Update!!

so clearly it has been a bit too long since my last post, mostly due to the fact that i've been lazy...BUT other factors have influenced me as well, including our 3-day trip to the east coast and mountains and our return to jared's now internet-less apartment. this post will probably be quite random, and will include anything i've been meaning to write about in the past few weeks and other things that pop into my head...not unlike my other posts, in fact. :)

so one thing that i've been meaning to write about are the drastic changes in schedule that accompany ramadan, the eid following ramadan, and the return to normalcy as well (in fact, i have yet to experience what normalcy is like). during ramadan, most people (unless otherwise dictated by their work schedules) will wake up around noon or so in order to decrease the amount of time that they will have to be awake during the hours of fasting. iftar, the meal that breaks the fast, is eaten around 6:30 (when you hear the call to prayer), and the vast majority of yemenis will eat iftar at home with their families. as a result, while you might think that you would have a wide selection of restaurants opening around this time, this is not the case and you are limited to the bigger restaurants and some (unpredictable) smaller ones...a bit annoying, but you get used to it. after iftar, men will begin chewing qat around 7-7:30 and often continue to chew throughout the night. the streets really come alive around 8-9 pm, and around midnight or so many yemenis (mostly men) will eat another, smaller meal in one of the many restaurants open at this time. i'm not really sure what time people actually go to bed, as i was still working throughout most of ramadan and tried to go to sleep by 1 at the latest, but from what i have heard from exhausted coworkers many people will stay awake until at least 3-4 am and perhaps even wait to sleep until after suhoor, the meal that is eaten right before dawn. i probably would have conformed more to this schedule (out of convenience mostly), if not for the fact that i work from 9-3. jared and i usually ate breakfast before work (except in the case of oversleeping), skipped lunch (or ate a small snack discretely), snacked after work, and either ate a big meal around iftar time at home or waited for midnight in order to eat out, usually at a traditional yemeni restaurant in the old city.

if possible, the schedule during eid el-fitr (the holiday that marks the end of ramadan, which was actually on sept. 20-21 but in reality extends for 4 or so days) is even more unpredictable and disconcerting, as everyone is traveling to visit their families or on vacation and you never know what will be open or when. many stores are closed throughout this whole period, and even some larger stores alter their schedules or close unexpectedly (at least it is unexpected to me haha). jared and i didn't really know what to expect, and were surprised that sana'a was somewhat of a ghost town this past week. the festivities in yemen will extend through tomorrow, a national holiday which marks the establishment of the yemen arab republic in north yemen in 1962. i will return to work on sunday, the 27th, and then i guess i'll (hopefully) see what it feels like to have a normal schedule in yemen...

alright well this post is already getting a bit long (for me) with this schedule thing, so i will leave our trip and my new apartment (!!!) until next time. i will say that i moved into my new apartment yesterday, and it is BIG and beautiful and fully furnished!! however, jared also left yesterday, so i am very sad but also excited for him and eager to see how he likes qatar. i also hope to visit him sometime during the coming year inshallah!

hope everyone is doing well, love and miss you!!
xo