It’s my last full day in Sana’a.  It’s sad to say goodbye to Yemen again. It was a social day with some teachers taking students out for lunch at the fish souq.  There was Fabian, and then Omar from Kuala Lumpur.  Talking to Omar, I think he might have been a bit naughty for his […]

Above:  At my local baker which makes Kudam (Kidem, Kidim, Kedem, كدم), a delicious crusty bread when fresh.  In fact, I often slice my tomatoes before running down to the bakery to get it fresh.  If left for half a day, they’re like rock. Some of you will remember my first impressions of the Arabic […]

I came across this hilarious cartoon … here are the words but a couple of them are beyond me. Heaven is: A Syrian wife Lebanese food Emirati citizenship Jordanian security Egyptian tourism A Palestinian neighbour Saudi taxes Qatari salary Hell is: An Egyptian wife Emirati food Lebanese citizenship Palestinian security Qatari tourism A Saudi neighbour […]

Being the weekend, Kristina and I took a short trip to Bayt Baws, also spelled Bait Baus (and numerous other ways I guess).  We took a dabab (van) to Hadda and change to another to Bayt Baws and then another uphill to the old town. Once we were in the old town, it felt like […]

Above: In the school hostel hallway illuminated by light through the stained glass windows. Despite the title, this page is more about Arabic names that Malaysians (usually Malays) have.  I now know their meanings!  Here are the names of friends, bank tellers, flight attendants etc that I’ve met through the years.  Some are rather beautiful […]

Today my teacher, Ameen, took me to the fish market for lunch … instead of class.  I think he had to take Rebecca and Allan from the British Yemeni Society for some reason.  And I got invited too.  We headed to the fish souq in the Buleyli area. We bought the fish in one shop, […]

One of the joys of being in Old Sana’a is spending time on the rooftop.  The view of the old city in the evening is stunning. And the atmosphere at night is like nothing else, especially when we bring Arabic sweets and tea up on to the roof to share.  There is a certain magic […]

Few days ago I wrote about non-verbal French. Gestures. Like the French, the Yemenis have their gestures. Refer to the pictures below. But the first one “min hana” is worthy of elaboration. It literally means “from here” (being the nose) … my teacher tells me that when one lies down (or dies) the nose is […]