i promised aunt susan...

i know you have all been waiting for this moment throughout the past week, and i have finally decided to relieve the suspense :) my first week in sana'a (i've actually been here about 11 days now) has been very very good...i'm not sure if i can say great, as there were of course difficulties here and there, but pretty close. having jared here has helped me to skip over much of the initial culture shock/loneliness that i experienced (albeit briefly) both in beirut and damascus, so i've been free to enjoy my initial explorations and appreciate my first impressions of sana'a. while i have done plenty of traveling in my time, i must say that sana'a is very different from any place i've ever been. even though i of course knew that yemen is a third world country and (as jared, always filled with information and statistics, has told me) the poorest arab nation, i was and am still sometimes shocked by what i see...and i am of course living a relatively high life.

i guess i should start by saying that there are almost no traffic rules, aside from cops who stand in traffic kiosks in the middle of the largest intersections "directing" traffic...there are stop signs and stop lights littered sporadically throughout the city, perhaps for decorative purposes, i'm not sure. motorcycles (most of them taxis) are constantly squeezing through traffic everywhere they can, and often where they cannot. there are small children running everywhere, especially in the old city, most without shoes or much supervision. electricity cuts are the norm, usually for a total of about 8-10 hours a day, and while many places have generators you often have to ask before they are turned on (for instance in my hotel in the mornings and at a fairly nice, pricey restaurant we went to last night). i won't comment on bathrooms, as i have managed thus far to avoid using any restrooms other than those at amideast, my hotel, and jared's apartment...but there is very much a reason for this.

i think the novelty of being here has made these things more exciting for me than anything...basically knowing what to expect at all times living in the states can get a little boring. i don't mean, of course, that i actually become happy or excited when the water stops running in the middle of my shower or the electricity goes out right as everyone is preparing iftar (the meal that breaks the fast during Ramadan), but just life in general is less predictable and extremely new and different. i have thus far managed to avoid actually becoming angry (except for the water cut thing...apparently expecting water at your hotel is a bit too demanding), and hope to continue doing so as much as possible by limiting my expectations to...essentially nothing.

there are of course many many GOOD exciting things about living here as well. the food is often delicious, and always interesting, and CHEAP. when i have to pay more than $2 for a meal, it's pretty pricey. same goes for a taxi ride, maximum $2 to go most of the places that i frequent around Sana'a. i've been starting to think more in riyals of late, and as a consequence 1000 riyals ($5) is starting to seem like a lot of money. the vast majority of the people who i've met, mostly at work or through jared, have been extremely nice and welcoming and i'm really hoping to befriend more yemeni women once i figure out where i'll be living. people watching is extremely interesting here, especially in terms of clothing. most women wear the niqab (which covers all but the eyes) and some even have a veil over the eyes. some older women wear extremely colorful fabrics in place of the normal black niqab...i'm not sure if they come from different backgrounds or if it's just something that older women do sometimes. men will wear anything from typical western clothing (no shorts, of course), to suit jackets paired with shirts and wraps, to man robes (thoubs). they often have some kind of cloth wrapped or perched on their heads (i'm always curious as to how it stays on there) and a dagger (jambiyya) in their belts. these jambiyyas, along with the chewing of qat (you will see the qat cheek beginning around 7-8 and throughout the night during Ramadan), are considered to be the two most important signs of manhood.

well, i'm getting a bit tired of writing so i think that i'll leave my discussions of amideast, my daily routine, etc for next time...and hopefully i will have an apartment by then! be sure to check out my pictures on facebook if you want. while the pictures of Sana'a are still somewhat limited i do have pictures up of Dubai and our trip to the Wadi Dhahr valley outside of Sana'a as well.

cheers!