There are things in Yemen that are really appealing: the weather, the architecture, the beaches, the mountains, and the honey.

But none of those things makes teaching in a rubbish institute worthwhile. The students are good and generally care about their studies, but as a foreigner you will never be made to feel comfortable.

Every person in every shop that sees foreign blood is quick to impose the "foreigners tax," upping the prices of everything to a degree that can be down-right insulting. There are many swindlers that will take you for an idiot. Similary, language institutes in Yemen behave in the same way. One insitute I worked at would fail people deliberately, just to make them pay for a course twice.

On another ocasion, after a bombing at the American Embassy a couple of years ago, I heard of an American teacher at MALI who decided to listen to his embassy's call to leave the country (a prudent thing to do). As a gesture of "kindness" MALI offered to help him find a cheap flight back to America. Meanwhile they pocketed the money, paid his way only as far as Italy, and left him stranded.

You have got to understand that even though Yemen does indeed have nice people, it is not a normal place when things like rules, law, order, justice, contracts, promises, and fair-dealing are considered. And believe me, this is not a "racist" statement. Ask the Yemenis and they will also complain about the lack of order and civil society. I had many,many of my students express this to me when I was there.

So in conclusion, if I had the choice between teaching ESL in Yemen and robbing graves in a cemetery, I would get myself a shovel and a pick. It's a job...