Shibam Kids

In a small town called Shibam, not far out of Sanaa, I was adopted by some local kids who decided that I needed a guide to walk up the hill to see the nearby caves. After some jockeying between the kids my two guides ended up being a brother and sister, Abdul-Wahab and Rhemay, both under 10. We wandered up the hill and checked out a few of the caves, took a few of the obligatory photos, then sat around and had a chat. Abdul had recently met some tourists, and so he was curious about life outside of Yemen - or more accurately outside his village.
He asked me if it was true that in my country a man could live with any woman. I didn't quite catch the meaning, but he explained that he had met some Korean tourists and that there was a man and a woman who weren't married but had told him they lived together. He was shocked by the idea - and this from a twelve year old. He also asked me why I didn't have any children, at 32 I was already old !!! I asked Rhemay what class she was in at school and she told me that she was in grade four and when she grew up she wanted to be a doctor or an engineer. Her brother testified that Rhemay was the smartest in her class, and beamed with pride.
There seemed to me to be a gap between the expectations or dreams of this little girl, and the repressive nature of life as a women in Yemen - the requirement that you always remain completely covered in public, that you never speak to a male you aren't related to, that you marry early and that your main job is to make children and home. I am sure that the dreams of achieving are often trampled by the strictures of the patriarchy.
When we arrived back at their modest house their was no way they would let us go without first serving us tea and cakes, then juice and fruit, and then insisting that we stay for lunch. Despite how strange they might think I am, hospitality always comes first.