I’ve written before about how difficult it is to exercise in Yemen, especially for women. A gym membership typically costs around $50 a month which is very expensive for both Yemenis and students, and if they allow women, they often may only attend outside of restricted hours of the day due to the separation of men and women. Many of the students have expressed a desire to stay fit while they are here, especially since most will be here for more than six months.
With this in mind, I started teaching ab (core strength) and kickboxing classes and simultaneously consulted the director of the college to inquire about the possibility of establishing a gym. I was told that there were too many other projects going on right now, but that hopefully in the future this could be materialized. I pushed a little harder and asked if there was any way we could acquire a few pieces of equipment for the time being. He responded saying he would possibility be willing to make a personal donation depending on how much we were able to get from the students and based on how much the equipment would cost in total.
The next step was emailing the students, collecting donations, visiting multiple sports shops and getting estimates on equipment while practicing my bartering skills. In the end, we ended up getting just under $700 in student donations with the total for the equipment itself at $1600. That included a bike, treadmill, women’s dumbbells, men’s dumbbells, four mats, and a weight bench with bench press and 68 kilos of weight. The director was so impressed by the efforts made that he supplied the rest of the donations and a room to put the equipment in.
I was telling some of the students about the details of the gym and one of the German students, Eva, made a comment to me that took me aback a bit. Eva, in general, is very quiet, intelligent, and collected; the kind of person who usually doesn’t say anything unless it’s worthwhile and simultaneously possess a very clever and discrete sense of humor. She told me with a slight grin, after seeing all this come to fruition, “that’s so American. You decide you want to accomplish something so you go out and you do it.”
That statement, coming not only from a foreigner, but an individual such as Eva, really made my day. One of the better compliments I’ve gotten in a long time. Every country has traits that are endearing and those that are worth changing, but with the current political situation created by the former G.W. Bush administration still fervently impacting the lives and relationships of those abroad, as much as I value the U.S. and what it represents, I often feel embarrassed of what has recently transpired as a result of my country's ignorance. I also find it a challenge to break the stereotype that other countries (Middle Eastern, Western, or elsewhere) may hold in light of those recent activities. The fact that some people still view America in the way that Eva expressed, as a country with initiative and inspiration, gives me a little peace of mind.
With this in mind, I started teaching ab (core strength) and kickboxing classes and simultaneously consulted the director of the college to inquire about the possibility of establishing a gym. I was told that there were too many other projects going on right now, but that hopefully in the future this could be materialized. I pushed a little harder and asked if there was any way we could acquire a few pieces of equipment for the time being. He responded saying he would possibility be willing to make a personal donation depending on how much we were able to get from the students and based on how much the equipment would cost in total.
The next step was emailing the students, collecting donations, visiting multiple sports shops and getting estimates on equipment while practicing my bartering skills. In the end, we ended up getting just under $700 in student donations with the total for the equipment itself at $1600. That included a bike, treadmill, women’s dumbbells, men’s dumbbells, four mats, and a weight bench with bench press and 68 kilos of weight. The director was so impressed by the efforts made that he supplied the rest of the donations and a room to put the equipment in.
I was telling some of the students about the details of the gym and one of the German students, Eva, made a comment to me that took me aback a bit. Eva, in general, is very quiet, intelligent, and collected; the kind of person who usually doesn’t say anything unless it’s worthwhile and simultaneously possess a very clever and discrete sense of humor. She told me with a slight grin, after seeing all this come to fruition, “that’s so American. You decide you want to accomplish something so you go out and you do it.”
That statement, coming not only from a foreigner, but an individual such as Eva, really made my day. One of the better compliments I’ve gotten in a long time. Every country has traits that are endearing and those that are worth changing, but with the current political situation created by the former G.W. Bush administration still fervently impacting the lives and relationships of those abroad, as much as I value the U.S. and what it represents, I often feel embarrassed of what has recently transpired as a result of my country's ignorance. I also find it a challenge to break the stereotype that other countries (Middle Eastern, Western, or elsewhere) may hold in light of those recent activities. The fact that some people still view America in the way that Eva expressed, as a country with initiative and inspiration, gives me a little peace of mind.
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