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Speaking of books, it is pretty
difficult to find books in English (they are either the
classics or a lot of romance novels.). I would advise you to
bring books (especially if you want me to love you). Another
thing that is difficult to find is good English music. Most
of the stores sell cassettes that are copies of copies so
they are not always clear. I would advise you to bring
tapes. While I’m talking about things that are difficult to
get let me tell you about the film. You can get Fuji and
Kodak but it is difficult to get above 100 so if you want
400 film I would advise you to bring it. The photo
development isn’t the greatest but my pictures have turned
out pretty well.
About medication, for the women, I
would bring medicine for yeast infections. It is fairly
difficult to explain the problem to the Pharmacist (even if
you bring a translator, because the translator probably
doesn’t know what you are talking about either). Generally,
one self-medicates here. There really is no need to get a
prescription so you don’t need to see a doctor unless you
are unfamiliar with the illness. The most common illness
that you will face here is Giardia (or as a doctor once
called it “the little friend of Yemen). Basically it causes
diarrhea. Also, I would bring a good supply of a
multi-vitamin with you. For the most part you can get most
toiletries (we were very excited when Finesse shampoo and
conditioner appeared on the scene a year ago). If, however,
you like specific shampoos and the like I would suggest that
you bring them with you. This is especially true for
deodorant (the stuff that they have here really doesn’t get
the job done). Also, bring sun-block (can’t get it here) and
enough insect mosquito repellent.
Good shoes are a necessity. They are
very difficult to find here. It never fails that when I see
someone wearing good shoes and I start to get excited that I
can buy some, they tell me that they bought them outside of
the country. You should also bring sturdy clothing. Yemen
can be pretty hard on clothes. For men, I would bring pants
and both long-sleeved and short-sleeved clothes. I would
only pack one pair of shorts (for sports and going to the
beach). I also wouldn’t bring anything without sleeves.
Bring a bathing suit (I would recommend the kind that look
like shorts - not because one kind is more appropriate here
than another, but rather because I think men look ridiculous
in the Speedo variety). For the women, long skirts, dresses
(long-sleeved). I would also bring jeans and T-shirts and a
bathing suit ( modest) (don’t forget the leggings that I
mentioned before). Bring sandals, sturdy shoes, flats etc. I
would also bring make-up (unless you have naturally brown
skin and dark hair and eyes make-up is for that tone.
Generally one doesn’t wear make-up (or at least as much as
in America) on a regular basis. I usually wear a balto (abeya
or in English “long black choir robe thingy”) and when I am
out on the street I also cover my hair. This is NOT,
however, by any means a must. This is my choice. So don’t
feel that when your plane begins to land that you need to
dig out the scarf that you put in your carry on.
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