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This next part is for the women. I
would suggest that you bring leggings to wear under your
dresses and skirts. It is really important that a minimum of
skin shows and also it can become VERY WINDY , so, unless
you are an exhibitionist, you will find the leggings useful.
Also, if you have purchased the Lonely Planet Guide to Yemen
there is one major mistake that I would like to now point
out. Please turn to page 67, and read under the heading
“What to Bring”. Now get your pen and cross out the part
where it says that tampons are available. They are
nonexistent in Yemen because Yemeni women will not wear
them. If you need them, bring them with you. Before I
forget, you should bring one fancy dress with you to wear to
the many weddings that you will be invited to. Since men
will never be present at these the rules for modesty in
dress do not apply (though you may be sitting on a cushion
on the floor so make sure it is comfortable). Feel free to
have it short and/or short sleeved. Your old prom dress will
fit in (this is not a joke). You may be wondering what it
will be like to be female and living in a Muslim country .
As a foreigner you do not have the same constraints that
Yemeni women have. The great part is that we get to see both
worlds. When a male friend invites you to his house to meet
his family, you will be able to meet the whole family and
see how they interact with each other. If you are a male,
however, you would probably only meet the male members of
the family. Oh, before I forget, if you happen to be a bit,
well … how can I put this delicately, umm… well….. well
…fat, this is probably one of the best countries in the
world to be in. Fat is great here. It’s considered
attractive.
On to one of my favorite
subjects….FOOD. If you think you will be trying to cook
Middle Eastern food, unless you already know how, I would
bring a cookbook with you. After a few months of searching I
finally found one in English and I will probably be taking
it home with me. I would also suggest that you bring a small
regular cookbook with you too. Cooking in Yemen is an
adventure. A lot of the things that we use as shortcuts in
cooking in America (soup mixes, canned soup) are rare here.
Let me tell you a story. I once attempted to cook a chicken
dish and so I sent Ahmed (you’ll meet him when you get here)
to get some chicken. When he brought it, it was still warm.
Not because they had cooked it for me, but rather because it
had been alive until he picked it out. If you are a strict
vegetarian please be aware that 95% of the food either has
meat in it or uses meat stock as it’s base. Be prepared to
either adjust your eating habits while here or cook for
yourself. I would advise you to bring a cookbook that uses
natural ingredients.
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