The joys of Yemeni culture

Nothing is ever simple in Yemen! It's a cultural education whilst trying to get a "simple" letter written! I arrived at 9am in the doctor's university office and although the secretary was there, the doctor wasn't. Being accustomed to this, I'd brought some work to be getting on with while I waited. Various other people popped in and out asking for the doctor until she arrived an hour later!

A "simple" letter

It seems like a dance, watching the doctor work / network - talking to one person, whilst trying to sign a form for another, whilst being interrupted by a phone call. Everything in this culture is relational, and therefore a letter cannot simply be written or a form simply signed, the recipient must be telephoned and the matter discussed, then the paperwork done, then a meeting to meet the person and discuss the paperwork again!

So after 4 hours, the man in charge of organising visas for foreign visitors had been telephoned, a letter eventually drafted, then the secretary found to type the letter, then another telephone call to try to locate a different secretary with the university official stamp. The letter finally stamped and another telephone call to the visa man to find out where he was so that the letter could be delivered in person to him!

Everything must be stamped

Yet the process had just begun as the university visa man would write to the immigration office, which would write to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to request a visa for one of the doctors who will be visiting to give some of the teaching at the training workshop scheduled for October.

After some relaxing time in the afternoon, I went visiting with the children to our neighbours' house. I was greeted with enthusiasm as it was the first time to visit since coming back from UK. After we had settled ourselves on the meglis (thin mattresses) on the floor, one of the ladies remarked "Bless God, You've got fat!" I smiled politely, (cringing inwardly as I had put on a bit of weight in UK!) and said, "Yes, thank you". It's a compliment here to tell people that they've put on weight!

The traditional dress for weddings and visiting- it does make you look fat

We caught up on all the neighbourhood and village news whilst drinking sugary orange squash, which the children loved. One of the ladies had been ill over the past few months with an autoimmune disease affecting her skin and muscles / joints. She confided in me that she had thought it was due to the "evil eye". She explained, "I was getting fat (something to be admired!) and wore a new gold belt to a wedding. I think someone there must have been jealous and cast the evil eye on me, that was why I got all these strange symptoms and couldn't walk." There is great fear of curses and a lot of folk beliefs.

Pendants are worn to protect from the "evil eye"

Usually hot sweet milky tea is brought for visitors but this household often drink milky coffee instead. The first time I drank it I was perplexed and eventually summoned up the courage to say "I think this coffee has salt in it instead of sugar" to which the ladies replied, "Of course it's got salt in it! It makes it taste better!". So this time I was not surprised when the coffee tasted salty! Conversation moved onto other topics ranging from the best method of removing leg hair, why plucking eyebrows is haram "forbidden", the price of gold (now nearly 25 pounds per gram!), giving presents on Eid holidays and other things!

One spoon or two - of salt?!

It is amazing how different cultures can be and it's fun learning to adapt and enjoy living in another culture!