Almost Ready

I wasn’t quite able to complete everything by week’s end, but two out of three isn’t bad I suppose. My tickets to Sana’a were purchased through a local STA Travel office (www.statravel.com) for $1,739 (round trip). This is the student price. I had to have CALES to send me an acknowledgement of my enrollment to give to them; although, they let me submit this afterwards so it was no big deal. I leave Seattle on the morning of the 19th of February and arrive in Sana’a on the morning of the 21st of February.

STA could only make the reservation through the middle of November, so I will have to pay another $50 dollars to extend my departure date once I get close to November. It will probably cost another $50 or so for them to mail it to me. Unfortunately, I have to keep track of a paper ticket as Yemenia Air does not allow for electronic ticketing.

I wired my deposit to CALES via Western Union and it was received by the institute without a hitch. It cost $22 for the wire but the cost depends on the amount of the wire transfer and from where the wire transfer is being sent.

There was a delay in applying for my visa. I didn’t realize that I needed a letter from my doctor as to my good health and lack of contagious diseases. Anyway, since CALES sent me a letter verifying that I was to be a student at their institute for a period of 12 months, I’m going to ask for a 12 month student visa from the Embassy of the Republic of Yemen which, per their website, costs $150. I’m going to include another $30 to have it expedited.

Note: It is my understanding that if you have an entry/exit stamp from either Israel or Pakistan, you won’t be allowed a visa for Yemen. So, if this applies to you, please contact the embassy for verification.

Hopefully I can get the letter from my doctor tomorrow, get a couple more passport photos taken to include with the application (you can do this a Kinkos), and get everything in the mail.

Speaking of doctors, I forgot to mention that I received the first of my vaccinations a couple of weeks ago and I go back this Thursday for the second part. If I was going for just a few weeks I don’t know if my doctor would want me to take all the vaccinations that I’m taking for being in Yemen for 12 months. Regardless, before you go, you should speak with your doctor about whether you should receive any vaccinations before your departure. I recommend you schedule an appointment at least four to six weeks before you plan to depart for Yemen.