Experiencing Yemen - Part I
Lost in Translation…
“Teacher, those students were talking about your behind.”
“Well, I do my best to keep it firm,” my colleague responded. “But I think you mean that they were talking about me behind my back.”
The days fly by. I’ve only been in Yemen for a month and yet, it feels like I’ve been here for half a year! And each day brings a new experience. For instance, March 21 is Mother’s Day in Yemen, and my young students enthusiastically honored me as “Mother Teacher” on that day by arranging an impromptu late lunch complete with pizza, traditional spicy potato stew, and an assortment of Arabic sweets, mostly prepared by them. “Teacher, please sit and eat!” I watched them scurry about fixing me a plate of pizza and stew and pouring me a drink like professionals while also courteously offering food to other teachers and students sitting in the lunch area. Yemeni hospitality at its best! It was hard to get back to the classroom and focus on finishing out the day’s lesson.
I admit to having spent little time exploring Aden so far because as a newbie (new teacher), it's not unusual for the first few months to need extra time to prepare lessons. Fortunately, a couple of weeks ago, Edward, our director, took me and a couple of other teachers on a car tour of Aden. We checked out Crater, which is the oldest district in Aden and once home to Aden’s seaport, the second busiest port in the world until the 1960s. It also has a bustling outdoor souq (market) where you can get everything from freshly-killed chickens to an assortment of obscure used books seemingly written by equally obscure British writers. And nestled within the souq is Yemen’s military museum. I haven’t visited the museum but hope to soon. As the name implies, Crater sits within the crater of an extinct volcano and includes some of Aden’s oldest houses built way before the British colonized the city. We also got to see some of Aden’s other districts, Ma'alla, Aden’s modern port (and the site of the USS Cole bombing in 2000), and Tawahi, where a statue of Queen Victoria sits. In 1954, the Queen supposedly had been a guest at the nearby, exclusive and once glorious Crescent Hotel, which now sits empty and very much uncared for. The only life around the old hotel is the presence of government security guards whose office is the hotel’s former garden. We passed by several churches and Hindu places of worship as well as a Jewish cemetery; evidence of Aden's diversity and tolerance. And Edward made it a point to take us to a tiny place that served bread ice cream, an unusual but delicious, caramel-flavored concoction that had the texture of fine bread crumbs mixed with cold ice cream. Oh, and caramel is the only flavor available. We ended the tour with a quick stop at the Gold Mohur Hotel. In 1992, it was bombed by Al Qaeda; the first known attack in Yemen by the group. The hotel was rebuilt and has become one of Aden's most popular beach resorts. Frankly, I enjoyed the winding ride overlooking the coastline more than the beach views from the hotel.
Somewhere on your journey, don't forget to turn around and enjoy the view.
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2 comments:
Loved the map...it really helps me place you. I read all through your postings and loved them. A few questions/requests:
What happened to the port...from the worlds' 2nd busiest port to (showing my ignorance) somewhere I've never heard of in 50 years...what's the story?
Would love to have seen the bread ice cream and the Chinese/Yemeni restaurant--send some pictures.
looked up aden on yahoo & found some pictures. http://www.peace-on-earth.org/Yemen/index1.html the 2nd one looks like cinderblocks with moldings--but it says colonial era. If you find a site with good photos send.
Would love to hear about the refugees.
Sounds like an amazing place and that you are having a wonderful time.
Konnichiwa, Jackie-san!
I'll post about the refugees soon but will give you a heads-up that it's not a hopeful situation.
My understanding about Aden is that it was in its heyday when the British occupied it for because of its strategic location. (Aden sits about an equal distance from the Suez Canal in Egypt, Mumbai in India, and Zanzibar, Tanzania, which were all important British possessions.) In fact, the British had been in the region since the early 1800s, but officially occupied it from the 1930s until 1967.
Prior to the British colonization, Aden had been an important trading center for many centuries. It is said that even the famous Marco Polo visited the area during his journeys. In the 1800's, Aden grew as a fueling port, holding stocks of coal and water supplies for the early steamships. And don't forget, the U.S.S. Cole was anchored in Aden before being bombed in 2000. Anyway, Aden's status declined due to both competition from other ports and the end of the British occupation. That's not to say it's no longer vital. The day I visited the port, it was busy. I also hear that there are some plans in the works for big improvements.
The photos you found on the Net show structures of Aden during colonial times and occupation. That second photo of the city is very familiar to me and is where Ching-Sing is located. The buildings were formerly military housing and are quite prevalent. (The Communists took over once the Brits left and built those structures.) Overall, Aden is charming but really can't put that label on the majority of its buildings.
S.
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