Host Family Visits Yemen
Kathleen and Claire Kain, Ali and his younger brother
Mohammed toured the sights in Yemen. |
If anyone had told Kathleen Kain and
her daughter Clare four years ago that a trip to Yemen was
in their immediate future, they would probably have laughed
it off as a joke. However, Yemen was their destination this
past June, when they traveled to Aden to visit Ali Hussein
Salah '05, their host son and brother.
Ali and the Kains have kept in close contact
since he spent the 2004-05 year with them in Houston, Texas
as a member of the second cohort of YES students to arrive
in the U.S. Kain remembers Ali as a flexible and resilient
student. "He worked hard at his studies, and he often
shared stories and wisdom from Yemen with our family,"
she noted. It was those stories, as well as the travel books
Ali brought with him from Yemen, that prompted the family
to consider visiting the country.
"We liked looking at the pictures of
jewelry, architecture and the terraced hillsides,"
Kain said. "Then Clare's friend gave me a copy of Tim
Mackintosh-Smith's Yemen: The Unknown Arabia, which
I read twice. Finally, Ali sent us a box of honey, necklaces,
baskets, the world's best-tasting tuna and frankincense.
I was hooked!"
Although the Kains were excited about the
trip, their enthusiasm was not universally shared by family
and friends. "My husband said he had to stay behind
to organize the rescue party," Kain joked. "My
sister sent me a book about a dozen tourists who were kidnapped
in the Hadraumat in early 2000, and two of my friends told
me to go if I must, but for mercy's sake, leave my daughter
behind. Their concerns brought to mind what Ali had once
told me when he was here - his mother was worried that he
might get shot because she heard that America was a violent
place!"
Ali was very excited upon learning of his
host family's decision to visit him in Yemen. "I was
so happy to hear that they were coming. It has been two
years since I left them, so it was like a dream that became
real," he said. Ali wanted to give them a real feel
for the country, so he carefully planned their itinerary
using a tour guide in Sanaa. In addition, the Kain's had
some specific requests for places that they wanted to see.
Kathleen Kain, left, and her daughter Claire pose for
formal photos at the photograph’s studio prior
to attending a wedding ceremony in Yemen. Ali’s
mother arranged for a trip to the salon for the intricate
henna designs adorning their hands and arms. |
"Mohammed Shaif of Yamanat Tours escorted
us through the suqs in Sana'a, pointed out land formations
and local flora and introduced us to qat and ceremonial
dancing," Kain said. In Aden, Ali's uncle took on the
escorting duties. "We had my uncle driving us all over
the places in the south," he noted. "I also took
them to my village in Yaffa. We stayed there for three days
and had a wonderful time."
This was the first time the two families
had met in person. "Ali's mother was very welcoming,
and could not do enough for us," Kain said. "I
had intended to help her out around the house and for us
to cook together, but she treated us like visiting royalty!"
Ali was amazed that, despite the language
difficulties, the two families managed to communicate so
well. "My dad and my twin sister Mona speak some English,
so that worked out very well. My mom and the rest of the
family used a lot of body language. My host mom and sister
knew a few words in Arabic and that really helped a lot.
It was very impressive seeing my host mom having a conversation
with my grandma and amazingly understanding each other!
However, most of the time I was the interpreter guy."
Kain notes that Ali was a great interpreter,
and communication was easy when he was around. But he wasn't
always there. "I am proud of one session between Ali's
mother and me, in which I managed to glean some family history,
such as how long she has been married and the ages of her
children," she said. "However, I was embarrassed
at the end of the visit when she was speaking more English
phrases than I was speaking Arabic!"
Ali said that he and his family enjoyed
having his host mom and sister stay with them. He wishes
his host father could have also made the trip. Ali recently
became the first Yemeni to win the English Speaking Union's
International Speaking Competition in London. A special
ceremony was held in Aden and sponsored by UNICEF-Yemen,
who also recognized Ali for his work in educating young
Yemenis about AIDS. "I was glad that my host family
was able to attend the award ceremony for my recent accomplishment
in London," he said. "They also visited the AMIDEAST-Aden
office and spoke with the YES students who recently departed
for the U.S."
Ali, who is currently a senior in high school,
is now considering his future plans. He would like to return
to the U.S. to continue his studies. He says that the YES
program was "an amazing experience" and notes
"I wouldn't really have had this achievement without
my initial participation in the YES program, which continues
to impact its participants throughout their lives".
Whatever he does in the future, Ali fully expects to maintain
his close relationship with his host family. "As long
as my host family could make it all the way to Yemen, I
will make it to the U.S. and see them again!"
