My Yemen Story

And so it began . . .

I suppose if I'm going to ask folks to share their stories of Yemen, then I guess I should be willing to share my own.  Sadly, I can hardly claim to be an expert on Yemen - or even have that much experience within the country.  My only visit to Yemen occurred in May 2012, and it lasted one weekend and I never left the confines of the old center in Sana'a.  I spent that academic year on sabbatical at Zayed University in the United Arab Emirates, and it was inconceivable that I would not try and pay a visit to a country that fascinates me.  So, I ignored the warnings of the US State Department - and the concerns of the local Yemeni official in Abu Dhabi when approving my visa ("why do you want to go to Yemen?") - and boarded a Yemenia Airways flight for a much too brief visit to Sana'a.  Why did I want to go?  I'm a historian by training, and there aren't many places in the world that have more history than Yemen.  On a very quiet Friday morning I left my hotel and began following a Yemeni gentleman who seemed to know where he was going.  Naturally, I became completely and magnificently lost in ten minutes and didn't figure out where I was for hours.  I could attempt to recount many of the sights and sounds and tastes of those hours, but others could speak of those subjects much more eloquently.  Rather, I would just like to say a few words about the extraordinary kindness of the Yemeni people I met during the day.  I made no effort to "hide" my identity as an American (as some of my compatriots do when travelling) - and certainly my government is giving the Yemenis no reason to view Americans favorably - but the people I met could not have been more warm or welcoming.  They seemed genuinely pleased to have an American visitor and were happy to talk about their country, and their kindness and generosity touched my heart.  I think the idea for this blog was born that day.  As a rule Americans don't know a lot about the rest of the world - and this is especially true in regards to Yemen (a country that remains a mystery to even experienced travelers).  And yet we need to know, now more than ever.  So, I've set up this blog, hoping that people will share their own pictures and stories of Yemen.