It’s been one week since the beginning of Ramadan – the month of fasting for Muslims worldwide. Almost without exception, Yemenis over the age of 14 or 15 abstain from food and drink from dawn till dusk. In the video above, Jan breaks the fast in a bustling Yemeni restaurant among a group of students from the Yemen College of Middle Eastern Studies. Towards the end of the video, you’ll hear the call to prayer – which is the signal that it’s time to eat.
In the second video, you’ll get a glimpse of what the streets of Sana’a look like at 9am during Ramadan. Keep reading →
After a month at the Yemen College of Middle Eastern Studies, Betsy Myers comments on her experience of Yemeni culture and friendships. Betsy is a senior at George Washington University in DC.
The oud is about as close as one can get to a guitar in Yemen. Though itis most often played at weddings and other special events, it is not uncommon for groups of friends to enjoy the instrument in more casual settings. In this video, my friend Ali showcases his skills on the oud as well as his impressive singing voice (which is all the more impressive given the large quantity of qat stored in his left cheek).
-Mac (Houston, Texas)
This Friday twenty students from the Yemen College of Middle Eastern Studies traveled to the beautiful mountain town of Manakha, Yemen – which happens to be the homeland of our college’s president, Sabri Saleem. After hiking a mountain and viewing a centuries-old cliff-side village (Al-Hajjara), it was time for a large Yemeni lunch, and most importantly, dancing. Sabri insisted that all of us participate; as you’ll see in the following video, none of us were particularly successful at learning the Yemeni dance steps. Keep reading →
Today I was serenaded in the street by my favorite group of kids in Sana’a. It all started when they made their usual plea that I take pictures and videos of them. This time I tried a new tactic; I wouldn’t film unless they sang for me. They barely hesitated for a second and belted out several songs in unison. I recorded two of them. The first (below) contains a simple religious message; the main refrains basically say, “I love God…I live all my life for God.”
The second song is more complex and interesting. The basic message is that parents often contradict their own moral messages. Keep reading →
Yesterday we were hanging out in the college’s student housing when a loud and festive wedding dance broke out down the street. We couldn’t help but go and take a closer look. All wedddings in Sana’a seem to involve some form of street dancing, but this group of four was particularly skilled.
Each term new students at the YCMES gather for the Welcome Qat Chew. Qat is a mild stimulant that many Yemeni men chew everyday. As you will see in this video, qat gets mixed reviews from most international students.
Yesterday a handful of us gathered for a seminar on Yemeni Non-Verbal Communication. We learned that clicking your tongue once means “I agree,” and twisting your ear means “a challenge.” In this video, our teacher Abdul Kafi explains the meaning of flicking your nose. He says (roughly): “Especially in Sana’a, this signal [he flicks his nose] indicates something beautiful….or it can also refer to the beauty of a woman. If you ask someone, ‘What’s your opinion about this woman or that woman?’ Then he’ll say, ‘ahhhh’ [flicking his nose], ‘ahhhh’ [flicking his nose again] .
Much to my own surprise, Sana’a, Yemen has gradually become like a second home to me. In July of 2007, I arrived to Yemen without knowing a single word of Arabic. For the next 10 months, I studied the language and eventually developed close friendships with my Yemeni friends and neighbors. When it came time to travel to the States in May 2008, I hoped that I’d have the opportunity to come back to Yemen someday.
Ten days ago I finally returned to Sana’a to study and work at the Yemen College of Middle Eastern Studies. Since my arrival, I have been grateful to find that my old neighbors still treat me as a one of their own.
We are a group of Americans, Spaniards, French, and many others who are living and studying at the Yemen College of Middle Eastern Studies - located in Sana'a, Yemen. We hope that the blog will give you a sense of the sights, sounds and smells we experience everyday, as well as our many Yemeni friends and neighbors.
