Old City-Finally

Yes I have been here for over 2 months, and the Old City of Sana'a is only a 10 minute walk from my house, but yesterday was the first day I ventured there. After work my friend ZT and I decided that rather then just going home and sitting on our asses we would have a little walk. I was in a bad mood, and as usual decided that retail therapy was the way to alleviate it. So I put my bright purple scarf over my head, and we started my little adventure.

Bab El Yemen, Sana'a

My goodness what a place the Old City is, while walking around looking at the scarves, the janabiyat, spices, herbs, cloths and anything else you might like to buy...as you walk deeper and deeper into the old city you are walking back in time. To a time where everyone smiled at you, where no one stared, where you can buy fries-yummy greasy fries-for less then 50 cents. What was even better was bargaining again...asking if I was getting tourist prices...being informed that if I want I could get the tourist prices. I loved how the minute I spoke Arabic to them and they found out I was Jordanian they would smile, and make jokes. The Yemenis are so relaxed, living in the more 'modern' area of Sana'a you don't really get to see how genuine and unpretentious this shagib is. (Might have a lot to do with the qat chewing...but they are very similar to how I imagine Jamaican are-not being racist here).

Anyway, I bought a few Christmas gifts for friends back home, I looked at stuff that I would buy next weekend when I am going back for sure. I still have to buy jewellery-I was drooling seeing the lovely earrings and rings all over the place, but decided to control myself (at least for a while)!

So yesterday I finally understood what I have been reading and hearing from EVERYONE who has visited this country...I fell in love...J'adore :)

Good Day and Good Luck

Snow

Seeing people's statuses on Facebook telling me that they getting little snow...or that they are about to get snow makes me just fume with jealousy. I have been living in the Arab world for the past 4 years and haven't seen real snow (a little in Amman but it doesn't really count) in years. This has lead me to make a decision, these 2 years in Yemen will be my last in working in the Arab world.

It isn't just the lack of snow that has led to me to this decision. There are various things that have made me evaluate my time living and working in the Arab world and deciding that it is time to leave.

Professionally, I haven't really felt fulfilled, the work I am currently doing in Yemen is the first time since I finished studying and came back to my region that I felt my career to be on the right path. Prior to this I always felt that I was just doing jobs, not really building a career. I know that the work I did before has led to this opportunity and I can't downplay how important it was. But my greatest fear now is to become by default specialised in the Arab world. I am studying French and hoping that adding a third language to my skills will open new doors to work in regions beyond this one. I have to give credit to my past jobs, FH and FFF and even to that few weeks I have been in Yemen working as a UNV, for they helped me decide on what I want to specialise in; Gender and Access to Justice. I will work for the next 2 years to get more exposure in this topic, get trained on this topic, reading about it and working in field on it.

Personally, I haven't really felt fulfilled, I have made great friends by being back home, living in Bahrain and hopefully here in Yemen. But I haven't found the man who I want to spend my life with-ha not even the man who I want to spend a month with. I think its because I am not a typical Arab woman, which leads to Arab men not understanding me or finding me too overbearing, too different. But its not only about that, I don't mind being single-couldn't have made the split second decision to come to Yemen if I had someone else to think about-its also the fact that I don't feel accepted in my home region. People always speak to me in English when I walk into supermarkets or on the street...I am tired of replying in Arabic and getting raised eyebrows in response, "Ah...you are an Arab?!" I am tired of lying about certain things about my personality, my religious convictions, and my political leanings. I want to live in a place where I don't get judged, or if I am being judged then it is politically incorrect for people to vocalise it.

Meeting people while I was at the PO workshop and socially in the past few days, I realise what I have been missing out on. People have lived and travelled all over the world, working in different countries dealing with conflicting cultures leading to them being more well rounded...not only that but just giving them a chance to travel and see the world. I want that.

So after these two years, I hope I will have gained the kind of exposure and experience that can carry me beyond the borders of the Arab World.

Good Day and Good Luck

There is a "U" in Volunteer!

It will be a month since I last wrote...it has been hectic I have travelled to 5 countries and met people from all corners of the world. I had my beliefs challenged, and I was inspired...this is the first part of what I have been through these past few weeks.

UN Campus, Bonn Germany
Thanks to Steisianasari Mileiva

I went on a UNVolunteers Programme Officers training in Bonn, Germany. I had 10 days of 8-18:00, being taught all that needs to be taught about being a PO for the UNV. The best parts for me was meeting my fellow UNV POs, they were from all over the world working all over the world (if that makes sense). There were French, Canadian, Italian, Moldavian, Japanese, Filipino working in Haiti, Jordan/Swaziland, Laos, Indonesia, Philippines/Samoa, and Thailand (respectively) and these are just to name the few...there were people I loved and people that I didn't like. But it was just amazing to feel that I was part of this community of people, who know what I am going through, what it feels like to be in this schizophrenic assignment that and to know the pleasure of being a volunteer.


I got to meet the people in Headquarters, the people that sometimes feel so distant yet are our backup-are back bone...and us out there on the front lines, dealing with the volunteers, with other UN agencies...what a team. I meant my Portfolio Manager-and we found a language to speak that we both understood, that made communication that is going to be vital between us easier.


But the highlight for me was falling in love with Volunteerism. I have volunteered before, I chose to be part of the UNVs for a reason, but I think being part of the UN system sometimes makes you forget what a great thing being a volunteer is. At this time in my career I felt that the way that I could truly contribute to Development in general and more specifically for the development of the region that is my home, was for me to use the skills I have honed throughout these years as a volunteer.


Volunteering for me is an opportunity and an asset for development, it’s a resource that can address the many issues we face in the Arab region and Globally. It’s a way to engage with the local community, to listen to them, and to harness the power that lies in the grassroots. For me there is a beauty in volunteerism as it is an expression of people’s willingness and capacity to freely help others and improve their society. 


I believe that we all need to give a bit of ourselves to the societies we are in, it helps with our feeling of belonging, there is something pure about giving a bit of yourself without thinking to much about what you are going to get in return. Not thinking about it doesn't mean that we don't get something back,  Volunteerism helps to make this a more mutual and reciprocal world. 


I know I am sounding preachy and I don't mean to, but I think everyone should look into themselves and see in what ways they can work to bring love and justice to and in their communities. 


Good Day and Good Luck

Podcasts

I wish that I was living in a country where I had to commute using public transportation. I used to love the time I spend on the Tube when I lived in London and Montreal. For it gives you 15-30 minutes of alone time where you can either read your book or listen to your iPod/iPhone. I miss those minutes more recently as I have gotten into Podcasts. They are great weekly downloads of anything you want to follow. I find it amazing that the word itself is quite new, being used for the first time in 2004 by Ben Hammersley in the Guardian. The idea is very revolutionary as it brings the power of the internet into the hands of anyone, like YouTube, Twitter and Blogs.

Liberating the listeners from time and place, and allowing them to talk back to the programme-makers is one thing: liberating the programme-makers is even better. You can get away with a lot more on the internet

On my iPhone I have various podcasts, some are music related (Guardian and NYTimes), some are humour (Chris Moyles, and Ricky Gervais), I get a weekly 15 minute Coffee Break French, and I have a few political shows (Guardian Politics, BBC World Forum, BBC 4 From Our Correspondent). 

What is great about them is that its a walking radio, and its a radio where you can choose what you want to hear. As you can see most of my podcasts are British ones, as I miss listening to BBC Radio 1 and reading the Guardian on a daily basis. Having Chris Moyles on my iPhone makes my morning coffee in the Sana'a sun that much more enjoyable, and I find myself laughing even before I have my first sip of coffee (and if you know me you know that this is an accomplishment). Listening to the Guardian.NYTs music weekly podcasts, introduces me to new music, at the same time explaining new genres to someone who isn't very in the know. The Guardian Books gives me access to various authors I like as they interview them, and I always end up having a book to download on my iPad Kindle.

All this to say, that if you haven't gotten into podcasts, then please do. They are a great way of getting great information and listening to your favourite comedians/authors/artists and introduces you to new ones. 

Good Day and Good Luck

Tweet Tweet Tweet

It has taken over my life, Twitter. I have an addictive personality, that is why I have always stayed away from drugs, I knew that all it would take is a sniff and I would have been gone. So it is not surprising that first it was Blogspot, then Facebook and now Twitter have taken hold of my additive personality and become my obsession. 


I first got into Twitter when during the Green Revolution took place in Iran 2009. I wanted to know more about what was going on, and watching BBC and Aljazeera I realised they were getting their news from Twitter, so I signed up and my addiction started.


But with Twitter it is different (that is what I say about every guy that I obsess over also), I feel that this addiction might just last longer and the reasons are as follows:

1. I am following magazines, newspapers, radio shows, and organisations that I find spellbinding and Twitter gives me instant and easy access to them. 
2. The people I am following are from around the world, and unlike Facebook we aren't 'friends' thus the commitment of following them seems not so scary.
3. I love reading the topics/issues that are trending. Depending on which part of the world is awake the topics change and shift. It is dynamic and I love watching as trending topics adapt to the Earth's rotation.
4. There are great "conversations" taking place on Twitter, today I participated in #FF, and through this conversation I was introduced to great twitterers and amazing new blogs. A whole new world was opened to me, the icing on the cake is that they are mostly Arabs; and I was blown away with their level of engagement.
5. I find its such an honour, when I follow someone and they reciprocate. They don't have to, and that is why it really makes me feel good about myself when they do. I follow them because I believe they add something to my online life and thus to my 'real" life, for them to follow me means that they believe the same about me. 
6. There is a certain responsibility that comes with having a Twitter account. I like that fact that people take it seriously, and rarely abuse it as they do their Facebook status with telling us how their soup is, or what colour underwear they are wearing.
7. I love the political engagement of Twitter.
8. Simply J'adore Tweeting

So Twitter is my cocaine, I spend hours on it, reading interesting articles, getting the latest headlines, reading great poetry, tweets that make me piss in my pants from laughter, and tweets that me feel not so alone in this world.

Thanks Twitter and the people I follow on Twitter!!!

Good Day and Good Luck 

About Yous

Recently I have had to write a lot of one paragraph, 160 character description/introductions of myself. Some of it has been for work, and in others it has been for the various social networks I am part of.

I find it hard to write these short bios, or stand in front of people and speak about myself. Don't get me wrong its not because I don't like speaking about myself (on the contrary I quite enjoy it-recently I have found myself reading blog posts and email I write to people and enjoying my writing a lot). What I am finding hard to do is to define who Lulwa is in 160 characters, or in one paragraph.

I-like most people-have various personalities, personal, profession, with the friends, with the parents, with the partner, and I have worked hard on creating these sides of myself. I studied for over 25 years of my life, I have travelled the world, read amazing books, met brilliant people...all these experiences and whatnot then I have to shrink, cut, snip so that I can fit into an About You section.

I am aware that you choose the persona you introduce based on the situation, aka personal or professional Lulwa, however, I don't like doing that. At my first UNDP General Meeting, I had to stand up and speak, I happened to be the first one of the new people, and I fumbled, stumbled and ended up sounding like a kid. I didn't just want to talk about what I studied or where I worked before, knowing just that won't really show who I am, you need to know that I am obsessed with British history, especially Queen Elizabeth I; that I like listening to Celine Dion sometimes; and that I love watching Keeping up with the Kardashians.

This little misguided rant came from me having to write my 160 word description for my Twitter account, it was agonising. How does one choose what side to speak out? What do I want to say about myself? Will most people understand me? Will they want to follow me?

So if you go to my twitter account, this is what you read:

Lulwa

 Amman, Jordan

An Avid book reader, tech obsessed, Palestinian Feminist living in the Arab world

http://www.lulwalogic.blogspot.com

I would follow this person...ha!

Good Day and Good Luck

Lessons Learnt

So this weekend has been about watching Grey's Anatomy, its been 3 days now, all I have been doing (other then trying to figure out my washing machine and harrassing my friends in Amman) is watching, crying at the end of each episode, downloading songs from the show and learning lessons. So here I am sharing the lessons (they aren't very profound but for me they have been mind blowing)

1. What would you do if this was your last day on earth? So that was a question from one of the episodes, and after thinking about it for a few hours I decided that if this was my last day (which I agree is very short notice) I would spend it in two shifts, first half would be with my family, not just my parents, but all of them, I would have them fly in from Saudi and cross the bridge from Palestine. We would spend the half day talking, eating and playing games (yes games). The second part would be the friends, and I mean ALL my friends, well not all, only the ones I like :) We would spend it on a dinner table (similar to the one my friend FAH did for my last night in Amman) we would drink, eat and just laugh the night away till it was midnight and like Princess Fiona from Shrek I would turn into a Ogre (didn't want to say die)! Lesson learnt, Carpe Diem because you never know when it will be the day before the last.
2. Flight or Fight: No one knows how they will react in those situations where there is danger. I have been in such situations-being mugged in London, Jeep overturning on the way down a mountain in Tanzania-and in both those situations my instinct was to fight. I didn't run away, I didn't succumb to tears (as some did in those situations), I remained calm...well at least until I was safe again. So the lesson learnt was that I am good on this front...Ha
3. The theme song from Grey's Anatomy Nobody knows where they might end up. I have been listening to it for around 37 episodes (watching the finale of season 2). After so many times one memorises it and starts actually listening to the words. I used to hear the song in Amman (watching G'sA) but it never really touched me, but in Yemen it has, because a year ago I would never EVER has thought that I would be here. The lesson learnt, don't make too many plans, don't try to plan your life to much, because with one email, one phone call from Bonn it can take a drastic and profound direction.
4. Being alone-my own interaction this weekend was with the plumber who came to sort out the water situation in my home-and in G'sA they deal with this issue a lot as they are surgeons and apparently they don't have much of a social life. Its ok to be alone, not lonely, but alone. Lesson learnt its better to sit on one's own then to sit with people that you don't feel comfortable with or that you don't enjoy their company. I miss human interaction-don't get me wrong am a social animal-but its been enlightening.
5. Falling in love-as with most series Love is the main premiss of G'sA. Loving and being loved back, loving and not being loved back, being loved but not loving them...I've been in most of these scenarios (mostly the loving but not being loved back) and its been fun if not that little bit painful. Lesson learnt-it a very cliche lesson-its better loved and lost then to never have loved. 
6. Watching a medical drama, where people are dying in every episode, the most important lesson learnt is that you need to tell your loved ones that you love them all the time, because you never know when you might be able to do it anymore.

I know these aren't very profound, and that most of you have figured all of this on your own, but this was fun for me to think about and write.

FAM, YAK, AK, AH, KAH, TK, AK, SG, all the AMs and AKs, LR, AT, ZT, JB, AA, FAH, SP, DS, RC, TER, RB, MS, NA, AK, ZK, YN, RA, GB, KAS, DAM.

I miss and love you all very much :)


Good Night and Good Luck

Sana'a Home

My home in Sana'a...as requested!

Where I wash my dishes and cloths

My Living room

The Main Toilet (I have 2)

View from Living Room 

View from Bedroom

Kitchen

Bedroom

Artiste View from Living Room