It's a Party!

I got a hair cut today. My hair was pretty long. It was time. I was a little nervous going into it as it was my first time getting a haircut in the Arab world. I was also timid because the teenagers here have the CRAZIEST hair styles you have ever seen. I asked the barber about that and he couldn't understand their styles either. As for my hair, I asked the barber to take it slow and not to make any bold moves. I think things turned out okay.

While I was getting my haircut, a friend of the barber's came into the little shop. We started chatting and he asked me if I spoke any other languages. I said Spanish and he started speaking Spanish. My brain was not ready for that. My Spanish is buried under years of other courses and languages. After overcoming than the shock of trying to excavate my Spanish, I wondered how did this man come to speak Spanish?

He learned in Cuba. Aden, following the end of the British rule here in 1966 (?), became part of the Communist bloc and many Yemenis had the chance to study in other communist countries such Russia, East Germany and Cuba. I am often first asked if I am Russian. The student exchange and study opportunity aspect of Communism is definitely overlooked. It's like Club Med but on a country scale. Well, not really but we can imagine it like that. When Communism didn't pan out in Russia, the Yemenis were sent home trained, unfortunately, in useless field such as railroad maintenance (Yemen doesn't have any rail lines.)

Too bad you can't ask for your money back.