Here are some things that everyone, regardless of your length of stay, should bring.
1) Good shoes. That may seem obvious, but I recommend having shoes that have a relatively stiff sole. I have some really nice “walking” shoes, but they seem to be made for Europe/US streets. The cobblestones here are really uneven and lumpy and I find that my feet get sore very easily when I use these shoes. The ideal shoes would be light, breathable, with a fairly stiff sole. It doesn’t hurt to have them be waterproof. Sandals are very popular, but beware of burnt feet, stepping in “stuff”, and people stepping on your toes in the souk. I like my shoes thank you very much… I found a pair of Soloman shoes to be ideal (but my feet are now too wide). Can’t remember the model, but they have the “seamless” construction and have a soft shell.
2) A flashlight. When I first got here, power outages at night were very common. They seem to be not as common any more, but they still happen. It is very very very common in the other cities and outlaying villages. My flashlight stopped me from walking over a cliff in Kokahbahn… I have a 3 watt LED flashlight that uses 123 lithium batteries. I recommend a similar one highly. It is small enough to carry almost all the time, it is BRIGHT, and I get about 15 hours of useful battery life out of a pair of 123s. I brought 4 sets of batteries and I’m still using the first set.
3) Sunglasses. Make sure that they are actual sunglasses and not just dark glasses. You can get very cheap dark glasses here, just like all over the world. But if you are going to wear dark glasses, make sure that you are blocking as much UV as possible! Darker glasses make your pupils dilate, if you don’t have UV blocking sunglasses, you’ll actually be doing more damage with them than without them… One hint, prescription glasses here are pretty cheap. I got an eye exam, new lenses for my regular glasses, and a pair of prescription Ray bans for around $160. You can get much cheaper if you don’t want the fancy name brand. Bring your prescription and get new glasses!
4) Pocket sized English Arabic dictionary. Try to get an MSA or Fusa one. I don’t think there’s a Yemeni dialect one. The MSA will be closer to the locals speech than the Egyptian one will be. Most people do not know English, so knowing the words for bathroom, doctor, etc. can really be useful. There’s a good book called “Emergency Arabic” which is pretty good for those sorts of phrases, but it might be a little big to carry everywhere.
5) If you are coming from a place that really knows sun protection like Australia, the EU, South America, basically any place except the US, bring your super duper sunscreen. If you’re coming from the US, buy some in Dubai or Egypt or whatever connecting airport you go through. The US sun screens are really wimpy and oily in comparison to the good stuff.
6) Plug adaptors. The electricity is 240 volts here, but God only knows what kind of plug you will see. I have seen everything except the US style ones. The most common is the large 3 prong jobs. You can usually get a set of adaptors and that should cover you.
If you will be here for a while, here are some other things to bring.
1) A laptop computer. There are internet cafes here, and many of them will allow you to use your laptop. That’s a good thing since the computers at the cafes are inevitably slow, virus and adware plagued pains in the ass. I have not heard of any wireless spots outside of the school, but if you are willing to drive around the richer areas, I’m sure you can find a hot spot somewhere. Bring a jump drive as well. They are great for printing things at the cafes, much easier than trying to navigate their printer system, trust me… Also bring a decent laptop case, the ones here are cheap, but they suck and fall apart in no time. Once again, trust me…
2) If you shave with a blade, bring them with you. For some reason, the good blades cost a fortune here. Back home Mach III blades are almost a third of the price here.
3) Meat. This may sound strange, but if you are staying for several months it may make sense. It is difficult to find nice beef here, and of course impossible to find pork. I am wishing I had brought a couple of sticks of pepperoni in with me… I had a couple sharing this house with me and they had brought their own beef. They didn’t regret it.
4) A lot of patience and/or the occasional flight out of here. You really can get just about everything else that you’ll need here, but you will need some patience. I am assuming that you’ll be in Sana’a. If you plan on staying in an outlaying area, you’ll have to bring more stuff. Drop me a line if you have any questions!
Isaac