One week into a vacation

It is hard to believe that I have only been on vacation for about a week. Seems like so much has happened in that time. Of course being in Yemen might have something to do with all of that. It has been fun here so far, though I have come down with a little cold. Yesterday I started to get a headache that lasted until today. I was supposed to go on a trip, but just wasn't up for the four hour drive. Instead I relaxed today. I was able to hangout with some of the other fellows who leave in the house.

We have an interesting group in the house. Two men are from Nigeria. They are trying to sign contracts with some of the professional football clubs in Yemen. There are quite a few Americans in the house as well. Many of them are university students, but a few have just decided to take a year off to study Arabic. I wish I could include myself in that number. It would be nice to take some time to just enjoy life. I guess that is why I have summer holidays. One of the more interesting people in the house is a man who actually went to school near where I grew up. He is on a spiritual guest of sorts. I admire his effort.

I found out when I arrived the custom's officials thought I might have been a terrorist, because of my beard. All of the kids asked me what I am: Muslim or Christian. I try not to tell anyone. A lot of people have beards though so I fit in.

A few observations on Yemen: the people are very friendly. They really like to eat chicken and chew qat. They spend more on qat than chicken. Qat is a drug, mild like coffee, but the average Yemeni supposedly spends about a third of their income on the local drug. The men sit around in a daze with a big wad in their mouth (actually the man next to me has one in now). It makes it look like everyone has stuffed their mouth with cotton because of a toothache. I said to one of the students: "It is so weird to think that people are sitting around chewing leaves." He saw the irony before I did, since so many Tennesseans chew a big wad of tobacco.

The weather has been lovely, nowhere as cold as the BBC webiste led me to believe. Fortunately I don't have to lug around my sweater and jacket.

Arabic study has been fun. I have a two hour private lesson per day, five days a week. It is fun to interact with the locals, though my language skills leave something to be desired. I have been able to interact a bit. Fortunately everything is cheap and people are very friendly. I can even get mango juice ( a big glass for fifty cents).

The school seems to have about 30 students a current. Many of the women are veiled or wearing a hijab. I have only seen a few women around town not covering their hair. It has actually become someone normal to see these black ghosts floating by.

Well, now it is time for me to go and eat some chicken. I can already smell it across the way.

Masalama.