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Observations
Entry 2 of 22 | show all | print this entry |
Evening all,
Can I first of all thank you for the many emails you have sent me. So many in fact that I'm going to have to break my promise to answer them individually this time, but please don't let that deter you from writing in the future.
Okay, well today I went out and brought some wonderful fresh bread from the baker next to my building, then went to a souq (market) and bought some fruit, and also some fantastic coriander-tasting samosas. I know this sounds fairly trivial and boring but it represents a significant advance in my lingual progression from just a day ago. I now think I can go and buy basic things from the souq and also buy two or three things at a cafe.
Also, I've kind of got used to the strange opening hours of Ramadan and am already getting into a routine that allows me to eat during the day. Basically, souqs open at around 2pm for a couple of hours, in which time you can stock up on something to eat for late lunch and maybe get something for the following morning (when everything is closed). Then everything shuts down again until sundown at 6pm (Iftar), when the city suddenly bursts into life and everyone eats. So, for all those worried about Tom's belly, it is now getting fed in the day and is no longer going hungry.
Yesterday I discovered the roof terrace to my building - what a view, and what a beautiful place to sit and do my homework or just simply listen to my iPod. It's a relatively tall building so you can see the entire Old and new cities of Sana'a (I live in Old Sana'a which is a UNESCO heritage sight and the oldest preserved Medina in the Arab world) in full panoramic splendour. The ancient stone buildings - synonimous with the Arab world but so infrequently seen in the increasingly Westernised Middle East - compete for space within the grand walls of the Old City, creating narrow, winding streets and alleyways where children play and shout, and the hustle and bustle of the days trade plays out in the many souqs. In the distance in every direction, stunning brown rock mountains tower over the city as if protecting its supreme architecture from the evils of the modern high-rise. The glaring sun, liberated in a cloudless sky, beams down casting shadows and carving shapes into the mountainside.
In other words it's goddamned beautiful, and if I could just find a bottle of f**king lemonade I could take a glass of Pimms up to the roof with my iPod and life could not get much better!!
Okay, so here's my main observation so far. It probably isn't news to you that men and women are not allowed to show any public signs of affection for each other, and women are frankly second class citizens. However wrong this may seem it does result in the most surreal sight. Arab men of all ages effectively seem to have replaced that affectionate aspect of male-female relations with their male friends. Now, this is all well and good as far as I'm concerned, but when you take into consideration the traditional male Yemeni dress it all starts to seem rather bizarre. The aforementioned dress is basically a kind of male dress (Thobe), but then they have a hook-shaped sword attached by belt to their stomachs (Janbia). So, as you walk down the street you see old Arab men holding hands whilst each donning a sword - it's like some Monty Python sketch or something!
Ghat/qat/qot - whatever you want to call it - is absolutely rife in this culture. Every man, without exception, chews qat. It's just a way of life. As far as I can see or have heard, it's basically destroying the country because it just dictates peoples' lives. For example, the average Yemeni man spends 70% of his annual income on qat; yet only earns an average of $1.50 per day. And if it's a choice between paying for their kid to get an education or buying their supply of qat, the latter will prevail. That said, when in Rome...
Last night I went to my first 'chew' or qat session. I went round to Aaron's building and hung around chewing with him and a few others (including a sort of British guy, one of two I've since met). They say you need to chew qat about five times before you start to feel its mild effects. Last night was my first and as expected I didn't feel anything - infact, I spent most of my time trying to concentrate on not swallowing the damned stuff. You basically buy a big batch of this green leaf shrub, pick off the leaves, give it a couple of chews, then push it into your cheek and store it. Eventually you build up just a huge ball of masticated qat in one cheek while still shoving more and more in to your mouth. It really is the done thing in these parts and just part of socialising, so I'll keep trying it as long as it doesn't mess me up.
Oh, one Arabic word (which I knew before I came out here actually) which I find quite funny is their word for girl - 'bint'. I just think it's fantastically apt given the treatment and regard for women in the Arab world. But, thinking about it, I guess the Brits probably brought the Arabic word back to England and turned it in to a pejorative.
Umm what else. Oh, I've been here only a few days but have already planned my first trip outside Sana'a. I and a couple of other CALES students (German girls, semi-cute, but German nonetheless!) and also three random tourists who were interested are going to head up north into the mountains this weekend (Thursday, Friday) to a place called Shihara. It's basically some beautiful and ancient bridge which joins two mountains atop of which are ancient cities built into the mountain-tops. It's supposed to be quite spectacular and a good trip. We're hiring a 4x4, a driver and a military escort (it's tribe territory, but don't worry, it's supposed to be safe, the escort is a legal thing for tourists), as well as meals and a hotel for the night, for the sum of about $20 each. It's like a two day trip. Should be cool if it actually does happen (nothing's ever for certain around these parts). I didn't really want to venture beyond Sana'a until I was more settled and had a better grasp of the language, but the opportunity arose and I thought I should take it.
Okay well once again this is a hideously long email. Apologies. I'll be in touch soon I'm sure. Meanwhile keep those emails coming, it's great.
Bye bye,
Tom
ps. Having been here a few days now, I can honestly say I feel totally safe. In fact I feel safer to walk alone around the narrow, badly-lit streets of Sana'a at night than I would in Brum or any other British city for that matter. Touch wood, the only foreseeable danger to my person in this place is from the crazy Yemeni drivers - quite scary, certainly a distinct lack of highway code.
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