Cows

The way of life in the Yemeni countryside still involves a lot of old, practical customs. Since many people live far from markets or shops, many villagers own at least one cow so that they are always assured of fresh milk and ghee. The women make ghee by pushing back and forth a special jar for this purpose that hangs from the ceiling and contains the cow's milk. In less than half an hour they have the milk changed into 'baladi' ghee which gives food in the countryside its special taste. Even the cow's dung is not wasted but put in the sun to dry (see picture), to use it in the wood-ovens. No wonder that a cow is a precious possession for any villager!

Picture (Truck 4)

A Hadith (6)

Materialism is coming up everywhere in the world, and Yemen is, unfortunately, no exception. I recently came across a beautiful hadith of the Prophet (PBUH) that has a link with this, in which he (PBUH) said: "... this wealth is like a sweet fresh fruit; whoever takes it without greediness, he is blessed in it, and whoever takes it with greediness, he is not blessed in it, and he is like a person who eats but is never satisfied..."

The National Dialogue... Park?!

One of the newest small parks in Sana'a, which will contain a couple of dozen or so swings and slides and some benches, is being built in between two graveyards and next to a wide road where traffic rushes past. It doesn't (so far) have any trees to sit in the shade. Doesn't sound great for a city park? Then notice the name: 'The National Dialogue Park'. Is there any relation, you wonder, between a park that is unlikely to attract many visitors and the national dialogue? Ah, and the the First Armored Division's base in Sana'a, the base of Gen. Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar who joined the opposition during the uprising and has now been ordered to leave his post and instead serve as a presidential adviser, will be turned into a national park, according to President Abdu-Rabbo Mansour Hadi's decree. This will give us the 'March 21 Park'.