Getting settled in

I'm hoping we can move to the house this weekend. We spent the last few nights going to carpet and curtain shops, and after all that, brought home a sample moquette (wall-to-wall carpeting) that looks almost exactly like the one in the house already.

Which I knew would happen, but S never makes a decision without going to at least 3 different shops.

The old carpets have been torn up and the carpet guys will come tonight or tomorrow. Then the cleaners will come. THEN can we move in.

We decided it was too much to try to buy new furniture right away - everything happens at night during Ramadhan and we're going home for Eid in a week or so. But after more shop visits, it looks like MDF is king in Sana'a. What worries me is that I have not found a single lounge set that I like, and that it's going to be either IKEA or palacial kitsch.

I haven't seen much of the city apart from the shops. We've had dinner at the hotel every night, even though I would love to eat out, but the drivers would have to wait for us and miss iftar with their families. Haven't been back to the Old Town but hopefully there'll be plenty of time to explore.

People have been really nice, really helpful and warm. I believe a colleague who said Yemenis are the nicest people he's ever met. Nobody has told us off for not being able to speak Arabic (unlike in Angola where total strangers would lecture me on how important it was to speak Portuguese), and Yemenis like Malaysia!

Ma'a salama...