Many of us have heard the stories of women in Saudi Arabia fighting for their right to drive themselves. But, their activism seems so remote in Sanaa, a city where Yemeni women are seen every day driving their own cars, using public transportation on their own, going to school, working in offices and shops, and voting. The picture of life for women in Yemen’s capital is one, however, that is remarkably different for Yemeni women in other areas of the country. So it was a surprise for me to learn that one of the first female drivers in the governorate of Hadhramaut, a conservative Yemeni province located hundreds of kilometers east of Sanaa, is now in the United States studying for a master’s degree in English.
Shada* is now in her second year of an English Literature program at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. There aren’t a large number of Yemeni students studying in the U.S., and an even smaller number are women. But those few women represent diverse backgrounds and interests.
Shada first heard about the Fulbright program in 2008: “I learned about the Fulbright Program through AMIDEAST’s Country Director who was visiting my university, Hadhramaut University of Science and Technology. He encouraged me to apply . . . even though I felt it was a very hard thing to achieve.”
“As an instructor at Hadhramaut University I had opportunities to study in Egypt, Jordan, or Malaysia, but I always dreamt of studying English literature in an English-speaking country. I wanted to be in the environment that produced such literature. I also wanted to experience the unique academic systems and the top-notch staff of professors that I am now experiencing and meeting in America. When I heard about the Fulbright program, I felt that there was a chance for my dream to come true. I applied, and did all I could to make it happen. . . . I am very proud that I am a Fulbrighter – every minute I spent working towards this achievement has been worth it.”
As a Yemeni woman in the U.S. who seeks to attend professional conferences within the U.S. after recent press raising Yemen’s prominence as a haven for terrorists, Shada has found traveling to be a challenge. “In my university, everybody knows me pretty well now, and they do not care much about me being from another country.” Although Shada wears hijab, she notes that people “do not look at me in a different way; however, for people I have just met, I have to spend some time talking to them before they recognize that people are the same although they live in different countries. I try to explain to them with simple examples from daily life how we might be different in our life styles and the same in our ambitions and our need to connect with others. The real challenge I face in the U.S. is in the airports. When security finds out that I am from Yemen, they start by taking me aside and requiring searches. It’s only in those few times that I realize that ‘Oh, I am from Yemen and living in the United States.’”Nevertheless, in her short time in the U.S. she has attended a pre-academic workshop in San Diego and a Fulbright enrichment seminar in Chicago. Shada has also begun to learn to play tennis.
The biggest challenge for most international students while living and studying abroad is homesickness. Shada agrees: “I have two beautiful daughters back home whom I miss so much. But I manage it by keeping myself busy with study and with the company of friends I have made here. I find ways to send my family pictures of me in school, attending conferences, with my friends, and they enjoy all the pictures I send from the U.S. I recommend that other students do the same for their family members at home.”
After completing her master’s degree, Shada would like to pursue a doctorate and then return to Hadhramaut University, where she would be engaged in teaching English language and literature courses in the women’s college at the University. “I intend to encourage girls in Hadhramaut to trust in their abilities and to find opportunities to achieve their dreams. I will be able to set an example for them – an example that there are no limits for their dreams.” Shada has already begun by setting the example by driving her own car around her hometown in Mukalla.
She adds, “I especially hope to work with young students to teach them to think creatively and to use their knowledge and apply it to their real lives. Yemeni students have been taught to memorize and to take a test based on that information. That is all, unfortunately. I want them to analyze, to criticize, and to construct. For example, they are not used to taking a piece of writing and analyzing it and seeing if they like it or not. They have to been taught to admire everything a teacher says, to be passive, and to not think for themselves. I would like to change this [way of thinking] because this power can bring out a change in people’s lives—to think for themselves, express themselves, and act for themselves.”
Shada acknowledges that she has many uphill battles to overcome, particularly in her return to Yemen. “I do not feel that anything is difficult for an American woman, but in Yemen, a woman must struggle a lot to achieve even the simplest rights. It was not possible for me to think to study abroad for my bachelor’s, for example. Maybe this will change for other women in the future.”
For positive change to occur in Yemen, Shada says that “it is important for Yemeni people to study outside of Yemen.” Shada has a caveat: “At the same time, it is very important for Americans to study abroad as well. Living and studying in another society makes for profound understanding of the people in that society. None of us (Yemenis or Americans) will ever understand people and know how they think until we live with others and we are willing and able to see things from their point of view. This is important now as the media plays an important role in keeping different nations different and deepening the gap between people. Studying outside of one’s country is not only about seeking knowledge or language skills, it is also about bringing people together and building mutual understanding for all of us.”
To a Hadhrami pioneer, good luck on your journey!
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