Merry Christmas from Yemen!

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

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!

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...

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! ;)

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!

“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.

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.