Emergency Response Training

Check out some fun photos taken during our ERT training sesion. This exercise was to test the foam system that would be used to contain a tank fire.

Not the kind of excitement I was looking for

After my last entry about things being uneventful, we have had a flurry of concerning activity over the last few days. Without going into too much detail (as the real story is still a little unclear), there was two attempted attacks on oil facilities in Yemen, one of which belongs to the company I work for. It was quite serious and one member of the guard staff was killed during a car bomb explosion. As a result, security has been tightened significantly. The incident did blip in the news, but the story was kind of downplayed by the Yemen governement as we are within a week of the national elections being held.

To be clear, the facility where this happened is about 200 kilometers away from where I am stationed. As well, it is far more open to an attack that the facility where I am, given its geographic location near a major city and highway. I work really in the middle of nowhere and we do have a significant military watch for miles around our site, not just at the front gate. In fact, this is probably one of the safest places in the country to be.

It's been both exciting and unnerving at the same time. As apprehension is up, I will be happy to head for Dubai in a few days on my way home.

Ramadan

It's been two weeks since my last blog, and I don't have a whole lot to say. The days pass uneventfully, one after another. I am down to a week before heading home. I have been spending some time planning out another snow-free winter. At this point, it looks like New Zealand in January and then back to SE Asia in March. If it happens this way, it will be my 3rd time in SE Asia and Melissa's 4th. It may seem a bit weird, but if you've been there, you will know why we keep going back.

A few interesting things have happened in the last 2 weeks. We had the Yemen Oil Minister pop in for a visit with his entourage, including media. We are in the midst of an election here and this was a campaign stop. Predictably, he said that we have too many expats and not enough Yemenis and that we are not producing enough oil. He's right on both counts.

The other interesting thing is that we had a religious scholar come visit our site to conduct an information session for us expats regarding Islam and the upcoming month of Ramadan. The presenter was very well spoken and did much to clear up some of the widely held misconceptions that westerners tend to have about the Muslim world. One of the most interesting things to me is that Islam and Christianity worship the same God and acknowledge each other. Jesus, Issa in Arabic, is an important figure in Islam and is considered one of the great prophets. These two religions are tied together much closer than people think.

The holy month of Ramadan begins either Sept 23 or 24, depending on the moon. Fasting is an obligatory act during Ramadan. Muslims must abstain from food and drink from dawn to dusk during this month. Obviously, this takes a physical toll on our Yemeni staff. As we work from 6am-6pm everyday, a concession is made during the Ramadan to aid the Yemenis in their obligation. At the conclusion of Ramadan is the breaking of the fast called Eid, a celebration marked by feasting and parties.

Perhaps a Canoe will do

Today marks five years of being married to my beautiful, tolerant and goofy wife. The years just get better and better.

I looked at the traditional list of anniversary gifts and year five is wood. Where did this list come from anway? Maybe a canoe will suffice?