Stranger Than Fiction

Friday, March 31, 2006

So, last weekend’s trip to Abdul Rahman’s village never actually happened. Sure, we started off on our journey, but since we didn’t have, no kidding, permission from the tourist police we were turned around at the first checkpoint. We instead decided to head off to see the Imam’s palace, Dar al-Hajir, in Wadi Dhahir (I think).

The “palace” is deceptively big inside and it made for an enjoyable, if tiring, diversion from our original goal. On the way back it was decided that we would have dinner at his uncle’s house.

This was my first dinner at a Yemeni’s house and man oh man it didn’t disappoint. I’m pretty easy going and I can double-dip a chip with the best of them, but it is difficult to show a lot of enthusiasm when you are sitting on the floor with four other people who think nothing of using their hands to tear off a piece of shared chicken, grabbing some shared rice and mashing it all together before putting it in their mouth.

The house of Abdul Rahman is located in Old Sana’a, very close to the school. The building itself is about 150 years old and looked it too. Even worse than the dinner was my trip to the bathroom; let’s say it’s a shoes required sort of trip. I experienced a moment of sheer terror as I slipped and almost fell.

Surprising, it was a western toilet but it would take an obscene amount of money for me to have actually sat on it. The two rather vicious spiders I saw didn’t help either. And for a frame of reference, I consider all spiders I see to be vicious. Just in case you were wondering, there was no toilet tissue but there was a bucket of water/cup next to the toilet. And that, my friends, is why it is considered impolite to pass food with your left hand…

Abdul Rahman assured us it was no problem if Evan and I wanted to stay the night, but I tactfully explained to him that I just didn’t feel comfortable unless I was sleeping in my own bed. Although that is pretty much a true statement, I would have told any lie I could have thought up in order to keep from sleeping in the same house as that toilet.

Today, Evan and I headed off for the Shumaila Hari super market to stock up on essentials. I am no longer eating Fruit Loops for breakfast and have instead switched to Trix. Before we went to Shumaila Hari, we decided to lunch at… drum roll please… Kentucky Fried Chicken. That’s right my friends. I ordered up three pieces of the Colonel’s finest and chowed down. Thank you Colonel, thank you.