Until 1994, Yemen was a divided country, North and South Yemen. The Yemen of the North is traditionally more conservative, whereas the South is known as 'Liberal' (remember this is in Yemeni terms) and was communist for several years. The port of Aden, where I live, was a former British colony. In the past, the South was much more lax...women did not wear abeya and the thought of veiling oneself did not cross anyone's minds. People of the north still think of Adeni women as being 'loose' because some refuse to veil their faces.
Following a civil war and the unification of the countryin 1994, the south has dramatically changed and Yemen as we know it is now united as the Arab Republic of Yemen. Influence from the North has brought with it cultural traditions unfamiliar to the South. And like so many other countries in the world, the South hates the North...the North hates the South. Southerners refer to the traditional northern men from the villages wearing long white dresses, large belts and jambeyaas (the daggers) as being Dahabashee (Dahbasha for plural)--a term coming from some TV show in the past that made fun of the northerners. The main character was called Dahabashee.
As a result, when I informed my friends and students of Aden that I would be moving north to Sana'a they were upset with my decision...telling me how much better Aden is. I told them that unless they could supply me with an air conditioned abeya I will most likely become a big black puddle.
Yesterday was my last day of teaching at MALI Aden. To my surprise, the majority of my students came bearing gifts and letters telling me how much they would miss me. Some even asked if I would have an online course so that I could teach them from Sana'a. It was really cute, especially when I was trying to escape the school and even more students came running after me to say goodbye...apparently they had waited for a few hours until I finished my last class so that they could say their farewells and give me more gifts.
Really nice...I just hope the students are the same in Sana'a! I've been told that they have a check-in desk where students carrying guns and qat have to leave them on hold until they finish their class. Should make for an interesting experience.
