I take my fame in stride.

It’s kind of fun actually. Everybody wants to talk to me, buy me a lemonade or a tea. It’s an exotic allure I carry because well, in the words of Butterfly from the Digable Planets, “I’m cool like dat, I’m cool like dat and I’m cool like dat.” I’m friendly and personable and I enjoy talking to whoever is there; from the guys that work in the cafeteria to the administration in the English department. Most of the time, I enjoy shooting the breeze with the students. Naturally, they have a lot of questions about English, America, and things like whether I’m of Arab descent. I have a lot of questions for them, about their culture and Arabic. Some have traveled to other Arab countries and it’s interesting to hear their perspectives.

I sometimes take my Arabic textbook to the University and it’s a lot of fun reversing roles with my students. They are really supportive of me trying to learn their language. Some like, Mahal and Doody, have a very nice teaching style. They coach my reading nicely and enunciate words very well for me.

Sometimes the students and I share music with MP3 players or play games like UNO. Yesterday, I took my guitar and did a little impromptu jam session there. I like taking my guitar to the beach to the boardwalks too. People here don’t see a lot of guitars and they are curious when they see me. The kids gather round and ask me to sing. Here are some songs I play for the students: “Know your Rights” by the Clash (some students thought it was very funny), “La Boa” by Sonora Santanera, “Rudi, A Message to You.” (Selecter or the Specials- I cant remember right now.) They also like the classic guitar instrumentals like Les Jeux Interdits and Malagueña. Flamenco rasgueo appeals to them too. I explained a little about the guitar and let them try it out. The Yemenis really seemed to enjoy strumming to a rhythm. It was a lot of fun singing, taking turns and it was a good informal intercultural exchange. Some guys laughed from afar or as they walked by, but most are curious enough to stop and listen. One guy came up with his own lyrics in English and wanted to rap while I played. So we did and that was nice.

I also played some Shakira songs, the Wanderer by Dion (the girls liked that one). Colours by Donovan (the guys liked that one), Sympathy for the Devil by the Rolling Stones – (I think they did not like it, but I really had fun performing it- I need that one on Karaoke.) I also sang “Never Been To Spain” by Three Dog Night and “La Cucaracha” but I inserted Arabic names here and there to spice it up and get their attention. They REALLY liked that a lot. One guy recorded me performing “La Boa” on his telephone. (A Star is Born!) I think they never see this kind of stuff- a person playing and singing with guitar. I marvel at that, and I think the same would be true in America if somebody pulled out an “oud”, a Middle Eastern stringed instrument, and started singing Arabic songs in an open area at a University campus. I like taking my guitar and playing for the students and I like even taking it to the boardwalks along the beaches here where families and kids are. They are curious and come and listen and ask me to sing. They have no idea what I’m singing about but they smile a lot. Kind of like what I do when I hear an oud player or hear them sing songs. lol

Speaking of guitar styles like flamenco and cha-cha-cha… I’ve been kind of missing Hispanic culture…mi cultura, mi lengua todo ese jale. Within the expat community, there is a varied bunch, German, French, American, English, New Zealand etc, pero desafortunadamente no hay hispanoparlantes. Anyways, to get my fix, I usually email/chat con los amigos or visit the internet or listen to musica en mi ipod, pero last night I finally met some people que hablan espanish- and very well. I was sitting at a café having some juice when I overheard a Yemeni yell at another “Ven Aqui!”

I half-jokingly yelled out, “ No me digas que alguien aqui habla español!?” and they actually responded in Spanish, diciendo, “De donde eres?” Al enterar que habían topado con un mexicano- tal vez el único en Yemen, se pusieron todos muy alegres!” How did they become so well-versed in Spanish…well it goes back to the days when South Yemen was Communist and had strong ties with Russia and Cuba. Fifteen to 20 years ago, these particular Yemenis had studied or worked and learned español in Cuba. Instantly we became friends exchanging numbers and vowing to get together soon for some good times. One of them, Adel, is crazy for Juan Gabriel, y empezó a cantar “Querida”. Ay ay ay, Juana La Loca.

Yemen is an interesting place as you can tell, and I’m making the most of my time here in Aden working, studying al arabiyya and making friends. I want to savor the last 4 months, working with the people of this country. If I can encourage them in their efforts for education, or share with them my thoughts, then in July when I board a plane heading to San Antonio, I know I will have succeeded. I know already I will return home with new information and experiences forever to be carried in my head and my heart. Como dice Julieta Venegas en su canción, Oleada, …y todo lo que ya vivi lo sigo cargando ….lo llevo muy dentro de mi nunca lo he olvidado….lo siento tan cerca de aquí- lo llevo muy dentro de mi

Que sean felices!

The Aden Wetlands Protected Area

2007-03-07T22:25:00.000-08:00

Last week I went with 2 of my students to visit the Aden Wetlands Protected Area (click the name for photos). They are both applying to be high school exchange students next year in America. It would be cool if we somehow meet up there. Anyways, Maged, Mueataz and I visited this wonderful place. They take treated wastewater from a certain village (suburb) of Aden and then it is channeled to land near the coast. This is an area that is not as rocky as the city. The result is you have a nice area that is green, lush, fertile. Birds love it and we saw plenty of interesting species. Mueataz arranged for the visit with a friend who works there, Fares. Fares is actually a former Amideast student,and he is a local volunteer that is trying to promote the site for local awareness. The site has been funded by the United Nations Development Program and uses sustainable techniques and appropriate technologies. For example, there is a nursery made of mud brick walls and a palm leaf roof. There are alot of palms that grow there, specifically a species they called Hadash which they use to make vinegar, Khal. That vinegar is then turned around and sold locally. The palm trunks are used to make furniture..chairs, stools, and tables. All of the structures are made of natural materials..they even have a swingset made of tree trunks and rope.
Beyond the palm tree area, there is a wide green space where cows graze and birds find food. Mueataz and Fares had arranged a camel ride for me through this part. It was fun. My camel tried to go renegade so I had to have a guide too. At one point I got off, took pictures and when I remounted the camel started to rise and I simply fell on the ground.- Thanks to my catlike reflexes and jedi training, I was able to avoid any catastrophes. lol
So, it's a wonderful place that I had no idea existed here. Hopefully, more students and Yemenis will come to appreciate the eco-friendly ideas and practices used here.
Check out the photos on Picasa: http://picasaweb.google.com/TeacherMiguel

A Night in Old Cairo.

2007-02-18T11:45:00.000-08:00

Rather than tell you about the wonderful touristy things I did there, (which you can see if you click here), I’d like to tell you about a night in Cairo that I will always treasure.
I accompanied my fellow English Language Fellow, Whitney Mirts, to the Coptic Quarter, but we arrived too late to see anything. The souvenir shops were still open so we did some shopping. I bought a nice cross with mother-of-pearl handiwork. We spotted a craftsman, etching Arabic writings into stone. Whitney ordered one saying “Ahlan wa salan” (Welcome) to be made on a beige marble-like stone with a polished finish. It cost 120 Egyptian pounds. (roughly $24 USD).

She had to return to the Hotel Flamenco in Zamalek to catch a shared taxi ride to the airport. Since I was staying a couple of more days, I stuck around old Cairo and looked for some street food, which is one of my favorite things to do when traveling. I passed a guy selling macaroni and sauce, and thought about that, but I spotted an Egyptian BBQ going on a little further and I was in the mood for something like that. I ordered some grilled chicken and sat down. I had hummus, fresh pitas, some salad and the chicken and it was only 8 or 9 pounds. (~$1.80 USD).

Old Cairo was alive with people going to and fro, some on donkey or horse carts and there was a great neighborhood feel to the way people say hello and hang out. Now, I really felt like I was in Cairo. I had some tea after that and then walked up to Masgid Amr Ibn el-As, the oldest mosque in Cairo. Kids were playing soccer, and the prayer call had gone out recently. I walked around and snapped photos. I saw large ablution rooms there for both sexes and a special section for women to pray too. I sat on the steps just outside the mosque and listened to the beautiful prayers as the imam led everybody in worship. Somebody even invited me to join. That was nice.

After that, I continued strolling on the main boulevard and tried out some garbanzos and then some baked sweet potato. Some men invited me to drink tea, which I accepted and then I went on with my walk. I came to a dirt road and decided to go down it into a neighborhood and I am so glad I did. It was darker than the main boulevard, but there were people here and there and occasionally a shop or two was open. I came to an intersection and saw lights in two directions and asked a man drinking tea outside of his shop which one he would recommend I check out. He told me that the one to the left, which appeared more colorful, was a wedding- though we were facing the back of it- and the one straight ahead was really nothing much. He encouraged me to go the wedding which appealed to me. (I must confess I’m a bit of a party crasher.) There is something great about a place like Cairo though, where I don’t need to know a single person or have an invitation to go to a wedding. Remembering the wild Yemeni wedding celebration (see Wild Wedding post) that I partook in spontaneously, I thought “Let’s see how they party in old Cairo.”

When I made it over to the front side of the setup, I found a great havela (party) alla Kairo in full effect. The wedding was basically a wild block party in the street. Men socialized around gurgling sheesha pipes, while children frolicked playing soccer, dancing, and play fighting. In contrast to the Yemeni wedding, both sexes were present. There was a great stage setup with a colorful inflated arc in the back ground. In the foreground, an ornate metal bench where the aroos (groom) and aroosa (bride) would be seated upon arrival. There was a makeshift aisle set up in the middle of the dirt street going right up to the stage. The path was aligned with sticks in the dirt that had balloons on the top end and there was a colorful mat there to serve as the royal red carpet. Chairs were chaotically left anywhere for anyone to grab and sit or dance with, depending on their inclination. The DJ played the latest Egyptian party songs. I recognized one that the taxi driver from my first night in Cairo had played for us, “Hamra Uta” which translates to “Red Tomatoes”. I love it. All in all, the wedding party had a carnival-like feel to it, yet it reminded me of DJ parties/celebrations I’ve seen in Mexican towns.
It was great watching people arrive and get ready while the music played. Some sang along as their favorite song came on, and many were inspired to do belly dance arabesques as their friends and family clapped egging them on. One guy danced with a cane and made a mini-spectacle,but this went on all over the scene. I met a couple of brothers that were waiting as well for the party to begin. Gamal and Mohammed were gracious and tried to explain the wedding to me and insisted I smoke cigarettes with them. Then I heard cars honking and I knew this was it! The cars pulled up, all eyes and smiles were upon them as the newlyweds came out and greeted their families. The bride went up to her female relatives and they all gushed around her wishing her well. Fireworks went off and the aforementioned decorative aisle quickly disappeared once the couple made it on stage.
I really wanted to take more video and pictures, but my darn battery died! (What a time for that to happen! I really need to just buy a spare soon.) Nevertheless, I loved watching the festive event. Just when I was ready to see what happened next, Gamal and Mohammed said it was time to go. Confused, I pleaded with them to let me stay and watch, but they insisted and said there was another wedding to go to that would be better. I really wanted to stay, but I didn’t want to refuse their hospitality, so I went along and followed their instincts.
Back into the calm of the neighborhood, I walked with them and noticed poor conditions everywhere. At one point, we passed a bulldozer hard at work. Mind you, it’s now around 8pm and this seems a bit incongruous given the fact that it’s also Friday night. A couple of more minutes and we arrived at wedding number 2. It did not disappoint. Here I saw a similar scene to the first, but bigger and already at a later stage in the raucous joy. I noticed the space was wider and that the oldest mosque in Cairo was beyond the back wall of the area. Again a DJ played hypnotic Arabic music to get the crowd moving, but this one was doubling as an emcee and occasionally performed songs and dances. Wearing a Ferrari red sweater, he was a trip to watch in his own right. Men, a few shirtless, brandished large machetes as they followed the sinuous rhythms. Women were on stage with the newlyweds and dancing too. People were all over: men smoking water pipes; women congratulating the bride; and others hanging out of windows smiling and sitting on ladders watching the excitement. Occasionally there were fireworks or a makeshift flamethrower (aerosol can and lighter) and sometimes a car, taxi or bus needed to drive through, so we’d move our chairs out of the way. Some danced on their chairs, some were lifted on their chairs and cheered and others simply danced with their chairs on their head or held aloft.
Not everybody was happy, though. At one point I saw some kind of ruckus coming from the back of the stage and there was pushing and shoving and strained faces. The wedding party self-policed it and the unhappy guest was escorted away. I was relieved to see that it never escalated more than that. That dampened the mood for about 10 nanoseconds and then the party went on, as DJ Ferrari stood on a chair near the amps and belted out an emotional number and a throng of fans clapped along and did more machete brandishing. After that, there was no way I could not love Cairo. Gamal made sure I got a taxi with a reasonable price back to my hotel. Then it was off to a hip scene along the banks of the Nile with another fellow. We went to Absolute, a trendy place right out of any city, where people dress smart and the food is cutesy gourmet (sushi, calamari et al), and the drinks are priced for the well-heeled. The difference there was that Egyptian flair around…the DJ emphasized Arab pop dance, and garnished it with some Shakira, a dash of hip-hop and then gave it a taste of Miami with some reggaeton y merengue.
How fascinating I thought to be one minute in Old Cairo experiencing something so down home and neighborhoody- an only-in-Cairo type of thing and then a couple of hours later, dancing the night away with trendy cosmopolites. What can I say, I was mabsoot! (happy).

Conferences in Cairo

2007-02-08T09:47:00.000-08:00

The Yemen group strategizes outreach for the Shaping the Way We Teach training course.

From January 19-26, I participated in 2 English teaching conferences in Cairo: the Shaping & Sharing the Way Forward Conference held at the Flamenco Hotel in Zamalek and the 12th Skills Conference at the American University of Cairo.

Ashraf and Mohammed, two English teachers from Egypt.

The Shaping & Sharing the Way Forward Conference, organized by the US Office of English Language Programs, was a great opportunity for me to learn about a dynamic online course that was offered to teachers in the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia. In Cairo, it all came together as those who had taken the course presented key modules on the following: Critical & Creative Thinking, Alternative Assessment, Young Learners, Contextualizing Language, Integrating Skills, Pairwork/Groupwork, Managing Large Classes, Peer Observations and Learning Strategies. Having examined these components at UTSA and while working at ACCD, I found it interesting to revisit them in the context of places like Jordan, Palestine, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Uzbekistan, Turkey, Egypt, etc. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting people and hearing about their plights, their trials and tribulations as well as their successes, accomplishments, and joys. I really liked meeting and hearing people from different lands. Participants included teachers as well as other English Language Fellows from countries in Central Asia and the Near East and North Africa. It was good to reconnect with the ELFs who I hadn't seen since Pre-Departure Orientation in Washington, DC. We bonded by sharing ideas, stories and visiting some of Cairo during our free time.

The American University in Cairo

The American University in Cairo’s School of Continuing Education held its 12th Skills Conference at it’s campus near Tahrir Square. The theme was Critical Learning: Implications for Students, Teachers and Educational Systems. Whitney Mirts and I, (the English Language Fellows of Yemen), presented a talk entitled, “Using Literature to Promote Critical Reading and Critical Thinking” to an audience of English language students, teachers and a few English Language Fellows. Participants read “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, discussed it in small groups and examined it critically. After that, they did a jigsaw/matrix activity and learned how that can also promote meaningful exchange and critical thinking.

Miguel at the American University in Cairo

Mismat…means “NAIL”

2007-01-14T05:00:00.000-08:00

I learned that word the hard way as you can tell from my last blog. I realized as I pouted in pain that what I felt in my foot was merely the tip of an iceberg compared to the crucifixion.

On the way home a day early, the taxi drivers put me in a car with a couple of Somali’s and a Japanese man who I befriended. Shohei, had lived in New Zealand and spoke English well. I could barely muster a couple of words from the 2 semesters I took at San Antonio College with Sensei Kawabe: “Anata wa nihon-jin desu ka?” (Are you Japanese)…Watashi wa Amerika-jin desu. Miguel desu ne. (I am American. I’m Miguel.)

Shohei is a commercial photographer and decided to make Yemen his first destination in the Middle East after reading that people were nice here. Traveling alone, he had seen a good amount of the country in a couple of weeks and was continuing on to Aden, Hodeida and then back to Sanaa.

I invited him to stay with me in Aden. I enjoyed helping him out with what I could, though my injury kept me from showing him the hospitality I would have liked to. He took an interest in the seafood, so we went to the fish market near Seera Castle in Crater. We marveled at the new fish market (which btw, I hadn’t been to before), and picked out a nice big kingfish for 700 rials (US $3.50). This fish could have fed 3 or 4 people, and we feasted like kings at the mokhbaza- Yemeni restaurant. The mokhbaza-style preparation, means lowering the split fish into a pit oven where it is left to cook until the whole outer edge is charred pitch black. In my broken Arabic, I attempted to order the chefs to take it easy and not to burn it, but we still received a charred fish. Anyways, it’s pretty good when you dust off the burnt part. They serve it with a fresh oven-baked hobz bread which resembles a giant tortilla and a salsita that is mild and refreshing. Mokhbaza’s are open air and cat’s make a living off the many leftovers.

Over dinner, Shohei expressed interest in making sashimi. Sashimi is raw fish prepared Japanese style. It is made without rice- that would be sushi. So the next day we went back there and bought another big Kingfish and had it filleted. We took it home and Shohei showed me the way to prepare it while I captured it on video and digipics. Basically you get the fresh kingfish and remove any other bones, then you sear the surface (he asked if I had or could get a small blowtorch! Lol). This kills any malevolent microbes etc. He told me also that all of the condiments have a purpose…to counteract any bacteria that may be in the fish. I never knew that, but it makes perfect sense. I kinda just always cared about the taste and the sadistic pleasure of feeling my nostrils enflamed by wasabi.

That reminds me of my first sushi experience….While attending NYU, I worked at La Maison Francaise and my suprervisor, Madame Nina Burnelle invited me to join her for sushi at a nearby Japanese eatery. Following her suggestion I ordered the “sampler” lunch special…miso soup, some sushi, tempura and some green tea. I ate the first sushi and could not really stomach the coldness nor the texture. Hard to swallow I remember. Well, I tried to maintain my composure and show her that I was open to new culinary experiences so I kept on eating. I noticed there was a small daub of avocado, so I said to myself, “Oh that’s cute, some aguacate. That’ll make this taste better I’m sure.” So with wobbly chopsticks in hand I struggled to grab the last of my sushi, pick up the avocado, and get it over with. As I chewed expecting the familiar pleasant flavor of the alligator pear, I instead felt extreme heat and pain emanating from my mouth and rapidly permeating my olfactory. Miguel meet WASABI! I coughed and choked gasping for air, and tears rolled down my face due to this grave error. Meanwhile, my supervisor, cried too- but from laughter. Unforgettable, it traumatized me for years and kept me away from the beauty and exquisiteness of sushi and sashimi. Years later, however, after making friends with Japanese students in college, I tried and tried again an again, until I developed the palate for ikura, unagi, hamachi, etc. oh how i love unagi!
And look at me now, gearing up to make sashimi in Aden, Yemen. Why not?!?

CLICK HERE to related pictures of the sashimi fest.

Eid Mubarak and Happy New Year!

2007-01-12T08:58:00.000-08:00

Hello friends and visitors! I know it’s been some time, but I’m very happy to deliver you my first post of 2007. I ended 2006 and inaugurated 2007 on the road in the Hadramout region in the eastern part of Yemen. I had a great trip and have posted 75 photos. I actually took 700 plus video, so that’s the abridged album, entitled Eid-al-Adha Trip to the Hadhramout, that you will find as usual with my Yahoo! Photos.

So let me run it down for you…

Day 1 I left Aden on Thursday, December 29th. I bought a spot on the passenger side of an old Toyota LandCruiser bound for the coastal city of Al-Mukalla. We left at about 3:30pm and arrived at our destination just after midnight. The route began following the coast, but shortly after Abyan we headed into the higher elevations inland of Shebwa region. This is apparently an area that is risky for foreigners to go through, so there are several police checkpoints. Going to Hadramout, they assumed I was Yemeni and just waved our car through. I understand that when Westerners usually go through this area, they must do so with an armed escort, either a Kalishnokov-bearing policeman or a truck with a mounted machine gun and 3 or 4 men.

Mukalla looked beautiful even at night. The city is laid out before the Arabian Sea and much of the ocean drive is majestic with either rock formations or as one proceeds, old buildings and mosques. There wasn’t much going on when I got to my hotel. Some guys were gathered outside drinking tea, chewing qat and watching WWF. (Yes –Rick Flair, Sean Michaels and whoever else is wrestling these days have a thriving fan base in Yemen.)

Bright and early the next day I grabbed another taxi, this time headed to the heart of the Wadi Hadramout…Sayun. As we sped along, the desert scenery evoked memories of the Sahara. Camels, rocky plateaus, Arabic scripts painted on mountains, and the Phoenix Dactylifera (date palm tree) contributed to my nostalgia. (At this time I’d like to give a shout out to my fellow Adraris – past and present).

Well, as much as it reminded me of Mauritania, it also surprised me. The architecture is much different in the small towns. Women are the shepherds in this land. They don black garb that covers their whole body and face. Many also wear a pointed straw hat that bears some resemblance to a witch hat. I found myself incredibly stupefied by the architecture. There were many fortresslike tall buildings made of mud, and sentry posts strategically placed atop the surrounding mountains that envelop the wadi (valley). Wadi Hadramout is said to be the longest wadi in the Middle East and it did not disappoint. Whizzing by town after town of mud-brick structures, the car made it’s way past the majestic Manhattan of the desert, Shibam and on to nearby Sayun. I wanted to lodge there since it’s the biggest city in the vicinity of the places I wanted to see. Sayun has been the Wadi Hadramout capital since the 15th century and has the impressive Sultan’s Palace that all Yemenis know from the 500 rial note. It is now a museum that exhibits photos by Freya Stark, an intrepid British lady who traveled in Yemen back in the 1930s, as well as artifacts from the ancient times up to the sultan’s heyday.
While in Sayun, I also made day trips to Shibam and Tarim. Shibam is in a word, Magical! The whole city is encircled by a wall and entering through the official door (Bab), feels like a time warp- though the sight of air conditioners, electrical wires and plumbing amidst the mud-brick edifices keeps it up with the times.

Tarim was fascinating too. I just wandered around the dusty roads appreciating the architecture. I noticed there in Tarim and in other parts of the Hadrawmout, occasionally one sees some people that seem Asian. I spoke with a couple on the taxi rides and found out that many are from Indonesia. Several of them maintain their cultural language in addition to Arabic.

I returned to Mukalla and enjoyed another night of Eid-al-Adha celebrations. It goes on for 3-5 days depending on what city you are in. Apparently, al-Mukalla does it right with 5 days of festivities. Most people enjoy the time with their family and friends so it kind of resembles Christmas. (In Sayun, the children receive money and then head out to the center of town to buy toys and candies. ) Since this was New Year’s Eve, I went out and had some shrimp in Al-Mukalla, and then walked on the boardwalk taking in the ocean breeze. New Year’s is not really celebrated in Yemen, aside from some fancy schmancy hotels where foreign tourists go, so nothing to report with respect to that.

The next day I went to the nearby village of Ghayl Bawazir. Khaled Yehia, one of my students invited me to visit him there, so I thought, “Why not?” After checking into a hotel, he came by and then gave me the grand tour including a stop at an interesting old school that is now a local museum. Inside one finds tools, implements, money, and newspapers of yesteryear. After that we went to his home to eat Kebsah for lunch. It was my authentic Yemeni Eid meal and consists of rice, mutton, and a special pickled lime sauce that is used sparingly. I liked it.

After lunch, we watched some Van Damme movies. Khaled’s a big fan of Jean-Claude. Khaled showed me more of the town including date palmeries, a sheikh’s tomb, some gardens, an abandoned sultan’s palace, a soccer game in town, and we played some PlayStation soccer too. I still cant seem to win.

The next day, He and his friend Ahmed took me to some nearby pools. It was really cool. One of them reminded me of the “cenotes” one sees in the Yucatan. Of course they were not as large as some of those, but as I was in the desert, it felt like heaven! The water was crystalline clean, and a local chap was enjoying it with a snorkel mask.

That afternoon I said goodbye and went on to the next town, Ash-Shihr. I hired a car to take me there for 700 rials (approx. $3.50) and my driver was the jovial and very informative Abdullah. He explained a lot of the scenery and then showed me around Ash-Shihr. We went and bought some tuna and then took it to a restaurant to have lunch prepared. It was simple and delicious. Moments like this I enjoyed on my trip. Being alone, yet being with the Yemenis, allowed me to try more Arabic and make more friends.

At the call for prayer, Abdullah headed for the mosque and I went to the beach for a walk. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to say goodbye due to the following: I strolled along snapping photos and really not worrying about being anywhere or doing anything. I climbed up on a jetty and looked between the crevices for signs of sea life. After 15 minutes of that, I decided to head back to town and look for another old bab (doorway to the city) that still stands today. I jumped from the jetty on to the pavement and felt sharp pain in my right foot. I hadn’t noticed that several nails were just standing straight up out of the cement. Each of them had about 2 ½ inches and the head of the nail. (not the point). This particular nail went through my sandal and into my foot, but did not go through my foot and it didn’t seem to make it to the bone. I felt great pain, and could not walk. Luckily, a man on a bicycle witnessed the whole accident and went to get me a taxi. I went to the hospital where I was treated and bandaged.

For the next 2 days I limped about. It was a downer because I had wanted to go snorkeling or diving the next day in Al-Mukalla. Don’t worry, I’m doing fine now after some medical attention and prophylaxis. Details coming soon! Click here to enjoy the picks!

Merry Christmas from Yemen!

2006-12-24T13:12:00.000-08:00

No sign of Christmas here whatsoever! Tomorrow I think I’ll go to the beach and celebrate the birth of Christ! To put myself in the mood I’m now listening to James Brown’s “Santa’s Got a Brand New Bag”. If you haven’t heard this soulful Christmas compilation, I suggest you give it an ear. Ever since I heard it for the first time 10 years ago, I don’t let the holiday season go by without listening to it several times. I especially like the track entitled “Let’s Make This Christmas Mean Something This Year”. Another great one is, “Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto!”.

I worked today at the University and Amideast, and tomorrow I will as well. That’s one of the tradeoffs of being here and experiencing another place and culture. At least technology makes it easier to bear….I used Skype to call home and wish my family and friends a Feliz Navidad. That was nice! Wish I was there for this day to enjoy the time and tasty tamales with them all!

I want to wish you Joy and Happiness during these Holidays!

While I was here at the computer starting to really miss home, I checked my email and found an early gift from one of my students, Ala Azazi. I'm not sure how accurate it is, but I like the idea of it being in many tongues...here it is:

"Merry Christmas"
But not only in English......

Afrikaans: Gesëende Kersfees

Afrikander: Een Plesierige Kerfees

African/ Eritrean/ Tigrinja: Rehus-Beal-Ledeats

Albanian:Gezur Krislinjden

Arabic: Milad Majid

Argentine: Feliz Navidad

Armenian: Shenoraavor Nor Dari yev Pari Gaghand

Azeri: Tezze Iliniz Yahsi Olsun

Bahasa Malaysia: Selamat Hari Natal

Basque: Zorionak eta Urte Berri On!

Bengali: Shuvo Naba Barsha

Bohemian: Vesele Vanoce

Brazilian: Feliz Natal

Breton: Nedeleg laouen na bloavezh mat

Bulgarian: Tchestita Koleda; Tchestito Rojdestvo Hristovo

Catalan: Bon Nadal i un Bon Any Nou!

Chile: Feliz Navidad

Chinese: (Cantonese) Gun Tso Sun Tan'Gung Haw Sun

Chinese: (Mandarin) Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan

Choctaw: Yukpa, Nitak Hollo Chito

Columbia: Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo

Cornish: Nadelik looan na looan blethen noweth

Corsican: Pace e salute

Crazanian: Rot Yikji Dol La RooCree: Mitho Makosi Kesikansi

Croatian: Sretan Bozic

Czech: Prejeme Vam Vesele Vanoce a stastny Novy Rok

Danish: Glædelig Jul

Duri: Christmas-e- Shoma Mobarak

Dutch: Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar! or Zalig Kerstfeast

English: Merry Christmas

Eskimo: (inupik) Jutdlime pivdluarit ukiortame pivdluaritlo!

Esperanto: Gajan Kristnaskon

Estonian: Ruumsaid juuluphi

Ethiopian: (Amharic) Melkin Yelidet Beaal

Faeroese: Gledhilig jol og eydnurikt nyggjar!

Farsi: Cristmas-e-shoma mobarak bashad

Finnish: Hyvaa joulua

Flemish: Zalig Kerstfeest en Gelukkig nieuw jaar

French: Joyeux Noel

Frisian: Noflike Krystdagen en in protte Lok en Seine yn it Nije Jier!

Galician: Bo Nada

Gaelic: Nollaig chridheil agus Bliadhna mhath ùr!

German: Froehliche Weihnachten

Greek: Kala Christouyenna!

Haiti: (Creole) Jwaye Nowel or to Jesus Edo Bri'cho o Rish D'Shato Brichto

Hausa: Barka da Kirsimatikuma Barka da Sabuwar Shekara!

Hawaiian: Mele Kalikimaka ame Hauoli Makahiki Hou!

Hebrew: Mo'adim Lesimkha. Chena tova

Hindi: Shub Naya Baras

Hungarian: Kellemes Karacsonyi unnepeket

Icelandic: Gledileg Jol

Indonesian: Selamat Hari Natal

Iraqi: Idah Saidan Wa Sanah Jadidah

Irish: Nollaig Shona Dhuit, or Nodlaig mhaith chugnat

Iroquois: Ojenyunyat Sungwiyadeson honungradon nagwutut. Ojenyunyat osrasay.

Italian: Buone Feste Natalizie

Japanese: Shinnen omedeto. Kurisumasu Omedeto

Jiberish: Mithag Crithagsigathmithags

Korean: Sung Tan Chuk Ha

Lao: souksan van Christmas

Latin: Natale hilare et Annum Faustum!

Latvian: Prieci'gus Ziemsve'tkus un Laimi'gu Jauno Gadu!

Lausitzian:Wjesole hody a strowe nowe leto

Lettish: Priecigus Ziemassvetkus

Lithuanian: Linksmu Kaledu

Low Saxon: Heughliche Winachten un 'n moi Nijaar

Macedonian: Sreken Bozhik

Maltese: IL-Milied It-tajjeb

Manx: Nollick ghennal as blein vie noa

Maori: Meri Kirihimete

Marathi: Shub Naya Varsh

Navajo: Merry Keshmish

Norwegian: God Jul, or Gledelig Jul

Occitan: Pulit nadal e bona annado

Papiamento: Bon Pasco

Papua New Guinea: Bikpela hamamas blong dispela Krismas na Nupela yia i go long yu

Pennsylvania German: En frehlicher Grischtdaag un en hallich Nei Yaahr!

Peru: Feliz Navidad y un Venturoso Año Nuevo

Philipines: Maligayan Pasko!

Polish: Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia or Boze Narodzenie

Portuguese:Feliz Natal

Pushto: Christmas Aao Ne-way Kaal Mo Mobarak Sha

Rapa-Nui (Easter Island): Mata-Ki-Te-Rangi. Te-Pito-O-Te-Henua

Rhetian: Bellas festas da nadal e bun onn

Romanche: (sursilvan dialect): Legreivlas fiastas da Nadal e bien niev onn!

Rumanian: Sarbatori vesele

Russian: Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva is Novim Godom

Sami: Buorrit Juovllat

Samoan: La Maunia Le Kilisimasi Ma Le Tausaga Fou

Sardinian: Bonu nadale e prosperu annu nou

Serbian: Hristos se rodi

Slovakian: Sretan Bozic or Vesele vianoce

Scots Gaelic: Nollaig chridheil huibh

Serb-Croatian: Sretam Bozic. Vesela Nova Godina

Serbian: Hristos se rodi.

Singhalese: Subha nath thalak Vewa. Subha Aluth Awrudhak Vewa

Slovak: Vesele Vianoce. A stastlivy Novy Rok

Slovene: Vesele Bozicne Praznike Srecno Novo Leto or Vesel Bozic in srecno Novo leto

Spanish: Feliz Navidad

Swedish: God Jul and (Och) Ett Gott Nytt År

Tagalog: Maligayamg Pasko. Masaganang Bagong Taon

Tami: Nathar Puthu Varuda Valthukkal

Trukeese: (Micronesian) Neekiriisimas annim oo iyer seefe feyiyeech!

Thai: Sawadee Pee Mai or souksan wan Christmas

Turkish: Noeliniz Ve Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun

Ukrainian: Srozhdestvom Kristovym

Urdu: Naya Saal Mubarak Ho

Vietnamese: Chung Mung Giang Sinh

Welsh: Nadolig Llawen

Yugoslavian: Cestitamo Bozic

Yoruba: E ku odun, e ku iye'dun!

A Visit to Wadi Dahr

2006-12-22T05:44:00.000-08:00

The historic Dar al-Hajar is an iconic symbol of Yemen and it's architecture. You can find it prominently displayed on the 500 Yemeni Rial note.

Last month while I was in Sanaa, I took a day trip to Wadi Dahr, a small fertile valley with fruit orchards and qat fields. In Wadi Dahr there is the impressive Dar al-Hajar which Imam Yahia had built in the 1930s as a summer palace. I really enjoyed this excursion and it has been one of the tourist highlights here in Yemen. I posted pics for you to see, click here.

I also youtubed two clips from that weekend:

Bab al-Yemen:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qvKOa4ExsA

Jambiyya Dancers at Dar al-Hajar:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxU81DfrJYw

Wild Wedding Parade!

2006-12-21T05:18:00.000-08:00

EXTRA! EXTRA! Somebody got married! I have no idea who, but I had a blast jumping on the caravan in Khormaksar. After wedding receptions, the party typically takes it to the streets a la SPURS FANS of '99, '03 & '05! ('cept on a much smaller scale) (inshallah 2007 is our year again!)
I had to hang on for my life, but it was a blast tagging along and partaking in the merriment. We drove all over the city honking horns, chanting among other things-Usher's signature solid gold hit, "Yeah", with nothing but drums.
The driving was insane as the motley crue followed the wedding couple on their victory march: I was on a truck full of drummers and chanters and on either side of us at different times there were busloads of veiled women ululating. One guy made a makeshift flamethrower with a big aerosol can & his lighter, another couple of guys did daredevil motorcycle maneuvers while going downhill and avoiding another car that kept trying to knock them over. Here is a video of the chaos that ensued when all of the cars stopped in a tunnel. I might make this a regular Thursday night gig when there's nothing else to do.

My 1st session at Amideast Aden ends...

2006-12-20T23:48:00.000-08:00

Well the first session at Amideast Aden came to an end and I learned so much and adapted without any major problems. I really enjoy the company of the Yemeni students whether we’re playing ping-pong, which is big here, or just joking around. My students have also taught me a lot through in-class discussions.

Recently, they did presentations in class. It’s amazing that they can do this. The average Yemeni has very little opportunity to practice English. I couldn’t do the same in Arabic, at least not very coherently. (Inshallah, towards the end of the year I will be able to do that.) (note: Inshallah=Ojala=God willing= Hopefully)
and here's what some of them talked about:

Taquia did her presentation on the social problems incurred by the ubiquitous (dontcha just love that word) use of Qat in Yemen. Various photographs of Yemeni men chewing big wads of qat we’re projected on the screen as she described how this custom uses up time, money and precious water. It’s incredible to see how pervasive this habit is. From the afternoon through the evening, sales abuzz in the qat markets like this one in the Cheikh Othman area of Aden:Wherever one is, there are always chipmunk-cheeked men or the green mashed-up remains of qat on the ground. I’m constantly being invited to chew it, but honestly, it doesn’t seem that interesting to me. Especially considering that it is usually done in an enclosed room with men chain smoking. A lot of Yemeni do chew and a lot of them don’t. I have met several local men and women who do not chew. Some have never chewed and don’t plan to.

Faten talked about polio. Polio, after being eradicated in Yemen, has resurfaced unfortunately. She described the history of polio in Yemen and how it can be addressed, primarily through vaccinations and better hygiene. Afterwards, she gave me her visual aid: a poster in Arabic promoting polio vaccinations. I’ll put it up on my wall and work on my reading skills.

Mariem did an interesting talk on strange wedding customs of the world. One that stands out is an old tradition from India in which a bride is put up into a tree. The man that desires to wed her must go up the tree and bring her down. Her family, meanwhile, stands in his way to beat him. If he can get past them and successfully accomplish this task, she will be his wife. If only it were this easy today!

Marwa spoke of her time in the USA. Last summer she spent 6 weeks there, taking classes and visiting Washington, DC, Chicago, Illinois, and San Francisco, California.
She had all kinds of experiences and really enjoyed her time there. She hopes to go to school in America someday. I really hope she does. (How funny that we were both in DC this past summer!)

Khaled made a Powerpoint presentation on the upcoming Muslim celebration: Aid al Adha. It marks the time when Abraham was about to sacrifice his son to God, when a voice from heaven stopped him and allowed him to sacrifice a ram instead.

Speaking of Aid al Adha… It’s coming up and we get a break from Dec. 28-Jan 5. I’m going solo on a trip through Yemen. Who knows where exactly I’ll be for the New Year. Whatever I do, I’m getting photos and stories just for you! ;)

2006-12-20T23:26:00.000-08:00

Every weekend, these young men climb aboard the back of a truck and jam out in honor of whoever is getting married. While waiting for the wedding procession to begin, they dedicate this chant to me!

2006-12-01T03:58:00.000-08:00

“Gutra Gutra iseel il wad”...

An old Mauritanian proverb which translates to “Drop by drop the valley fills with water.” This is a useful mantra to have when one is in an especially mysterious place like Yemen. Here are some crabs I saw at the beach last night:

To see more of my photos of Yemen click on the "My Photo Albums from Yemen" link to the right. Enjoy!

Since arriving, I have rediscovered a childlike sense of wonder and laughter, which I will admit to you, is the state of consciousness exciting to experience as an adultThe key for me to access that state I've found lies in subjecting my 5 senses to a foreign land. So here I go, stumbling my way through culture shocks, giggling at funny signage, trying strange foods, and making funny gestures to catch public transportation. Easily entertained by everyday people and scenes in Aden, I laugh incessantly.

2006-12-01T00:32:00.000-08:00

Ana Mudaris Loga Inglisiya - "I'm an English Teacher"

I work for two institutions in Aden. At the University of Aden in Khormaksar, I teach Speaking II to 4 groups of sophomores.. Classes last 2 hours and I have a total of 189 students there. I am the only native speaker of English in the department and they are very happy to have me on board. I am humbled by the hospitality I have received and student enthusiasm to learn from me. Even students that are not in any of my classes, have gone out of their way to welcome me and chat between classes.

Because we only meet once a week for 2 hours, it is imperative that everybody get a chance to speak. Much of the class period is devoted to pair work and small group discussions. I learn so much from their discussions about them, their family, their community and Yemen. Occasionally, I will share cultural notes and anecdotes about San Antonio and other places I have visited in my life. To alot of people here, my appearance seems Yemeni, Arab or Asian (Pakistan/Indian). I have an opportunity to share with them some of my Mexican roots. There really isnt much of a Latino presence here, but one of my students did mention that her doctor is from Cuba. Maybe I'll get to meet him someday. Ojala...

I also teach an intermediate course to 13 students at Amideast Aden five days a week for six week sessions. Due to the intensive nature of this class, I have gotten to know a fair amount about these Yemenis. They are also quite nice and really want to develop English proficiency. One of them, visited the US last year as part of a cultural exchange program. She visited San Francisco, Chicago and Washington, DC and hopes to return to study there for a longer period.

There are several educational grants available for Yemenis such as: the Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistantship Grants, the Middle Eastern Partnership Initiative's Business and Legal Grants for Young Middle Eastern Women, and YES Scholarships for high school study in the USA. I encourage all of my students to look into the possibility of studying in the US or in another English speaking country. I hope one winds up in my hometown, San Antonio, Texas.

I am also a team leader for the ACCESS microscholarship program here in Aden. Under the aegis of this program, promising English learners who demonstrate need receive tuition to continue their studies of English. Part of the program includes service learning through community volunteer work. Having worked in the Peace Corps in Africa, and having coordinated volunteer activities for visiting Central American teachers in San Antonio, I am glad to participate in fulfilling and enriching activities with the students here in Aden. The ACCESS program in the past, has organized beach clean-ups and visits to the orphanages and senior citizen homes.

The majority of my students are women. All wear abayas (robes that cover the arms and leg) and a scarf to cover the head. At the university, most are also veiled so I can only see their eyes. Before arriving, I wondered how it would be to teach a foreign language to veiled women. It is challenging I admit, but I have found that many are quite talkative and expressive in practicing English. At the beginning it was very different, but now, I am more used to it. In general, most women in Yemen do not allow their picture to be taken, so that is only males appear in these photos.

Having so many students has introduced me to many Arab names new to me. Some of them have interesting translations:

Ladies names:

Abeer: floral scent/perfume. Umniya: Wish/Dream. Gamila: Beautiful. (in Mauritania it's pronounced "Jamila")

Men's names:

Mahdood: Lucky.

2006-11-11T02:55:00.000-08:00

Aden Mall!

I go to the stores and see aisles of products…some familiar, most not. Some with funny names, and most all with Arabic script. I make it a literacy game to read more and more in Arabic, but the absence of short vowels leaves me mispronouncing words. You’ll be delighted to know that in Aden there is a mall and the Yemeni answer to the Wal-Mart: LuLu. Quite a thrill, I must say, to peruse through that store and see what surprises you come across. See the pictures!

top left: Lamb Brains,

top right:
colorful edible fish

left: fashion

right: name brand

2006-11-11T02:30:00.000-08:00

The plane had plenty of room and the flight was a short 35-40 minutes. I truly enjoyed seeing the terrain from up above. Around and after Sanaa, mountains and valleys abound, some reminiscent of Grand Canyon vistas. Upon closer inspection, I found verdant lines that followed the contours of the formations. Those are the carefully managed terrace plots of qat and coffee that Yemenis have been cultivating for centuries. Qat, aside from being a favorite way for Scrabble-lovers to use up the letter “q”, produces a leaf that many in Yemen chew as part of their cultural traditions. Qat is actually banned in many countries due to an active ingredient that causes narcotic effects. Coffee, historically, has been important for trade. In centuries past, many Arabica beans cultivated here were sent to Paris and London and worldwide. The term Mocha comes from the port city where much coffee was shipped abroad, al-Mukha.
The mountains continued and I did not grow tired of gawking at them, spotting villages that would be worthy of a visit in the near future.

The dramatic terrain then gave way to sand and we begin our descent upon Aden. Aden is along the coast. The region is referred to as the Tihama, and Aden is considered to be one of the hottest places on the planet. Fortunately, right now during fall/winter, the heat is very mild. No worries though, as I recall the heat in the Sahara. I’d rather deal with extreme heat than extreme cold.

Note: the pictures here are from Telegraph Bay in Aden. It's a place where local Yemeni's go to relax on the weekend: they swim, play soccer, walk along the beach, and some chew qat and take in the majestic views.

2006-11-04T01:30:00.000-08:00

10/29/2006 8:15am..

Good thing Whitney, the other ELF (English Language Fellow) from Tennesee, woke me up or I would have slept all day long. All marveled at the fact that I made it without escort and that I was walking around participating in the scheduled activities which included HIV health screening, administrative paperwork at Amideast Sanaa, and orientation at the US Embassy.

The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Old Sanaa made it all the more surreal with the dreamy feel of jetlag. Street life was thriving as we careened to and fro in the pleasant cool temperatures typical of the capital city that lies nestled among mountainous terrain. Lady luck smiled again, at least half a smile, when I received a message from the airport that one of my bags had been found. By getting the backpack I had to check in at Heathrow, I recuperated some important documents and my cell phone, which may not be compatible with the networks here. The other 3 bags are believed to still be enjoying Heathrow. Meanwhile, I’m still wearing the same clothes I left home in. I now have an urgent reason to buy the local male garb which I was planning to do at some point anyways. There are different names and patterns for the fabric that is folded around the legs, much like a kilt, but instead of having pleats, it is rather folded in a certain style that I think indicates tribal or regional ties.

Traffic seems frenetic compared to US roads. This may be attributed to fewer traffic lights and more pedestrians that cross wherever and whenever possible. Incredibly enough, I didn’t see one fender-bender, and I’ll wager that the rate of serious accidents in Sanaa is equal to or less than what one sees in Austin, for example. This is merely my impression.

Old Sanaa may well be over 3000 years old, and the elaborate details one sees on walls and windows do in fact transport one to a forgotten architectural splendor worthy of 1001 Arabian Nights. Remnants of ramparts hearken back to the time when the frankincense and myrrh trade came through here. The Bab-al-Yemen is impressive as you can see. Your intrepid narrator plans to meander in wonder through those old streets and absorb that unique ambiance.

2006-10-30T10:29:00.000-08:00

10/29/2006 6:30:31 AM Good Morning Sanaa! Can you believe I made it? After all that’s transpired in the last day and a half (see below), I’m in my new country! Alhumdillilah! (Thanks be to Allah!). The travails I encountered along the way leave me smiling and laughing at as I experienced a roller coaster ride of ups and downs on this transcontinental trip. It all began with the usual pre-departure stress, leaving for a good 10-months can cause some anxiety. Anyways, it’s par for the course, I say, and began by deciding to pay $150 for an extra piece of luggage. After passing through an orange alert screening before gaining admittance to the “heavenly” gates, I decided to eat my last tacos de San Antonio for awhile since there would be no food on the 11:52am flight to Washington Dulles. At Las Palapas, I ordered 3: a chilaquiles, a chorizo con huevo and a bean and cheese. Mmm…delicious! Shortly after getting to my departure gate, they announced that the tires on our plane had landed with low pressure and been damaged. Unfortunately, San Antonio’s airport did not have the specific llantas on stock for replacement. So, they decided to fetch some (from St. Louis, of all places.) This would mean our flight would not be leaving until 3:30 or 4:00pm. This would foil my original itinerary which had me arriving at Dulles at 4 and then boarding another for Frankfurt at 5. Another passenger headed for Frankfurt told me that there was another that would leave Dulles at 9:30. Unfortunately, that flight would arrive in Germany at 11:45am, 15 minutes too late to catch the subsequent and final flight of my elongated travel schedule to Sanaa. As sometimes happens in life and travels, I had to come up with plan B. The agent said that he could reroute me to Chicago and then send me to London and then finally to Sanaa, arriving at 4:20am Sunday morning. Setting foot in the UK, albeit for a couple of hours, wasn’t bad for a plan B. I advised Georgetown about the situation and informed them of my new itinerary so people would know where I was at. The flight to Chicago was already being delayed a couple of hours due to bad visibility at O’Hare. Nonetheless, they wanted us to be aboard at 2pm and be ready for takeoff. Finally at 3:45pm we took off. I arrived in Chi-town with a couple of hours to spare before I headed to Heathrow. I grabbed a Cheezeborger at the world famous Billy Goat restaurant. Cheezeborger Cheezeborger was made famous by Aykroyd and Belushi on Saturday Night Live back in the 70s. Then I found a t.v. to see some of the World Series action. Met a guy who claimed to have won a black face Rolex from Michael Jordan on a bet they made on the 18th hole. Aboard the plane, sitting next to me was a nice Pakistani lady, returning to Islamabad. And so we jumped the puddle. I had been told by the San Antonio agent that I should claim my luggage in London, but when I went to the carousel, my bags weren’t there. Another airline agent, said that if they were ticketed for Sanaa, then they go automatically. She was from Bahia, Brazil and was kind enough to give me some indications about where to leave my luggage and how to get to London from the airport. The tube is nice. I think the trains or at least the space seems kind of small, though all of the seats are lined along the walls and have armrests. It’s pretty clean and the riders are from all over the world. I heard Japanese, French, and Russian within 15 minutes. Took awhile to get to Piccadilly Circus, but it was worth it. Kind of like Times Square and the Champs-Elysees, there was plenty to look at- stately architecture, double-decker buses, theatres, sculpture art, those quintessential red telephone booths, and of course people people people. Took some shots and then found a pub. Grabbed a pint of John Courage and while mentioning that I was from Texas to the bartender, a young lady with bright red dyed hair said she was from Texas too! Turns out Jessica was from San Antonio and was spending a couple of months in Paris, England and Ireland with others from the Alamo City. I joined them and we marveled at the serendipity of running into fellow San Antonians so far away. I took it as a good omen signifying that no matter where I wind up I will be among neighbors. We wished each other well and then I continued my walking tour. During my brief 2 hours there, I found Londoners to be quite polite and felt comfortable there. Hmm, would be nice to return with more time. I got back to Heathrow, picked up my carry-on (guitar) and laptop backpack. At the check-in I looked at those in line at Yemenia Airways. They were my first glimpse of the Yemeni people. Some wore traditional dress and most spoke Arabic. There was a also a family that spoke Arabic and mixed it with French too. I learned they were from the country with the wonderful name of Djibouti. Djibouti is but a short boat ride from Aden and I hope to visit for a long weekend and pratiquer le francais a l’africain, bien sur! \ At the counter, the airline agent said that the ticket had not been reissued correctly because it said it was only good on the airline I flew on from Chicago to London. Ergo, he needed approval from the Yemenia representative who 30 minutes to departure time was on the plane itself and could not be reached by phone. I would have to wait and see if they would honor my rerouted ticket. Frustration sank in and I thought, all my previous time and effort at getting there was for not, I will have to spend the night here and still arrive a day late, missing some of the orientation that had been planned by the host institutions. With 15 minutes to go, lady luck smiled upon me. Another agent had finally spoken with the Yemenia rep and I was approved to board the plane! Then I had to deal with the security measures of Heathrow Airport. I was to be limited to one carry-on item and nothing else and It had to be of certain dimensions. Yes, certain dimensions that neither my guitar nor laptop backpack would meet. I asked for a plastic bag and stuffed the laptop, a printer, some software CDs and some wires in there. That was to be my carry-on. I sat on the plane next to a nice lady from Britain that works for CARE International. Her work, she said, has taken her to many off-the-beaten-path places, but Yemen, she discovered on her first visit, retained a magical otherworldly allure. She spoke admiringly of the ancient architecture built in and amidst mountains that resembled certain majestic panoramas from the Lord of the Rings movies. After hours of trying to sleep, we finally made our descent into Sanaa International Airport and I caught my first glimpses of Yemen. I could see orange fluorescent street lights from afar and then the plane landed. We walked down stairs and onto the tarmac and the night was crisp clear and cool. I could see mountains in the distance, and some tall trees near the airport. We boarded a bus which took us to the arrivals room to go through customs. I thought I’d forgotten my cell phone, so I asked an official to go and see if it was still in my seat. After awhile, he returned, but had not found anything. There was 2 people still going through customs and I would be the last. I approached the luggage carousel and it reminded me of Nouakchott, with porters and workers scurrying around to help the passengers for Yemenia flight 938 from Heathrow. I was the last and spotted my guitar right away. Unfortunately, that was all I found. I looked up and down and all around, but alas nothing. So I was down to a guitar, my laptop and a printer. I guess those were the more important things I had brought. Too tired to truly be angered, I was more excited about just being there. Since accepting the invitation from Georgetown University, I have read much about this place and here I at last I had made it. Tired, without much of my luggage, but alive and kicking. Upon exiting, I said to myself “Home sweet home for the next 10 months” and smiled as I took in the morning sky with a mosque's silhouette in concert with a comforting prayer call. Immediately, I asked a guard if I could capture this Kodak moment on my digicam. He said it was fine, but the other guard, who I inadvertently captured on the images, was not in agreement. He politely commanded me to “Delete!” I did, and then retook this shot minus him. To get a taxi I would need cash, local currency. I changed a $100 USD for $19,300 YR. YR= Yemeni Rial. Most of the bills were the big, bright green and beautiful 1000 YR denomination. The 15-20 minute ride showed empty streets at 5:35am. I took in the scene which resembled some parts of Nouackchott. Finally checked into my hotel, the fancy Taj Sheba and crashed for awhile. The saga of flying there from San Antonio had proved to be quite grueling and I still don’t have my luggage. At least some time to rest. Alhumdillilah.

2006-10-25T17:13:00.000-07:00

Que horas son mi corazon?

I still recall the first time I heard about Yemen from John Brogan, one of my Peace Corps trainers in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania (RIM). After working as a Peace Corps volunteer in the RIM, John went to work in Yemen and after that returned to the RIM to train our group in late 2000. Fluent in Arabic, Brogan had seen many moons in these two lands and mentioned that he saw interesting parallels between some of the rural areas of Yemen and those of the RIM. During my time in Mauritania, I do recall actually meeting a Yemeni man in Nouadhibou. As is the norm there, he asked me where I was from and I told him and then he mentioned to me that he was from Yemen. He also made it a point to show me his jambiya or dagger. I learned that Yemeni men carry daggers like this as part of their traditional dress.

Now it is 2006, and I sit in Ruta Maya Cafe in downtown San Antonio, listening to Jarabe de Palo's bluesy romantic ballad "La Flaca", while I intermittently sip a "Romantika" tea. On Friday I will embark on a journey to Yemen. After 20 hours on various planes and more hours waiting at various airports en route, I am due to arrive in Sanaa late Saturday night. So this is it. After reading books and travelogues on my home for the next 10 months and talking with several people who have lived there, I'm thrilled, to say the least.
Since receiving an invitation to work there, I have met with several people who know Yemen and read various books, blogs about that country. Yemen comes highly recommended as the "undiscovered pearl" of the Arabian peninsula. And I do love oysters!