venturing out of the cage

Finally, I've had a burst of interaction and exploration. Part of what has helped me to get out more is that I'm now working with my office assistant, who is equal parts sweetness and steel, to find an apartment. I am getting the feeling that she always gets her way, and so she's a fantastic person to have negotiating for you when it comes to things like real estate. And while we are looking for apartments, we are hanging out, eating lunch, and seeing a lot of different neighborhoods around the city.

So, the apartment search. I've seen a range of places -- and have found one possibility -- but am waiting to see a few more. I don't need to rush into this, and I definitely want to feel comfortable with wherever I land. In the meantime, it's been fascinating seeing what the interiors of some of these places are like. Some of the houses I have seen have been positively palatial -- one place had 8 bedrooms, 5 baths, and 2 full kitchens! Others just simply aren't "me," like the house that is in the middle of being renovated in a way that divides the house into a men's section and a women's section. Guess whose is nicer? Then there was the place that was beautiful, even if a little over done (do I need a series of carved marble pillars in my living room?), but had essentially no kitchen. I'm also struggling to get used to the idea that the nicest room in the house, typically, is a room reserved for men chewing qat, a semi-narcotic leaf that is a national obsession. More on qat another day, as this definitely merits its own post. In the meantime, to hold you over, here's a link to a National Geographic video on qat via a travel website:

http://www.gadling.com/2006/04/26/chewing-qat-in-yemen/

Among my travels in the past several days, we were looking at apartments in Old Sana'a, where I finally, unmistakably, found beauty. The photos in this post were all taken in Old Sana'a. Walking amid the narrow, ancient streets with no names or addresses, and houses that reach up instead of spreading out reminded me very much of Venice. The organization of the place is like Venice too -- you give directions to your place according to landmarks in certain neighborhoods. I may not end up living there, since the places I saw were almost uninhabitable on the inside...Dad, it reminded me of the interiors of some of the worst places that we saw in Rovinj, where we noticed that things were beautiful on the outside but rotten to the core on the inside. I am still waiting to see a bunch of other places, though, so if I find something that is a little more modern on the inside, who knows?

As far as the atmosphere of the neighborhood is concerned, it gave by far the best feeling: it was nice and cozy, very much in a neighborhood kind of way. Above all else, the greatest factor in the welcoming feeling of Old Sana'a was its children: school girls practicing their English and saying "hello" in shy but excited voices as they pass by; boys playing soccer in little courtyards looking after younger ones; and the little boy in this photo, who ran up to me and mimed the gesture for camera. He was adorable and it will be a small miracle if I make it through my time here without adopting one of these children. I know from my work that they are confronted with huge challenges that children should never face -- as many as 800,000 children in Yemen are acutely malnourished, and nearly 40% of Yemenis don't have access to sufficient clean water or sanitation. I may never encounter this child again, but I will likely always wonder about his welfare.

So, I am on the path to adjusting to being here and -- finally -- seeing the beauty of the place. I have broken out of the cage, even if just a little bit. And it feels wonderful.