A Student Essay

One of the most rewarding privileges of being  a teacher is having the opportunity to read student essays.  The laborious task of in class written assignments and homework gives the students an opportunity to contemplate a variety of ideas and experiences.  The end result gives the teacher a glimpse into the students’ dreams, aspirations, fears and life stories.   

The following essay was selected among over 60 written assignments I reviewed during my English teaching stint at Mali Institute in Sanaa, Yemen.    I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

I have always dreamed of visiting my village because my parents and relatives have always told me that it is charming, beautiful and worth-seeing.  They told me that It would exceed my expectations. So, I decided to visit the village. I  finally visited it last month with my dad and family.

When we arrived, I was surprised because it was much better than I had expected.  It really is a unique place with its river, springs, green mountains and hills.  I quickly realized that the village is worthy of being the most famous of all.  I was really excited when I saw the houses on the top of the mountains among the clouds.

The people are very generous and kindhearted. While we were chewing Qat, they were telling me folk stories and jokes.  They are also open-hearted, modest and distinguished by their simplicity and informality.  Because of their sweet demeanor I have felt that there were no boundaries between us.  Of course there were no amenities such as; supermarkets, gyms, clubs etc..., but there were many things which are not available in Sana’a such as tranquility and quietness.

Although I was saddened by the poverty and illiteracy in the village, I have enjoyed my time there.  It was a unique experience in my life and through my journey I found out that living in the countryside is better than living in a city.  

This essay was written by Salah Towfeek Altwaiti, one of my Level 6B English students.  He was among three Air Traffic Controllers from Sana’a International Airport which were registered in my class.  He is married with children and he dreams of one day traveling the world to learn about other cultures.   In his essay he describes his visit to the Ibb Province.  

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My Arabic Teacher

Arabic is one of the six official languages of the United Nations.  Arabic is spoken with numerous colloquial variants across 22 countries spanning the middle East from North Africa to South-West Asia.  Over 280M people speak Arabic and it is estimated that another 250M are learning Arabic as  a 2nd language.  My main motivation for coming to  Sana'a, Yemen  was to further my Arabic studies.   I had previous lessons in the past such as an intensive introduction to Arabic at SOAS, University of London, School of Oriental and African Studies and private tutors while I lived in London and Dubai.   The best teacher I have ever had though was Jamila Hiba here in Sana'a, Yemen at Mali Institute.    She is extremely punctual and disciplined and our two daily sessions of two hours each  go by quickly.  I am impressed by her work ethic and natural teaching skills.  Jamila graduated from Sana'a University with  a Bachelors in Arabic Studies.  She ranked 8th among her class of 250 students.  What she enjoys the most about teaching is meeting people from around the world and learning about their countries and cultures.  She has taught students from Japan, France, Italy, Austria, Australia, United Kingdom, United States of America and Venezuela (I'm her 2nd student from Venezuela :)).  Jamila comes from a large family with six brothers and a younger sister.  I have had the honor of meeting some of her family as she has hosted me in her lovely home on several occasions for traditional Yemeni meals.   During her spare time, Jamila enjoys reading about Islam and Sharia Law.

Jamila has been teaching Arabic privately and at Mali Institute for 5 years and she hopes to complete a Masters in Linguistics in the near future.  She is  a JAM fan and can be contacted via facebook.  

Jam English Flash Cards Coming Soon!

Kate Kelley

Kate Kelley is well ... full of surprises. Our paths crossed only for  a brief moment but the encounter was memorable.  As I was arriving in Yemen she was enjoying her last week in Sana'a.  Despite this, she still managed to teach me the survival essentials.  She patiently taught me how to tie my scarf, how to get travel permits from the tourist police and the necessary arabic phrases needed to direct a taxi driver home.  She introduced me to her eclectic circle of yemeni and expat friends, the hidden gem Coffee Trader Cafe serving up real cheesecake alongside 100% yemeni coffee and Yayha's bed and breakfast in Kawkaban.  

On one occasion she even brought home  a complete stranger.   By chance he happened to be Danilo Perotti Machado, a Brazilian athlete who was cycling around the world (Homen Livre Project)!  Danilo had just arrived in Sana'a and was on his way to Aden but the tourist police insisted that he stay in Sana'a for the evening and continue his travels in the morning.  Lucky for Danilo, Kate spotted him.   Kate was actually going through the checkpoint on her way back from Zafar where some of the villagers were hosting a farewell gathering in her honor.  

While Kate originally came to Yemen to teach English at MALI Institute in Sana'a, upon her arrival, she was also recruited as an archeologist in the Ibb province.  She joined a team from Heidelberg University  led by archeologist Dr. Paul Yule and about 40 participants from the village to discover the remnants of the once powerful Himyarite Empire.  

This Year's excavation revealed numerous stone reliefs of mythological creatures.  However since 1998, when the project was initiated, over 1000 inscriptions and reliefs have been discovered and are being catalogued.  The inscriptions are in the Himyarite Language which was a South Semetic tongue spoken in the South Western Arabian Peninsula.   Inscriptions judged to be Himyarite have been found dating from before 700 BC.

Kate Kelly is an American from Everett, Washington who moved to Yemen in 2007 upon graduating with honors in Near Eastern Studies from Edinburgh University.  She is currently considering an opportunity teaching English in Iraq.   Kate is pictured above second from left.   Kate's dear friend and former academic coordinator at MALI Institute, Julie Manning is pictured second from the right. 

jam English flash cards Coming Soon!