I'm not sure how in depth I've talked about the students and employees here at the Yemen College for Middle Eastern Studies, but I assure you, we are an eclectic bunch. The students range from ages 18 to 78, though most are in their mid to late 20s and come from various locations around the world. Canada, England, America, Germany, Australia, Tanzania, China, and Sudan are some of the locations we represent as a whole.
I have made some wonderful friends in my short time here and I've noticed that when people travel together they tend to get closer to each other at a faster pace than if they were interacting in their own country. The specific kind of closeness developed between people is somehow different as well, though I'm at a loss for adjectives. This group especially has gotten close, fast. We live, study, work, eat and travel together so it's almost unavoidable.
We come from different countries, backgrounds and belief systems. Character wise we all have similar interests and there are commonalities, but on most levels we couldn't be more different from each other. Some of these people I love, most I enjoy, and some I have to remind myself to have patience with, but regardless, we are family.
That is the attitude and feeling I have being with everyone here. If we all attended the same school in our country of origin, I doubt more that a few of us would have been friends with the other, not that there's anything wrong anyone of us, we're just so different in so many ways. Being together in this kind of a situation forces you to see the person for who they are, realize that they are both exceptional and flawed in their own ways, and except them for whatever those may be.
It seems that everyone here takes care of each other. The closest scenario to this that I can recall was playing premier soccer when I was younger. It sounds silly, but hear me out. It was a highly competitive team so there were girls coming from all over the state, sometimes driving over an hour just to get to practice, not to mention hours on end traveling to games and tournaments every weekend. These girls came from different towns, schools, and income levels and all of us where more different than we were alike. We didn't always get along, but no matter what happened we supported each other. We were a team, a family if you will, brought together over this one common interest.
I never thought I would have that feeling with a group of people again as it's a rare thing to come by. I only hope that it can be maintained as people here are constantly coming and going from one term to the next. It will be interesting to see how relationships evolve over the next 5 months. Either way, it's nice to have this place as an escape from the intensities that decorate daily life here in Yemen.
I have made some wonderful friends in my short time here and I've noticed that when people travel together they tend to get closer to each other at a faster pace than if they were interacting in their own country. The specific kind of closeness developed between people is somehow different as well, though I'm at a loss for adjectives. This group especially has gotten close, fast. We live, study, work, eat and travel together so it's almost unavoidable.
We come from different countries, backgrounds and belief systems. Character wise we all have similar interests and there are commonalities, but on most levels we couldn't be more different from each other. Some of these people I love, most I enjoy, and some I have to remind myself to have patience with, but regardless, we are family.
That is the attitude and feeling I have being with everyone here. If we all attended the same school in our country of origin, I doubt more that a few of us would have been friends with the other, not that there's anything wrong anyone of us, we're just so different in so many ways. Being together in this kind of a situation forces you to see the person for who they are, realize that they are both exceptional and flawed in their own ways, and except them for whatever those may be.
It seems that everyone here takes care of each other. The closest scenario to this that I can recall was playing premier soccer when I was younger. It sounds silly, but hear me out. It was a highly competitive team so there were girls coming from all over the state, sometimes driving over an hour just to get to practice, not to mention hours on end traveling to games and tournaments every weekend. These girls came from different towns, schools, and income levels and all of us where more different than we were alike. We didn't always get along, but no matter what happened we supported each other. We were a team, a family if you will, brought together over this one common interest.
I never thought I would have that feeling with a group of people again as it's a rare thing to come by. I only hope that it can be maintained as people here are constantly coming and going from one term to the next. It will be interesting to see how relationships evolve over the next 5 months. Either way, it's nice to have this place as an escape from the intensities that decorate daily life here in Yemen.
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