Twenty Yemeni college students* including five girls* and nine foreign students studying at the Yemen College of Middle Eastern Studies ventured on a one day tour to the outskirts of Sana'a last Friday. The foreign students came from France* America and Switzerland to study Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies at the YCMES in Sana'a and have been interested in interacting with Yemeni youth and engaging with them culturally.Abdulrazaq Al-Azazi* editor of the Intilak college newspaper which organized the trip* explained that Yemeni youth wanted to reach out to foreign youth in Yemen and discuss their impressions about Yemen with them."They enjoyed the trip and were impressed that Yemeni girls went on such a tour; they said they have never seen Yemeni girls taking part in such an activity*" he said.The students visited the historical site of Ghaiman Palace and the surrounding archeological heritage site which includes an ancient cemetery. They had lunch there and listened to traditional poetry recited by some of the Yemeni students.Among the issues discussed* especially by the foreign female students* was how Yemeni men look down at women and sometimes harass foreign girls. They had a negative impression of Yemeni men as being shallow and not respecting girls. But this notion soon changed as on the trip they met fifteen delightful and engaging men from Yemen* who were respectful of other cultures and wanted to create a bridge between Yemeni and foreign students."I found that the Yemenis are nice people and enjoyed the trip because it allowed me to meet many new people*" said Amélie from France.Intilak is a monthly college newspaper that had been running for three years by the media college students at Sana'a University. It aims at promoting youth issues and creating a platform for the students to discuss the challenges they face and find solutions to them in a positive and constructive way.The Yemeni College for Middle Eastern Studies is the first academic institution of its kind in the Middle East that offers Contemporary Middle Eastern Studies along with Arabic language learning in a purely Arabic environment that encourages learning the language and getting first-hand knowledge of Middle Eastern culture and history....

المزيد...