This document appears to be an introduction or prologue to a collection of stories titled "Soul Missions". It discusses the author's childhood in Ohio and passion for football. He was inspired by a book on leadership called "You Win with People". The author then joined the Peace Corps and was stationed in Yemen, traveling throughout Europe and teaching in Hawaii. The main message is that love for others and unity among all people is needed now more than ever. Football played an important role in the author's childhood and helped shape him by teaching values of teamwork.

1. ​ SOUL MISSION​S

2. Chp 1 5 You Win with People
Chp 2 26 Rohrs Family Farm
Chp 3 28 Malama ‘Aina
Chp 4 29 City of Brotherly Love
Chp 5 33 City of Light & Love
Chp 6 35 City of Stone
Chp 7 42 A Salam Alikum
chp 8 43 Riding w The Greatest
Chp 9 49 Mountains of Al Taiz
Chp 10 54 Al Suk
Chp 11 56 RoadTrip Al Mokha
Chp 12 64 Power of Love
Chp 13 66 Coed qat chew
Chp 14 70 Makbana Road
Chp 15 72 Father Damian
Chp 16 73 Halas!
Chp 17 76 Children of Al Khowka
Chp 18 94 General Advice
CHp 19 95 East of Aden
Chp 20 94 ​Mangiare Italiano !
Chp 21 97 REd Sea Barracuda
Chp 22 98 Pirates of the Tehama
Chp 23 100 Eye Capt Ahab
Chp 24 101 Tiger Shark 4 Christmas
Chp 25 104 Moosh- moosh ka la
Chp 26 106 Hot In Al Hodeida
Chp 27 108 Exodus
Chp 28 111 Bullet the Blue Sky
Chp 29 116 Back in the USA
Chp 30 117 Pura Vida in the City of Angels
Chp 31 126 Surfing Goats
Chp 32 127 Soulmate
Chp 33 130​ Fire on the Mt
Chp 34 135 Aloha​ Warrior
Chp 35 144 Love Your Enemies
Chp 36 146 Love is My Religion

3. Prologue
“Soul Missions “ has a simple message to people that we can all Love Each Other
more! resonating a quarter century Soul Missions is collection true stories about a
Ohio boy growing up in a small country town playing high school sports and then
college football in Toledo volunteering for the US Peace Corps serving in Yemen
going west to LA CA traveling Europe then teaching in (and surfing) the Hawaiian
Islands Soul missions showed me the power of Love and gave me the strength to
work for helping in the uniting all of God’s children Playing team sports in Ohio The
United States Peace Corps Ohio Football was my first passion and became my first
mission “The Toughest job you’ll ever love” The US Peace Corps Yemen mission
brought me right to the frontline of service working side by side with local people in
their villages and communities and the from the heart (kelb) hospitality , immersing
myself into the culture, ​tackling ​some of​ our world’s toughest challenges and turning
them into triumphs of LOVE. I have since learned ​that ​when it comes to uniting people
you can do it a couple ways one by selfless serving , two by playing team sports and
three by living by example “Live Aloha” a bumper sticker that stuck in my heart from
Hawaii i felt the “others first” style of Aloha
living in LA CA where Billy Wirth told me that Love was the answer to every question !
all these places blended well together with me. The the familiness the multicultural
unification, people having common goals all inspirational !
Looking at the world in this day and age​ you may wonder ​How can I help?.
My friends t​he answer is simpl​y:
LOVE​ each other MORE!
Pres John F. Kennedy founded the Peace Corps in 1965 the same year i was born
but It was not until college that I had heard about the Peace Corps its creation in the
60’s I loved its message of international friendship and Peace. After graduation I had
the freedom and opportunity to ask myself “what can I do... to help bring peace to

4. the world? ... I was inspired by his famous quote “Ask not what your country can do for
you...but What You can do for your Country? ? The PC answered that question for
me with its Mission statement “To promote World Peace and Friendship” it was
Patriotic and Groovy to me. I wanted to volunteer and represent its goals.
1 . To help the people of interested countries meet their need for trained volunteers,.
2. Promoting a better understanding of America on the part of its peoples served
3 . To help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of America
Volunteering in the PC was my way to fulfill my desire to serve and work for peace , I
would also meet new different people and see the world A WIN WIN Right ?. i was
intrigued by all exotic tropical “paradise” places that the PC serves it was romantic .
The South Pacific maybe Bali, Fiji….and then, The Caribbean... Jamaica Barbados
Virgin Islands ... and Central America Costa Rican rainforest ... I dreamed of serving in
a l tropical warm area by the sea With Blue water and pristine Beaches mountains and
SUNSETS I dreamed I may meet miss right and fall in LOve .....watching beautiful
SUNSets over the water with my soulmate ”Make Love not War? !” at times My
conscious was fought the two sides of myself ….. The serving humanitarian volunteer
and the guy looking for a soulmate. Could I make it a win win? Do both in the PC ? I
wanted to represent the ideals of America that All Women and Men are created equal I
wanted to help with the healing Mother Earth and wanted to fight to end world hunger.
Was i ready Are we ready to Love Each other more in the world today ? Ziggy
Marley sings “ People Get Ready there’s a train a comin!” written in 1965 by Curtis
Mayfield it inspired me at his concert we attended in Maui I copied them down to
add to my Diary …
People get ready
There’s a train a comin’
You Don’t need no baggage you just get on board
All you need is faith
To hear the diesel comin’
Don’t need no ticket you just thank the Lord
People get ready
Train to Jordan
Picking up passengers from coast to coast
Faith is the key

5. Open the doors and board them
There’s hope for all among the Love the most
There’s a train there’s a train there’s a train a comin’ people
There’s a train there’s a train there’s a train a comin’ people
There’s a train there’s a train there’s a train a comin’ people
Just get on board
There ain’t no room for the hopeless sinner
Who would hurt all mankind just to save his own soul
Have pity on those whose choices grow thinner
There ain’t no hiding place from the Kingdom’s throne
Chp 1
You Win With People
At around 12yrs old i was looking through the endless collection of my brother Wes’s
National Geographics organised in a bookshelf... which one was going to take me on
a new adventure? ...put me into a dream ….send me to Africa, to Asia South
America….or who knows where? but Wait a second... what was this thick scarlet
book with the grey title at the end of the shelf? Called “YOu Win with People” ?? i
grabbed it ..opened it... no pictures ? but after reading the first words i couldn't put it
down it was the first book i read cover to cover i read first 2 chps right there,,... i took
it.. i asked my big brother later if i could read it he said “ yea ok just put it back” i never
did. .thanks Wes the author was Woody Hayes a football coach of The Ohio State
Buckeyes a coach a man who loved his players like his own sons it inspired me and
helped me realize where i come from and what i wanted to do . I wanted to be a
Buckeye !
“The Cradle of Coaches” is the name given to the Heartland of Ohio and where
people and family are its biggest asset . Woody was a people’s person his players
loved and respected him He knew it takes a community a team to raise a good kid. I
loved football it was the biggest thing in my smalltown I give a A Big “How!” to all the

6. Native Americans and respect to Chief Wauseon the American Indian Chief who ruled
his tribe here on the land of Wauseon, Ohio where I'm from and grew up . Respect to
Our All Native American People! Now fighting in the in the Dakotas for clean water
!LIFE!As a Kid playing in the woods I always wanted to be a Indian Warrior ..dressing
myself up with my moccasins w a hand made bow and arrows and wearing mud war
paint on my ace “Living in Harmony with Nature”, was cool to me even as a kid that's
what impressed me I watched the tv show “Daniel Boone” it was a favorite
too.sometimes i was him with my raccoon skin hat and with my play Kentucky rifle but
I’ll always be an Indian warrior in my heart! Not taking more than one needs and Living
Sustainably Respect to Mother Earth
Now more than ever as our world gets smaller and smaller like a team we all need
each other the world it becomes a community and we all need to work together for
peace and unity Dave Moore was our dedicated 8th grade football team’s coach he was
a cool counselor with a big afro head of hair 1978 he put me @ starting tailback on the
football team that was my beginning Our team went undefeated my best buddy Jack
Warncke the QB was magic @ running the veer option he faked out the referees they
were always blowing their whistles early just as Jack was about to pitch me the ball for a
70 yard sprint to the end zone There was a small Mexican American population in our
majority caucasian town and on our football team had one tough thick running back
named Robert Rodriguez he was the full back quiet humble hardworking a and my
friend Chris Menchaca a def back that became a state champ wrestler had me over for
traditional Mexican dinner which was amazing my fav food!! Most of the guys on the
team were hard nosed farm boys that had brothers and dads that also played football
Tom Richards Troy Weber Tabb Gype Alan Lane Tim Yackee Tony Andrew Todd
Dunning we all were friends growing up together in grade school PICs Football was the
biggest show in town in Wauseon Ohio Of course I wanted to be in that show i can still
hear those drums beating in the band .. Our school WHS had years winning Football
TRadition and I went to every friday night game under the lights as a kid ….growing up
wanting to be a Wauseon Indian football player ! I wanted to be A running back so I
could score touchdowns and make that big Liberty bell ring in the end zone , i played
Tailback for 3 yrs under our Head Coach Larry Fruth He was a great influence on me
a great man and a great coach He had a dedicated staff of some 25 years they all
cared about their players on and off the field and that created a winning program
together “Attitude Reflects leadership” a line from the movie “Remember the Titans “
The majority of our team fortunately was more interested in sports than partying and the
team refused to follow the norm we had some great dedicated leaders I am grateful
for that and grateful to live in Ohio “The Cradle of Coaches” the sacred family of

7. tradition of hard nosed football handed down from father to son ,brother to brother …so
honored
Jim Tressel an assistant FB coach at OsU at the time wrote me a letter via Coach Fruth
he after I went to the Buckeyes summer Camp as a running back (pic) that season and
said he'd be watching me….. but I made a bad decision the accident PiC…..getting into
a car that the driver hit a telephone pole it was on a friday right before our 4th game of
the season pic I was in the back seat and ended up lucky just breaking my wrist and
slashing my head other teammates suffered worse injuries of broken back and ribs and
legs .. I can not when forget Coach Tressel wrote me and said those dreaded two
words “Good Luck” later as Head Coach he went on to win a National championship in
??
But always God works his lil miracles.. Not only did he spare our lives in the accident
but he gave our team another blessing...in our last HS football game of the season
against Archbold our BIGGest crosstown rival they were 9-0 and on the way to the
state playoffs Everyone from both towns was at the game they still talk about it today
We upset Archbold 27-24! In “the Archbold game” I ran for 275 yards and 3 TDs my
O=line blew out some huge holes Thx very much guys the kind you can drive truck
through Coach Fruth wisely mixed it up an found an off tackle weakness and exploited
it. .our defense was so tough Thanks to Coach Fritz RIP known for his ability firing up
the D get’em floating up off the ground A Univ Toledo fb scout Coach Ron Curtis was
scouting Archbold's big fullback Andy Peterson went to Army but Curtis noticed me
and after the game offered me a full ride scholarship right then to the the Univ of
Toledo He said I Reminded him of a running back Dave Preston from the Denver
Broncos Wow still w a cast on my arm At 8-1-1 we missed going to state playoffs just
short by . 4 computer points... that was really a tough one
Watching The Saturday afternoon NCAA college football games on TV was a big
tradition as a kid... being a Ohio boy I was a Ohio State Buckeyes fan of course I looked
up to running back Archie Griffin #45 what a great role model a 2x Heisman winner a
great person and Legend Head Football Coach Woody Hayes and his book “You win
with People” was so true as a kid my Dad Mom Brother Sister all liked the Cleveland
Browns I never forget watching the “Cardiac Kids” and QB Brian Sipe, running back
Greg Pruitt on Sundays then I was amazed watching the highlights of the greatest
running back of all times Jim Brown #32 a man amongst boys ! my favorite Pro running
back of the times came from the Chicago Bears Walter Payton he become my idol I
tried to imitate his moves on the playground I remember my buddy Todd Creager our
awesome Wingback /punt return man we used his moves to make each other miss

8. when playing kill the man on the playground in grade school “Sweetness” was Walter
Payton's nickname he was super tough a true legend!. RIP #34
I really love the sport of Track ! I loved to fun fast it was such a prestige to be the fastest
kid on the playground my dad was fast I think it's a genetic thing a gift I thank God for
this gift he gave me to have the ability to run its such a free spiritual thing to me
Running track in HS was great the big invitational meets I got to meet even more kids
from w different ethnicities than me like Mexicans and African Americans Asians,
French, Germans, Italians Joe Robinson was the only African American @ WHSchool
Joe was a year younger than me in highschool we were friends on the track team but i
wish we would've hung out more , I knew he was a good guy w a y big heart it showed
on how he pushed himself in practice and worked hard i tried put myself in his shoes
I'm know he felt discrimination being the only African American in the HS i think
everyone should be a minority some time.
i Loved that aspect of sports that brings us all together for a common goal . Amazing!
we also were the league NWOAL Champs, District Champs and got to run in the”
Horseshoe “ The Ohio State Stadium Track where the Olympic Champion Jesse Owens
once ran ! What an athlete to say the least Have to see that movie! Running there was
Amazing Dream !I also thank My HS Track Coach Charlie Meyer who took our 4x100
relay team to the Ohio State Championships ! I ran 1st leg of the relay we ran 41.6 and
set a Wauseon school record that still stands today in 1984 (pics) w my buddy Tom
Richards 2nd leg, Shawn Clausen 3rd and Denny Rupp Anchor. I got to do 4 events up
to the regional finals Long jumping, 100m and 200m also. My Coach Meyers was a
great man and coach most importantly installed morals and discipline into our lives “ I
saw him almost every Sunday at church “ It takes a community to raise a kid “ and I was
lucky to be raised in. working class town of Wauseon. . Put on your hustle baby.
because we Work ! We ran some HIIT High Intensity Interval Training We ran 400s
300s 200s til we could not…. it was tough… I threw up... I loved it. .
My Parents never missed one of my games or meets ever in my whole career and my
Mom or Dad would always greet me with a smile “Did ya have fun ? “ Always positive... I
loved that ! I now feel so Blessed to be raised by such great parents in a wonderful
small town I had some tight friends too growing up together. .as a Ohio boy... hunting
and fishing swimming with my teammates Tom Richards our center and my QB Jack
my best buddy who perfected the veer option we said we had mental telepathy and he
was fishin buddy too Jack and I once visited a opponent in the hospital after a game
that I had a head on collision with I think he was a linebacker...i just got lower than him..

9. they took him off on a stretcher I was lucky it wasn't me laying there in hospital the bed
next to him…
Now we have Concussion protocal in football Hs thu Pro when i played they held up
some fingers and asked how many ? I've seen the effects of some serious
concussions in football our QB Jack would never even think of ever running out of
bounds at 155lbs never he took some hard hits and concussions and our corner back
wing back Todd Creager who also played w no fear like many on the team Todd got
knocked out in the Archbold game he wasn't the same for a while but didn't show it
maybe missed a few plays he was to hard nosed we really didn't think about back then
it was part of the game I know i've had my bell rung more than a few times from helmet
to to helmets collisions a “ear hole shot” is the worst right when you get a helmet on the
temple. .lights out. . I was lucky I had such hard head. 3xs on my bike i split my head
open i'm lucky my mom was a nurse to help sew me up .. bicycle Helmet? What’s that ?
never even had them back then?Nowadays seeing stars is called a concussion?
right?? Love the new Movie w Will Smith “Concussion” one of my biggest college career
head shot concussion came down in Louisiana @ McNeese State when we meet up w
some wild crazy southern boys I took a headshot Returning a kickoff hostility was in the
air it was a lil civil war N vs S and the s came to defend their backyard in the heat they
knocked me clean out lights out I woke up regained consciousness at half time in the
locker room I do remember that I asked “did I fumble ?” yea I did. . They were a smaller
team but they whooped us in their hot humid backyard I think we all ate way too many
crawdads and jumbulii the day before but man the
food was damn good
Grateful to receive a full ride scholarship to play tailback for the Div 1 University of
Toledo Rockets football team in 1984 under Head Coach Dan Simrell I could not wait to
sign that letter of intent ! I could never afford to go to college unless I took loans and
worked. my freshman year @ TB the upperclassman welcomed me into their family and
the starting senior Fullback Jerome Stephens and starting TB Steve Morgan who ran for
over 2000 yards he signed w the Seattle SeaHawks were great people I Steve on TV
our rb family kept everyone laughing we were always cracking jokes on each other all
the time That senior class led by example... hard work and humbleness...what a great
influence they left on my life they were true Champions on and off the field! They won
the Mid American Conference so we were the MAC Champs and we got invited to CA to
play in the California Bowl vs Las Vegas Nevada which we won by default and now I
have a championship ring ! I remember Randall Cunningham and Ickey Woods and his

10. “Shuffle” in 1984 I watched cheering realizing being redshirted and all those scout team
beatings were worth it,...grasping the the “No I in Team” concept .
I Will always remember the day in practice my fresh year I was feeling down.. i was
down on scout team . .7th on the depth chart @TBack running the other teams plays
against our first team defence trying to make them better. That day .our starting
defensive tackle Brent Williams 6-7 285 kinda took me under his big wing I must have
tried too hard and had a good run Brent got mad at the defense wow ! players moved
10 ft away from him when he got mad w incredible intensity... I saw it... I felt it … then
came one of my most proudest moments in football was is when Brent said ‘hey keep
runnin like Marcus Allan!”I was so honored when he nicknamed me Marcus!
Brent Williams went on to be drafted as a Def End by the New England Patriots He had
an impressive career At Toledo he was a great leader by his intensity, a team motivator
by his hard working actions He was just a cool upperclassman! I remember his new
Jimmy 4x4 and pictures of his new home he bought from his signing bonus into the
NFL. ( Add Career stats from NE) His son played for Ohio State and Brent wrote a great
book called “Recruit My Son” which explains the recruiting process I recommend to all
moms and dads with college bound athletes to read! He also runs a camp ( More info) .
Brent was from Flint Mich a city that is struggling in a National Crisis because of their
water supply that has been lead poisoned ! Children lead poisoned what a tragedy for
the for the people of Flint ! Please America... Government politicians you should be
ashamed !! Imprisoned !
Clean Water is Life !??
A Michigan teammate Mike Varajon was a big fullback Mike Varajon 240 ran a 4.5 once
I had the honor to spot him in the weight room he had 550 on the bench.. the bar was
bending I prayed he would get it..whew ... no prob! He was a good old boy w a Stetson
cowboy hat on a plaid sleeveless shirts and a chew in he ran like Earl Campbell too
wow... had some bad luck and blew out his knee but later recovered to go on and play
w Joe Montana and Dwight Clark blocked as FB in the play “the catch” the San
Francisco 49ers super bowl. (Pic) great Senior Athlete great guy ! was always jamming
Ozzy Osbourne real loud ! War Pigs! Loved it ! Def Back Mark Brandon kept us up with
his athleticism and positivity and Pat Delaney Bryant Jones Dexter Clark Marc Patton
Keith Brewster Walter Duncan ( more lookem up)RIP Dwayne Fletcher and Keith
Saunders the Tatum brothers Rodney and Roland and hit so hard i'll never forget em !I
always thought they Row an Tate were related to Jack Tatum from the Raiders Then
there was the tough and extra brilliant Academic All America Harold McGuire a Free
Safety Aka” HEAT” another senior he was always making everyone laugh but still hitting

11. like a human missile he was a great leader ! He was working in Washington DC the last
time we talked on the phone?. I vote for you HEAT! FB pic w Patton BJ Dex Tate But I
soon learned going to College and playing football was pretty tough work it was a job
and being a student athlete was challenge to me physically and mentally!.
My sophomore year we went to Tallahassee FSU's head coach Bobby Bowden had a
pregame prayer meeting for all players from both teams that was cool …. but then just
before the game all hell broke loose and things got a lil wild down south... a Seminole
Indian appears riding out on his horse onto the field w a flaming spear he was in full
war paint…. . all the lights go out.. the stadium rocks loud and in total darkness all you
see is the flaming spear The Warrior stops on 50 yd line he turns and throws down the
spear into the ground in front of us ….the ground shakes more from the ecstatic fans
going nuts our heartbeats quicken as warriors prepare to go to battle
I went into the game to give our starter Kelvin Farmer a breather in the 3rd quarter the
play was a pitch sweep . .as I caught the pitch I was coached to stretch the defence I
turned it on. .out of the corner of my eye I could see a bit of the orange end zone
marker.… I felt that everyone was flowing w the ball then I made my cut back against
the grain looking for daylight I saw some opening my heart swelled “ take it to the
house” our QB Billy Bergan said to me in the huddle the feeling of scoring a TD in front
of 70 thousand fanatic Florida State Seminole fans sent a huge adrenalin surge through
my veins... i kept the football bear clawed high and tight in the outside arm as I made
another cut and got back up the sideline I was on my way to the ” Promised Land !!” ...
then out of nowhere like a unidentified flying object. .like an arrow shot from a bow. .i
was hit.. in a split dec i was laying flat on my back staring up into the blue Florida
sky…… whaaaat. .? ??!! . . a Seminole defender was shaking his helmet looking down
over me ….” NoT!”...
I got the message!!!… It was as if I had passed into the wrong fly zone. .it all happened
so fast like A Flash of Neon light ….i saw the #21 it was Deion Sanders the Seminole
free safety…. I came off the field and went over to K Farm an told “wow 21 is quick I
never even saw him ? I had never experienced that level of speed before... I think some
science is involved here Velocity =Mass X speed ?? …. Mr Saunders was definitely a
man amongst boys ………..our 2nd team offence missed the field goal …. They won
24- 0 That was a highlight in my football career tackled by Deion Sanders an amazing
athlete he was so fast what a honor to be on the field w him In that same game.
I was returning the kickoff in front of 75,000 i remember seeing the ball coming down
in slow mo...subconsciously protecting my dislocated finger I missed judged the ball

12. and it hit me in the face mask bounced up in the air they recovered it ran in the endzone
for a TD was i in a nightmare? ….it was halftime… coach Sim just looked down. I felt
bad for my Mom and Dad cheering in the stands
Traditionally UT was known for its tough Defensive w it's inspiring defensive coaches
Jim Yockey Tom Amstutz and Steve Gwin. Waynard Jones our Defense End he kept a
Bible in is practice pants His forearms were as big as my legs I had to try and stop him
when he was on a blitz... he ran on “spiritual power” wow how strong he was... he
crushed me every time. . what a great message he sent... I was honored to be humbled
by the Spirit. His younger backup Clarence Good was so scary to me he was African
American an had a tough mean edge i was intimidated by him he was outspoken rebel
in trouble sometimes but in the end i let go of my fear and he became a close friend he
calls me lil bro now .. its Good feeling
But UT’s TailBacks were known to carry the ball 40x a game wow and I loved to run the
ball so having that opportunity of running a lot was a reason that influenced my decision
to play for UT UT recruited some tough local football players from the Ohio areas Kelvin
Farmer a running back from Cleveland who I played behind until my senior year he was
the the 2nd leading rusher in the nation w 2000+ yards Dallas got him. AJ Sager 6-5
and Billy Bergan were our dueling QBs AJ was so talented he went to pitch for the San
Diego Padres now a Baseball commentary for the Toledo Mud Hens ! When I watched
the movie “Rudy” I fell out of my chair when I realized it was Billy Bergan under center
wow ! Same #5 and Bergan on the back of his ND jersey! What Great Guys AJ and Billy
i shared a apt with them for a year we had this great big huge corner couch we rented
we all gathered on after practice to kick back eat popcorn an watch sports
My senior year finally came and I was the Rockets starting TB now I can thank my Off
line for protecting me. Kenny Moyer my big OT 6-10 335 a brilliant Engineer was later
drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals (STATS). George Linberger was my bodyguard he
went to the detroit Lions he was my center we shared a house together where we
hosted “fight nite” 15-20 guys came over to watch the Mike Tyson fight and of course
have a few cold ones. .George was a Boxer also and had a couple pairs of 8oz gloves
in the house the testosterone level was high during the Tyson fight and somehow the
gloves came out after the fight a guys were sparing wow it was scary watching guys
weighing over 275 throw a punchs with 8oz gloves George fought Phil Brown first
KOing Phil in the 2nd round and went on to box professionally adding 25 more KOs to
his 29-9-1 record Winning the North American Championship even more impressive to
me is that now he is giving back to our future working with youth operating alternative
education programs in several schools that serve over 350 students The programs are

13. designed to help students with severe behavioral, emotional and academic issues
helping others help themselves. George Linberger super tough guy …..with some super
tough LOVE! Thanks G!
Rick Phelps he was a Linebacker from South Bend and Before I knew it we were
paired off to fight to box was decided that there would be 3 1 min rounds I was next in
the ring the energy was nuts the house was a big victorian style all the furniture was
pushed aside exposing the hardwood floors and the high victorian ceilings made it a
show time atmosphere Stevo was coaching me up wow I was scared and adrenaline
was kicking in someone yelled Ding! Rick was bigger than me @225lbs and we shuffled
around eying each other up.. we had faced each other many times on the field one on
one w backer blitzes I knew he had a wt adv I was only 190 we started w jabs but both
landing punches we both went into mad flurries and I got tagged a few times the
adrenaline raised I could see his big punches coming he cornered me and knocked me
down with a flurry to body and head I went down against the wall round 1 I think we had
a 2 min break I remember Steve looking into my eyes saying “he's ok” round 2 ..and
someone threw water on my face and I heard ding ! again we both again started right off
both landing shots to the head I caught Rick off balance and knocked him down into the
couch lucky it was round 3 again we all out brawled both landing shots beating each
other refusing to go down and so they separated us calling it a tie whew! “Fight Nite”
got shut down when Coach Sim heard guys were getting KO'd yea it was getting ugly
I loved track so i ran the 60m for Toledo during the winter indoor track season Track
people are cool people too so there i was in lane 3 right beside “the Rocket” Raghib
Ismail in lane 4 he was known as “The Rocket” on the ND football team because he
was their fastest guy I noticed him as we warmed up his focus was laser like oniy
looking down the track not even acknowledging anyone...lasor like straight
concentration before the start of the race and to the end of it …. Amazing at the Loftus
indoor track meet ….
The starter yelled . “runners set!…the mass adrenalin rush through my blood……. ...
bang ! the gun dig !! dig!! low and hard pull arms head down raise slowly..
Wow..already as i looked up I saw the bottom of “the Rocket’s” track spikes wow what
an explosive start he had ! never had I been so close to such quickness out of the
blocks !wow so I caught his drift as the 60m race was over before i knew it “The
Rocket” Raghib Ismail went on the qualify for the olympics in the men’s 4x100 relay
wow he was a Rocket I was so impressed and with ND facilities and its great athletic
tradition I found it refreshing being in a Catholic school that was so open embracing
Rahib ismail as a Muslim. Univ Toledo @ ND invitational in their new Loftus indoor

14. track facility I saved the program with my lane assignment next to “the Rocket” I did
shake his hand and congratulated him he was humble and gracious nodding back
Rodney Whitlow a wideout and was faster than me. My freshman roommate Renza
Hughley wasour punt returner a very toygh job! Rickey Isaiah now a minister in Akron
went to the NY Jets he was a wide out with another great athlete who religiously
blocked for me downfield when i ran the ball 30 + times Love my WR’s Romaldo Brown
they all had great hands and magic moves they all did a lot of awesome selfless team
player humble blocking for me downfield and even Joe Windover too I carried the ball
so much , ,35-40 x a game Thanks MEn!!
Craig Kuligowski my guard just moved from coaching the Mizzu Wildcats to now
coaching the D line for the Miami Hurricanes!! KOOOOOL! Bill Blazic my other OT I
caught up w on FB and the Olsen twins my guards local Toledo boys who I hope to
catch up with someday and our TEs Jerry Evans went to Seattle and good old Tyler
Burdick went to Tampa Bay Buccaneers we went on Spring break together down on
Anna Maria Island he's a southern wild guy 6-7 245 the only time I ever saw him
knocked down is when he got hit by a jellyfish wrapped around his neck he layed down
on the beach and said” it's hard to breath “….we called the life guard
Surviving Sunday mornings made me wonder how did Walter Payton remain so durable
and gain so many yards For me to be the TB @ UT i knew it would take a lot of hard
work in the wt room I was built more like a wide receiver tall 61 and lean 180lbs i was
very very lucky to have Coach Mannie to prepare me i put a bar on my back and did
squats he had a leg workout called the “filthy five “ he prepared me for the punishment
to carry the ball 40x a game Ever feel like you've been run over by a Mack truck ? well
that's how I felt after my first Saturday football game after being tackled 30xs I would've
never even survived as long as i did without the grueling weight room training ... guess
that's just normal for backs a total body beating …hands swollen bloody like hamburger
bruised ribs thighs dislocated broken fingers ankles twisted “just put a lil ice on it” our
Head Trainer Dave would say he was right it helped numb the pain and healed us faster
southern gentleman awesome healer I did contrast baths in whirlpool full of ice then a
hot one.getting rehab was mandatory so you could feel almost normal by thursday then
do it again on Sat physical mental
The Real toughness in a player comes out when we play in the freezing cold in Nov...
like @ Northern Illinois Univ with winds chills - below 0 and ice sicles on your facemask i
dislocated finger tips catching the frozen ball longjohns and layers it was tough i loved
summer practice 3x a days in the heat in August we had no indoor stadium like some of

15. the bigger schools nowadays have. . it was 90+ degrees smelting on the turf at midday I
didn't mind the heat so much but the cold took more mental toughness especially when
fingers dislocate catching a cold football ouch!
My 1st major injury came against Univ Temple it was our 3rd game of the season I was
avg 100 yards a game w35 carries a game I was a physical runner but I should of side
stepped that tackler but instead of lowering the shoulder to run him over … I dislocated
the rotator cup it was very painful I threw up in the huddle then took myself out wow on
a pain felt like a red hot shrapnel stuck in my shoulder I threw-up from the pain in the
huddle then took myself out what made it all worst was we should've won the game we
were going in for the winning score but fumbled on the ten it wasn't me.. whew! (
Temple PIC w Steve0 being a student athlete was tough too football starts at 100pm
and classes that all classes had time to be taken before or after 700pm I did learn to be
on time to classes it was embarrassing walking in late, and if we were late to a team
meeting we had to sit outside putting a dunce cap on... very effective
What really made me took me to the edge of my physical capabilities was the 5am
winter strength and conditioning program... directed by our Strength and Conditioning
Coach Ken Mannie that was toughest thing physically I ever experienced in my life,,
currently in 2016 He was awarded the Best Trainer in the Country the Strength Coach
of the Year He is at MSU now a Legend! Nick Saban wanted to take him to Alabama
and Bill Belichick wanted him at New England both tried to get him to train their teams
but he has taken root in Lansing MI loyal ask any of the student athletes they will tell
you Coach Mannie is the Man ! Doing his push ups @5 am I was lucky that he was in
my face 5yrs @ Toledo! motivating you on a every level. .he had that touch to take you
places you did not think you could go…. a real person... and family man but when we
train …. put on that face cuz it's time to go to work! an put out the buckets... especially
for the “filthy 5” a legendary leg workout Ken Mannie invented manual resistance
training I called it “Manny Resistance TM” he is Intensity Defined ! just survive the
workouts and If it doesn't kill you it only makes you stronger can definitely be said about
coach Mannie ! He motivated me to become a 3x Conditioning champion @ UT
teaching me dedication determination and toughness . I became a successful certified
personal trainer and thrived in the best gyms in the country in the mecca of trainers
Hollywood CA with some of the world's best trainers just by using what he taught me,,.
.and I thank you Coach for giving me all that tough love !
My second injury was a career ender just an unfortunate part of the game... I tore a
lower back muscle doing a twisting “up and over “ on the goalline for aTD against Ohio
U It was at the end of the game it was a cold and rainy night I was cold and tightening

16. up and wet soaked to the bone I was having a great game ended with 3TDs 110 yrds I
felt the muscle in my back pop as one guy twisted me one way and another guy twisted
me the other I got up from the pile unable to stand up straight I hunched off the field in a
lot of pain I knew sometime was seriously wrong I tried everything to recover over the
weekend hot cold contrast whirlpools massage motrin then But I had to practice for the
next game against U Miami Hurricanes... i couldn't go….. they were ranked #1 in nation
I wanted to run against Bennie Blades but practice it only made my back worse and if
you don't practice you don't play I could not go to Miami it was to painful no practice no
travel that was the rule I was done after 7 games end of my senior year …Astroturf was
still evolving in the 80s but I knew that it was especially hard when frozen it felt like
playing on asphalt and was when the sun was shining it was hot I can still see the 3’
heat waves rippling over it I believe the turf had taken its toll on my body from all the
days of practicing and playing games getting tackled on it BUT luckily I can still
remember to mention the brain bruising too the helmet to helmet collisions that
happened daily “ bangin heads” it was called getting your bell rung sometimes seeing
stars it all was just part of the game and throw some head butts just for fun ? iand after
a game at the bar if you won that night!?… Free Pitchers
A day I will never forget in Kalamazoo Michigan it was a on cold windy November day
w wind chill @ sub 0 yes testing your mental toughness I was a Soph a “redshirt
freshman” I my reverse play was called I hear “Rohrs in at slot!” my heart grew…...
Kelvin Farmer our starter TB @nd leading rusher in the nation took the pitch sweep and
runs stretching the d of course everyone flows to him I come around top speed from the
other direction and he flips the ball in stride I run for the corner of the endzone “the
promised land” but I can still feel a presence Running with me down the line ...it was
John Offerdahl the LB chasing me on the reverse he wasn’t fooled he dove at my heels
w his arms extended he was pisssed off I felt his fingers claw across my shins just as I
stepped into the corner endzone!!! We won that game and I scored my 1st TD in college
against JO. That year Offerdahl was drafted and played linebacker for the Miami
Dolphins and was named All Pro. He was a tough. . it was a tough game in the freezing
cold in Kalamazoo!
In practice When the offense struggled or I blew an assignment Coach Simrell would go
off yelling at me I think I was his whipping boy ROooooHRSssssss!! I just listened... I
always remember the advice my running back coach gave me one day “Hey if a coach
isn't yelling at you then get worried ….because then he doesn't care ”... I guess It was
“tough love” from Coach Simrell ok my skin definitely got a little thicker and tougher.
Thanks Coach Simrell he went on to coach @ Finley College in Ohio and then to Italy to

17. win Super Bowls in the World Football League.. Amazing !! I called him up once for a
recommendation and a Big Caio ! Molto Beni! ! (Find out where now)
My running back Coach Paul Winters a great coach and person also. He brought out
the best in me HE Is Head Coach for the Wayne State University Warriors in Detroit
Mich leading a winning football program He was an inspiration in my life making football
fun an a reason why I love the game! Go Warriors!
The summer before my 5th year I was “Going Back to Cali” to my Aunt Jo’s and Uncle
George’s house I invited myself and they graciously took me into their beautiful home in
William, S Hart State Park located in the hot dry canyons of Southern CA I needed take
a college credit and work, train/ rehab the shoulder and back injuries I was fortunate
that I could do it all there and a great opportunity to visit with my family. Because I was
injured I failed a class and dropped another so I needed the hours to graduate on time I
had to make up some hours to be eligible to play for my 5th year of football Football
was “the toughest job I ever loved” and i'd do it all again …even if. 25 years later i'm still
trying to heal up that dislocated rotator cuff on my right shoulder being in water
swimming and surf paddling in Hawaii for 10 years helped it heal, my lower back and
knee both lost mobility from scar tissue. 12ys of contact football and countless
concussions ..I still love the game..
Education was never a race to me because there was so much in life to experience and
with ball and training being a student an athlete in College to me was a challenge
especially managing time When I moved acrossed the Street from my duplex apt on
Greenway Rd to split rent with a bunch of Toledo Baseball players they had a wall of
fame you could writing anything you want on the wall and I wrote “Education is not a
Race” my buddy Kevin Barr just texted me “ Education is not a race “ reminding me yea
education never ends. .and sent a pic of that house we shared Kevin was on the
Toledo Baseball team a scrappy infielder from Athens ,Ohio He reminds me of the
shortstop in the movie “42” that hugged Jackie Robinson so all his friends could see. we
caught up and went to coffee in Sarasota where we talked about the good times in that
house wow Kevin is now the Strength and Conditioning Trainer for the Tampa Bay Rays
helping them to win a World Series ! and Thanks for those tics Cuz! I showed my 8th
grade Team Sports class the movie I saw their jaws drop when Jackie got called every
racist name at the plate I never knew how strong he was not to lash back out Amazing
baseball player and man!
I looked out at my Aunt Jo’s and Uncle George’s beautiful pool and saw a roadrunner
on the deck and then a huge American Bison appeared roaming the hill just a stone's

18. throw away to me incrediably big 7’ emmense it was great to be surrounded by nature
living in William S. Hart State Park a famous cowboy .. Time to run the canyon with the
rattlesnakes i heard them in the bushes I was lucky i took a super cool Geology class
at College of the Canyons we ended up visiting 4 different national parks in CA which
was part of the lab I loved doing the doing hands on research I loved camping in the mts
of Yosemite and desert of Death Valley we sure Learned about quartz and felspar..
very hands on.
Riding w my Unk George to work at his record company in his Jaguar on the 405 LA
freeway was great an quite an eye opening experience I learned about a lot of things
outside my fb world from my Uncle George who is a genius his son my “cuz” Rick
was my summertime buddy along with his big sister Chris when they came to visit us
down on the farm in OHIo He was a couple years older and we all had a lot of fun
together on the family farm PICs in LA Rick was the foreman at their distributing Co.
warehouse CRDI he went to University Idaho and Univ of Colorado and busted
broncos a real cowboy My cuz!
Rick and his wife Kathy were super great hosts to me while i was in LA I loved the
classic Stetson cowboy hat they gave me up with a and helped me w my style picking
out some new sc clothes plus having the coolest music we got to meet some of the
artists they distributed and one weekend we went to see a Aswad reggae concert at the
Palace in HollyWood it was amazing to me my Cali cuz was a lot of fun!. ‘we worked
hard in the record warehouse and on friday Rick would buy Corona beers for all the
even with lime si senor! the mexican people were an inspiration to me with their hard
working ethic and Mexican food was my fav muy bueno Gracias Señor Rick para total!
!..
I came back to U of Toledo for My 5th year l my brutal job as tailback was over a
couple younger backs stepped up Neil Trotter “Trotting: and Arnold Smiley took over
the reins Barry Sanders type runners low and quick but I got to return kickoffs and
played some slotback so I was lucky... no more beatings and luckily concussions no
mas. Dan Simrell got fired but I was grateful to be coached by some the greatest
coaches from “the Cradle of Coaches” in Ohio. The University of Toledo hired Nick
Saban as Head coach w Ken Mannie still as Strength coach tried for MAC Champs
!……...HOLY TOLedO!!!!
( Add fb post coach of the year ).
(The Toledo Blade article )

19. I was beat up My body was needing some physical rehabilitation.. the brutality of 5
years college football blood sweat and tears it had definitely had taken its toll on my
body .. a shoulder and back injury needing healing from falling on hard astroturf.
wow I can only imagine how professional football players bodies feel after they finish
their careers i was lucky i had just played at the college level college football was def
the toughest part of my life... physically tough, mentally tough going to practice and
class was a grind.. but I loved the game i loved it..
After the season I was given a 3 day tryout from the Pittsburgh Steelers at the try out I
lost a few steps from not running my best 4.3 40 i also lost some strength too w the
injuries...I knew it was over…. . I graciously took the Steelers T shirt when they said
“Good Luck” Maybe you should try the World Football League it may be for you?”
Playing in Europe sounded fun.. I thought of it … the travel… but my body said ‘nope’
and..my mind said ‘ it's just not the same as the NFL’s big BIG $$$ aaaaahhh !!’ “Go
Big or Go Home “ ... right? like the Hawaiians say .. so done with ball I hung up the
cleats... . well I got the STEELERS t- shirt ! Grateful for the try out and and always
grateful to the game it taught me so much it was tough…. but i loved it . I think I saw the
Steelers shirt somewhere ? I think Dad used it for to clean some tools in the garage...
He is a die hard Cleveland Browns fan, Cincinnati Bengals fan Indians fan loved that
World series of 108 years for the Cubs ,Cavs Fan ,Ohio State Buckeye Fan ,Toledo
Rocket fan, Wauseon Indians fan all Ohio sports fan all the way.
full of information from hours of college classes... a little bruised mind from
concussions but i still had some sense left ..Ever see the Will Smith movie?.. I am lucky
Football had became my life i loved the comradery of my teammates it was intense
going into battle together we had to trust each other Since grade school we always took
a knee for the Lord's prayer before each game .. My spirit was moved from the blood,
sweat and tears and brotherhood shared w my teammates ... but …. it still … felt i
needed more………. i needed to go on a “soulful mission”
It was my QB that told me about the the PC “, my bro Steve Keene” Keeno” a Ohio
Bucyrus boy was a pro type QB 6 4 born leader plus a musical genius he had a little
studio in his Mom Dad’s house His Dad played the banjo in a bluegrass band Steve
could play acoustic and electric guitar, piano, drums and could sing from the heart He
covered the Beatles like …. “Black Bird .” ” ... at weddings when he sang and would
make people cry! He had soul and a success w 3 beautiful kids and a beautiful wife
Mindy and a athletic daughter with 2 young boys we hang when i'm in Toledo .every
time..we were playing in a over 40 flag football league and Keeno can still throw that
great post pass!

20. So i can not forget the day i committed to the PC yes w a little help from my friend in
the name of Love it was on a cold grey overcast March day still brainstorming our
post football futures... we were writing love songs to our girlfriends in Steve music
studio .. Steve said , ” “Hey Rohrsy... why don't you join the Peace Corps.?.. It’s a
“noble thing .“ I said volunteer and help people in need i wonder for for how long ? Its
2 for years You . travel to an exotic place and and maybe you will met miss right?” ...
.”..ok…. I’m there ! “ I picked up the phone and called up the US Peace Corps
recruiting office the closest one was in Motown Detroit Steve played the song “In the
name of Love” by U2
I booked a interview with a recruiter for the next day i remember i drove my Toyota
corolla in the freezing rain and snow listening to a mix Bob Dylan’s Poetic
expressions the times they are a changing ..and “$ doesn't talk it swears” love him
and his Tombstone blues”lyrics and some GD singing “cold rain and snow “ Janis
Joplin with my windshield wipers keepin time w Bobby Mcgee I needed to do
something meaningful in my life i needed to volunteer … by serving others try to
make a difference maybe I could stop always thinking about I and think of others first
end my party party party gluttonous ways … yea and i think i had to realize how good
i had it here in the US to appreciate it i needed to learn about the rest of the world . I
always kept a globe w me wherever I went...
After the interview Now came the application process and I found out about how it all
works to be able to serve in the US PC first you fill out an application to be accepted
and it pretty competitive who gets picked I basically had to write my life bio .all My
strengths... my experiences, , my life background my rural background but wow 2 years
away from home in a different culture made me realize it's gonna be a real commitment!
After the 6 month interview period I qualified as a Health Educator in the Republic of
Yemen!!!I’ll always remember the recruiter telling me that Yemen is the toughest place
to live in the World to live. Sounds like a challenge.. I thought After more researching
of Yemen in the library I found out it's a Along way from Ohio and a whole lot different
too… but cool I was ready to embrace some diversity celebrate it and bring it back
home
God had a master plan for me .. naaaa i wasn’t going pro ..but . he had blessed me
another way by helping to Graduate! Yes A miracle ha A degree would allow me to
join the Peace Corps. I GRaduated w a BA in Education and a minor in Health ...I even
made the dean's list when i closed out my last quarter w a 4.0 in student teaching in
the field of Physical Education... whew ! I had a blast w those 8th graders playing floor

21. hockey! Education was not a race for me I found myself experiencing a lot of different
people and as much diversity as i could in college . I partied in Bowling Green Ann
Arbor Columbus Cincinnati and Kent State “4 dead in Ohio” Crosby Stills Nash and
Young . I found The University Of Toledo a very mixed multicultural school so i felt
fortunate to met people from all over the world during school and football a kicker
named Wa Vue was from Laos Wheres is Laos..? i looked on my globe and did some
research A Lot of us don't know about the war there at the same time as Vietnam
(something's happening here stop what what's goin down ?” song?by? ,,,,and after i
learned what happened i was amazed that Wa Vue had treated me so kind . Steve I
went to his family wedding party i felt like i was a Honored guest and wow the food as
great sharing another's cultures food sitting down and eating together is so bonding so
respectful so human They had a lil pig w a apple in its mouth what a feast how nice
everyone was . LOve the Laoasians!!
Frank Igrec was another kicker he had Croatian heritage he was super positive funny
and a hard worker but he wasn't to sure of me dating his beautiful sister Maria from our
arch rival school Bowling Green Univ she was tall and a great smile and personality . I
learned about the Croatian people and their heritage i won’t forget her.
In football my position @ Running back gave me a great opportunity to be introduced
to the African American heritage and some of its toughest athletes who dominated the
position . I love the movie “Remember the Titans “ a true story so inspiring to me
about highschool integration in the 70’s bringing a racially mixed football team
together to play as one team .showing the courage of individuals “trusting the soul of a
man rather than the color of their skin” a line from the white assistant coach,.....
epic!!!
‘Leadership reflects attitude’ one of the African American players said to his white
Captain another epic line ! On disciplinary action the team ran to the cemetery one
early morn in the foggy mist of Gettysburg , PA. and looked at all the tombstones ‘This
is where the land once bubbled red with blood, brothers killing brothers more men had
died there than any other war in history of the world Denzel Washington the head
coach said “We can learn from the dead…. because if we all don’t come together
…..this is what happens “ loved that scene The Movie reflected the positive power of
how sports can transcend perceived and ingrained differences. The 60’s soundtrack
music was so right on too! my 8th grade PE students were moved Inspired! A big
Thanks to epic Producer Jerry Bruckheimer cast and crew . music CCR

22. During school years of the 80’s I tred and break through the racial barriers . My first
college dorm roommate was Renza Hugely l a African American a WR we hung out
alot with my running back teammate Kelvin Farmer also African American they
became my close friends brothers on an off the field. I took them both home to my
hometown of Wauseon..they both kinda joked.. “Are we safe here ?” wow...i thought
putting myself in in their shoes of being a minority in a all white town . Mom made us
feel comfortable and cooked some dinner and we had a good time loved the real
soulful laughter from my new brothers I felt uneasy seeing separated unmixed dining
tables on our team at training table so.. I took a seat and was graciously always well
accepted I went to college parties w K Farm where I stuck out like a light bulb I loved
the positive reception of acceptance and the love I received from everyone
A multicultural seed had been planted in my soul…. now i needed to let it grow team
sports unites people no matter race, color .religion it about working together for a
common goal it fueled my mind and spirit i needed to move on in that direction Body,
Mind and Spirit was my personal motto it's how i tried to operate throughout my a
high school and College sports careers but when football had come to an end and the
5 years of fighting for the Gold and Blue Rocket Football was over it had become my
big family and physical toughness had become part life but now it was time to get a
new life and i think the spiritual toughness part of my life was still yet to be tested
My campus neighbor Mike was mixed heritages his father from Barbados African he
was the ambassador to the U.S his mom was from London English white. A big ball of
Blond dreads hung from his head covering his whole face with his English accent..
through his dreads he would pull them from his face to look out and say “Early on Mon
" instead of ”Later on Man” he was Living Positivity he was studying international
business and what a great cook too making some mean Jamaican jerk chicken and
other great food from the Caribbean brothef Mike mon
The British Dollimore brothers Andy and Phil from Manchester ,England were always
inviting me for a “Spot of Tea mate?” what class and manners so damn polite! they
lived above me in our Greenway Duplex They were brilliant studying engineering and
super cool neighbors Playing European versions of techno reggae.. that's when I heard
Peter Tosh for the first time. The song “ Get Up Stand up Stand Stand up for your
Rights”
The campus bar down the street from us was called "The Pig " with Middle Eastern
owners “”Habibi “ ” I love you!” they would say at last call.. “Go home Make babies " I
was intrigued by their lifestyle and stories about the Middle East…. my international

23. friends…. ! My 1st girlfriend was a Lebanese girl Janie she was a track girl who ran the
100m and 200m in the same league she was beautiful w olive skin rich black hair and
big green eyes with the melting smile and perfect body ouch i was “in love” we dated
and we trained together and spent a lot of time working on our form together over my
highschool years i think of the song by Bob Seger “Night Moves” ..” She used me.. i
used her.. neither one cared “ i'm sad it ended with jealousy and me fighting other
guys... my friends saw her out at the club with another guy i went to the club to see if it
was true yep i was done… the 1st time my heart broke but i had to take it to the
parking lot i was alone to brave from the 3 long island ice teas in me he brought a
friend i was bigger but before i could get in a punch his friend hit me in the back of the
head he grabbed me by the collar i think a pro hockey technique ? after a half dozen
hits to my head i hit the pavement and that left a big scrape on my face and an shiner
too I learned a couple lessons the hard way don’t drink before you fight especially pro
hockey players ...and just don't fight ... Violence is never the answer! LoVe IS you
dummy!! It was embarrassing when the fb team found out I hoped to see a experience
much of the world as I possibly could in my short life and why not? try to help others
help themselves along the way? it would be a win win in the PC and Hopefully God
would guide me to fill my soul with his purpose for my life? i prayed for that!
After Living 5 yrs in that tight family football brotherhood now i started getting out and
hanging out with the other UT students that lived in the neighborhood around me on “
Greenway Rd” they came to be kind of family too a sharing tribe of ” hippies” a lot
were following the Grateful Dead band around on tours... living the movement to revive
the spirit of the 60’s. Dokk’s apt was on on Greenway he was a tough hockey player he
never wore shoes even in the cold Ohio winter just some Teva Sandals he had a great
ear for the best music he would spin my globe and you had to imagine going to live
wherever he put his finger One day Dokk just said , “ ok bro . we're going on summer
tour w the Dead !” “You'll like JFK what a great show to start with” He was a tour
veteran. That night in our apt he put a big bose speaker next to my head while I was
passed out on the floor it was the “Infrared Red Roses CD” a GD disk he put on repeat
its instrumental only... space & drums..so. it played over and over all nite til morning ”
that's how I became a “Deadhead” I was brainwashed ! So i got on tour and caught a
ride with my bro Drew in his VW bus i was grateful to be a rider on board to
Washington DC our Capital w some tour vets i sat in the back grooving to the best live
music boots i ever heard of the GD and other blues bands wow Drew knew good music
too I heard my first US Blues it was there closing song I saw Dokk saw at the
campfire dancing around the drummers after the show I loved when my bro Dokk
would say “Never look down on a person unless you are helping them up. “ Thanks

24. Dokk you were there to help me up.Dokk was studying to be a music engineer his real
name Carlisle and yes he loved the ladies..
Yea man we dug the hippie girls because they were really kind and natural. I got my
first “miracle” a free ticket to the show @ Deer Creek by a real kind sister...she was
beautiful inside and out Cassy had given the ticket to a cool old hippy guy and then he
gave it to me when I went inside she showed up in the seat beside me just before the
first song “rain” we sat together during the show then danced in the rain wow i was in
LOVe ! I was humbled by her kindness and soft generosity what a amazing beautiful
woman and show i learned It is all about love and giving/sharing with others the
music message with psychedelic bluegrass roots the folk rock that went right to your
soul you could feel it man incredible !
The GD band had the longest strangest trip of the 60’s. They were the psychedelic
era’s most beloved musical ambassadors as well as most enduring survivors
..spreading their message of Peace and Love across the globe for 3 decades. Music's
most devoted followers the “Deadheads” are legends in their own right The Grateful
Dead became Superstars solely on their own terms..... tie dies and free form live shows
were the rites of passage for an extended family of listeners who knew no cultural
boundaries which i was drawn to I met some l kind. intellectual compassionate ..” love
your brother and sister “ folks I liked the fact that most were Earth Conscience and
humanitarians I always loved looking at a globe ...that big blue spinning Ball we call
earth “Eyes of the World” lyrics
Steve warned me “Don't get on the purple bus”... but I didn't listen and Before I knew it
I was headed to see my next show…. my mom said I looked like Jesus with my long
hair and birkenstock sandals On our way to the show we really did come across a
purple school bus it was broken down on the highway we stopped we went and got
them some gas and i got invited to ride on the bus to the show i met some really nice
very hairy hippies onboard playing Jimi Hendrix “Are you experienced ?” “Purple Haze”
and .. “Voodoo Chile…” and of course i remember grooving to the GD song ” Going
Down the road feeling bad “
Summer tour was on! after the Epic show in Deer Creek ,Indiana with Cassy dancing
in the rain songs and drums and space we then loaded up my bro’s Frank’s orange
Volvo station wagon to go further on to Blossom Music Center tucked into beautiful
Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Richfield., Ohio we had a dome tent to camp in it
was full a pile of friends sharing a Amazing summer rain “Rain “ and “ Sugar

25. Magnolia” My friend Brian was a taper and he gave me a live tape of that show I could
hear myself yelling in the background so epic !
my family and close friends at school gave me more peer approval about volunteering
for PC my bro Kelvin said “ yea it's so good to see the world and give back to
humanity”, Dokk’s buddy Kelvin was a cool guy i admired for his brash style he was
Australian he could drink pretty good too and had a strong character always speaking
his mind His dad was my WSI instructor DR MAc ! I had a feeling Kelvin would be a
success and he was.. he did all the digital effects for the movie “Fast and Furious 7“
now living with his beautiful family in LAin the movie biz.
.
One nite at an after hours party at Dokk’s w the Rivermen the 60’s cover band that was
packing every bar they played in Toledo Frankie’s was their regular sellout Thursday
night gig on the East side next to the Maumee River i was a groupie and I felt lucky i
had the opportunity to discussed w the band about joining the PC they have become
like a family my bro’s Jim,Joe and Jeremy (on his own now ??) , my Athens bro Drew
married Michelle who sang like Janis Joplin they were all a positive influence on my
decision to join the PC. ​Jim and Joe’s Mom Carol gave me a dairie to take with me to
Yemen which i could write down my events at the end of each day . the Mclean
BRotherS Jim and Joe were good friends next door neighbors great athletes and
musicians Jim played rhythm guitar in the Band Joe played guitar too out on his own
now an activist we jammed on drums at some Dead shows Rhythm is Life it was good
time so I wrote in that dairy on the Red Sea usually about my fav things and events at
the end of the day usually while watching the sun drop from on top of my roof rage
swinging in the hammock in the ocean breeze pics ...some notes vague but some w
details which became the Red Sea Dairies.
My college football teammate Rick Phelps supported my PC mission and he thought it
was good idea to serve and volunteer that was the ND in him he was a great
student/athlete and always being on the cutting edge of computer technology a great
communicator now working in The Big Apple NY City My friends opinions were
important to me Rick’s Dad Richard “Digger” Phelps was Head Coach for the ND
Fighting Irish Coach Phelps was influential to me on making my decision too Rick took
me in the locker room to sit in and listen to a couple halftime speeches of Coach
Phelps what a motivator a brilliant coach a player’s coach His dedication to make
sure that all his players graduated was awesome that really impressed me and
reminded me the importance of graduation He was a renaissance man with a great
art collection and had great style in his choice of suits He wrote me a recommendation
for me to the Peace Corp Rick introduced me to his mom a professor at ND teaching

26. law she was very nice and a great cook. I also met some of the players on the ND
basketball and football team at a sunday brunch at the Phelps house Tim Brown , David
Rivers and Alonzo Mournings it was a family uniting feeling. I was also grateful to
receive references from my teacher and track coach Charlie Meyer and my football
Coaches Dan Simrell and Larry Fruth too all took time.., great my background check
cleared, a college diploma a prerequisite the time I was Taking 2 Grad school courses
@ Univ Toledo ` World Health and COmmunity Health with so many years of college I
felt I was becoming a ‘professional student’ and a bit over school but Dad inspired me
to stay on track because he was a County Health Sanitarian for over 25 yrs He can tell
some stories about restaurant hygiene and clean water supply .
AJ Sager and Billy Bergan the QBs during my freshman year and my bro Steve
Keene battled back a forth for the starting QB position later as a senior @ UT Mark
Melfi who threw me my longest TD out of the backfield 67 yds I can't forget that one ...
when big Tyler Burdick picked me up in the endzone and bust my chin open ...we
celebrated as blood ran down my neck...so fitting but Steve my bro really convinced
me and i'll never forget those words “ Hey Rohrsey why not Join the Peace Corps ?
“I'm going for it ! over and over that echoed in my head. I had started the application
6month process. I still needed to get a recommendation from our Ohio state senator
and I did ( TaFt Bob? name)
i needed to do some hands on action work serve humanity and feel the unity of
friendship the kind i felt in sports …I wanted to help the world i searched my soul I
know God had a plan for me to go on a mission w the PC. in Yemen,,. I had gotten
physically tough in football with Coach Simrell and Coach Mannie Strengthening me
Physically and College had prepared me Mentally writing papers and taking exams
earning that BA...i was going from the “Cradle of Coaches” to the “Cradle of civilization
“ sew seeds of love uniting people, coexisting, embracing differences. Opening my
heart and mind soul to a Soul Mission I wasn't sure about the Middle East because it
was desert and there were wars there which was shown in tV and the media. It
seemed maybe a little dangerous even on my globe I never had noticed Yemen ! but
now I did ! I should've payed more attention in history! The 2 key words that stood out
during the interview process with my recruiter were Red Sea and beaches ?? now
where exactly is Yemen ...? It has Beaches sunsets boats warm salt water... hummm??
ok Yemen is toughest place in the world to live . perfect . I liked that ! Just 14 degrees
north of the equator w some warm weather too ?
Yemen is a Muslim country heard from my recruiter the Yemeni people are very kind
and and known for their kind hospitality throughout the Middle East and embraced

27. current PC Volunteers i would have to confess my faith almost daily because of the
Yemenis curiosity of a westerner speaking Arabic Ok that's understandable “Anta
Muslim? I would be asked many times .. i felt uncomfortable sometimes being different
I had to understand that this was God's plan for me. I was not different at all we are all
one .. I would reply “Wahead Allah’ (One God )“ as a suitable answer God was
working in his mysterious ways opening my my heart and spirit to love all of his children
strengthening my faith and accepting the Yemenis faith and coexisting to unite us
like “The Greatest “ i was touched by Muhammad Ali when he said “We all have the
same one God ...we just serve him a little different “ and like Bob Marley who wrote the
song ”One Love “ Let's get together and feel alright “
Serving in the US Peace Corps and going to Yemen was a blessing in disguise for me
. . many good people helped me to make the decision so it couldn't be wrong . I have
to dedicate this book to all them... Starting with my Parents always supporting me in
my decisions no matter what..hey let me live and learn and i learned some things the
hard way but i learned,. A Big ThankYou ! to ALL the People family and friends for
helping make the Peace Corps a reality to me !I really had a great opportunity to go to
a country that needed me and i them.I Went “ In the Name of Love . You Win with
People.. ‘
Chp 2
Rohrs Family Farm
As i sat in the window seat on the fast train traveling heading east from Paris i was
coming into the Southern German countryside headed to Zurich Switzerland to work
with a modeling agency there and i had met a Swiss Miss in Paris who lived iin Zurich
she was nice i loved her Swiss accent we both would beworking together i drank a
couple glasses of wiine and enjoyed the beautiful counrty side view we were
approaching the Alps it was a blurr out the window but if i looked a little closer i
pictured the name HERMAN FREDRICK ROHRS written on the big white barns going
by ?? what? It looked just like his barn the shape the style the architecture of the
landscapes the similarities and the barns and houses they all looked the same as the
ones back in Ohio.. same as the Rohrs Family farm! I was going 70mph looking out

28. the train window face pressing against the glass window wow i think I had found my
roots!! this is here my people come from !. i just took it all in ….all the similar details of
the farms in southern Germany on the boarder w Switzerland amazing
..My Grandfather Herman and Grandmother Elma took great pride landscaping their
grounds around the farmhouse it always looked perfect and manicured the colorful
Tulips accented the garden ,the Red Roses Gramma grew strong with eggshells
always sprinkled around them for calcium , colorful wild flowers, Daisies and the
classic row of giant Sunflowers green shrubbery trimmed perfectly the long driveway
was lined by 80 year old huge 60’ oak trees and at the end I tire swing hung from a
thick branch by the house That's where we ended our work day under the cool shade of
the big oaks Grandpa had a lawn chairs and we would sit talk about the weather how
he could feel it in his bones and the crops and animals sipping a cold German beer or
my fav cream soda and it always tasted better after a good day of chores
Gram always kept stocked sweet cream soda in the icebox because it was my fav
how sweet I enjoyed going out to the farm you could always find some peace and quiet
on the 80 archers This is where I learned how to care for animals we loved our pigs and
took care of them humanely i learned how to sow seeds and tend the crops we could
almost watch the field corn grow past 12’ tall we ran through and played hide and seek..
soybeans too they were big and bushy 4’ and the amazing garden with almost every
vegetable you could name Grandma and Grandpa grew. growing up around my
grandparents farm in NW Ohio growing food working hard with my mom dad harvesting
the corn and beans pulling weeds on my knees staying close to mother earth what a
blessing ..You eat by the sweat of your brow (/bible verse ) /?
Just like my Grampa & Gramma Rohrs they feed 3 families giving and giving with their
75 year old garden and fruit orchard of red apples green apples pears peaches and
plums all canned so we could enjoy throughout the winter not surprising G Rohrs lived
105 years Gramma 98 yrs. RIP “Live Long and Prosper !” Spock
It was a family effort with the harvesting but Alma and Herman did most of the
tending the planting watering fertilizing but the harvesting.was shared by all and so was
the abundant yields from the garden my grandparents grew such a variety of
vegetables bushel baskets full of everything that could feed 3 families plus do canning
They loved their land fertilizing w nitrogen rich pig manure which helped to give
Incredibly healthy yields and tending by hand wo any chemicals i remember the bushel
baskets full of ears of white sweet corn, we all would sit and husk , the tomatoes we

29. picked ,the potatoes we dug w a pitch fork and many more vegetables acorn squash.
pumpkin for the pies
I really loved the strawberries in the summer picking them by the quart in the back 4
acres of 80 more acres of soybeans Grandpa and I had to sometimes get down our
knees to pull the weeds where they were too thick to hoe harvesting the field corn in the
fall with dad at night in the combine was fun Once I got to help my grandpa deliver a
farrow of 12 + piglets from a sow in freezing temps in mid winter Herman kept around 8
sows and a big boar and 50 some feeders I gathered eggs from the chicken coop The
pigs had free range to root an be pigs he gave them ½ acear to roam chickens to could
roam freely I swam in the cows old watering tank on hot summer days the fresh cold
well water felt so good we keep as glass by the pump for a cold drink I learned how to
care for animals my friends had Horses sheep and goats
my cuz Rick and I went “fishing for pigs” we would open up the trap door in the barn
then lower down a ear of corn tied with twine rope that we would lasso em by their snout
the little feeder pigs loved it they were having as much fun as we were but we sure
stirred up the manure that good old fertilizer that we put on the fields good old nitrogen
Gramps said that was the smell of $ Working on the farm hoeing weeds in the
soybean field pics was my summer job as a kid 5$/ hr plus lunch with grandma and her
home cooked Meals yum yum apple strudel sweet corn pork chops w mashed potatoes
and gravy homemade bread radishes asparagus sweet potatoes sauerkraut w fresh
Spring water from the well green salad fresh out the garden county cooking can't beat it
Zurich was amazing...
CHP 3
Malama’Aina
Malama ‘aina means to care for and nurture the land so one day it can give back to you
all you need to sustain life for you and your future generations. To live in harmony
respecting the aina land One of the wisest things ever uttered by man I believe happens
to be the Hawaiian state motto “Ua mau Ke e ka I ka aina pono “ "the Life Of the Land is
perpetuated in Righteousness" which means to me that if you take care of their land it

30. will take care of youOne of the wisest things ever spoken by man is the Hawaiian State
Motto “Ua Mau Ke eka ika pono…”The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness”
Revolution for healing the earth must take place ! We are victims of a broken system
but we can fix it for the good like in Woody Harrelson and his YOUtube Docs on
“UNSlave Humanity “and “the power of th e consumer “ activists on Global Warming
/Climate change and All those thinking about the future of our children and the planet
and All earth conscious people doing the little things like reducing recycling reusing
mahalos!
My Grandparents lives were a little similar to the Hawaiian and the American Indians by
the simple way they thought of family and others first and took care of and respected
the land and animals The main thing my parents friends and my Ohana had in
common was that they all were always sharing all the food they grew an canned or
fresh with all the family and friends ...giving unconditional thinking of others first…this
to me is also love and in Hawaii it's called Malama ‘Aina Nurture the Land we must
stop and fight against Climate change ! we can’t deny the facts Fossil Fuels /Co2 has
gotta go!.. Hello .it is not sustainable !:?!?!/ it's gonna run out but before it simple to
me let’s take action ...create clean solar energy grid an create some new jobs
building it it can be done we can go solar, wind, water more reusable energy sources ..
it must take place for our future... for our children .. pics say a thousand words so my
class in Kauai@Kapaa Middle School 7th/8th grade made a collage of pictures to
express Global Warming for a end year Project pics I tried Living sustainably in Hawaii
Maui Kauai to Malama the Aina give back care for the land instead of leaving a mark i
tried reducing reusing and recycling..eradicating envasive plant species pick up trash
where ever you seee it just go to the landfills you see what i mean Education youth
was my job as a teacher i shared all i could with my students and hey taught me a lot
too they shared their ALOHA! “Over the Rainbow” Iz a Great Hawaiian musical artist
.Song by Israel Kimaka ?? “Over the Rainbow
Chp 4
City of Brotherly LOvE

31. Philadelphia PA 7/8/92
After the 3 days in Philly the hot informative initiation meetings of ​Staging ​were finally
over and our PC crew had to unwind a bit. Of course i met a girl during the events and
already had a crush on her she was looking like a cross of Salma Hayek and Penelope
Cruz i couldn't guess her ethnicity but her tan brown skin an black hair big brown eyes
an positive vibe was everything i loved in a woman Karen was her name she was well
traveled international intellectual and confident sexy and bubbly cute too i couldn't wait
to see her sometime out in a more casual circumstance i was hoping it was tonight @
our party . My roommate Dave and I went​ ​all out hosting our “exit USA party” w beer
and pizza and movie we both invited everyone of the 38 volunteers 30 of which were
women ...the excitement grew and I started to get this feeling that by leaving my corn
fields of O -h-I-O in the good old USA I just might be on the brink of experiencing a eye
opening epic experience in my life? !!
what stood out most to me from the meetings was the fact that Yemen was said to have
some friendly generous people but also be the most toughest place on earth to live
because of its extreme weather, terrain During the event we learned how poor of a
country Yemen was having one of the the highest infant mortality rates in the world.. I
learned that traditionally women do the majority of the raising of the children...
homemaking.. nursing and the men work running small shops others do construction
become mechanics ,Doctors , teachers or fisherman and farmers some grow qat and
some many try to just survive their country is very very poor …coffee had been a main
export 500 years ago now trade routes have changed and Yemen is struggling for a
number of other reasons too (research ) I realized how important it was for us to be
there And how lucky to be in such a beautiful and exotic place and how different the
people the culture and religion how rugged and diversified the landscape was We
learned a lot about cultural sensitivity, Arabic language skills, health and survival skills
it was a lot of good info to process over the 3 days it was a lot but went by fast .
time to relax and reflect the upcoming event about to happen in our lives …. LoVe and
compassion is what we will taking to Yemen from the City of Brotherly LoVe “ In
the Name of Love” U2 Together we will plant some seeds of friendship and LOVE
Love Love… a soul mission from the heart .
I had to run up the 72 steps to the Rocky Statue before the entrance of the Philadelphia
Museum of Art i was singing “dah dah dah da dah da” the Rocky tune as i looked up at
the bronze statue of the immortalized hero I was motivated i remember how he fought
for his wife Adriann” for Love passion it drives us to do wonderful things .. and i was

32. hungry to do something good my stomach growled when i smelled the steak an onions
a mile a way so i why not top off my Philly adventure with a classic steak and cheese
i ran back down to a little stand i enjoyed every last bite ummm I walked off the steak
and cheese I was stoked and thirsty from out walking those cobblestone streets in July.
I visited the Liberty Bell imagining it ringing its sound of FREEDOM !!!!!!when our
founding fathers lived “the Spirit of 1776” Where it All started “We the People”
establishing a gov “by the People for the People “. People! people! people !!!!!I
remembered back to 1976 when I was 12yrs proud to wear red, white and blue striped
bell bottoms converse kicks w a thick leather belt old we celebrated America’s
Bicentennial and I heard a Liberty Bell ring loud and proud . It was a good walk through
the streets of Philly ..
Now Americans must show decency , grace and compassion and much Love! live up
to their ideals in the constitution to become even greater together a united America...
we the people can and will rise ! 240 yrs ago we can't forget the so many veterans
that fell for Liberty!!!!….​“ fighting for One Nation under God indivisible with Liberty
and Justice” “And crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea!” I
Love that America is “The Melting Pot”​…unless you are a Native American we are
all immigrants of every ethnicity!!!! . from everywhere here in the American melting pot
.. land of the Free ...home of the Brave.. Free People! America is about Freedom and
LOVe and with Love we will Rise Together for our children for our future generations !
History books taught us that the first politicians hired to serve in gov were normal
citizens and not paid much money for their services they were farmers,, carpenters ,,
blacksmiths, small business men, they served out of a sense of patriotism love for their
country and they represented the true majority of the population.?! $ !???!!!!
As I opened the bathroom door of our hotel room I was amazed to see the bathtub
stocked full of stella artois beer... on ice … yeah !. my roommate Danny had
demonstrated his southern hospitality for the exit party It was now dusk From the 17th
floor i went out and stood on the lanai overlooking the glimmering lights of the
Philadelphia skyline ...the history of the city …. the “exit USA” party was on ... “Ask not
what your country can do for you but what You can do for your country “ feeling of
patriotism came over me ...as Dave and here my roommate Dave a TEFL guy a
English Teacher hands me a cold stella beer an asks “ You ready for this Dave? I reply
".... humm.. Man I love pizza w a good cold beer”... taking a long drink…. ... “ wow
alcohol is not allowed in Yemenis is it?”. .,,I take a big bite of the double cheese
supreme pizza mumbling w mouth full ..“i don't think there’s pizza either..?” ..Danny
looks at me nodding “yes …” and some time went by we look out over the city
….“What can you do for your country?”…..

33. I asked him “ Hey Have you seen Karen around yet ?” He shook his head smiling like
oh boy” i heard the knock at the door I went to answer the door hoping it might be her
More volunteers joining us it was great w so many women filling up the hotel room, it
was on.. we were having our official first and last pizza party with so many more women
than men yea! 30-8 ratio it was time to get to know each other more freely tonight my
odds seemed pretty good even if Karen and i didn't work out... but I i was into her in
particular I had been hoping to meet her
Wow I have never even been out of the U.S I thought … while talking with the other
volunteers they have seemed to of been everywhere,,,. . Oh yea i went to Canada
...My buddy Tabb who I grew up with as a kid invited us to their cabin our mom and
dads were friends also we went Up to the great white north in Beautiful Blind River CAN
Tabb had a family cottage on Lake Labatts on tha lil beach surrounded by mts
Awesome fun mt hiking waterskiing and fishing and catching huge Northern pike on red
devil spinning lures Pure clean water pure nature…ahey?… I also Took a trip to
Yarmouth ,Nova Scotia and worked as an intern coach /counselor during my senior year
of college it was for little baseball campers great fun at Blue Nose Baseball camp while
there I trave little led to The fishing villages on the coast they were perfect so beautiful
kept I ate lunch once at Hall's Harbor it exports the most and best lobster in the world
and the highest rise and fall of the tides I found the Nat Geo issue about it.I ate a nice 2
pounder lobster and drank a Labatt's while watched the tide fall…. It drops some 35 ft in
a day amazing... the Nova Scotia kids were great super polite I was impressed by their
behavior reminded me how much I love being a kid and the game of baseball. .l running
down fly balls in center field in little league every summer … such good fun! America’s
Game ! Go Tribe !
At the party Everyone was excited I could hear the buzz everyone talking anticipating
the trip and their proposed site. Volunteers were "claiming their stakes” expressing their
feelings for locations Taiz, Hodeidah, Sana’a, Zabid was Karen’s fav choices Yemen
was the toughest place on earth to live •That challenged me and I respond well to a
challenges as I have had the opportunity to experience through high school and college
sports. geographically Yemen is isolated by some very rugged mts on its borders with
extreme climates So i heard some PC Vols wanted to live in MTs. villages. some in the
Cities me I was hoping for that coastal village on the Al Bahar Amar the Red Sea i
remember my recruiter told me you get placed where you are needed most. . ok I know
how to swim fish, i'm a water lover, lifeguard w a WSI. . ok “wanna be” beach guy. .but I
had a rural country background with a health minor but I have to admit I was just dieing
to build a health garden along with tiki hut on the beach help others help themselves

34. teach and share knowledge and garden and landscape heal teach go out fishing on a
boat w fishermen and go diving on a coral reefs maybe I'll meet a woman too ? that
sounds romantic to me living on the Red Sea .talking to Doreen a beautiful Indian
American girl and some others realized our crew had some strong women and after
learning the cultural expectations and differences of women's life in Yemen I realized
how brave these Women were to be volunteering How Cool my chances of meeting
miss right seemed possible . but now I started fighting my conscious . thinking about
miss right so much ? . what was driving me? or desire to serve humanity? ? or just to
meet miss right ?? . ... Lil devil on one shoulder...lil Angel on the other•
After the majority of the volunteers had arrived i was anticipating seeing Karen but
maybe she would come later ?? we shot A documentary of Yemen up on the wall in
the hotel room called” Al Bahar Amar “The Red SEA How beautiful amazingly colorful
the sunsets( pics) they caught my eye straight away.. and I immersed myself into the
video... enjoying the drinkability of the cold beer and having dreams of sunsets and the
legendary Arabian starry nights …. the visuals were putting me in a dream in a village
on the coast romancing miss on the Red Sea w its beautiful sunsets I was getting
stoked the more I learned of the beauty of Red Sea!
I was totally absorbed into a Red Sea sunsets as the the documentary was ending
and out of nowhere Karen slides down beside me on the floor I turn and all I see are
her big brown eyes and a heartwarming smile melting me... she says Hey Great doc i've
seen it but ….Hey i was thinking would you wanna go to Africa w me on our
vacation... and do Safari to Mt Kilimanjaro ?”.out of the blue..was it the Stella talking
to me or was this a dream ? ...i felt a tingling vibration and sat up an took a long drink
"of course yea Africa . ." I said. …’how cool!”
we started to plan a safari trip to the Serengeti and Mt Kilimanjaro to Africa we agreed
could do it during our two month vacation we were allowed Yes ! PC motto “The
Toughest Job You ever love??” is true . . is the love part? cool :).. What a babe wow.. I
was in love already... I was intrigued by her braveness, internationalism and.. and her
yes big and brown her eyes hypnotized me her shiny Black hair flowing the way she
moved smoothly with all the right curves Oh no I was a gonner … Hey what was my
goal here in Yemen??? Service to Humanity? Help others Help themselves?? or falling
in love ? or both? oh that Conscious lil devil up on one shoulder get get her the little
angel up on the other what's up Dave?? Could i make it a win win ???arrggg
When I decided to volunteer the PC I was single and I was always looking for romance
and miss right and some adventure…but I also had that true desire to seriously serve

35. humanity think of others instead of myself … maybe I Could I do both? Could I handle a
relationship falling in love in such a intense poverty stricken country? With such
beautiful educated women around and Working in a Health Clinic in a village having a
infant mortality rate of around 3.8 4 out of 10 kids die ok I really look deep inside my
soul... …handle the graceful balancing of love and Life?…. giving and receiving LoVE.
.?
After the crew cleared out all the pizza and beer gone we said our Ma salamas Karen
and i were talking out on the lanai we went on about Africa safari and being neighbors
in Zabid and Al Khowka we were also feeling some chemistry standing looking over the
city getting closer the air had cooled her shoulders were bare so i put my hands on her
arms.. to just warm her.. her skin was so soft as she fell up against me and we held
each each other i felt the small of her back her hands on my chest i looked down she
looked up an our lips met for a long soft kiss my arms pulled her and squeezed her
tighter moving my hands up into her hair and face holding her face looking into her eyes
while the stars reflected in them over the sparkling lights in the city of brotherly love
Chp 5
Paris
City of Love & Light
Charles de Gaulle
We flew out of Philly the next morning after our “Exit USA” party ...I put my headphones
on i was jamming to songs on my mix tape a Grateful Dead the song “Turn on Your
Love Light” was playing … “and leave it on!” yells Bob Weir right at the end of the
song “Ok I will !” i thought. then some Steve Miller came on w some Space
Cowboy…...you know the words ”i'm a love i'm a sinner.,, .sure don’t wanna hurt no
one... “ ” Maurice!” I was so happy and excited We had a quick changeover. in Paris
airport I smiled at Karen while we were boarding I was already in love…. she smiled
back ...sexy.. shy …. that's how I took it.. the ride went fast over the pond I wrote in my
journal and read a Book called “Motoring with Mohammed “ by Eric Hansen on the
plane it was a great book i could not put down while listening to music at the same
time on my yellow waterproof sony walkman. Hansen found himself shipwrecked
because of a turbulent Red Sea on the desert island of Jabal Sukar off the coast of
Yemen there he buries his 7 years worth of travel journals deep in the sand He meets

36. up w some smugglers and they offer him a safe passage to Yemen so he pays them
and takes his place on a leaky sambuk boat he makes it to Yemen . 10 years go by and
hansen returns to retrieve the journal in Yemen this is where it gets funny with his
guild trying to load up his truck w more and more goats, they come across some crazy
expatriots and Eritrean gun runners he describes Yemen's landscapes that include
cities of dreamlike architecture splendore , endless sand dunes and terrifying mountain
passes. Hansen reveals the allure of a land full of customs , conflicts old and new and
uncommon beauty my nose buried in the book….
just like that it was 1200 noon we were already arriving to the Charles de Gaulle
Airport.. PAris... we had a couple hours between flights to change planes so i wanted to
cruise around the airport.WOW how the whole airport smelled so posh ??... ummm so
$?? One perfume dominated my olfactory it was just right Ahh such a romantic
aroma ...ok... I figured it out I remembered where perfume came from … Paris! I will
always remember smelling the fragrance of Christian Dior always I will think of Paris as
it was permeating throughout the airport and seeing its huge fashion advertising
campaigns on the walls everywhere. very stylie an very high fashion... and most of all
the people they were dressed to the max detailed very stylish. It was my first time in
Europe being around real Europeans...i remember seeing the people unloading their
plane coming back from this Spanish island called Ibiza.. wow so beautiful exotic hip
and everybody was dressed and looked so beautiful... I could not help to noticed all the
different details.. uniquely bohemian I loved it wow I thought there must be Bou cue la
mode en Pari ??
Chp 6
Sana’a
City of Stone
w headphones on. .listening to Bob Ledgends album pumping I listened to all of it the
on the plane ride it twice it went fast ….. before I knew it we were now FLYing into
YEMEN'S Capital Sana’a... looking out window while landing I see” orange and reds a
sky swirled like orange sherbet we are descending, landing gear hydraulics, I find the
landing gets me a bit nervous and I tighten my seatbelt, I practice a lil MY Arabic

37. greetings. .,” As-Salam ALIkoum”.,.. “Kaif Holic ?” is “ How are You?” ..5 min til landing
seatbelt lights flashing .... the sun is setting looking out the window .... I dread landing
so much.. But stay calm w “Take it Easy “ watching the sunset org lemon red then we
hit the runway just lil bouncing erk errkk my stomach turns I say a little prayer “Please
God let us land safe” … WE Land Safe ! Praise be to God! Is “Alhamdulillah :” ! in
Arabic whew,... welcome to Sanaa Bob ” singin dont worry... bout a thing... cuz every
little thing is gonna be alright” aahahh” . .
7:00pm it was early dusk in Sana'a city of stone.Yemen’s capital Only Hand carved
stone natural soft lines outlined the city the sunset illuminated its magic light over the
soft brown edges... the sky swirling mystical mix of org/red….like sherbert ice
cream.....as I got off the plane I gave a big smile to Karen noticing her all the way but
now we were here I gave her a long hug it was nice to feel her hour glass shape w tiny
ribs it was hard to let go I was glad to be in the local style . .English blazers were the
local style.. . I was in awe at the ” little men / boys” dressed in their mini blazers but they
whore futas like a skirt instead of pants (sarongs) wrapped around waist some of the
older youth w an a jambiya, a sharp hooked dagger knife with an ivory, gold or silver
handle sticking out from the front of the waist very phallic like a decorated symbol which
portrayed your manhood status in a tribal society like a you drive a Lambo . Porsche
Chevy or junk...the dagger a Jambiya a Yemeni iconI was relieved that I had chosen the
right clothes comforting when you are in the style.. I didn't want to stick out like a tourist
so my blue blazer was in fashion..cool. but My hair was not even though Karen had said
she liked it when she first saw me at staging but it was way too hot now even when
pulled back in a ponytail it had to go I was way too hot The burr cut with mustache clean
shaven no foo man chew just a mustache trimmed was the macho look that was in and
probably much cooler...so I had to find a barbershop first thing
in the Sana’a airport and I used my first Turkish toilet. It was The kind you stand on
Porcelain Foot placements w ridges for traction just you squat over it no sitting down on
the job here wow and always I remember the smell. Like our outhouse down on the
farm it was definitely a mans kinda world here in
We all loaded up into a bus and left the airport was feeling and seeing as we drove
though the Mt streets of Sana’a many toyota forerunners, and toyota taxi mini buses
on the roads they were decorated colorfully both inside and out wit stickers and
dangling balls. mixed in were were men on their mopeds with their flying turbines,. beep
beep beep continuously beeping horns taxis and mopeds all merging blending into a
river of sound and color and exhaust wow LA 405 freeway piece of cake. it seemed like
I was breathing the intoxicating fumes straight out the tailpipes... bumper to bumper
traffic my head was pounding from all beeping of horns and co2 overdose.. I learned

38. what the use of the turban wrapped around most of the men's head across the face was
used for a filter covering the nose and mouth or to blow your nose from the all the dust
kinda but I noticed most men keep a extra hanky for that dust and blowing the nose I
noticed As I was getting off the bus another man was arguing with the bus driver and
the bus driver then drove away and he spat a big hawker right in the other Yemenis face
right out the window. hawwwwktooooo …Yemenis are passionate and arguments are
common i've heard sometimes even sometimes come to drawing the jambiya dagger
and having a knife fight … wow gotta love the drama and excitement on the big city
streets of Sanaa
AFter the dusty bus ride from the airport we stopped into the pc headquarters to meet
the director and other volunteers I just stopped to stare and admire Karen’s beauty in
the the amazing background of Arabic architecture of stone arches and colorful
stained glass windows..(research) as we traveled through the city the ancient
architecture of stone arches with white trim on the brown stone and colorful glass
windows caught my eye and with every move of Karen her flowing dress everything so
exoctic ancient everything built by hand the details simulating it was like traveling
back in time a 1000yrs the PC had reservations to stay 3 days in the Sanaa Hotel pics
it was a historic landmark the first hotel in Sanaa it was beautiful the big door entrance
was a great impression 1’ thick made hand carved meticulous designs it was so thick so
heavy mahogany PICS opening to the The courtyard was even more amazing it was
designed like hanging gardens of Babylon Babylon was just a little north of us up in Iraq
Rich Green ferns and vines and fresh air ahhh a water fountain trickling in the middle
With all our bags we headed for the stairsteps up to the 5th floor with stairs were narrow
the men stayed on the highest floor the women a floor below us i passed Karen going
up the steps i can't help but watch as she walked up th step in front of me i loved the
smell of her perfume as she moved so gracefully with the breeze that carried her up the
stairs the little square windows lit her body like a picture i saw her go into her room
she turned knowing i was behind her no words i smiled she too i continued up the
stairway
I dropped my bags looking in my room amazed with the intricate design details an
perfect simplicity of just a mattress and a pillow but on aw from the intricate details
of fabrics the hand designs so intricate so much detail in the fabrics walls wood I had
to see more of the ancient hotel so went to the top the maffarge on the top I opened the
narrow but heavy thick door my eyes opened wide and I stopped to take in the
panoramic view pic of Sana’a Pics all glass w old carved wood frames so rustic the
rooms had some Afghani design floor mats and pillows with beautiful detailed designs
(Pics) I looked out to see all the multitude of stars almost lighting the marffrage naturally

39. wow I had arrived in the ancient world the natural space lets you take a deep breath and
relax you could smell the coffee and the spicy shy teas brewing the smell of
frankincense and myrrh through the hallways
the first civilization began here between the Tigris and Euphrates River in the” Cradle of
Civilization” from HS history class i still remember details of how and where it all
started between the fertile rivers amazing going back in time I took a mat next to the
window for cool air a sight I will always I remember looking out at the city lights all the
walls were glass the ancient world lite up my soft lights and the stars a Arabian night I
took in the view put on my headphones and drifted off wow I was exhausted dead but
grateful I was here in such a remote exotic place in the world I looked over Sanaa's
garden (pics) Day 2 in Sanaa at 6:30 am the next morn from up in the Maffarge I
promptly woke up to ALLLLAAAALLLLAAAAKVARRRRRRR !!!! prayer call went off we
were surrounded by mosques so I was all in stereo crackling loudspeakers wow
mystical in the early morning stillness calling everyone to prayer but somehow the
beckoning song sounded calming and a little mesmerizing Doug Harold And Jim came
up into t the mafarage too we looked around We all listened to prayer call from the
mafrage top floor of the the hotel. Sanaa. 5x a times a day yemenis head to prayer call
(explain )we watched. amazed as the city came alive …. and people went to pray... wow
Praying it took up a lot of time,. !..? For the Yemenis -5 x a day I respect living your
religion
we took our first pictures of Sana'a from the mafraq I smelled food cooking below and
someone said let's go get breakfast my nose led the way down the narrow steps . .we
walked into the plush green courtyard for a Mediterranean continental breakfast and
drank some great coffee My anticipation grew as I could not wait to explore into “ the old
city “ of Sanaa the and hang out with Karen Big DOOR Babel Mandeb was the opening
to the “Old city We broke up into small groups I was of course looking for Karen’s crew
to maybe ride w her I saw the men how they flagged taxi buses I looked for an empty
one there were many the streets were packed bumper to bumper I made eye contact
with a driver he pulled over an I looked at Karen she was impressed I said” Yella yella !”
laughing flirtingly to her she came and said “ a resourceful man is sexy “ my heart
dropped yeaThe taxi bus dropped us off in the mass of people we all broke off into our
small groups each on their own mission to explore and find something special we all
ventured in going back into bible time a 1000yrs ago
I hung w Harold and Jim . Karen was with her girls Alice and Kim Sanaa’s old city was
surrounded by a big stone wall the Babel mandeb was massive 40 x 40 the doors a
foot thick solid Mahogany wood. Our small group made our way through the gathering

40. place for all it was crowded eel elbow to elbow 0 personal space I was having sensory
overload from all the different details of the people clothes and faces..it really was like
traveling back in time as we entered even deeper into the heart of the center market.
Al Suk The market was called it beyond what I had imagined. I wanted to take pictures
or videotape the i but I knew better for a camera would have attracted way too much
attention.
Mohamad my new Yemeni friend from HQ saw us in the suk and wherever we wanted
to go in the city he said he would help us go what a blessing because getting around
was very complicated He taught us how to flag a cab with the special wave that was a
trip with the hand signal only a local knew then Muhammad Took me by the hand… ok
wow that was kinda different... holding another man's hand it was weird to me ok but its
cultural thing all the men walk each other guiding you like a honored guest then
kissing on the cheeks like in France when they meet was also a way to showing
respect and friendship Mohammad led me to his local barber by the hand As I was
walking along I kept noticing Yemeni men staring at my blond ponytail and smiling at me
why ? i smiled back not really caring and laughing ok my long hair was just too darn
hot in Yemen Mohammad suggested I get a zephra (a buzz cut) ( which means zero in
Arabic).Cut very short down to the skin
Arabs invented algebra (research) in Zabid I learned a new word from the barber and
Mohammed. Schawaya Schawaya huba buba which means little littlle Much COOLer
too! As I stepped outside mid afternoon 100 degrees temp from the barbershop with my
zephrah cut I was happy to have lost the long hair. the feeling was quite cleansing. After
showing my zeffra 0 cut to everyone's approval. Karen ran her hand across my head
“wow how fuzzy and soft “she said “but i liked the long blond surfer look” .But she said
this is way more practical “ “well I can let it grow back” smiling laughing ok we
decided to venture more into the city . through another part into the industrial part
where the carpenters and blacksmiths worked in tight little alleys… more pic from fb I
started to feel claustrophobic when I saw the carpenters and other tradesmen working
in hot little four by six caves. Wow They were making beautiful leather sandals I had to
have a pair hand made and shoes repaired, iron nails, tools shovels hammers and the
metal and wood parts for madas(smoking pipe) and the incredi jambiyas, curved
knives.that all tribesmen wore
We noticed that the The Yemeni women moved with children all together in packs they
were dressed in black silk head to toe Sharasheff it was exotic like more is less ? but
some from African women wore more festively cover dresses and mixed in there were
herds of goats roaming through the streets and In the market As I gazed around I
thought to myself it sure is a man's world because there were not many women alone

41. in the streets. .?? “Its a mans world”... the song from James Brown comes to
mind.....”But it would be no good without women !”
Back At HQ We were given 1400 reals equivalent to 6o us dollars..i wanted to buy all
the madas in Sanaa. the jambea s were cool too. I had to stop myself because first I
needed postcards and stamps after awhile of just walking w amazement I found a post
office it brought me back to the present and reminded me of everyone back home post
cards (pic) gotta have em to send to everyone wow if they could only see While in the
Post Office a Yemeni man wanted to learn English so we exchanged words at the post
office. One new Arabic word I learned was beautiful..jamell). I said to Karen “I learned a
new word today Jamel What's it mean ? i said smiling we started to flirt more now an
some chemistry was brewing I forgot to buy the stamps Sensory overload in the old
city but I did manage to buy some beautiful postcards (pics) still on a mish to buy that
mada and a jameah and get a haircut and then a turban masheta for my head... a gold
silk one like the stylie French tourist guys wore The women and children were dressed
festively and there were herds of goats roaming through the city.In the market I saw
many delicious fruits, dates and fresh bread and teas from everywhere, beans and
chicken, curries and laham (goat meat) hanging on a hook in open air in front of the
butcher shop the aroma was stong and disictive
Mada shops were everywhere in the old city they had the best ones here in the capital
so after shopping around in a out of shops I finally found a deal on one I liked but I
remembered during bartering it was not wise to show you you really like something or
the price goes mysteriously goes up . .being a foreigner it already has gone up... so I
sat down thinking this would be a good time to communicate and practice my broken
Arabic talking with him I came to understand the mada I was looking at was 80 yrs old
Arabic # for 8? old and the wood was black cherry dark black well seasoned he asked
me if i’d like try it? he handed me a long tube wrapped in cloth with wooden end I wiped
the end just for proper good smoking edicate / hygiene TB was prevalent in some
Yemeni smoke houses. So of course i later on time in Sanaa i paid for a tahama bed w
pillows just to chill awhile experience it i felt funny i was a Health educator in a smoke
house soon a man brought me a prepared mada just made ready to smoke on so I
took a draw on the long hose the mada went hubba bubba bubba he said “shwaya
shwaya huba huba” ( little little) I took another long slower draw the wood coals on the
very top heated the tobacco it was cooled by the fresh water in the round bottom part of
the mada ummm some cherry flavored turkish tobacco Tamumm I could taste it ok wow
now my ears start to ring and my heartbeat quicken as the nicotine hit my bloodstream
wow bit dizzy light headed but not too bad like chewing tobacco like “skoal brother” later

42. it hit me alittle worse I started to feel a cold sweat come over me i chew on my bundle of
qat to feel better
I liked the mada the old man in the suk was selling “Become hatha?” I asked (How
Much) “400 ryals” he said ...I bartered like you are supposed to do I said “ la “la la la la”
100 I said he said lalalalalala I got up and walked down the narrow street….. I was
hoping he would call me back...then I heard a “tieb …...tyeb” ok ok “ tamum tyeb
eeeetamum ana Doctor” 225 rials for the old mada …. I said “tyeb tamum sukran”. .and
counted out 225 ryals and handed it to him he said “tyib” and i handed him more quat I
said sukran we chewed and puffed on my new mada he offered a shamlon waterDeep
into the old city I ventured more into the carpenter and blacksmith smoky dusty hot
narrow allies. I started to feel claustrophobic when I saw the carpenters and other
tradesmen working in little four by six caves in the I was in another world the industrial
world iron smiths making tools you could smell the heavy smoke. They were making
beautiful leather shoes, sandals, iron nails, wooden madas (smoking pipes) and the
famous jambiya, curved stainless steel knives. Pics
PC crew all found each other back at the Sanaa hotel we had reservations at a chicken
restaurant for dinner at 600pm I looked for Karen she had been out in the Suk also and
wondering if she was going to eat ? She was going I wanted to eat with her but wasn't
sure if she wanted to to w me The Restaurant was super crowded and that meant it was
Tamum! ( good) if everyone local is there it is always the Freshest locals know. But We
could not to drink the water only bottled water... one veteran volunteer in country almost
2 years said when a fly lands in my coffee I pour it out some pour the fly out and some
just drink it down, , gulp,,, We were advised when it came to food to. peel it... fry it...boil
it.. or forget it! If you don't cook most food at a high temp you will get extreme diarrhea
guaranteed. I know I thought it was chronic for me it’s standard talk to express how
one's stomach is feeling
on the 2n floor we are all packed together very tight on skinny picnic tables not used to
packed really tight even more than family style Elbow to elbow It was set up special for
us because we would be eating together men and women together so i sat across from
Karen I get to watch you eat i said smiling “watch your hands “she said smiling we had
the hall upstairs we had reservations because we were such a big group it was super
crowded below too that means it is Tamum! ( good) if everyone local is there it is the
Freshest chicken It was a popular chicken restaurant but wow yes its very hot outside
around 80=90 and heat rises maybe..from the long rotisseries of chicken turning round
and round below made it even more hotter! you could feel the heat coming off that
rotisserie but I loved the smell of dejudge fire roasting chicken . .and the bread in the

43. mud oven was also putting off heat oh wow the smell of fresh bread baking made my
stomach growl...we sat packed in at a small table eating with our right hands at a
chicken restaurant there is something sexy about a woman when she eats especially
with her hands but not the flies hovered around my plate I tried viciously to swat them
away still sweat dripping off my nose still trying to remain cool in front of Karen but the
Sweat kept pouring off my face and down my nose into my plate it was hella hot as I
started tearing my routy (bread) w one hand it was a skill Is a new thing and quite a
challenge it was fun to me to only use the right hand for eating with... the left hand stays
below off the table!! don't forget that or I hear you get a mandatory slap!. I watched the
Yemenis at the table and other volunteers that have been here awhile watching their
Restaurant educate the left hand had never even came up on the table was a lot of fun
eating with your hand it felt natural Like the Hawaiians do but in Yemen only the Right
hand is used that's important.because the left was used in the restroom wow some
flies hovered around my plate .I batted at them viciously with my left hand. sweat
pouring. .trying to remain cool..i got a funny look from the locals and i put my left hand
back under the table . . I downed my dripping cold blue bottle of the most popular water
called shamlon looking across the table from Karen I found it really sexy watching
her eat with her hands in the rice squeezing it into her mouth it was hot our first
dinner eating together Yemeni style it was really hot Karen told me . “Now ...keep
that left hand off the table. Try not to forget it because if you do use it you will catch a
slap on it!’. i was brushing away the flies... ” I know “ smiling.. It's my first time” i replied
so I decided to just embrace all the flies my grandpa was a pig farmer He knew which
way the wind blew ... “the food is so good here in Yemen the bread the spices the
chicken.. ummm..” i said i thought ok no more pork no
chops, no ribs no bacon…. pork is forbidden …....ok it was time to eat more chicken!
Ummmmmm The roasted dejudge ( chicken) was so good too!! but the naan bread(
roti) was the best i've ever tasted.the sauce was a tasty hot salsa w peppers green &
red fresh with beans called fasolia kinda mexicanish... was really making me perspire
even
more like the Cuyahoga River Valley in August.!!! Yemen went through my stomach
straight to my heart . .I was loving it here... the bread was baked out of a mud oven.. the
smell made your stomach growl... ummmm and the smell of roasted chicken with herbs
unknown ummmmm..I flagged us a taxi after dinner and again we sat across from each
other On the ride home trying to stop smiling at each other

44. Chp 7
​AsSalaam Alaikum
“Peace Be Unto You “ How fitting I thought for a Peace Corps Volunteer to be able to
say ”Peace Be Unto You”. And then receive the reply back “Wa-Alaikum-Salaam”
meaning “And Peace Be Unto You” This is the standard greeting for all Muslims, just
as people use Hello, Hola, Buenos Dias, Aloha , Guten Tag. Ciao, Shalom . Peace
Be with You Ah Salaam Alaikum and a smile! .. I loved saying it like in college we
would say “peace bro” or peace or peace out instead of goodbyeor flash the peace
sign to your friends it was groovy to me I liked saying it in Yemen because of the
accepting, respectful, joyous looks I received back upon using it always before
starting a conversation, purchasing food in the suk, entering a taxi or sitting down for a
quat chew or just passing people on the street. It helps you open the Babel Mandeb
(the big door) of communication without using Arabic in Yemen it made it much harder
for you to move in the culture but I was into it just participating others Cultures
can be a way of showing respect and Love .”When in Rome.. Do as the Romans “.
right? “Give Peace a Chance” says John Lennon right? ... that's all we are saying is
give Peace a Chance” and avoid islamophobia please Understand the great majority
of Muslims are not radical Islamic terrorists and are Peace loving people i lived it in a
very conservative Islamic country and only felt welcome and respected . all i am saying
is give Peace a Chance How do we do it ? The answer i believe can only be show
LOVE.! Smile …Live Aloha !…. … Love brings Peace.
“ Kaif Halic Hakee?” is Arabic slang it is a greeting mirrored by the popular African
American expressive salutation meaning “Watz sup Bro” ? As-Salam Alaikum was
the first Arabic words we learned in PC staging ..then “Kaif Holic Hakieee? HOw are
you brother ? Yemeni are very nice people and gracious hosts Of course using Arabic
made people smile you will feel more local so i listened i asked my teachers to teach
me some of the local slang and i loved to talk with the kids too because they spoke my
level The children of Yemen were sweet and innocent of judgement i loved talking with
the children They were always happy too positive smiling wanting to know about me I
had great patient teachers in Taiz we practiced Arabic a lot “ The word Kaif means
what ,tafak means to think, Hakee means brother or like in Hawaiian slang ”Howz it
Bra?“
Arabic is said to be the language of Allah the words wrote down by the Prophet
Muhammad to make the Quran and to spread the message. I always wondered if Allah

45. is the same God of the Old Testament in the Bible as he is now in the new testament
today?? I still have a lot to learn about religion and culture God is always working in
his mysterious ways. .Praise BE! 10,000 years ago long before writing humans began
to show proof of of practicing religion with cave paintings and objects left inside burials
this leads us to believe as evidence of religion. So even in prehistoric times humanity
had the belief in a power greater than man himself and those religions has been a
definer and creator of culture. Still we find that It is impossible to know exactly when the
roots of religion really started or when did Adam an Eve arrive exactly? I want to know
more i pray for the answers
Chp 8
Riding w the
​“​THE GREATEST”
Al Taiz to Sana’a
in the parking the Yemenis were saying some prayers around their cars and trucks.
Our PC crew was about to load up on our big tour bus to Taiz I wondered why all the
praying? so I looked around to ask a local Yemeni man and use my Arabic. “Salaam
Alaikum” I said starting the conversation. . ”Wa Alaikum As-Salam” he replied with a
smile “ Wa ant ismak?” I asked, “Ismi Muhammadin ,. .Ah lan” shaking my whole arm
(Welcome) he said “Sukran.. Is mi Dahood” (Thank you my name is David ) I said.
Muhammad replied “Alhamdulillah ! Anta Muslim ? I replied ”In Sha Allah “ (By the
Grace of God ) He laughed again and smiled with a “ Alhamdulillah !” I asked “ Leash ?
(why ?) and I Pointed at the people in prayer around their cars and trucks ? Muhammad
said. ”They are praying for a safe trip for (the grace of God) in Arabic “ In sha Allah” that
the trip would be tamum( good) I did not understand every word he said but I did get the
jist from his body language I understood That the trip was very dangerous many cars
and trucks have gone over the cliff edge the Yemenis people knew the risk dangers of
the trip “In Sha Allah) I said
As the diesel bus engine started rumbling up my heartbeat quickened with its low sound
vibrated into my whole body we started to gather our belongings and put them under the
bus our driver Mohammed yelled “Yella ! Yella! “ (let's go) and other Yemenis graciously

46. helping load we departed midday At 1:20pm it was blistering hot no AC in this bus just
open the window all natural. Experiencing the crowded city life of Sana’a was great but
now I was looking forward to getting away from the masses and seeing the heart of l
rural Yemen country Looking forward to the rugged Mts and the beautiful views on the
trip to Taiz So we first had to come down from Sanaa at 2000 ft then go back up into
into the Highlands, I was glad to know that Taiz was near the village Al Khowka and the
famous port of Al Mocha Al Khowka is the site village where I wanted to serve.
As we got into the highlands the air got a bit cooler and thinner as we made our way
higher up in the (name)>? MTs I looked out the bus window and saw a smoking car
over the 50’ cliff edge from maybe two days ago I felt uneasy as I pushed my window
down and felt grateful just to be alive. Mohammed Ali our driver was the Yemeni man I
talked with in the parking lot before the trip I was last on the bus so I sat behind
Muhammad
Pic We were soon out of the city the road had turned into a one way road through the
valleys Muhammad swerved has the first close encounter of speeding car went by an
another a bigger truck from around the corner he weaved to miss him wow too close for
me
“Muhammad looked back at me with a big warm smile. “I am the Greatest “ Muhammad
Ali the driver was quoting Muhammad ALi Cassius Clay throughout whole the trip “The
work of the heart (kelb) is never done”... “Peace and Understanding between Christian,
Muslim, Jew, Hindu, Buddhist“...“ “End racism “... “ We are all children of God” “Justice
and Equality to All” “If your Mind can conceive it your body can achieve it!” “I am the
Greatest!” …. “I shook up the World” wow music to my ears.
pic Al Taiz is lying at an elevation of about 1,400m it rises above sea level where its
neighbors the Sabir Mts rise 3,oo6 more meters above it ( More history pics ) Our trip
begins as the smell of a diesel bus rumbles out its low idling and then slowly rolls out
in a swirl of dust from the Sana’a parking lot…”Ma Salama Sana’a” I whisper to Karen
as i walk by loading the bus. Looking over the edge the cliffs get deeper as we first
descend into the valleys then more MTs appear in the distance Excitement filled the air
of the bus with the sound of quickened chatter of the passengers it all blended
together before we knew it we had began ascending up up an away again as we
ascended up into the we seemed to be traveling in the sky with in the clouds at eye
level. We were in qat country now like wine country qat grows best in higher altitudes of
the mts They were planted in straight rows like my Dad's soybeans they even looked
like bushy soybeans i took pictures of the fields of qat i was curious what this big cash
crop was all about? we stopped at a popular lil village to look at the different things

47. handmade pottery rugs hats in the suk and we all grab something to eat…and
Mohammad bought a fresh bundle of qat i took a pic of him .. as we got off the bus
some people came around and begged because they saw our foreign faces which gave
them hope for some money. Yea Yemen is one of the poorest countries in the world I
knew I could say was “Alla h Karim” which meant “God is great and one day he will
provide for you.” because i did not have much money We were taught we could say this
in Arabic to people asking for $ but I wanted to give to all my money …...I looked at the
small man hobbling in beat up cloths to me I looked as he put out his hand I grabbed
his hand and pointed up and said “Allah Karim” and said” AlHamdulillah” I pointed up ”
Allah Kareem !Ah-Salaam Alaikum ! ( God is Great!)( Praise be to God ! ) Peace be with
you! Yea Its One Love WA head Allah ...yes we are God’s Children it's like a
“Hallelujah” at least I could give praise to to God he smiled a big smile .
We traveled on and the road it narrowed more as we ascended it was now one way
whindy black asphalt paved roads turned to bare dirt w stones and potholes due to
erosion and reconstruction. The Hair was raising on back of my neck as I looked out at
the deepest valley cliffs ...This was the only “Road to and from Taiz” .. just a few feet
away 100 ft+ drops and my stomach was in my throat at times like on a ride on Cedar
Point’s Blue Streak Mohammed must of saw my worried look and turned back offered
me a handful of his qat truffle (Take)” he said...“Relax( ) Sadek,(friend) “ I Float like a
butterfly and sting like a bee” he said it in perfect English I was surprised... “Ismail
Muhammad Ali so don't worry(Arabic word worry?)….” I am the Greatest... !”
I cleaned my qat with my thumb and index and middle fingers like Muhammad showed
me wiping away any dust off the shiny green and reddish moist leaves .I was curious
to feel the effects of some good Taiz qat it was part of the culture like drinking beer. so
why not . Qat gives you energy first for ( work ) shoal “ it then turns to a more euphoric
relaxed and spiritual effect for prayer and it is also a aphrodisiacs Mohammad told me
“helpful if you have wives “ he winks and smiles Once chewed a bit then it's stored in
the cheek you suck the juices from the wad. The first reaction is the raised heart rate
with energy . Which I noticed coming on like I drank a 2 cups of coffee. The energy
high normally lasts over a four hour period. into a more high enlightens the senses so
you became more talkative working Ana aheb cousin I love to chew my language
skills became more efficient I was so awake while chewing qat traditionally you talk
about business and money or you are out working a physical job This amphetamine part
of quat later turns more hallucinogenic.coming down different stages of euphoria from
the plant...the colors and sounds of things become more vibrant which most Yemenis
feel is the more spiritual part of the high. An then go to prayer call in the mosque. Qat is
a bush w leafs that resembles a basil plant.pics planted in rows like soybeans. Qat

48. comes in stalks, 2 foot long stems, you hold the stem and pick off the leaves with your
right hand only then you chew up the quat and store it like a chipmunk in your left cheek
once in awhile lightly sucking the juice like chewing tobacco and swallow soon you have
a green ball a fibrous wad of qat leaves and stems the qut was tasting bitter as I
chewed it that's why sweet soda or a sugar cube is offered to store w the wad I felt the
inside of my cheek getting raw and irritated it was my first time so I guess your mouth
has to adapt.The bigger wad of quat the more manly you are of course kinda Like
drinking a six, 12 pack of beer
Now i preoccupied with chewing this qat my senses vision hearing and energy awoke
when we encountered another car or big truck we easily missed them by inches as they
whizzed by around the corners Muhammad would have to serve just in time ... but he
had adapted to it it was common to him the near misses the qat definitely helped i was
still a little scared from a car crash me and my teammates suffered in HS ….pic
Flashback to a bad decision I made ( add the accident) Muhammad Ali was confident
and it showed he was a all pro driver on these winding roads nonchalantly dodging and
weaving the punches of the oncoming traffic like “THE Champ.” . it seemed to me a
near miss around every corner but I stayed calm..as the autos and trucks whizzed by..
Muhammad Ali was the Greatest ! At the last village stop I wanted to talk with Karen I
had a yellow sony walkman needed batteries I asked her “Karen have you seen a shop
in the suk that sold AA batteries?” …. “wow The mountains are so beautiful aren't they
?” she noticed my smiling eyes and...said “ these villages are cool and this one has
different things for sale everyone is different… let's go shop did you see the pottery and
handmade colorful baskets? “Yea “, I said “they are amazing” ..”I love the MTs the
views are breathtaking but i'm trying not to watch over the edge...honest I was a little
nervous” . she said I gave her the small wild yellow daisy flower I had picked from along
the road she said smiling “stealing a flower leads to romance and danger?.” Karen said
“fitting for this road.trip I I said “wow before I met Mohammed our driver. . I was feeling
uneasy too... but after hearing him quoting “The Champ” I felt more confident and
feeling better about our safety “
“How's the qat?” she asked ...seeing the big wad in my cheek “Tamum! “ I said .with a
big smile we got back on the bus and I sat back down in my seat smiling and said to
have “Muhammad Ali is at the is at the wheel He’s the GREatest!” He saw smiled at me
and winked. The chemistry between us was showing there was something going on I
put my walkman on and chewed and enjoyed the MOUNTAIN ranges out the window
how fitting when the song “Eyes of the world” came on
Wake up to find that you are the eyes of the world

49. The heart has its beaches, its homeland and thoughts of its own
Wake now, discover that you are the song that the mornin brings
The heart has its seasons, its evenings and songs of its own
Sometimes we live no particular way but our own
And sometimes we visit your country and live in your home
Sometimes we ride on your horses,
Sometimes we walk alone
Sometimes the songs that we hear are just songs of our own
Wake up to find out that you are the eyes of the world
ascending higher into the mountains i was relaxing more qat and noticing some trails of
colors for the setting sun I was no longer gripping the chair with white knuckles while
Muhammad dodged and weaved the cars and trucks but I did notice still another
smoking car over the edge so I kept talking w Muhammad and he reminded me I was
protected by the grace of God “In sha Allah “ he gave a boost in spirit it kept me from
the fear of what was coming around each corner and handed me a few more stalks of
qat again I stopped focusing on the bad and stuffed the moist leaves and stuffed it in
my left cheek and put it in God's hands Muhammad and trusted Muhammad would
nonchalantly swerve at the last moment and avoid that head on collision then He
repeated “Alhamdulillah ! I am the Greatest !” “Float like a Butterfly sting like a bee” I
loved hearing him say it it took my mind off the road and we traveled on safely. up and
up the oneway windy curving road sometimes we had to slow down it became
unpaved.and quite bumpy just like the road of life so now I know why the prayers .”
Praise be! Al hamdulillah”.
I saw the beams of light through the mountains again I thought for sure were sent from
heaven to calm and bless our trip I watched out the bus window at the changing of
mixed colors on the mt horizons the mountain ranges faded into infinity after the 4th
range we traveled I looked back with my headphones on an smiled at Karen with hers
on too she smiled back sweetly And i looked out to see the sun drop so manifestly over
the Mountain ranges so enchanting i felt much better now going down the road to Taiz
with my life in Muhammad Ali’s hands….. what a awesome guy I felt the presence of
God working in him and that he would get me safely to our similar destination
When we reached Taiz it was dark now 11pm much to my surprise we had a big
welcoming party there to greet us!. The Yemenis made our Arrival into the TRaining
Facility such a warm Touching welcome. All the teachers cooks cleaners who worked at
the school in Taiz came out with open arms and smiles..I was amazed how polite and
very gracious they were as they helped us unloaded the bus even @ 1100pm the men

50. could tell that I was flying from the quat that I chewed on the way and asked me How's
was the qat “Kaif Al qat?” smiling” Tamum!” smiling I replied loud and proud ! It gave
me more energy to help carry others like for Karen I asked her “ here let me “ she said
“ok” but I could tell she wanted to do it on her own so I helped others who were tired I
easily hiked all all my bags up to the 3rd floor where the men's rooms were. It was
obvious that I had been chewing I was still full of energy and your eyes tend to look
bigger and red with huge dilated pupils I looked in the bathroom mirror wow … Dave
joked saying to me “ welcome to the high Mts of Taiz!” I was the first volunteer to chew.
The Yemeni teachers and training staff were eager to meet us and and us them they
were so friendly the teachers all spoke english and we were eager to use our Arabic “
Ah SAlaam Alaikum!” were exchanged “Wa Alaikum Ah Salaams” and I felt “ Ah land
salen” (Welcome) to Al Taiz
YEs! The Champ! Muhammad Ali Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the World! He
shook up the world!!!..He was the Eyes of the world and more and we are better for it.!!
from.his passion to make peace, feeding the poor, paying peoples rent, walking with the
poorest of the poor he proved he was A tough, self confident Global Warrior, fighting
against all the odds... A Olympic Gold Winner . A Humanitarian. .Mohammad Professed
Love over Hate ! He was So ahead of the curve with civil rights…. a conscientious
objector to the Vietnam war...Fearless!!. “A universal solider of humanity!“ Muhammad
Saw Truth in all religions he saw the good soul in everyone! He inspired my soul
mission in Yemen I vote for Muhammad for President ! Building bridges not walls ! The
world needs a Champion now full of Strength hope compassion… LOVE!. Let's all live
like him and coexist i pray ” Hate for the color of skin is wrong no matter who’s doing’
the hating “ Muhammad Ali’s 6 core principals
Character Respect
Integrity Spirituality
Self esteem Dignity
We cannot say enough about Muhammad Ali …. I wish we could all live a life like he
did… REspecting everyone's differences Fighting for injustices ….. Touching all hearts
across the world …...uniting all God’s Children...Let him live in each one of us always !
He is the Greatest !
“We all have the same God we just serve in different ways”.

51. “Every religion has truths... like rivers lakes and oceans all have water they all
flow from the same source... we are all one... we are all his children ! “
“Love is a mighty thing.. and truth always reigns !”
“Diversity will make you stronger!”
“May we meet again In the Light of UNderstanding... with any means necessary”
Muhammad Ali
Rest in Peace Champ !
CHP 9
MounTain Training
Al Taiz
Pre-service training began in the mountains at the Health and Manpower Institute in
Taiz on July 12, 1993. A 12 week training program for a Health educators consisted of
240 hrs of Arabic language instruction, 50 hrs of cross cultural training, 78 hrs of health
technical training, and 17 hours of personal health and safety. Classes in Arabic
focused on speaking and listening skills and were conducted using a student- teacher
ratio of 4:1. health and technical training included Yemen specific information in primary
health care, methodology in health education, site observations and the Yemeni Family
Care Association.
Al Taiz is where we would be tested to find out if we were fit for a sight... you had to be
able to speak Arabic and pass the language tests during training which would put me
in a village to serve . YElla ! We were assigned our rooms like in a college dorm it was
explained to us that it would be the last we could talk to the opposite sex in private and
while eating my roommate dave laughed and asked me “are you ready for

52. celibacy?..and I said ” celibacy what is that?” he laughed more” Oh You’ll find out !” he
said I put all my stuff in my room and made my bed up I was hoping for some good
sleep because the qat was keeping me awake. I layed down to write in my journal . I
must have fell asleep because I woke up at 5:51am to the sound of roosters
cockadoodledoooo !!!! crowing roosters man they were loud like they were right outside
directing their crow straight into my window like they were saying hey get up !!! ok i'm up
!i looked out my window and saw the spectacular view of the beautiful high raising Mts
surrounding Tiaz with the sun breaking through sending those heavenly mystic rays
down fading at its foot into the shacks full of homeless tin a cardboard shacks ……. our
training center was right next to it.
Taiz training Center Classes started,at 7:40am there were three classes for Health
Educators... language, culture and medical. the classes were two hours each and were
in class 6 hours a day..it was a eight week program. I knew that if I were to learn arabic
I had to use a lot of repetition and practice. I would write it over and over.. I learned how
I learn best acting it out In language class we would perform skits and dialogues in
arabic outside under a tree. .The skits helped me immensely in preparation to speak
Arabic to the people. I enjoyed outside the classroom in nature Mts of Tiaz. On the way
over to the dining area for breakfast we met some pantless barefoot children from the
shacks beside the center they tried to give us cookies It was heartbreaking to see the
unsanitary living conditions for the children they had nothing only a big smile the
starving kids would still offer up a biscuit to us as we trudged by... obviously we had to
decline our immune systems were not strong enough. But What do you do when a
pantless kid offers you a cookie? Take it a give something more back... I was motivated
to start to give back …..humanity can be so cruel to its children ... giving is so
rewarding. . we started sharing some little snacks back...the kids were so cute smiling
and sweet so innocent the world needs to take care of all its children now !!!!
On the roof of the training center I heard Harold say “I was in Woodstock man,” in a
groovy tune he was one of our coolest funniest positive volunteers. a Anthony Bardow
type I thought he would be an interesting person to sit and talk story with on the roof
where we all kicked back.. and talked freely in a relaxed American style english . Harold
was still young at heart and always smiling. My kind of folks. I asked Harold about Jimi
Hendrix if he saw him play and other questions of that time period.. the 60’s?. Man that
music was good. The rooftop group consisted of health educators, english teachers and
lab techs who all were a bit intellectually opinionated. (EGo) The conversations became
quite interesting and intense, I was mentally and physically exhausted everyday from
the pc training. I made up a word for the way I felt, “megabyte overload.” My mother
used to say, “there is no rest for the wicked.”

53. It was Hot days in the classroom the load of information was getting to me. .We were
not accustomed to the high summer humidity in the classroom but luckily our teacher
was very understanding real cool and patient with me and took the class outside so that
we would spend most class in the shade under the tree.which actually helped me
concentrate better. It was difficult to process everything..the intensity of the training was
grueling with the amount if new info I made friends with the instructors eating with them
at lunch and showing my interest in the language and culture and they took extra time to
help me. I felt very comfortable with the Arabic language because. I was good at
understanding body language and I was a personable kinda guy. Not knowing the
Arabic language, sometimes I could feel what the Yemenis were saying without totally
understanding every word of Arabic.
A big plate of scrambled eggs and red beans lentils I mixed together with onion tomato
paprika cumin turmeric okra and some (Arabic route) is naan bread for breakfast yumm
rip off a piece and scoop up the eggs and beans together ummm and the Shy tea was
great w milk and sugar an for your sweet tooth Then a big powerful cup of Al Mokha
coffee I was ready to go an meet the day I talked with some of the male teaches while
drinking our teas and coffees
(Dialog) the weather
All the men sat together at the table and I soon noticed all the female teachers all sat
with the female vols the separation of the sexes had begun After breakfast we had a
meeting in the training center it was explained to us that it would be the last time we
could talk to the opposite sex while eating I didn't know that this applied to us but that is
what being culturally sensitive is about culture customs Also we were not allowed to be
alone in a Closed door private situation with the opposite sex … unless you were
married of course. later up in our dorm hall my neighbor Kevin laughed and asked me
from across the hall “Hey you ready for celibacy ” I said, “what . .what is celibacy?” He
replied. .laughing more “You'll find out...” It was nice we had our own private dorm
rooms I put my books in the corner table
the cultural sensitivity part that women needed to know for there own safety and
covering up is a sign of respect to the culture especially when traveling to avoid being
“Ibed “or shunned or a shoe thrown at you or stones a dress code is also applied to men
men cannot wear shorts in public even at the beach I heard wow this was different to
me but ok respect differences not everyone lives like i do diversity is a fun thing just
open your mind and heart Culture jumping is something i was not used to but it became
a fun challenge an showing respect is also showing love .

54. The Peace Corps women were well informed and knew how to be conservative in
whatever situation they had to be and did great job of covering as much skin and hair as
possible and they were very culturally sensitive I applaud them ! They were living in a
fishbowl. I thought wow how uncomfortable the heavy humidity it had to be so difficult
for them wearing all the extra cloths Considering the adaptation needed to be made for
the extreme humid heat Maybe A reason why women cover is maybe because of the
intense sun ?and that it can dry the women’s skin? and covering was a form of
protection from the sun's drying effect ? Yemen is 14 degree north of the equator the
sun is very strong much stronger than in N America and i thought who was I to judge
this civilization that is much older than mine on its and society rules that had been
around for different reasons I wondered maybe there was some reason why men
women had to be separated…? And Did being covered head to toe led to less of a
chance to of being noticed by men ?.
.i heard a knock at my door it was Micheal...Oops.. I remembered “Hey Dave you still
want to go on a run ? I looked at my clock it was 645am “Yep ! i'll be ready in 5 I put on
my hiking boots because I didn't bring any running shoes we ran the streets and some
trails through the Taiz foothills in the hot morning sun now coming up blazing. .super hot
already aaarrrggg I noticed the men they were staring at us as we ran in the heat and I
felt abit sense of outsiderness the Yemenis must of thought we were “maknoon” crazy
or I think some thought we were military. the classes had concentrated on
Health/Medical Education Language, Culture the classes were two hours long each and
with lunch and breaks it was a 8 hour day..it was a total eight week program. I knew that
if I were to learn Arabic I had to use a lot of repetition and practice. I would write it over
and over.but. I learned how I learn best. .by acting it out in language class we would
perform skits and dialogues with scripted scenarios outside under a tree. .The skits
helped me immensely in preparation to speak Arabic to the people in real life. situations
Even though I did not understand all of the language, sometimes I could feel what the
Yemenis were saying without having to totally understanding every little word.
The Hot days in the classroom the heat it was tough on the concentration plus the long
pants were uncomfortable we got loaded with information and the heat was getting to us
all.. with the humidity in the classroom not used to not having AC. It was difficult to
process everything..the intensity of the training was grueling with everyone but I loved it
I made extra effort and connected with the instructors and they took extra time to help
me. I started to feel shwaya shwaya huba huba more comfortable with the Arabic
language.I was lucky I was good at understanding body language Not knowing the
Arabic language, sometimes I would just have to feel what the Yemenis were saying

55. without totally understanding every exact word of Arabic. i'm lucky my teacher and older
man was patient and asked us if going outside the classroom might help us learn easier
we all 4 of agreed I loved the fact that we got to spend most days in the shade under
the tree.. It was difficult to process everything in the heat of the classroom. .the intensity
of the training was grueling for everyone but it was the humid heat that was draining us
The teacher were great and very patient I connected with the instructors and they took
extra time to help me. I started to feel more comfortable with the Arabic language
because. I was good at understanding body language and sometimes just smiling and
went along with the culture. i really going enjoyed
outside the classroom in nature in the cooler high Mts breezes of Tiaz.
Tonight for dinner the training center we had my favorite oatmeal and grilled cheese
sandwich , the bread was thick with lots of i think american gov cheese but the cheese
was unusual tasting like not real cheese sorry, The cheese tasted very rubbery but i
was grateful a did not complain . At meal times the men and women were separated
and sat at different tables. I enjoyed these moments because it was my time of peace
and I could not talk and had to eat i was usually hungry so i ate quickly We only had an
hour to eat between classes so I had to stuff myself and get a quick power nap before
the next class just like college. The Yemenis people in our training were very kind
smiling and generous. They provided all the meals and always strived to be great hosts.
After dinner I went up on the roof and started to read more on Al Khokha from book I got
from the small library here Al Khowka it was the only small rural village on the Red
Sea.that the PC serve As the end of training was getting closer I was dreaming more
and more of the Red Sea sunsets and beaches of Al Khowka and sharing them with
Karen when she came to visit down the road Zabid . Most of the volunteers turned it
down because it was intensely hot and so rural. . I wanted to be near the water and
work with the ocean people of the Tehama region. .they were a unique mix of people
from Africa Arabia and w some French? Swahili influence. I wanted to experience the
life of the fisherman and the boat builders I loved coastal living. I wanted to build a tiki
health educator hut on the beach I prayed to be placed by the water In Al Khowka and
to swim in salty water I heard the warm salty water was very healing what a win win
heal myself I was looking forward to work with the fishermen and their families(Find a
fitting quote about fishermen from old testament making us fishermen of men ?
I liked their cultural mix of foods and colorful stylish African dress influence. I loved
coastal living culture it was more relaxed friendly I heard from from in country volunteers
that had been there and stories from other volunteers that had served there. I dreamed
of working with the fisherman and the boat builders I loved coastal living. on the beach I

56. know sea water and swimming in salt water is healing I wanted to build a “health
educator tiki hut” on the beach to serve the fishermen God knew this would motivate me
to serve give share love and teach and Help …. help fisherman families help
themselves God knew what I needed Thank you God!. On the roof of the training center
back in Taiz from around the corner of the roof I heard Harold say “I went to woodstock
man,” in a groovy toon. Wow I wanted to hear about this being a big fan of the
musicians that played there” Did you see Hendrix ?” I blurted out To him .” Yea he said
i did .. he came on w “Voodoo Chile @ 9am
Harold is one of our youngest volunteers..at heart always positive. A bit sarcastic. funny
always with a big smile laughing I knew he would be an interesting person to sit and
talk story with on the roof i especially wanted to know about Woodstock The roof is
where we all kicked back..at the end of the day we could talk freely in American style
english about back home topics . I liked the fact that Harold was always positive and
smiling. My kind of folks. I asked Harold again about Jimi Hendrix if he saw him play
and other questions of that time period.about. the 60’s movement? . “Man that music
was good!” he said. ”Yea I saw him”... “Are you experienced? “ he asked me ?” (Get
interview)
The Taiz rooftop group consisted of our PC volunteers health educators, english
teachers and lab techs who all were intellectually opinionated as we all got to know
each other a little better. The conversations became quite interesting and sometimes
intense, by the time I made it upon the roof I was mentally and physically exhausted
from the pc training.so I just relaxed listened to music sometimes joining into the
conversations I made up a word for the way I felt, “megabyte overload.” My mother used
to say, “there is no rest for the wicked.”
A rooster I swear was screaming directly in my window so I looked out my window and
saw the spectacular Tiaz Mts wow we were up high and another Mt towered over us the
rooster ran off I stared at the beautiful MT View blue sky only a few clouds dotted
around the peak what a view and then there was the shanty town shacks full of
homeless people below such poverty in such a beautiful; place ….

57. CHP 10
AL SUK
Al Taiz aHarold andfter lunch We flagged a taxi. We headed for the “qat suk” section
of Al suk it was a separate section of the market it was always crowded the ride was
extremely hot, The toyota mini bus full with six people a little sticky mostly men
sometimes you see a pair of women totally covered travelng together the cab driver
said “tuffle” (take ) get in in Yemen personal space was different to to a person riding a
cab in NY or LA not an issue. ” I don't mind traveling the cab was overloaded so we
stuffed ourselves like sardines... personal space like i forget it... if you are not a people
person used to being elbow to elbow you may feel uncomfortable I grew up in a football
huddle thanks for team sports... and when we jumped in and announced As-Salam
alAikum!,”. The Guys quickly scooted over and made room for us respectfully with a
smile sometimes The roads were packed too bumper to bumper almost like in Sanaa
There were so many horns going @ once and it all blended like a river of beeps. This
was our first cab experience use a Los samat (Please ) w a smile when asked “Min
Fain (Where to ?) and don’t forget to say a Nice “Salam Alaikum” when you enter It
helps make the ride much smoother
When we got to the qat section of Al Suk the first thing we saw was a big mass of men
gathered around the back of a truck it must of been the good stuff so I moved in to
take a better look I looked inside the cab Taiz is where the best qat was sold it was
known to be the best in Yemen because it flourished in higher mt altitudes I started
eat it after lunch like all the Yemeni men . in the back of a truck.was a Yemeni man his
face beet red sweating profusely with huge dilated pupils and eyes bulging out like
squashed frog .He had a toothless grin made only of green chunks of chewed qat
and he looked like he had drank too many red bulls. ... we listened to the men barter
for the high quality qat if you wanted to know how much you would ask “Become
Hatha?”.. (How much?). When bartering, the price starts at the seller's offer usually a
higher rate if you are a tourist you should ask for at least half off the price off the seller
offers the seller will probably say, ” lalalala”..which means no no no..and the seller will
offer a quarter more to your ½ off offer so you the buyer should say lalala Kathir ( a lot
) the price is still high and walk away the seller may beckon you back offering you a
little more than your ½ off offer price. You can take it or walk off again you had to be
able to walk away and be an good actor if you get your offer you were highly respected
being clever and shrewd was a social asset.

58. Bartering in the suk was intense emotional and exciting but if you are a foreigner be
expected to pay non local prices. But remember always barter or you will be considered
a fool for paying such a high price. going into Al suk and using the local currency rial it
was very effective allowed us to sharpen our communication skills and better connect
with the local Yemenis. bartering was a skillful art the interactions helped me to learn
the language and Yemenis culture. So bartering in Al Suk you gotta and be able to walk
away like you mean it it’s fun Going to AL Suk helped you to communicate in a
multicultural mix of people. Africans ,Indians , Yemenis, Saudi Arabians Egyptians
,Yemeni , Pakistanis, French, Djiboutians . Somalis ,Sudanese . I noticed some men
with ball and chains around their ankles I think this was punishment for a tribal rule
broken. PC vols are told that we are subject to the tribal laws - local villagers caught
stealing can get their hands chopped off or punished by wearing a ball and chain.
There is a money exchange suk “the black market” after I received US cash for my
month's pay I could convert it it to receive about 3x more ryals in the conversion rate
favored the $ but it was shunned by the PC because it did not help the economy My
Communication skills continued to improve the more I submerged myself into Al Suk
People would yell “ ibe!” if you did something forbidden in public . Like wearing shorts in
the streets that is a Don't do it Don't get Ibed, usually old women throw a sandal at you
or some old guy yells Ibe ! Ibe! it's embarrassing that's why you pay attention in the Pc
culture-sensitivity classes. I did it by accident i just forgot and walked out in the street to
get a quick water and I wore shorts I left the house not thinking about it i first noticed
the strange unhappy frowning faces then i heard a “Ibe” no i wasn't me ? oops yes I
had to and run home shwaya shwaya.. which means little by little. .i started using our
Arabic at Al suk . I was interested in buying madas. Madas are made from mahogany
and brass and are hand carved also called hookah a water pipe I heard it called a
hubble bubba too. I was interested in smoking one and needed a couple for a qat chew
in my home it would help me to bond with the rest of the men. It was part of the culture
to have a mada in your home
Harold and I we went on a shopping spree and bought many interesting Yemenis items
such as a futa (a sarong), handmade sandals, amazing tasting dates and ground coffee
beans wow it was so good coffee.. it was mandatory for me to have a coffee to rise
and shine for classes .I also purchased a machete ( head wrap) because I remembered
seeing French guys in Sana’a wearing gold silk ones very stylish it and I wanted to
blend with the Yemenis style and look cool and aristocratic. I also wanted to wear a
jambiya dagger too I was interested to learn all the cultural dress of Yemeni fashion.
The pc training required us to go scavenger hunting into the markets and talk in Arabic

59. with proficiency using a limited amount of money this would determined if we could pass
our pc exam and graduate from training to pass and get placed in the Tahama region,
in between the mountains and sea.
Chp 11
Road Trip
Al Mokha
Al Khowka was in need of a health educator at its clinic i was working hard on my
Arabic and having visions of secluded pristine BEACHEs beautiful teal blues greens
,the sea air with sea gulls crying above floating in the salt water looking into the
underwater world , the swirling mix of colors of a sunset ... a possible romance ? all
these scenes swirling through my head i was dreaming of swimming in the warm clear
salt waters exploring the reefs and eating fresh red snapper with Karen No classes
today it was At the weekend i was sitting on the window edge of the training facility in
Taiz hoping and praying to be put in the salty water of the Red Sea While Looking
out over the Mts ranges 123 i could count in the distance drinking a big cup my local
Yemeni coffee brewed from my cowboy coffee pot on a hot plate in my room planning
what to do over the weekend ?? I had some free time to adventure should i rent a cab?
Al Khowka was the only village the PC served on the Red Sea coast maybe go check it
out?
A brand new shiny Toyota four runner approached the gate it stopped the driver was
chatting with gate guard for a while i watched um? he looked european ? i looked
closer who is this new guy arriving ? He drives up into the courtyard in the nice Cruiser
replying to the Yemenis in perfect Arabic something about Alice and Karen ? Curious I
give a , “AH Salam Alikoum”, to him he responds “Wa Alaikum Asalam” and something
else I couldn't understand.? Then he says,” u Speak English Mate? I say “yes American
style english though” w a big smile dressed well, GQ looking he responds “ I'm hear to
meet up with Karen and Alice do you know where they might be ? He was about same
age as me I met the girls in the suk last night hey :”oh He sorry mate I'm Jess n“ : “Hey

60. I'm David nice to meet ya”“ we shake hands “ sure” I said “i'll go get em “… I look down
the hallway here they come running down the hall all dressed to go out “ Jess is here i
said “ hey wanna go with us? both asked “your site village Al Khowka is right on the way
we are going road tripping right now so wanna go Karen asked Alice Yes ?” Wow
Awesome sure! “... wow my prayers answered “ for sure, cool !i'll go get my stuff “ off
to my room to pack for 2 days We meet up w Jess in the courtyard to load up and
head for Al Mocha on a road trip! ...
Our First stop was the suk for qat and supplies the second stop would be the
underground beer market out of Taiz that Jess knew of in the Tahama .The AC worked
great in the new land cruiser Alhamdulillah I knew the Toyota could handle rough
roads and heavy sand dunes it was gonna be an exciting road trip 800 ryals on 5
bundles in the Taiz suk I took notes on how it all went down Jess approached this guy
stuffed in the back of a truck selling bundles all big bulging red eyes sweating this must
be good stuff plus the price was the highest around Jess sampled a leaf sweet ummm
moist I was excited to try this high grade qat because I wasn't driving Jess treated us
all like guests incredible polite I have to say Jess threw a couple stems on my lap and
we washed it down a with a cup of coffee before he hit the road down to Al Mokha
The Alcohol was literally underground buried out in a desert cave the use alcohol was
strictly forbidden by muslims punishment by local authority police the local sheik could
be harsh Jess shared his qat w the guard The studying and training the first week was
a lot we needed a break from the intensity of all the new info and hot long classes our
brains were stuffed I had megabyte overload a blowing off some steam on a road trip it
was like a double date Karen for me Alice for Jess I in got in the back w Karen but Jess
said the men ride up front it would look weird if Alice was in front an me so I jumped up
in shotgun Alice and Jess were hitting it off right away I could tell It was around 930 am
“if we jam we should arrive down to Al Mocha by midday i was the DJ w..the music i had
brought my tapes so i started with some Bluesy Jerry Band a show i saw ithe mountain
views with an steep cliffs kept up the excitement I started to notice more fields of qat as
we started to chew It thrives in higher Mt altitude we picked Jess’s brain with many
questions about the meaning of different Arabic words the time flew but we were all
anticipating to see the ocean the temperature began to rise as the sun rose higher and
we descended into the Tehama region
Tehama means hot” so ... beer.. cold beer was on the road trip list “said Jess “watch
for the guy along the road making a drinking sign... that means we can buy some at a
hidden underground supply” wouldn't ya know it Jess slowed down and this guy
alongside the road gives us the drink sign and points down a dirt road we were in the

61. middle of nowhere in between town in the flat hot dry Tahama so we made a hard left
and drove a couple miles on a bumpy road no car could handle we saw another guy
with a mouth full of qat waving around this mound of palms and heavy brush it was a
underground storage bunker Jess stopped “Escribe chew drink same ? ” Jess said to
the guy handing him some more got he smiled and said “ enter”
we pulled in and got out we looked totally foreign so we were not a threat typical
tourists but it still was illegal and an tensions were high in this situation we came down
into a bunker the guy opened the door and we walked in an got to look at what they
had 4 guys with Aks guarded the cases they pulled off the cover it was dark and cool in
the underground bunker full of cases of variety of imported beers wines and whiskey
“full service Jess” looks at me ‘wow Tamum! I said they even had ice blocks which
they chopped us off some chunks and put in a bag for us we agreed on a case of
Heineken , 2 bottles of Johnnie walker and 2 bottles of Bacardi rum and a bottle of red
wine
Jess did all the talking the yemenis graciously put the the case of beer in the cooler
and covered it with the ice we hid it in the back under a blanket we hid it well under the
back seat on the road until coast was clear,We had to be aware of the alcohol in the car
we kept it hid and we chewed gum and ate some dates fruit of the Gods. Jess is payed
well from Rothmans and buys quat accordingly he drops about 100$ now our bartering
shopping was complete we had our drinks and it was back on the road to Al Mokha we
cruised into the Tehama the land was flat it was the desert region ( explain ) Jess
payed them well they smiled an seemed happy Jess’s perfect Arabic opens another
door We both said “Sukran” i was impressed with Jess’s Arabic The girls had been
waiting in the SuV in the AC it was getting in the 100 degree temp outside now. I
CAN'T WAIT to go,,Swimming and watching the sunset excitement of the road trip to
Al Mokha swirling through my head i could feel romance in the mix too
“Third stop” Jess said “ is the fish market in Al Khowka Yella lets go!” we had
everything but the main course so we timed it so we could pick up the freshest fish the
“The fish market it is going off right now …..”you got ta to see this mate” ….. ‘“1130am
perfect time to pick us up some fresh fish and shrimp for the barbie mate ” in his
classic English accent we had brought a little hibachi and mahogany wood chips
As we approached the Red SEa you could see the shimmering blue water through the
heat waves rising off the land blurring it slightly like like an distant oasis our hearts
quickened an excitement was in our eyes Karen's voice tone heightened after a very

62. bumpy dirt road ride to the Red Sea we pulled into Al Khokha fish market which was a
pretty big pole barn 400x200’ just 200 m off the coast a mile away from the village
When I stepped out of the suv to look at the sea and a massive wall of humid head hit
me like a tsunami wow never had I ever felt anything like this ever except when I
walked into a sauna that was 160 for sure was temp was pushing 120 MY first
impression will always remain it was so hot and humid In Al Khowka “ the scent of
fish was super heavy too ‘ throw in a billion flies in there too We said our Salam
Alaikum to some fishermen ..WOW ! I truly wasn't ready for that much heat! “Still
wanna live here David ?Karen asked” You know I'm hoping to be down the road from
you in Zabid a hour away Yea I really like it hot better than cold” she said “yea me too
the hotter the better I said” i'm looking forward to healing up in that salt water” I replied
“ we entered the barn suk market heads turned with the girls an we were def not local
the market was loaded with fish everywhere on the concrete floor and many varieties
too oh the big hammerheads wow their eyes were the weird exotic sawfish, stingrays,
grouper ,huge yellowfin tuna ,sailfish, mako shark, tiger shark and even some turtles
and the big red snappers and octopus calamari and sardines of all sizes only thing
missing was lobster and crab which were “haram” forbidden to eat in the Quran Jess
asked min fien shrimp and lobster?”( in Arabic?) and the word was out a boy went
running to find “Awa awa yes yes he knew a guy who had some w we all agreed on a
big red snapper so snapper it was Jess bartered for a 10 pounder the girls drew a huge
crowd of fishermen I took notes then here came the guy with 4 fresh lobster an a bag of
shrimp he caught this morning and he would sell to us Jess did the bartering perfect he
walked away after the man and said lalala to his last offer then the fisherman called him
back and they sealed the deal
With an abundant amount of red snappers some lobster for dinner we left the Al
KHowka fish Market headed for a cove Jess knew of down the beach. towards Al
Mokha There is a mosque leaning sideways Still today it looks like an is, called by
Italians the, "little tower of Leaning Pizza" many European tourist Come by truck loads
to see it motto Italianos! Caio We left Al Khowka we told the children to drink a lot of
good water” (eshrab tamum mo”i kather tamum moi”) and I said to the boy “katheer es
tah mum!” (a lot! it's good). The boy smiled and said tyeb(okay). Sukran! So sweet the
smiles …. Then they asked me my name ( wa ant ish mack?) and I said ana Dawood (
my name is David). They yelled “Dr. Dahood!’. wow that felt good a doctor?.. well just to
hear my name and realizing I had been accepted as a health educator to the children
was very rewarding. Then the children yelled “eshrab moi” as we left. We said “and they
yelled back..” Ma salama!. masalama “!” (goodbye to the children and I felt the power of
language as we left.

63. Back in the AC ahhhhhhh and Off to the cove..we had to have a few ice cold Heinekens
cruising along the shore line it was so strange because it was deserted no one on the
beach for miles so we just enjoyed the deserted long beach drive the beers went down
to some good U2 and Dead We cruised a few more miles and then we came to a road
that led to the ocean it was bumpy so we did a few shots of the whiskey to ride out the
bumps an relax an cracked more cold Heinis it was party on the Red Sea Yella to the
the secret cove .!!!..along the coast we continued i loved the sexy smiles when i
turned around to talk to Karen we continued jamming our fav music Karen sang to Van
Morrison down a sandy road with palms fling by we passed a patch of palms were we
saw a Yemeni couple cuddling a very small new born child on a blanket.. Jess stopped
immediately and got out he talked to the couple in Arabic and immediately diagnosed
the baby as having giardia and dysentery (dehydration. ) Jesss pinched the baby’s skin
it was thin i was watching and he told the couple that “baby was in need of ORT​ ​ Moi
water..”Schreb moi lazzum esschreb”, meaning: drink water it is necessary...I gained
much respect for him at this moment Jess went back in the truck an grabbed a case of
water bottles he took one bottle and one lemon and a pack of sugar and poured the
sugar into the the bottle then squeeze the lemon juice into it then shook it up just like
we were taught in training but he had such a great command of the language and I
then understood the importance of learning the medical terminology in Arabic the
couple they were so grateful you could see it in their faces maybe the child would
survive infant mortality rate in Yemen was about 4 out of 10 children survived Jess
spoke Arabic kindly w a golden tongue and taught the couple how to save their baby's
life w oRT using one of our big bottles of shamlon he put the pac of sugar and pac of
salt and squeezed a lemon in it and shook it up Eschreb huba huba (drink little by little )
the couple was very grateful their faces more full of hope for their baby's life we left
bananas and bottles of water as we said our Masalama and Alhamdolillah Jess said
don't worry mate you'll be speaking soon with no problem i've been here 5 years yes
learning others language is a great way of Showing love and compassionI put myself
in that fathers position .
. I needed to walk it off ... awakened of my work here I went on a walkabout as I
walked along the beach I noticed a huge white long horned cattle skull. up on the sand
cliff it was like the ones you see in western movies in the desert....I grabbed the
longhorn an carried it back and tossed it into the back of truck so I could take it back for
a souvenir . ..I looked forward to learning how to better communicate in the local
language After we got back in the SUV the feeling was quiet for awhile as we
processed what just happened We cruised on a while till we came to the ocean an Jess
stopped we did a prayer for the couple and then another shot in silence staring out at

64. the multitude of waves breaking across the reef it was quite in the truck a while and
we all were grateful for what we had
We got back on the trail to find the secret cove We saw In the distance the famous
village Al Mokha showed its famous skyline along the coast it was a special treat for me
to visit it with Karen Alice and Jess first before it’s neighbor village Al Khowka down the
beach became my permanent site I read Al Mokha was a historical landmark in Yemen
because of its port where the first coffee was exported from this particular region,.. now
today Al Mokha it is almost a ghost town.Down the beach 5 miles from Al Khowka was
the old coffee exporting port of Al Mokha pop. 300 just coastal fishing families now a
virtual ghost town now due to its loss of the coffee trade Al MokhA hasn't change much
in many ways an is still living 500yrs behind civilization Al Mokha was the closest
point btw Africa I believe Moses must of crossed here it was only 25 miles of separation
you can really can see how he and his people walked out knee deep But only after
about 300 m it cools a bit a then drops into the reef then cuts straight down 100s of feet
still with incredible visibility no major cities polluting it Al Mokha pop. now only 300+ the
village was thriving during the coffee trade ( history ) a ghost town now due to a lost of
the coffee trade route. There is a mosque leaning sideways Still today it looks like an is,
called by Italians the, "little tower of Leaning Pizza" many European tourist Come by
truck loads to see it motto Italianos! Pic
PIC Al Molka is accented with a 800 +year old, white 100’ ‘mosque tower leaning over
shaped like the leaning tower of pisa. It was the first thing we saw as we approached It
had only been a 3 hour drive From Taiz to Al Mokha music I loved the Arabic music and
the oud sounded similar like Jerry ‘ G’s song called “Arabia” a guitar solo
We walked into the village streets of Al Mocha I loved the white beach sand streets.
honestly “where the streets have no name “ U2 fav.the streets were beautifully covered
in sand.The houses were made of hand cut mud blocks palm thatch roofs The mud they
made was brown and super thick which helped protect the people from the sun's heat
and heavy rain. There were camels, goats and chickens in some of the backyards. The
Red Sea was 200 meters away from the village..Jess, Alice and I went to the beach
where the water was like a jacuzzi..The water starts to cool about 50 meters out waist
deep. I pictured Moses at that moment parting the seas... it was so shallow. There was
only 20 miles of Red sea between Al Molka and Djibouti, Africa and the horn of Somalia.
Enjoying the rewards of Jess’s good communication we cruised the coast line time to
turned up the jams I was dj ridin shotgun luckie a had a bluesy dead mix that had a
Jerry solo called Arabica it was perfect another hour on the coastline sand seemed to

65. stretch forever so isolated... no one on the beach any where the water was blue a wild
fresh Al Bahar Amar i talked w Karen about Zabid and living here in the Tahama ……
the road got bumpy an some deep sand we started to go faster it was fun Some of the
heineken flew from my can out of control the four runner slowly rolled onto its side we
as took this corner but the sand is very thick.... I still think Jess maybe did it on purpose
for fun..our belts held us in as I heard beers slide on the drivers side it was slow roll like
slow motion into the soft sand..... Is everybody ok?.. I took off belt and climbed out the
driver's side window after Jess... Alice was Laughing in the back seat Jess was there
helping her with her belt as she was hanging in air Karen climbed out over her they
ended up hugging and kissing ahahahah ok a no one hurt Alhamdulillah
“min fein Taiz?/” awa yes it's from Taiz” and we received much respect because Taiz
has great qat nice job Jess !st class Brit!. all got up dug out some of the sand around
then the 6 of us. .in Arabic.. Wa head!, ithnayn!, talatha! 1,. 2, 3 roll the land cruiser over
all charged with energy from the qat!, there were no serious damage to the truck. Jess
say “no worries mate we'll sort it all out with Rothmans’. no people to be found some
small fishing boats their worn faded colors. The water clear light blue turquoise beautiful
(inside the air conditioned jeep) it was was amazing Jess keep reminding me if I was
sure I could handle and that it will be tough to live in w/o ac. yea with temperatures up to
120 degrees with seaside humidity of 90% ” toughest job you ever love stands true with
PC motto
The people on the Tihama coastal beach people naturally seemed to be a little more
relaxed than the Mt city people of Sanaa and Taiz they were all smiles and welcomed
us… they were used to European tourists Jess also enjoyed speaking some English
with the American girls and me Ah-Salam Alaikum mate” he says to me I laugh “Wa
Alaikum assalam” I felt his good energy” Hey I'm Jess” “ I'm Dave” “ DAhood he said
“yea Dahood “ “You speak great Arabic? i'm still trying” “Thanks he said “Ah no worry
you'll be speaking real soon” He got lot of respect from the Yemenis with his perfect
command of the language and culture so we became friends and eventually I became
his American wingman A Health Educator and a Rothmans cigarette salesman what a
contrast but I was impressed with his polite kind mannerisms with us and the Yemenis
ok and he owned a brand new toyota fourrunner suV lived in a huge flat w butler a cook
he was all set up business suits and plenty of cash I would enjoy getting away from my
grass roots off the grid lifestyle Rothman was the cig of choice in Yemen they were
everywhere an easy sell and Rothman obviously payed their salesmen well in Yemen In
spite of being a cig salesman He surprised me and won my respect I knew Alice would
be perfect for him and I knew she wanted to meet a ex pat also

66. the secret cove it was hidden amongst some palms protected from the wind perfect
beautiful clear calm water glassy we knew this was it we jumped out of the cruiser and
ran to the water our clothes fly off it was fun feeling so natural.. I splashed around w
Karen playing in the water then layed back on a sand bank as she waded in the still
water making a silhouette on the horizon splashing me occasionally in the magic light
of the setting sun then walked up to me and she fell on me against the bank of sand i
looked up into her big eyes and felt her shapely wet body and smooth skin curves the
illuminating the water from the sun . what a stage ….the deep reds and oranges filled
the sky…the sun dropped into the sea ….the sky lit up…. amazing .. …...
we waded out further as the sun was on its way down w some awesome colors of red
orange showing across the sky our fire on the beach i saw was was blazing Time
stood still as i met eye to eye again in the water her big brown eyes smiling Alice an
Jess they were gone down the beach somewhere ? we held each other in the warm
water an swirled around blending into the sky and sea of light and colors i was in a
dream w Karen in my arms in the warm water ...i could see our fire went down into
red hot coals it was time to put on food so we all got back together i put the grilled
snapper shrimp and lobster tails went on the mahogany coals in our chairs served
each other a perfect dinner on the beach we were grateful and gave thanks to God for
the food provided prayed we counted our blessing enjoying the best show in town
God’s beautiful creation of light and water and Love IT was USA meets Britain meets
Yemen as we put our lawn chairs in the clear blue water in the beautiful calm glassy
cove and watched to sunset protected by walls of sand cliffs lined by palms we had
arrived to “the secret cove” reggae played from the truck Jess gave me a Heineken
we raised a little toast to the Red Sea and the the deep org red surreal Sunset and sat
down the water so clear the girls drank Bacardi mix w coconut and lime and mint like a
mojito on ice perfect for the Red Sea Al Mokha sunset! Red Sky at night Sailors
delight ….Red sky in morning sailors take warning…
We slept under the Arabian Sky that night the stars were so bright they made shadows
of our bodies in the warm water of the beach ..As the sun rose we snuggled on a sand
bank with a sheet ...we had coffee already as i felt its warmth it was a was quite
morning and we just talked a little... maybe a little afraid of what we had started…?,,.
how it was going to go ? we smiled warmly at each other an i sat beside her in the back
all morning as we drove Back from Al Mokha the bumpy mt ride back k to Taiz
Training Center. .it was Rise and Shine @ 7:30 am for Classes started @800am on
Monday Sunday I slept and wrote and dreamed about the secret cove Training was
serious and a lot of work but soon the training would tell us whether we would be fit to

67. serve in a site ...to continue on in the Peace Corps in Yemen.,then maybe we could
relax and spend more time together …we cruised back to Taiz to the training center
that morning the trip went fine Jess and I chewed qat the whole way to stay awake . I
took the long horn skull and placed it inside my dorm room in the training center as a
momento of my trip. Boy did people think I was a bit strange...especially the Yemeni
folks .
Chp 12
Power of Love
The health educators team took another a trip to the village of Hyphen a hospital
(mustashfa) located 4000 ft into mountains. It was a small group excursion just outside
of Al Taiz My ears popped as we ascended higher and higher and also listened to
“Estimated prophet. “ by the GD All the babies in the hospital reminded me of when I
was born When i was born my umbilical cord was wrapped around my neck Mom said
it was from flying around in the womb on the dune buggy ride she took right before My
two doctors Davis and Cotterman, delivered me and I was purple a survivor. The the
stone hospital and nurses dressed in white reminded me of my mother she was a nurse
25 yrs and I felt good( tamum). After the hospital visit in the the morning we we were
ending our last week of training on a fun note we visited a man named Shamson
(sunshine )in the Mts of Hyfan Shamson had about a dozen pet monkeys for pets and
he lived by a natural spring like a MOUNTAIN Oasis beautiful with palms We arrived
and with Shamson and his family he showed us all his monkeys and their little houses
they made monkey sounds and they were cool and very active climbing around on the
big gymnasium he had built for them
We were invited to stay for for lunch so sat down one of the monkeys was pretty brave
and was watching us eat he must of be hungry because he went over to Jim and
snatched his bread we all laughed the monkeys were characters and a little
mischievous We all had fun watching them Shamsons son was very good with the

68. monkeys controlling them Shamson treated us all with qat after lunch Jim Doreen
Harold and Kim and Julie all us were having a good time talking and touring around
Shamsons mt springs pics
So we said our Masalams and loaded up to head back to Taiz i climbed up on top of
the forerunner to take in the view our driver said yea its tamum ! to my surprise doreen
climbed up too and said “Yella “ the euphoric and hallucinogenic effect of the big wad
of quat in my check of started to kick in and I started noticing more the vibrant colors
in the sky from the setting sun….the fire light trails of flames and the splashes of water
from the jeep tires sparkling light across the mountains ridges glowing org lemon
yellow sun blurs stretching across the horizon bigger fires from the mt applied for
warmth and cooking dinner the qat was effect kicking in as i I noticed the emotion in
Doreen’s pretty face
We looked with amazement at the fires burning on the mountain ridges around us as
we rode on the top of Toyota four runner hanging on tight to the rack not to fly off but
our driver was good and knew the way he went swaya shaya hubba hubba Doreen a
Indian American muslim girl we were amazed of the views around us it was magical as
we traveled at a slow but steady pace through the shallow rocky river beds it was part
the valley road that we had to cross back and forth from along the way …. dusk was
coming on with is magic light and the mt people building their nightly fires it was a
romantic the view of the sun setting orange red light reflecting off the river water
being on the roof of a jeep we were bumping into each other touching skin to skin ..
subconsciously a little risky
Doreen was obviously attractive her parents were from Bombay India so her face was
uncovered but she wore a headscarf we looked up on the Mountain ridges where
burning fires started to pop up even more as the sun light up the flames from the fires
it became so orange and so red the flames started blurring leaving more long trails of
org red it turned into a hallucinogenic effect as we cruised along the side of the river
road. we continued our trip coming down the mountain the it was heavy Dorine and I
exchanging smiles and sometimes when we hit a big bump she would grab my arm or
shoulder for support we had some chemistry brewing I could feel it when i fell into
Doreen I embraced her and she me then it happened naturally a long kiss on the
roof of the jeep bumping around with a fire on the mountain backdrop . I wanted more
she too we both wanted love ya even if it was complicated… .mountain views were
breathtaking views from atop the roof w Dorien

69. We came to the paved part of the road and we got back on the road to Taiz and we got
off the roof back into the jeep we got into the jeep our smiles may have given our secret
away i started listening to Taj Mahal a jazz blues singer to relax then Jimi Hendrix
Power of Love Voodoo child mix tape on my headphones (Lyrics )a . it was a
awesome ride the mts but I decided not to forget the romance with Dorian being she
was Muslim and could be it could be seen as being culturally insensitive. The idea also
seemed selfish and I thought about Karen and i better do what I came here to do serve
the people and be a friend. I needed full concentration especially on language skills to
make this happen I needed to learn and speak Arabic a relationship would be to much
but Doreen was beautiful and i loved our powerful moment together I took out my
journal to write about Shamson and the monkey business I found and read some letters
from home and from my younger college friends they were so uplifting and supportive,
they made me feel what I was doing was important. Making peace and “helping people
help themselves How fun. I started feeling very grateful to about this experience
Chp 13
Coed Qat chew
Najib Mohammed Abduha was my first friend (sadeek) i liked that he was open minded
progressive Arabic Teacher our main host to us all during our in country site in Taiz He
invited us to hike to his house up in a Mountain village outside the Taiz Mts for a qat
chew When invited to a chew or someone’s house for dinner we were told to always say
Awah yes because it was an insult to say No..it was an insult to decline and invitation. “
lazzum maderthani “-necessary another time- in Arabic ) is what you can say if you can
not accept an invite. It was a great hike up to Najeb Uncle's house in the mountains
When arrived right in time for lunch .we ate laHham (goat) meat with our right hands
ONLY and sat on the ground and learned the ways of the Yemeni mountain people. The
people of yemen who live in the mountains grew everything and were basically
sustainable including bread, veggies and they a goat meat goat milk, and goat

70. cheese.The goat cheese is smoked with mahogany wood ummm umm. Storing their
water in big basins of concrete that looked like a swimming pools to me
This particular chew would be a modern new age chew because women were invited.
Karen, Alice and Sarah, Marie And Dorean would also be coming.At this party
everyone was equal it was cool we all shared. Friends giving friends stalks of qat
kinds like buying someone a drink. When I spoke at the chew and told my Yemeni
friends that I was happy to have so many new brothers……. and sisters. It was
refreshing that my male Yemeni friends understood and respected my views of gender
equality. Usually it is forbidden for men and women to chew together but visiting
American women get the freedom to chew with Yemeni Najib said he would go all out
and bring the best qat. Yemeni male teachers were their showing gender respect to
the women PC volunteers also . . It is acceptable that visiting American women get the
freedom to chew with Yemeni men..I sat across from Karen i could help looking at her
attractive face she hung with Alice her girl we seemed to our trip to Mocha undercover
and restrained from any public display of affection I think the seriousness and
conservativeness of the culture kept us from flirting in public we weren't married and it
would be offensive if we showed affection in public or around any Yemenis . So we
knew we had to act like Mocha didn't happen ok i was satisfied with a smile we talked
respectively.
Najib went all out and bought the best qat in the Taiz suk the Higher price qat was
usually only chewed by the upper Yemenis casts. At this party everyone was equal and
shared their qat w each other When I was given the chance to to speak at the chew
and told my Yemeni friends that I was happy to have so many new brothers and
sisters..It was refreshing that my new Yemeni friends understood and respected my
views of gender equality in the western world. “Its 50 /50 in America “ i said “man and
woman are equal.” ...but i know we are still working on equal pay in the workplace.
Like teachers they work extremly hard for their pay ​I thought of the young women in
Yemen PIC Latishia weaving her mats bringing them to my house a good sales
person i bought every one she made until the floors of my house were covered w
Tihama mats she knew i really needed them they came in so handy also i hung
them in the breezeway blocking the dusty wind they made a soft cleaner carpet
for the dusty floors muslimgirl.com pic
Just recently 2016 watched Michelle Obama and Meryl Streep in Morocco with
a song by ?“Rise Up “ the love the passion for those who are in need need of a
fair education girls sharing articulating in english it's a valuable asset to the
world Inspiring and Empowering girls to overcome the challenges of their life

71. “we will Rise “ you are special just as you are.. it was amazing i saw a big PC
painting of a dove painted on a wall ! Women confident speaking their mind so
beautiful amazing “Let girls Learn” The health of any nation can be valued by
women the mothers who give birth !the Health of a nation is measured by the
health of the mothers around the world ..”Rise Up” … bloom like a wild flower the
most essential part of the evolution of humanity!
Women in society is a hotly debated topic both within and outside the Islamic world. I
saw they did not have the same social rights compared to a Western women. The
arguments partly concern the specific treatment of women and gender roles as
expressed in the Quran and elsewhere .Debate surrounding gender roles has often
formed just one part of arguments regarding marriage ,divorce,inheritance, and other
areas of Islamic law pertaining to the family Family law has often been the subject of
intense debate among those concerned with the place of women in Islamic society
Karen knew` she had to be conservative and not get into a relationship with me. She
was being sensitive to the culture All the PC women. She did not cover her hair she
wore a safari hat she was western and not Muslim but she still dressed modestly and
covered as much skin as possible. I admire them for their toughness and their cultural
sensitivity . Having to wear so much clothes in the heat I couldn't believe they could
handle it was great working with a majority of women in our crew n college my PE
professors were mostly all women an I was lucky I had the opportunity to work and
communicate on a equal respectful level with woman Now as the US has a first woman
running for president I only see people not gender man or woman...not race religion
just the human race and can you do the job? that's all the criteria you need can you do
a proper job?
Modern Islamic writers and thinkers have called for reexamination of the issues of
women in public , in the workplace and colleges. The increased wearing of the veil
(hijab) not travel outside alone and had to travel with other women..They had to cover
their skin hair and sometimes total face. A woman could not look a man in the eye they
had to look down while passing a man in the street a man in Yemen I could travel alone
in public men benefited they could go into the culture and travel more freely. Women in
Yemen did not have the same social right and .they could not travel outside alone and
had to travel with other women..They had to cover their hair and sometimes total face in
public. ​I tried To ​live up to our American gender ideals ​while serving in Yemen when it
came to my beliefs in gender equality it was definitely strengthened even more
while witnessing the great endurance of the Yemeni woman and our Peace Corps

72. women . I gained a much better assisting the birth of a baby that was sideways (a
true mooshka) during labor Observing families in the village watching women raise
10+children while adapting to such a rigid climate and demanding culture social rules
and customs proved to me their endurance and strength . Yes God did a amazing job
when he created women.! How BEAUTIFUL too! Once on the beach at the tourist
hotel a French woman went topless out into the water oops a no no i noticed the 15
men standing on the beach watching her some women unknowingly travel with their
hair uncovered and this one way to much its the the beachs of Europe here also in the
streets uncovered hair would make the Yemeni man stop and stare just because they
never seen uncovered especially blond hair.It was “ibe “ not culturally acecpted like
the dress code in high school
Najeb surprised me by saying that he would buy a wife in the mountains. . “the
prettiest if I had a enough money” he told me “I could buy as many wives as you
wanted with enough money.” He said, “ one day I will be the prettiest mountain girl for a
wife.” it was different to me ok That is the culture for 1000s of years so who am i to
judge someone's else's way of life?.. i thought more not every culture is like mine and
that doesn't make it wrong just different embrace diversity I m sure Najib would make
his woman happy he was kind and compassionate and understanding man In my
culture the feeling or emotion of “Falling in LOve “ is ability to love who we fall in love
with whoever we want it just happens but you have to look around and that has its pros
and cons os it's all good and just hope people can be happy and love each other more
It has been different having the women and the men separated in the training center I
am used to more communication w female comrades.
Soon We would all travel to Sanaa to celebrate the completion of training and receive
our new site locations if we can pass the language test to spend our remaining service
so it was great to get out with the people and talk for me the children inspired me and
keep me going . We made friends with some of the children and they signed my dairy .
It was refreshing to have young Yemenis children around. .they taught me how to spell
my name in Arabic and the alphabet. The Arabic pronunciation for David is Dawood.
David is a Hebrew name My Arabic was more at a children’s level. The children sang
the Arabic alphabet as you would learn the alphabet with the English Sesame Street
tune. I quickly picked up the alphabet song and can still recite till this day The coed
chew was great we listened to some Bob Marley and i talked with Karen of gender
equality we both agreed all women deserve a chance to go to school We all peace in
the Middle East and between the North and South here Yemen Karen Alice Kim and
Doreen and Mariah made it fun .

73. During the hike back home the younger boys made fun of my hiking boots and said they
looked like US Army tanks because they were so big.Yemeni’s used sandals to climb
mountains while herding goats around climbing in big boots was hot, clumsy and funny
to t]i was feeling oddballlish because You could hear me coming from a mile away..
making little avalanches along the way I can never forget this time of hiking to Najibs
Eventually I too switched to hiking in my REI Teva sandals and found that the Yemenis
were smart to wear sandals they cooled your feet I also found I could hike with more
agility and less effort.
.
Chp 14
Makabana Road
pic
Our cultural teacher Mahmood from Taiz invited all 8 of the men a boys night out to
take a 3 day hike to visit a wedding in his home mountain Village ” hey ya want to go
where no westerner had ever gone ?He was so cool he wanted to hang with the
American guys and show them his family that was cool Mahmood wore the a nice
white adidas sweat suit 3 of us committed to going on the 3 day hike up We took
Makbana road to Mahmood's secluded Mountain village Jim Dave and myself pic The
Sheikh there was Mahmood's Uncle who had 12 wives and almost 100 grandchildren
that were also having kids too so most of all the 300 people living there in the village
where of his descendants. What a great cultural experience i thought Mahmood said
“there had never been a American or white European for sure there ever” it was very
secluded,,... we would be the first westerners to visit. Like i said when someone invites
you to a dinner or visit their home family and village it is considered a honor and rude
to say no I had said told Mahmood “Awan Yes!” the first time he asked me but when he

74. asked me again for the second time I knew I would offend him if I said Matherthanie so
i replied “ when do we go,?... Yella !?”. I could never say no to to an adventure anyway
and ..boy was I in for an adventure up Makbana Road “ YELLA!”
Hiking and traveling with Jim and David was great we were all honored to be going to
celebrate a wedding it was in a secluded mountain village and one that had never
even seen a westerner. We had to hike a bit even after the ride up Makbana road to get
to village it was off the main road we Mahmood had a friend with a donkey so we could
carry our supplies and he had a Ak 47 we were in tribal lands was the most thrilling of
hikes we stopped a fired the Ak a few times it reminded me of my 20 gage shotgun we
kept hiking until we came to a one way narrow pass up into the mts Mahmood's
cousins knew we were coming they had a pick up truck waiting and we were relieved
with tired legs I jumped in the back of the pick up and threw on my headphones i had a
Jishua Tree U2 tape and the “Streets with no name” song was perfect fit for the dusty
ride up up high on a Mt cliff away we went even higher when Mahmoods friend
passed out qat for the ride whew here we go Alhamdulillah ! soon it became a very
bumpy plain dirt road with big washouts dangerous and deep potholes winding around
the cliffs were steep with a breathtaking drops into the valleys you didn't even want to
look over the edge i remember we we went very slow creeping along in the 75’
landcruiser feeling out every curve close to the edge that could put us on a death drop
we’ve all seen the burning vehicles that went over so we took it huba huba stopping for
oncoming trucks to make a less than 1 foot pass against each other it was tight you
could say i prayed when we had to go close to the side but mostly we were on the
inside lane and we made it slowly to the Village of Makbana AlHamdulillah !
On arrival we took our qat stems to chew room to sit and chew an get to know the
the sheik and his tribal men the chew room was epic very old rustic wood beams
looking 100s of years old i looked out from my position sitting with my qat an counted
the 7 different mountain ranges we were high up the ranges looked almost endless we
were so high up a cloud passed by an everything went white it cleared an a falcon flew
by and on landed on a tribesmen arm wow i thought i thought of the Holy Biblical times
it was tranquil peaceful experience with only the sound of the mt breezes and the
falcons screech i was definitely in another world i took a puff of the mada that tobacco
made my ears ring ok i was in a high mt chew .. where is Moses i thought ? it was so
rouged an so secluded time stood still... Makbana was only accessible for the sure
footed brave
The Marriage Celebration had begun when we arrived .weddings usually continue for a
couple days pics the men talked about the guns and dancing tonight for the groom

75. pics Jim was sitting across from me we smiled when we saw all the kids hiding around
the corner trying to get a peek at us we were different the white people to ever visit the
village after chewing we said our sukran's and masalas and went to our rooms they had
for us in Mahmoods home Jim and i sat down on the walk and let the curious kids come
to us they approached an we said “Asalamalakim that put them at ease proudly they
responded “Walaikum as salam and we began to bond speaking our kids level Arabic
to them Want ish ismak ? they asked I replied Daood and Jim Jehim we sand the
alphabet Alif ba tha ta the kids touched my blonde arm hair that was something new to
them they were so excited and friendly inviting us to the wedding party tonight we
shared some biscuits and said they escorted us to our bate the prayer call sounded and
it just became more exotic as i watched the clouds go by
Jim an I unloaded our bags an relaxed while the village prayed and then it was time to
go to the wedding celebration pics as I understood the men on one side of the village
the women on the other eating and drinking then the bride and groom met in middle of
village and join and walk to their new home through the parade of people showering
them with gifts money and flowers they walk to the man's house where her mother is
there with her she advises her and she goes to the men's room and they enter and
make love everyone is outside waiting for the man to bring out the blood stained sheets
showing she was virgin after he raises the sheets the men begin to fire off their Ak's
guns straight into the air and it is a celebration exciting the men dancing and firing off
rounds it was loud and then the kids began to light off firecrackers the bride comes out
and they parade again with more guns and fireworks and dancing she goes to be with
the women on the other side of the village the men continued to celebrate with dancing
and eating and gunfire and more fireworks my ears were ringing when a flying cracker
went off by my head hahah then more guns hoping the bullets coming down missed me
whew exciting party
Chp 15
Father Damien

76. While teaching Hawaiian History in Kauai i read about a hero that sent me back to a
excursion we took in Yemen Our Health Educator team would visit to a leper colony
.There are many heroes in Hawaii but there was a Belgian Hero named Father Damien
who was a special missionary he was Hawaiian in his heart and he is remembered by
his courageous humanitarian efforts working in the Hawaiian Leprosy Colonies. He
gave his total life to his cause Father Damien was living with the Hawaiian people side
by-side fighting leprosy contracting it later and dieing from it. His humble heart and
selflessness reminded me of the Yemenis working at the Leprosy colony pHoTO
)outside of Taiz surely to this day i still remember the emotions on the faces ….. i felt
the love …...and the pain… the clean white bed sheets, bright flowers around the
rooms...the houses landscaped with lemon trees,Lime and Orange and banana trees.
The health herb garden basil rosemary So nice the fresh aroma I was very interested
and impressed by the Yemeni horticulture, I was planning to grow a health garden in
my site for sure. The terraced gardens were full of all medicinal herbs lettuce spinach,
all kinds an okra.. which is a main part of Yemeni diet. . the gardens had been irrigated
by stream for many years and . from. water stored in swimming pool shaped concrete
reserves during the rainy season. I learned a new important word this day from our bus
driver. Allah Yer-Brick - It reminded me why I was here...It means be grateful for what
God has given you..,your family and all your friends, your health and your wealth. The
Clean... life giving Water you drink! esreb nathief moi !
My letters from home and from my college friends were so uplifting and supportive, Joe
Mclain wrote me a nice letter and made me proud of what I was doing that it was
important How lucky how blessed experience of Serving other kept me feeling good
even while living in such a different culture than my own the letters inspired me . . I
needed full concentration especially language skills to make this happen so I needed to
learn and speak Arabic( kalem Arabie)..I embraced the Yemeni culture with all my heart
(kelb) threw myself into my work and just started talking to everyone the more I opened
my heart the more I found Yemenis to very kind and giving people I wanted to be able to
communicate. With them. and learned that is what it's all about the desire to
communicate
Chp 16
Halas !​(finish)

77. Halas ! Mountain Training in Taiz was finished. Halas ! It has been Inspiring, hot ,
demanding physically , mentally and spiritually. It was different having the women and
the men so separated in the training center not eating together at lunch with just men
all the time it was different from not hearing female working partners views I was
relieved training was coming to an end. For me the medical language was grueling..
Finally the last day of training came and we prepared for “graduation”our induction party
in Sana’a where we would celebrate the completion of training and receive our new site
locations in -the villages that we would spend our remaining service After the
completion of training we celebrated with a big formal dinner party at the US embassy In
Sana’a and received our new site location from the PC Director -the village we would
spend our remaining service pac in -1year 8months..
I thought of where i would be placed as I put on my blue blazer that I wore to Staging
would i go to Al Khowka on the beach? my hair was short zeffra now but the director
still called me our golden boy I remember as the Director announced I would be
serving in Al Khowka !!! Awa! YESSS! The party was on i was ecstatic we were in a
outdoor garden in the middle of the US embassy it was green and lush w palms and
ferns and banana grapes dates and the poi pond fountain trickling in the very middle the
sound of the water relaxed me the smell of the grilled red snapper made my mouth
water I drank cold ice water in a nice glass it was classy the embassy people threw us a
nice grad party the torches burned making the night more romantic my hopes for Al
Khowka had come true and the fact that Karen was just a couple hours down the road
in Al Zabid now I can invite her over for a swim maybe catch another sunset ? i had
been watching her walk she looked beautiful in her dress how she moved so gracefully
with a glass in her hand her hair shining under the Arabian sky her big eyes were so
bright when i walked up to her her smile grew and we embraced each other with a long
hug then a short kiss looked each other in the eyes an said ,“hey neighbor” It's Official
I was sworn into the United States Peace Corps on September 25, 1993 and assigned
as a Health Educator to the village of Al-Khokha in the Al-Hodeidah governorate. Soul
Mission was on!
Chp 17

78. The Children of Al Khowka
During the hot grueling training the children of Taiz motivated us to keep willpower to
keep on keepin on Looking at the smiling happy faces of the innocent children from
along the trail to class every morning was all it took ... I won't forget their bare dusty
feet some w pants some wo but always smiling so sweet so innocent so happy and
sharing their biscuits with us coming around in lil pacs sometimes yelling “sura sura”
picture picture!” when you see a child You say “Ma Sha Allah” to their parents i wish i
could of said it more to more parents it means “Gift from God” Yes our children are all
gifts of God they deserve the best I say this to the whole world because i believe that
“You reap the seeds you sow !” I will miss those kids running up to w their big smiles
Masalama to all the beautiful children of Taiz... now As Salam Alaikum to the children
of Al Khowka !
There are so many songs great inspirational ones that touch our souls ! one of my
favorite song “My Sisters and Brothers”. “ by the GD song by Jery Garcia I came to
love it and the Blues they seemed to sooth any hard times I have to write these lyrics
out because they reflect my message
I wanna say to my sisters and brothers
Keep the faith
When the storm flies and the wind blows
Go on at a steady pace
When the battle is fought and the victory’s won
We can all shout together we have overcome
We’ll talk to the father and the Son
When we make it to the promised land
If we walk together little children
We don't ever have to worry
Through this world of trouble
We gotta love one another
Let us take our fellow man by the hand
Try to help to understand

79. We can all be together forever and ever
When we make it to the promised land
Our bible reads
Thou shall not be afraid
Of the terror by night
Not the arrow that flies by day
Nor the pestilence
That waiteth in the darkness
Nor for the destruction
That waiteth in the noonday hour
(chorus)
This world is not our home
We are only passing through
Our trail is all made up
Way beyond the blue
Let us do the very best that we can
While we’re travelin’ through this land
We can all be together
Shaking a hand
When we make it to the promised land
(chorus)
When we make it to the promised land.. Children
Make it to the promised land children
Make it to the promised land children
Make it to the promised land
When we make it to the promised land sisters
Make it to the promised land children
We can all be together, forever and ever
When we make it to the promised land
(chorus)
We can all be together, forever and ever
When we make it to the promised land

80. I pictured the bible story of Moses leading his children to the promised land as i looked
out over the shallow waters across the Red Sea I listed to the small waves lap against
the shores of Al KHowka .. it was late..when got off the truck and walked over to relax
by the water it was a dark nite no moon no stars pitch black dark 1200 -30 am I was
tired wo qat i was beat from the hot exhausting trip thru mts and hot Tahama loading
my stuff and riding out the last ten dusty miles of off road to Al Khowka shores it has
ridges of worn dirt road and it vibrations it constantly kicks your ass the warm salt
water was soothing i splashed my face and cooled my feet in the sea
We were all tired when we arrived and it was quite as walked back to the truck to
unload the Yemeni men that i rode with gratefully helped me unload all my bags The
Sheik and his men put all my stuff into the middle of a big room that night and spread
them out on the floor unpacked every piece everything spread out on the floor i
understood i had nothing to hide it was procedure like at a airport he just wanted to to
edit all my stuff.The tribesmen sat around against the wall chewing with their guns
looking at me chewing i was surrounded by Ak 47s surrounded sitting in the middle of
the room with everything i owned... yea it was a little intimidating to me a i made eye
contact with every tribesmen some with big smiles some giving me serious looks but
Dr Abdul Basit was there he was the director of the Clinic and we had 2 other DRs
staff coworkers there too they approached me and They talked with me and nicely
started describing My position and responsibilities in the community as a Health
Educator I would be teaching Health & 1st Aide at the community health center he said
and to the local coastal village fishing families that don't come to the clinic .
I agreed with the PC health curriculum teaching “preventive medicine” Eastern
preventive medicine (eat a healthy diet) vs western curative (take a pill) This was
another message of my soul mission to teach and share preventative health care so i
was grateful to able to be somewhere where i was needed to do that . After more
introductions “A Salam alikmms “ I meet he Sheik finally …. he was young and clean cut
with a kind smile i pictured him being old an wise looking but he was monden dressed
and well armed with a 45 and a AK i was happy he was happy my belongings had
passed a thorough inspection The next step was to get me a house (al bate) The
Sheikh had asked me to his house for a late fish dinner that night after the inspection I
said yes right away Awah He was cool we had Red Snapper and Ahi tuna yum
awesome I was in with the Sheik He had a couple nice AK 47s in the house leaning
against the wall in the corner on the wall and he his wore that new 45 on his hip but
took it off when we sat down to eat we talked about what i was to do He let me know I
was to shoal fin al mustashfa work at the mustashfa hospital/clinic My Assigned Job

81. Title ; Health Sahe Educator I was to meet the Director of the clinic and the chief of
Police for breakfast @ 900am at the local restaurant tomorrow cool he liked me he
was a cool guy too i thought and now he was going to rent me a house the Sheik had a
big part in me Getting a cool house Al Bait and so we walked through a maze of streets
to the edge of town i was lost we came to the green doors of my bate they thick and
very old we opened the big padlock on them and we went in with our coleman lanterns
burning bright i could already see pics I would be doing some doing some cleaning on
the 2 interior rooms It came w a well ” fresh” water 20m down but i found later to be full
of mosquito larva that I would have to end their lives with 15 min boiling forgot what I
added for standing water mosquito prevention Sheik said it had a good rooftop and i
could view of the Red Sea and watch the sunset but you must first build a wall so not to
look over into the neighbors I said yea awah la mooshkala cool no problem not really
grasping the importance of building a wall i just wanted that ocean view Hat would be
a labor of love building a private tiki “roof cage” w hammock I wish I had taken a
picture it was cool jungle construction with palms and bamboo built with my swiss army
knife but darn sturdy even when the wind blew hard
I'll take it! even with just a inch of dust covering it yes I put up my mosquito net over it
and threw down just a sheet I slept outside in the breezeway for air because it was still
so hot 100 inside the dark rooms 110 you could hear some folks running their
generators but soon I heard them rattling and thought oh no i can't take this all night
arrrggg!? Please God Halas wow they go off as it was lights out and generators too at
9pm thank God ! I layed down on the Tehama bed was too small my feet hanging over
the end and i was beat half asleep i keep hearing those rats I saw the extra Big traps in
the Suk now i know why they were so big i maybe slept a couple hours but woke for
prayer call@ 6am after hearing it in Taiz i was waking up to it telling time by it 5x
everyday in Al Khowkha it was usually the same prayer just different singer who let it all
out you could feel it was mesmerizing and somewhat hypnotic. I made a cup of Al
Mokha coffee with my cowboy coffee pot grounds from the campfire i made it was the
best coffee rise an shine I was up Ok had to meet the Police Chief for breakfast
I'll never forget this breakfast at the restaurant i ordered a plate of scrambled eggs
sauteed beans yum it was mixed w tomatoes onions okra curries and curry turmeric
cumin and some spices i've never heard of chopped onions and green red peppers it
was called fasolia served as a side w the rutti habs flat bread yummm it smelled so
good my stomach growled i was hungry I was eating it up w my right hand talking w
the Chief of police and Abdul Bassit over a table outside we all had plates eating it
turned it was a big community meeting so i was a bit nervous speaking in my broken
Arabic then and all of a sudden my stomach rumbled ? an then all of a sudden puc

82. flew violently out my mouth I turned in time not to hit the table a put it in the street the
flies converged on my food yeah believe it was caused by the flies dive bombing my
eggs and beans with foreign germs I tried relentlessly to wave them off but to no avail
they won the battle i soon learned restaurant eating was risky for my virgin stomach
Dr Abdul Basit the Director had a big smile with very white teeth and understood my
weak stomach I chewed got w him at his house later that day for lunch He said that the
restaurant food was not as clean as home cooked food He asked me what I like to eat
here I said the fish is amazing we walked through the suk to the fish market Dr Abdul
Basit was. the Director of the Health Center he had a big smile with very white teeth He
bought a big red snapper and payed a boy to run it to his house went to see an some of
his friends then back to his bate His wife served us my fav fish the red snapper he had
a nice Yemeni wifeI chewed qat w him at his house “ Kousin” ? it's called an I meet the
2 the men who assisted the 2 local doctors i would be working daily w at the chew They
were cool nice and funny
The next day the other Dr Abel pic invited me to dinner also he lived in small African
Swahili village just between the old village of Al MoKha and Al Khowka it was so cool
right on the beach in a patch of palms I remember the village streets where soft golden
sand and the houses w Palm tree roofing making the palm shadows on the ground and
natural walls made it more tropical looking he lived w the Swahili people in the small
village it had a beachy relaxed atmosphere people ujkjugysed a lot of palm branches
and the bricks of the houses were hand made not like the cinder blocks in AlKhowka’
village
As we walked through the streets the children in Al Khokha village were so friendly 20
kids came out yelling gall gallium which means pen in Arabic, the Russians used to
hand out pens when they visited. If you did not have a pen the children would yell out
sura sura which meant photos. I knew that whipping out a camera can cause a photo
frenzy so I knew to use my camera carefully. Cameras were confiscated if you took
pictures of Yemeni women or anything in the military. It can get you into trouble with the
police and tribal leader. some tourists are culturally insensitive or suspicious looking
with the camera out. then usually the police take the camera and the sheik gets to keep
the camera and film and whatever else he wants. Sukran Gazillion! ( thank you very
much ) hey he's the Sheik..
As i walked through in the suk I ran into the The two local Sudanese teachers pic and
they invited for lunch While in Al Suk I was asked by The two local Somali teachers to
teach English in the school w/ 30 kids Cool i would direct a Community Health Program

83. on Aids Prevention To help me Fahid came to the house to teach me more Arabic every
friday he would bring Sudanese food it was amazing sorghum fish… tapioca banana
pudding and teach me more Arabic pic sudanese food is amazing and “Away” I count
say no even with a full plate what a great opportunity to get in the school and teach
health and english I meet them at their house I could smell the bread all the food they
prepared it was amazing tasty the sourgun breadcakes an tapioca root pudding was
clean and fresh they knew what my stomach could handle So we had bottled water
Shamlon We talked if would like to teach some English in the school I accepted. and I
agreed to help teach english with and a health message 2x a week at the school The
school classroom consisted of a mix 30 students some little kids some teens some
middle aged fisherman. all stuffed on thinn table benches elbow to elbow it was a
packed in the hot humid classroom and still in the morning it was getting hotter as we
practiced the english alphabet first by singing it Like I learned the Arabic Alphabet it
made it much easier to remember so we sang the traditional “Abcdefg-hijklmnop qrs tuv
w x y and z now I know my abcs next time won't you sing with me” wow the kids stood
on their tiptoes singing excited to learn English It was 90% humidity & 14o degrees by
midday...
I had never felt hot humid weather like what I was feeling in the village of Al khowka
Yemen sweating it out in the hot humid classroom how lucky I was to be able to reach
the youth and give a English lesson and message of eating a well rounded diet
washing hands and drinking clean water their energy to learn inspired me wow the kids
stood on their tiptoes singing excited to learn the English alphabet and it was 90%
humidity & 110 degrees by midday... I had never sweat it out in the classroom like that
before inspiring !
When i showed up for my first day of work at the clinic wow it need cleaned up so bad
from years of neglect cleaning would be a community project needles thrown out the
window by
became darts for the kids to throw at each other that had to end There's a new Sheriff
in town haha no i didn't step on any feet but that's where i drew a line when something
hurt the kids and i could help hem also so why not build a sanitary waste medical waste
disposal system we dug a 6ft hole and buried all the waste then we planned a Health
garden too and a flower garden. How To get things started in the community involved
question talk word of mouth start at the top with the sheik We had a meeting he was all
for it and spread the word we needed help landscaping the Health Clinic
we needed to bring in soil from the local nursery one of the doc's aides we planted
some local seeds and transplanted some palms the staff gave it love I started to

84. landscape it w big chunks of dead white Coral chunksl for surrounding raised beds it
needed some beautification some landscape love and the started people help out from
the beach a coral spot yea i'm sure Moses must of crossed here it was only 25 miles of
separation from Africa We loaded up blocks of dead coral some young Staffers join in
soon we had a full load we used then to build walls around the plants and elevate like a
box garden it was a coral box garden we did Palm trees that were there filled in some
good soil the guy who owned the tree and plant nursery donated another truck load of
free good soil but we bought some little palms to show our gratitude The center was in
ruins. it used to be a gas station the ground was totally dead for the spilled gas and oil
on it The infrastructure needed reconstruction and some big buck construction It had to
be over 50ys old already it was Mainly damaged from the saltwater humidity the walls
ceiling and paint was literally crumbling off before our eyes. Dust and dirt all over floors
no one had money to pay for its upkeep that's why you can't just give things to people
there has to be deeper thought behind it I found working in Al Khowka health center and
village was really rewarding given the opportunity of sharing health and first aid
knowledge.
The Health Educator needed to accepted by community and that would only be if you
could communicate in Arabic to the new mother’s Mother's with babies were taught
well baby care Judy and I set up an informal class at the clinic demonstrating how to
make ORT Oral Rehydration Treatment to the mothers that came in 90% of the time w
dehydrated babies,.it was funny that we were taUght IN training not to shake the bottle
up and down we shook it sideways not up and down because it resembled masterbation
just by sharing health knowledge the whole village becomes a healthier place little by
little To help others heal themselves and prevent illness This was my inspiration to do
something meaningful The clinic opened around 9 am we worked till noon then eat and
chew time cool 3 hr workday nice and short I worked mostly w the men who assisted
the 2 local doctors The HIs job was to demonstrate how to make ORT Oral
Rehydration Treatment @Community Health Center Hand washing was the biggest
message we taught “Lazum Nathief el yed” ORT was also Taught to us by our HR
trainer Elizabeth during training
A house visit I'll never forget My fisherman friend’s wife had recently died it with
hepatitis. It had spread through the family to the 2 son’s an a girl and the youngest
son looking so sad with yellow eyes but so grateful for my concern he feeling like he
was going to die from his condition which was true . we separated the dishes everyone
in the family had their own plate bowl we cleaned all the utensils w boiling hot water
and some soap we talked of washing the dishes separate with boiling water after the

85. wife left cleaning fell behind i trying not to offend but empower them with their own
health care.
It was rewarding sharing first aid knowledge it touched my soul. “Dr Dahouuud ‘ became
my name in town the kids yelled it constantly whenever they saw me OF COURSE I
loved it ! but I'm not a doctor by any means and I have the ultimate respect for those
Docs living here taking care of so many they live their profession !Respect To those
brave “Drs. wo Borders” heard they were getting bombed recently in Yemen how sad!
Getting Respect is reward that is priceless … smiles and waves Salam Alaikums from
locals and my neighbor Abella who gave me a rabbit and the boat rides to the pristine
reefs all fish you can eat fresh red snapper and my fav yellow fin ahi tuna from my
fisherman buddies
The fishmarket in Al Khowka was boomin they sent tons of fish to Sanna daily on ice
trucks Those hammerheads were so strange looking at me with their bulging eyes out
to the side , Mako sharks get their fins cut off for big $ for shark fin soup in China but
wow crispy the local sardines they were so tasty and healthy getem freshly fried or
baked wow the fishermen were ripped living on the fish veg only diet I'm sure
shredded from working on boat and eating fish for breakfast lunch and dinner I was
impressed by the state of health of the fisherman! Fish fresh vegetables beans bread
staple diet and clean water. Cold Shamlon equals good health they were lucky
because they could yummy crispy sardines and fresh fish were so tasty and healthy
too lean protein the fishermen sustained the village working on boats netting the fish
story of village netting ) most fisherman eating just fish for breakfast lunch and dinner I
was impressed by their physical health Fish fresh vegetables beans bread was their
staple diet and if possible and clean bottled water was so important .
Clean Bottled Cold Shamlon was the best water. We take for granted clean water it
really is LIFE! Brought in from a Swiss water distributor in Hodeida Shamlon was the
most popular type of bottled water Yemen ‘s Ground water is off limits for PC vols way
too much bacteria for our immunity system could handle giardia and diarrhea can be
contracted with just just one sip I know I took just one little glass of water and ended up
with both the locals have seemed to have adapted somewhat but still diarrhea was
always prevalent in society and the biggest threat to infants.
i used pics and diagrams An responsibility i had in the community was to make house
visits so i could talk more private I'll never forget was my fisherman friend had
hepatitis. It had spread through the family. The son, a young boy, looking so sad with
really yellow eyes but he was so grateful so kind to me that i was there to help. So we

86. separated dishes everyone in the family had their own plate bowl we cleaned w Boiling
hot water and some soap we talked of washing hands i was a sensitive trying not to
offend but empower the people with their own health care only to Help people to help
themselves this is the way
The Health clinic needed cleaned up from years of neglect the well for fresh water no
longer worked and how $ to make repairs it was must've of been outta sight outta
mind because the needles went out the window and they became darts for the kids i
had to dig a hole and bury them …. so why not dig up some beds and build a “Health
garden”local herbs like rosemary thyme cumin ginger turmeric to get things started? I
got the community involved landscaping the Health Clinic with local plants and white
chunks of coral for surrounding walls of the raised beds for a garden The courtyard
needed some beautification an some landscaping Love
Community Health Center was old and in ruins it used be back in time a busy gas
station so the ground was totally dead from gas and use The infrastructure needed total
reconstruction and some big buck construction It had to be over 50ys old already it was
Mainly damaged from the saltwater humidity the walls ceiling and paint was literally
crumbling off before our eyes. Dust and dirt all over floors an example of just giving
something a then leaving not making it sustainable no funds for maintenanceThe
growing value ground had been destroyed from fuel from the gas station that once was
in the courtyard we need to bring in new soil to put in some raised beds from the local
nursery one of the doc's aides we planted some local herb and flower seeds and
transplanted some palm trees the staff gave it love I started to landscape bordering the
raised beds two big chunks of dead white Coral Soon One of the Docs aids came w a
pick up I got to use my wheelbarrow too we loaded it an drove out to the beach to the
coral spot and We loaded up blocks of dead coral some of the young Staffers join in
soon we had a full truck load to build walls around the plants and trees elevated like it
was a coral garden we did Palm trees that were there filled in some good soil from the
guy who owned the local the tree (sugarah)and plant nursery donated another truck
load of free good soil but we bought some little palms to show our gratitude
“Lazim nathief el yead” Necessary to wash hands message was one of the simplest
lessons but very important it was so mandatory to avoid sickness like diareaha
because the left hand was used as toilet paper or sometimes a rock Hagar water was
used to splash up there to get you more clean no paper involved soap was nessesary
to wash your hands but soap was scarce an not always provided so it was important to

87. also keep nails short and clean.it was a new thing to adapt to I always took bars of little
soap w me an left them next to the bucket of water indiscrimenatly the well pump
needed repaired clean water was there but the motor was broke on the pump who
would pay for it ? The sheik payed he donated a new motor i helped install it with the
staff and a mechanic and when the water ran through the hose it was amazing when it
hit the dust of the dry courtyard we made mud an we rejoiced spraying each other with
the hose as we sprayed the hose on all the land it was healing the thirsty land a
cleansing it
I forgot little boys name? But i took a picture of him It was truly rewarding observing the
healing of this small boy,s gashed open head wound it made me feel good one day he
came knocking on my door all alone with a big gash from a coral reef oh I've seen this
before having cracked my own head 3x jumping ramp on my bmx bike as a kid yea I
recognized a split head. Mom kept a stocked first aid kit at home yes she was a RN so I
knew how to butterfly a laceration first hand experience I applied w butterfly cleaning it
is the most painful gotta make it bleed out a little scrubbing action to clean it get out any
debris 3 x my mom and Dr Davis sewed me up using a needle to my forehead wow the
numbing shots in the gash that's what I remember the most and the sound of the needle
piercing my skin the tugging of the stitches taking the pain I learned how to Dr Davis
firmly asked are you gonna cry? He was a great Doc mom worked for imm so I had alil
special treatment for all my bumps bruises and lacerations I learned how to butterfly a
cut from mom. I hoped i didn't hurt the boy when i scrubbed it with a sterile gauze it bled
a little but he didn't cry i said lazzum nathief necessary clean tamum He said Tamum
Sukran!
Another day in the clinic I was there alone and a man came stumbling in w a big
mooshkala his head was bandaged an i could see the red stain of blood around his face
through hand signs his friend franticly described what had happened i understood the
word shoal (work) and eye (?) so i gently unwrapped him to find his eyeball hanging on
his cheek by the occipital cord he must of been in sever pain and experiencing
dizziness and vertigo it was a total orbital blowout i knew we had to get to the hospital
immediately rebar wire while he was working had snapped back a tore the eye out i put
on rubber gloves and poured water on it to rinse off the dirt blood debris i gently put
the eye back without applying pressure and rapped him back up very gently in sterile
gauze the bleeding had stopped and i gave him a water bottle for him to take with him
his brother was ready to take him to Hodeida Hospital 3 hrs away don't lay down
lazzum necessary to stay upright w sign language broken Arabic i think he fahem
(understood )

88. Dr Abdul Basit the Director of the Health Center and lived in Al Khowka he had such a
big smile with very white teeth that he contently cleaned with a cinnamon stick brush I
chewed qat w him at his house when he smiled the little pieces of green qat stood out
like when someone has salad in their teeth I wanted to tell him but an he served my
fav fish red snapper the chew “cousin” it's called was the best he had a nice Yemeni
wife and she could cook too he was living better than most being one of the only
Yemeni Dr’s
Dr Abdul invited me to dinner one time I said yes of course he lived in Al MoKha I liked
the people of Al Mokha in the village were nice like caribbean tropical kind people I
remember the village streets were clean golden soft sand and the houses w more green
Palm tree roofing more natural and tropical vibe We went to the beach to buy fish but
half the village was out in the water pulling in a net that must of been 50 m wide the
fishermen had brought it in with their boats but now the village people were walking it in
through the shallow and up on the beach what great timing I thought ahh the Dr knew
what was going on for me to see an us to buy fresh fish to be able to see his and see all
the fish was amazing there was going to be a sale a market on the beach everything in
the net was for sale many different varieties of fish but one big one stood out flopping
around it was a pregnant mako shark Dr asked to cut it open he wanted to take home a
baby mako for dinner so he also got the dorsal fin pic bought some red snapper too for
a big dinner because some of the other clinic workers were along the Al Mokha beach
was beautiful the water blue we loaded up back in the Drs International 44 it was a 75’
classic 2tone red white there was about 6 of us we headed back to his house He said
you might as well stay we will chew too after dinner it was the weekend so why not yes I
didn't want them to have to drive me back home at night
The main dishes came out the baby mako shark came out on a bed of rice it tasted ok
just a little musty to me but the snapper was amazing blackened w jerk like spicy flavor
his wife had prepared everything in the kitchen already i could smell it was cooked over
some mahogany coals grilled the fin was chopped into squares mixed in w beans
vegetables over rice shamn water
For dessert fruit banana pudding Dates yummm and some chocolate candy And some
Al Mokha coffee the Dr went all out it was great he was generous and funny laughing a
lot I was very appreciative but it was an honour for me after dinner the qat cme and it
was of very high quality he had gotten it early in the market today after I had confirmed
that I was coming to dinner how cool it like your buddy buys top shelf drinks for you as a
guest and some good chocolate candy and my fav yummy Al Mokha coffee I liked it
sweet w milk and sugar after a big meal but black in the morning we all Chewed and

89. talked a lot talked about how we were doing a good job improving the clinic but need
more funding to improve the infrastructure it was decaying DR cared about people he
worked very hard all the time on call serving a lot of people It was HOT Hot on the
Tihama coast but Dr coastal house had that nice breeze ... what a challenge just to
survive ’.
Body, Soul, and Mind Yemen tested them all. Physically working and traveling in temps
of 100+ the heavy humidity having to no clean running water I had a 30’ well in my
house full of mosquito larva having boil and strain your water the mosquitoes were
heavy at night I had a scorpion roaches and rats in my house and the flies were so bad
covering your food eating outside you took a chance of having diarrhea i had it most of
the time hand washing your cloths was hard work having no ice drinking bottled water
using budda gas fridge and stove finding the buddha truck and refilling the buddhas in
the market
I was asked my faith many times the majority of the people were accepting and
gracious even if you were Christian i was a child of God child of Abraham the old
testament when i was disagreed with i just Asked myself “ what would Jesus do?”.
Show Love? Smile ? show understanding ? show compassion ? Yemen is
predominantly conservative Islamic but all in all the majority of people wanting to
show their kindness wanting to share their culture and religion
Dr Abdul Basit had a big smile with very white teeth I chewed got w him at his house
the little pieces of green qat stood out like salad in the teeth when he smiled I wanted
to tell him his wife wasso sweet wit so much hospitality so kind served my fav fish red
snapper she was nice living well being on of the only DR’s in the village I worked
mostly w the men who assisted the 2 local doctors Dr Abel he invited me to dinner one
time he lived with the Swahili village up from Al mocha it was so cool tight on the coast
I remember the village streets were clean golden sand and the houses w Palm tree
roofing more natural and tropical vibe
ORT Oral Rehydration Treatment was Taught to me by my w HE trainer Elizabeth in
our 3 month in countrytraining in Taiz.My Assigned Job Tital ; Health Educator Teaching
Health & 1st Aide at the community health center an to local coastal fishing
families.••directed a Communitiy Health Program on Aids Prevention/ As a Health
Educator I demonstrated how to make ORT to the mothers that came in w dehydrated
babies,. I was taUght to avoid shaking the bottle up and down so we shook it sideways
not up and down it was a cultural thing I thought a little funny but this was still
conservative village

90. Hand washing was our biggest message as Health Educators it's so essential for health
“Lazum Nathief el yed” It's necessary to wash your hands. .He let me know I was to
work at the mustashfa My Assigned Job Title ; Health Educator teaching Health & 1st
Aide at the community health center and to local coastal fishing families. Dr Abdul Basit
was. the Director of the Health Center he had a big smile with his very white teeth I
chewed qat w him at his house when he smiled the little pieces of green qat stood out
like when someone has salad in their teeth I wanted to tell him but he served my fav
fish red snapper then we chewed cousin it's called he bought the best at being a dr he
could afford the best and he had a nice Yemeni wife he was living well off the village
people just little too much for me
we dug a sanitary needle waste pit it was a big hole in the ground then we buried
medical waist 6’ downunder it was the only way .. Wow Used Needles went out the
window ??…. an became darts for the kids ..not any more In the clinic I worked mostly
w the men who assisted the 2 local doctors dr Abel invited me to dinner one time he
lived on the African side of town the Swahili people the village up from Al MoKha it was
so cool I remember the village streets where of soft clean golden sand and the houses
w Palm tree roofing more natural and tropical vibe
ORT Oral Rehydration Treatment was Taught to me by my Senior HE trainer Elizabeth
in our 3 month in countrytraining in Taiz.My Assigned Job Tital ; Health Educator
Teaching Health & 1st Aide at the community health center an to local coastal fishing
families.••directed a Communitiy Health Program on Aids Prevention/ As a Health
Educator I demonstrated how to make ORT to the mothers that came in w dehydrated
babies,. I was taUght to avoid shaking the bottle up and down so we shook it sideways
not up and down it was a cultural thing I thought a little funny
Hand washing was our biggest message as Health Educators it's so essential for health
“Lazum Nathief el yed” It's necessary to wash your hands. .Another requirement as a
Health Educator was to Hold Community Health Programs at the Health Clinic on
subjects like “ Eating a balanced nutritious meal”, hygiene washing hands, ORT. family
planning and on Aids Prevention. I worked mostly with the 2 doctors Abdul Basit And
the Big Tall Sudanese DR. (Name? ? their assistants I became close working with them
in the clinique everyday. When the women came in we gathered all of them in the
courtyard and gave hands on lessons teach them Oral Rehydration Treatment ORT and
to have them teach other young mothers who may have sick or a dehydrated baby

91. The Requirements for My job as A Health educator was to Hold Community Health
Programs at the Health Clinic On Subjects like “ Eating a balanced nutritious meal”,
hygiene washing hands, ORT. family planning and on Aids Prevention. I worked with
the 2 doctors Abdul Bashit And Sudan DR. Name? ? their assistants became close
working with them in the clinique everyday. The HEAd would women teach them Oral
Rehydration Treatment I worked mostly w the men who assisted the 2 local doctors dr
Abel invited me to dinner one time he lived in the village Al Mokha it was so cool I
remember the village streets where soft golden sand and the houses w Palm tree
roofing more natural tropical As a Health Educator I demonstrated to women in the clinic
how to make ORT Oral Rehydration Treatment to the mothers that came in dehydrated
babies,. I was taUght IN training not to shake the bottle up and down because it
resembled masterbation so we shook h bottle sideways Hand washing was a big
message Lazzum Nathief el yed ORT was Taught to me by my Senior HE trainer
Elizabeth in training in Taiz.
it need cleaned up so bad from years of neglect so why not build a Health. garden. To
get things started? I got the community involved landscaping the Health Clinic with local
plants and white chunks of coral for surrounding walls it needed some beautification
some Love
The ground was destroyed from fuel of the gas station that once was in the courtyard
we need to bring in soil from the local nursery one of the doc's aides we planted some
local seeds and transplanted some palms the staff gave it love I started to landscape it
w big chunks of dead white Coral chunks Soon One of the Docs aids came w a pick up I
used my wheelbarrow too it we drove out to the beach to the coral spot and We loaded
up blocks of dead coral some young Staffers join in soon we had a full load we used
then to build walls around the plants and elevate like box garden it was a coral box
garden we did Palm trees that were there filled in some good soil the guy who owned
the tree and plant nursery donated another truck load of free good soil but we bought
some little palms to show our gratitude
Community Health Center was old and in ruins it used to be a gas station too the
ground was totally dead The infrastructure needed some big buck reconstruction It had
to be over 50ys old already it was Mainly damaged from the saltwater humidity the walls
ceiling and paint was literally crumbling off before our eyes. Dust and dirt all over floor
the oral rehydration treatment ORT from Shamlon bottles they vary in size from 12 oz to
20 ( know the metric conversion) and so important was it Lazim nathief el yead
(Necessary to wash hands) wash hands was major message/lesson taught by PC HEs
it was so mandatory to avoid sickness observing the Healing of a small boy,s gashed
head wound w butterfly made me feel good he came knocking on my door all alone with

92. a big gash from a coral oh I've seen this before having cracked my own head 3x
jumping ramp on my bmx bike as a kid yea I recognized a split head. Mom kept a
stocked first aid kit at home yes she was a RN so I knew how to butterfly a laceration
cleaning it is the most painful gotta make it bleed out a little scrubbing action to clean it
get out any debris is important to prevent the infection
3 x my mom and Dr Davis sewed me up i remember the feeling of the needle to my
forehead wow I remember t most and the sound of the needle piercing my skin and
feeling the tugging of the stitches I learned how to take the pain Dr Davis firmly asked
are you gonna cry? He was a great Doc mom worked forum so I had all special
treatment for all my bumps bruises and laceration I learned how to put on a butterfly
bandage on a cut from mom
The Educators message Wash your hands. Lazzium nathef el yaed " Necessary to
wash your hands " just by sharing this health knowledge the whole world can become a
healthier place little by little To help others heal themselves and prevent illness
observing the Healing of a small boy,s gashed head wound w butterfly made me feel
good
he came knocking on my door all alone with a big gash from a coral oh I've seen this
before having cracked my own head 3x jumping ramp on my bmx bike as a kid yea I
recognized a split head. Mom kept a stocked first aid kit at home yes she was aRN so I
knew how to butterfly a laceration cleaning it is the most painful gotta make it bleed an
lil scrubbing action to clean it get out any debris
T relax after the work at the clinic i retreated to my roofrage i listened to the mystic Call
to PrAyer in stereo coming from 3 different mosques in Al khowka the call came 5 x a
day "AAAAAAAAllaaaaaalaaaaaaa Akkk va Arrr wow that was so mysterious and
so hypnotic to me the call to prayer was a man singing it was was mesmerizing
sometimes in stereo from the mosque tops to mosque tops it could be heard all around
aaaaaaaa Akvarrrrr. Chew some Qat and watch the sunset you'll understand ...different
men but similar prayer I never forget it still echoes in my head Allahhhhhh akvarrrrrr
hard to forget it was romantic to hear at night sunsetish 6 pm The magic lightish time
then at 8 then 5am Noon I only understood a little at first but soon could understand
most it after hearing everyday it was usually the same prayer just different singer who
let it all out you could feel it mesmerizing spiritually Up in the roof rage i listen to the
BBC and rote in my journal while the sunset from the edge I waved to my neighbor but
I had made the cultural mistake of getting a little too close to the edge looking over
into my neighbor's courtyard was a oops mistake I made eye contact with one of his
wife's wow she was beautiful her face was uncovered when she looked our eyes meet

93. for a few second then she quickly shyly looked away and she walked into the house i
must of had passed her several times in the street with the other wives they always
giggled a little like girls i wondered which one she was my neighbor was young like me
we passed each other in the street with friend
A Salamu Alaikum and smiles all ended when i went back up on the roofrage that
night my neighbor threw glass bottles up on the roof it was shattered all over The
sheik invited me over to his house the next day He said he would send a man over to
help me to build a wall around the top of the roof pic yea i was having to building a
wall ok i totally understood and said Los Samat I am sorry everything was Tamum now
i had more privacy myself too
Pic s
Abdella my Al Khowka sadek (friend) ‘was like the local Yemeni interpreter/ tour guide
he spoke well french some english too we hung out he came over everyday almost his
wife was Swahili and she was pregnant he had one 4y old boy named Bassem pic and
a 3yr old girl named Senah He Liked to speak little english he was doing whatever job
he could to feed his children and i respected his work ethic he did masonry work mixing
mud and carrying cinder blocks like i did on my first job it was hard work Abdella had a
positive light to him he had to sell his oud because of no work available so I bought
him a oud he was a natural entertainer singing and playing in english french and arabic
popular music so he would play for money to feed his kids he took donations an at qat
chews when he played he was hustling he had kathir a lot of personality and grateful
for the oud he came over everyday and was a good translator of me showing me the
ropes of the village pics
We may have started a new trend in Al Khowka because we designed a snap back
screen for the doors of the two rooms in my house make i one the kitchen the other
my sleeping room with keep out germ carrying flies and malia spreading mosquitoes
we put them on Abdella’s door and windows too screens simple but a big health
benefits his kids had mosquito bites and diarrhea all the time the screens help stop
both. we installed screens in all the rooms of the clinic with help from the staff all the
Drs chipped in money to buy the screens. what a difference the clinic had way less flies
buzzing around in the rooms and no mosquitos . More people started to come into the
clinic
I know why The sheik avoided showing me the roof there were stairs on the side if the
house leading up to the flat top pics when i went up on top i I found i could see the Sea
and the SUnSet the view from the roof was amazing one evening I waved to my
neighbors wifes uncovered working in their courtyard below oops big mistake !the next

94. day I woke up and noticed broken glass on the roof top…. watch your step I was
invited again to eat with the SHeik for lunch I said yes because had to say yes But the
fish was amazing he was a cool guy he told me to build a wall around my roof 4ft high
and not to look over into my neighbor's court at the women I started organising the
building of “THE WALL”right away I also wanted to build a roof rage a shaded screened
in hammock I started to do more exterior work to privatize my house it's good to get
along with your next door neighbors PIC
I wanted to cover all the the dry dusty dirt so I thought why not bring in some of that
soft clean sand There was one 800 yr old wall left that surrounded my court yard with
amazing architect and little famous Arabic arches little spaces in the wall to put
candles in for light PIC a guy with a donkey that could carry block loaded up his bags
and brought me some clean golden sand later i ended up buying a shiny red
wheelbarrow that i had to barter for in the Al KHowka suk that was fun it took awhile to
get the price down because the man selling it only had one and new i wanted it but
didn't want to lose money on the deal i may of overpaid for it but it was local I later
donated to the clinic where it would be put to good use but it was needed for hauling
the concrete blocks up to my rooftop working to privatize that view of the Red Sea
Sunset so I would not see over into the neighbor's courtyard area and make him feel
uncomfortable i put myself in his shoes i wouldn't want my neighbor looking down into o
my private courtyard
I received a white rabbit gift from another cool Yemeni neighbor Hassan pics He was
so nice and always had a big smile he had a big family too 10 -12 kids and he raised
rabbits for pets and for eating but he brought on over one day as a housewarming gift i
could tell he was a good person and a good neighbor I worked with him translating
health education posters into Arabic he was an artist also so he drew the pictures
illustrating how to eat a balanced diet of growth protein foods clean water vitamin
washing vegetables health sickness prevention and carbohydrate for energy foods
pics .We had a good relationship.
I had a 20 ft deep well it was full of mosquito larva I boiled the water to use it for
washing cloths and dishes and i could just add a little clorox to it to kill everything I had
a turkish toilet was in my roofless bathroom arrrg the flies they flew up where they are
not supposed to arrrggggg! I also screeded in the roof and a snap back door
while i was in the kitchen i looked out to the grill and ​i watched a big tom cat steal my chicken
off the coral grill an carry it up my 8 ft wall i thought wow you deserve it cat you must be very hungry! He
turned and looked at me saying thanks

95. Up on the roof i looked up into the blue sky and noticed some Circling Hawks and they were pretty close
actually they were doing fly bys on my courtyard humm??? cool but ut-Oh? where did my rabbit go ??? i
think the hawks took Janis my white rabbit ?? !!!
I was having my morning coffee sitting down on a floor mat in the corner of my bedroom i was reading the
book “Where there is no Dr by David Warner i turned my head slightly scorpion on the wall right behind me
hair stood up slapped it w my sandals
Chp 18
General Advice
i had been discovered my village​@400am ​ …. the military had been training at a base
down the beach from Al Mokha The Yemeni Army was stationed there with a high
ranking General they somehow found out that an american Health educator was
working in the Al Khowka clinic they came right to my door The pounding at the door
sounded serious so I got up ​ it was ​400am the strong knocking on door continued i
open to see 3 Yemeni soldiers in uniform I speak Ahlan wasalan welcome they come in
One can speak broken English I understand and i must come with them to talk with the
General get in the military they are serious and say Yella yella so i say Tieb and jump
in the back of the military truck on the way the guy starts asking me questions why am i
here and that i don't like it here i said lalla Ana aheb Al Yemen they were trying to get
me to talk bad about Yemen but i would not I truly was enjoying my stay on the Al Bahar
Amar so after the ½ hr ride and interrogation he arrived aaaaaat the base camp I think
it was private hotel built by the Russians reconstructed into a army base with air
conditioning in this big room filled with officers they were sitting in chairs around the
elevated General set was up higher on a platform like he was a kingI was impressed an
enjoyed the AC at 400am feeling a bit sleepy they offered me tea and a seat at the table
beside the General He asked what was my work in Yemen said ana shoal fi al
Musteshfa fi Al Khowka Iwork in the hospital in AlKhowka ana el sahe Health Educator
Tyb Tyb he says Tamum I have a health question for you and when I am w a woman
and having sex from the hand signs i am seeing him give and that he finishes too fast
how can he go longer wo climaxing too soon ? He has premature ejaculation i thought
for a bit back in sex education i remember reading about the w drawl method and how

96. to prevent PE by breathing deep and slowing down the pace now to translate ok the
the saying
Hubba Hubba shay ya shay ya comes to mind which means little by little step
Chp 19
East of Aden
Aden a city on the southern coast of yemen..It was colonized by the British so alcohol
was legal there. and that was where we were headed off to get a Cold beer! We were
cruising the beach at night flying over the bumps getting air I was shotgun Jess at the
wheel Karn and Alice in back testing the forerunner sand handling ability wow how fun
Jess had picked up Alice in Sanaa Karen and I in Zabid then me in Al Khowka headed
straight to Aden as we were flying over a sand hills some Hendrix jamming l I saw
something that looked like a man as our headlight shined across on him an he jumped
up just in time for us to swerve and barely miss running him down ” look out woooaaa I
yelled wow man!” “what's that guy doin out here ?? damn and we almost ran over him
Jess yelled one the fisherman who was sleeping on the beach. We jumped on the
beach . . where did he go? he was gone vanished like a ghost….. welcome to Aden
with adrenaline pumping still from the near miss we looked up and gazed at the
beautiful Arabian star lit sky. And took a breath of relief. How the moon glowed and the
stars were in my face. It was mesmerizing. We saw the water and walked out into the
shallow water. Something was glowing in the water it was illuminated by the moonlight
We all see another trucks light shine coming down the beach” it's Robert” Karen yelled
her excitement to see him was my first clue Jess’ “yea mate I think he brought us some
cold ones” everyone but I knew I was now sensing Karen's distance because the water
was quite romantic Jess an Alice were jumping around laughing throwing the water up
in the air but Karen wasn't near with me we were apart she was walking down the beach
w the water illuminated as we threw it upward in the full moon light the moment was
simply electrifying like a glow stick you break and fling all over. What a sight amazing
moment of being one with the sea. As we got out of the water I noticed Karen kissing
Phil I got the hint ok I guess I just didn't want to believe she liked him he was cool it was
her choice I had to let her go gone...Karen and Phil held hands as they gazed at the
moonlight. They had the chemistry I dreamed of my own love one day..I slowly walked
with distress and humility wow Karen had hooked up with another guy. what? they
disappeared down the beach I walked out wading through the glowing plankton in the

97. moonlight I laid down in the water and looked up floating sorting it out floating it was ok
fair of her looking up at the stars I washed up on shore and i remembered that all is
fair in love and war” what comes around goes around ok i was with the other girls she
must of known about it i learned an good lesson i got up slow step by step hubba
hubba I went back to the truck drank more Heineken and I sat down by the cooler I
must've passed out i woke up under the truck..
Morning came I awoke to the hot sun I had a hangover. , I lost my birkenstocks arrgg?!
I chalked it up as a donation to the fisherman that we almost ran over...I slowly walked
down the beach over to Phil's house where I knew Karen was probably still in
bed. ..I felt that twinge of loneliness the romance was over and it was only then I
realized I had to make the best of it . Alls fair in love and War .. man.it wasnt meant to
be we both still free . I took a swig of the bacardi on the table hair of the dog that bit me
yea it cured my hangover. I sat and waited for the rest of the party to awake, had
another , Jess came in an started playing some reggae music “shake it off mate Jess
said “ let's get more beer”
So off we went on a beer run..We went to pick up more beer legally in Aden …
In Yemen a beer run is very different than a beer run in the US. First you can face some
serious imprisonment outside of Aiden for being caught with alcohol. We cruised to the
alcohol depot. I saw the a yemenis give the drinking sign, we then pulled over and drove
a couple miles back into the desert and found the underground storage hide out..It was
an intense moment for the hideout was heavily guarded with tribes men with Ak 47s.
We went under the cave and it looked like an american liquor store that was
stocked...They had all kinds of liquor..Amazed and awed Jess and I quickly grabbed two
cases of some of the belgian beer..about 60 bucks a case.. We left went to pick up the
rest of the peace corps crew..We all played it cool then ventured to another secluded
beach in Aden. i shook off the heartbreak at the beach lyrics U2 Still haven't found
what I'm looking for
Chp 20
Mangiare Italiano!

98. A loud Bam !bam! bam! on the door and I knew something was up It was the local
Police they asked me to come into the police office for a mooshkala they needed me
to translate english arabic from a traveler “Ciao ismi Stolfo!” said the traveler loud
and with a big smile. I could tell he had to be Italian . But he had the kinda smile that
said I need your help please Stolfo Spoke broken english with an so I understood him
pretty good. He happened to be taking pictures with a big camera on the beach . It was
a cannon with a big lens. he wanted to say he was sorry and that he would not take any
more pictures he gave up all his film he just wanted the camera. he had long hair beard
he was young 25 yrs he kept saying “I'm a musician not a photographer” I had heard
that whipping out a camera can cause a photo frenzy so I knew to use my camera
carefully. Cameras were confiscated if you took pictures of yemeni women or any in the
military. It can get you into trouble with the tribal leader. some tourists are culturally
insensitive or suspicious looking with the camera out. then usually the sheik gets to
keep the camera and film and whatever else he wants. Sukran Gazillion! ( thank you
very much ) hey he's the sheik... . everything was cool.
..so we left the camera at the station and after an hour of explaining that he was just
here for the beauty of the sea He was respectful using Salam Aleikums and sukran
unlike some tourists who did not …..later on I would learn. So the l Sheikh liked him
and let him go.. “pick up camera when you leave” he said in Arabic . . everything was
cool for Stolfo. I told him about the Tourist Hotel down the beach where we ended up
Meeting some Irish girls that sang amazing
Stolfo told me there were some girls at the tourist hotel they were beautiful he said and
wait til you hear their voices That night we ended up meeting them and sitting down in
the maffarge by the sea and Singing w them they were Irish girls and singing I found
out was part of their heritage an so was drinking I had to pass up on the bottle going
around My friends Abdella was playing the oud and Mohamed was there his dad was
the owner I wanted to keep a respectful reputation for my village people because i saw
them everyday or the word would get out and my village would be insulted and would
lose respect for me as a health educator, Stolfo understood we all went for a walk i
knew about a secret cove down the beach
Chp 21
Barracuda

99. The Barracuda were circling us got a little closer as we explored the reef one of the
divers signaled me with his thumb that I had to go up the cudas had spotted my silver
ring shiny objects were a No-no around hungary fish with razor sharp teeth i should've
known better .. ever look a cuda in the eye? they just look hungry so intense the
feeling of being circled by 100s of Barracuda as they stared at your finger National
Geographic was in town to shoot my backyard I was always Hanging out at The Tourist
Hotel in between Khowka and MoKha when I saw all these Americans role in carrying a
lot of luggage They said they were from National Geographic we immediately made
friends and i became their interpreter Muhammad was the owner of the Hotel approved
because it made communicating a lot smoother for everyone He was from Sanaa he
was rich The Hotel was brand new built right on the beach Pics between Khowka an
Mokha w beautiful Tahama huts keeping the local style built w showers and
bathrooms…ice was always on hand along with any kind of food you wanted someone
would get it for you
it was nice i had a chance to speak American english w them and used my
knowledge of Arabic to translate i could help them and they knew it I knew the
fisherman that could take them to the most secluded pristine reefs the local fishermen
were cool w me I saw them everyday everywhere on the beach in Al suk we shared
qat together at chews it was a good trusting friendship my sadek Ahab took us out on
his 40’ sambook to the most secluded pristine reefs on the coast the American photog
said “ we will be shooting the reef for the October issue called “ The Red Sea “ I was
amazed more when month later when he sent me the 1993 October issue “The Red
Sea” in the mail I gave it to Ahab it was his backyard . I always loved that golden Nat
Geo collection in my older brother Wes’s room now I could add the Oct 1993 “The
Red Sea” Issue to it .
CHp 22
Pirates of the Tehama
One day in Al Khowkha while cruising the beach I was checking on the health of on
fishing families that lived pretty far out outside the village far south down the coast and
were reluctant to get into the Clinic for health care While on the beach I came across

100. some fishermen or they did me? I had never seen these kind before just off their boat
they were hungry for laham (meat ) after eating only fish for days i heard them talking I
said Al Salam Alaikum they an invited me to be their guest of honor for lunch I
noticed that they were dressed more in black than the local fisherman an they were
packin AK47’s? that was strange to me but I didn't want to be rude or show I was afraid
but i don't think they were Fisherman? so we first sat drink tea and i got the 20?s Min
Fein anta ? Min fein shoal? The the captain decided we would chew together also so
he sent men to the village to get qatalong with the meat while we drank tea and
exchanged more talk The crew I could tell was curious about me where I was from and
my job. I spoke my broken Arabic an they were impressed I was helping the children
Then the captain asked my religion I remember when I said I was Amriki American an
Wa-head Allah noticed some raised some eyebrows but that was common The Captain
and his crew had me sit down in a circle under the palms in some shade on some
tahama mats the fact that the men all had black on w AK’s made me wonder what they
were doing were they really fishing ? They had nets but I think that fishing was not
really their true livelihood maybe they were traders ? or maybe i had met some pirates I
wasn't sure I never asked what they did
After an hour a man brought out a whole boiled goat's head on a big bed of rice the skull
had been cracked down the middle. The guest of honor always gets the choice piece of
meat at a dinner I looked around all the men they were looking at me i thought of capt
black beard's a little rough looking i was feeling why were they staring at me now? Do i
have to walk the plank? Eyyeeee i didn't know Ak 47s and big jambeehs the captain
encouraged me to begin the dinner by taking the honors i was the guest of honor I could
start with the eating the goat's brains inside the cracked skull.. sweat dripped down my
nose... one guys motioned to me and showed me to grab the jaw bone and to rip it off
and use it for a spoon to dig out the brains ok more sweat I stepped up swallowing
hard and open the cracked skull ripped off the jaw bone and spooned out some brains
on the jaw bone like a man.. Without a flinch . one guy looked me an snached the
goat’s eyeball out popping it in his mouth chewing it up like popcorn showed me his
teeth with a big goat eye smile. I bet the brains are better ….whew! I passed him the
jaw bone . Sukran ! Tamum! They nodded and cheered yeah! We continued to eat
more bread came and some more goat laham also some fresh fish red snapper and
Ahi these guys didn't hold back they knew how to eat Cold Shamlons all around .
Dessert and sweet halwa and then to finish off a perfect meal fresh qat! We sat now
for 3 more hours till sunset beautiful then they invited me to prayer i said Sukran
Wahead Allah In sha Allah Al Homdulela I used all my Arabic i knew and they smiled
and understood i was not Muslim so it would be wrong for me to go to prayer call
arrrgggggggggg…... whew ! We said our MaSalamas

101. I first remember seeing the goats being herded freely through the streets eating the
everything they could find including any trash the cheese is also very popular in the
Yemeni cuisine but being unpasteurized it was off limits for our PC stomachs because
could not handle the different bacteria and illnesses caused by consuming
unpasteurized goat cheese. The sight and smell of the goat carcases hung outside in
open air f around the butchershop and the flies were covering them The flies were
shocking different for me to see so many covering the meat I remember seeing the goat
cheese for sale in the al souk market it had a smoked with a harder brown covering I
wasn't about to try it because the smell just doesn't agree with me. but goat brains are
actually pretty good kinda like caveyarish.
one day while I was cruising the beach in Al Mocha I think i had met some fisherman a
mix of Some Yemenis and some Somalis fresh off the a sambuk boat they were talking
to me telling me they were hungry for some laham (meat ) after eating only fish for days
They invited me to eat with them and instantly made me their guest of honor for dinner
on the beach. as they brought out the main dish I saw it was a whole goat's head on a
big bed of rice the skull had been cracked down the middle The guest of honor always
gets the choice piece of meat at a dinner I looked around all the fishermen they were a
little rough looking sketchy with wild hair maybe they were pirates wearing mostly all
black perhaps? I didn't know ignorance is bliss? We made a big circle sitting on tahama
mats around the food as the men with their Ak 47s and big jambeeahs encouraged me
to begin the dinner by eating the goat's head w sweat dripping down my nose one of the
guys showed me how to grab the jaw bone motioning on how to rip it off and use it for a
spoon like to dig out the brains more sweat I stepped up swallowing hard and open the
cracked skull and spooned out some brains on the jaw bone an ate it like a man the
tribesmen cheered yella!! one guy looked me in the eyes a snached a goat eyeball out
popping it in his mouth chewing it up in his teeth with a big goat eye smile. I think the
brains look better I passed the jaw bone to the guy next to me with a big smile a sweat
dripping down my face, More laham an okra and rice with some good hot shy tea. We
sat and watched the sunset as a Yemeni guy handed out bundles of got an fired up a
mada singing and Abdella on his oud the party went into the night more
Yemeni/African music drumming and dancing around i looked around it reminded me
of a bachelor party because of the absence of women?/?.
Chp 23

102. EyE Capt Ahab
I learned from Captain Ahab the fisherman that Some smuggling had been going on
recently with the French owned islands Jebel Kabir an sarear I heard about it My
eyebrows rose umm?? sounds adventurous? it was 100 midday He invited me to his
house for fish dinner that night I said yes right away Away eating with one hand is a
learned art especially when you are looking at his uncovered 3 beautiful daughters
over a big bowl of rice wow it was the first time i had ever saw a Yemeni woman’s face
uncovered Ahab wanted me to marry his daughters and yes they were very beautiful
with smiles and laughter we all felt a little awkward but he knew if i was to marry them i
had to see them confident in their beauty i think he just took a chance and introduced
them to me during dinner I was actually honored Dad was proud of his daughters and
wanted the best for them i could tell even if it was not allowed to eat with women I never
mentioned it to anyone
Chp 24
Tiger Shark Christmas 93’
Kurt winkelman the German chef tourist and 15 other PC arrived in AlKhowka for
Christmas the weather was perfect it was winter in the mid 70= 80s So everyone
wanted to go out on a boat so I asked Captain Ahab my fisherman friend to take us out
fishing and diving on the reefs... he was happy to oblige he knew we would pay him too
so we made a time in the afternoon the next day he had a 35’ sambook so all of us
could go PICS all 15 of us He took us out to a reef he knew there was kathir lobster
when we arrived said dive down here and shoof Look I took the spear and went over
the edge of the boat backwards like Jac Costume one of my favs shows w a diving
mask flippers Nat Geo gave me and spear I borrowed from Capt Ahab I swam down
the bottom edge of the reef the and looked around big coral heads they had pockets
around them and right away I saw a big lobster scurry into one I followed it looked in a
poked him through the body and pulled it out and up to the surface for air I was almost
out I threw it into the boat YES wow dinner a free lobster I went back down a few more
times but saw nothing. It was Christmas day While spearfishing for lobster Muslims do

103. not eat shellfish so I got all the shrimp the fisherman netted by mistake at the
fishmarket earlier this morning and i got some red snapped but no lobster then he
showed me where there were more lobster hiding in the little holes I went down
looked inside Awa just like catching crayfish when i was a kid just a bit bigger I head my
breath I saw one inside a hole an poked em with my spear Got one! I quickly swam
back up and Ahab put it in the net in the boat Ahab pointed over there for another hole
i dove back down and saw 2 ii poked em in the body and saw another one in the hole i
went up for air gave the lobster to Ahab and went down for the other one got em 4 was
enough Halas ! Dinner !
The coral grill was working great we connected it together with concrete with colorful
shells like a xmas tree and put in mahogany wood coals underneath to grill our snapper
and some okra and vegetables the indoor kitchen was working to with 3 propane cast
iron burners for heating up coffee and beans cooking eggs and soups grilled
sandwiches and heating up bread habs and leftovers it was all screened in and I
added a propane fridge that was a such a luxury in the Tihama so was Xmas dinner
spearing and the lobsters a gift too from my fisherman friend Ahab he took us all out
to a PIC S reef where he knew there were lobster we had plenty red snapper and 4
Lobsters now gifts from Ahab! I'll never forget the picture While Looking up lying on
the bottom through the water so clear i saw a mountain tops that was my Christmas
gift! Sukran God!
We all started jumping in and out of the boat splashing and cooling off and looking at
the beautiful coral reef through the incredibly clear visibility of the day I laid on the
bottom of some white sand a big hole in the big brain corals looking up on my back I let
all my air out and look up the visibly it was perfectly clear the mixing colors of a
underwater garden w green and red yellow blue orange black fish streaking by the
unreal sun shooting its rays of light to the ocean floor from over a mountain ridge •
heavenly colors of a garden w colorful reef fish fling by unreal sun setting... but the
tiger shark made me a little nervous as i saw it swim by it was only 4’ but i thought
mama might also be around?! I went up and calmly told everyone to get out of the water
there was only 5 usin but Harold didn't hear me and he was into snorkeling so i got back
into to swim over and let him know it was better if we got out of the water I went over
and gave him the thumbs up sign then the fin in the water sign his eyes got big he
understood an we swam back to the boat i was very aware of my dangling legs but tried
to stay calm everyone was there to help us out quickly lifting us over the edge of the
boat i just cherished my legs Harold said it was only a 4’ er ! ? Capt Took out a pole
with threw out line w some shrimp on it and the shark bit on it and he pulled him in he
was hungry but we were too.. Survival of the fittest food chain apex pic

104. Everyone decorated the grill w shells like it was our tree the vols suggested XMas in Al
Khowka earlier so i was prepared the weather during dec is pleasant it's the rainy
season with some winter winds it was cooler and nicer than summer time kinda Kurt
Winkelman was a great chef and character on Xmas day We were partying at my
house on xmas eve drinking beer and wine we were on the down low so no Yemenis
were present to offend them i had a case of beer from Jess and Kurt had 3 bottles of
wine he spoke English ver gut and said I'm a chef ! I will make xmas dinner tomorrow
Grilled shrimp and lobster red snapper and tiger shark steaks all was on the menu
w German Chef Kurt Winkelman pics We didn't know we would be a Eating a tiger
shark or it would be eating us that day ? But it made 10 nice steaks Our xmas fishing
trip also gave us 4 lobsters the idea a fruit cocktail dessert pic made me a little
nervous when he made that was risky but hey it'S christmas celebrate i'll never forget
Christmas day in Al Khowka
I was reminded of it one day surfing alone on the West side of Ohau Hawaii Makaha the
water had unreal visibility I was looking down a saw 2 big black shadows my heart
skipped but they were not sharks they were wide and triangular Manta Rays I took off
my cord and dove down to cruise w them I keep my distance not to spook them they
were so graceful and peaceful I went as far as I could go holding my breath watching
them fly underwater then I had to go up but for one moment I was communing with them
they saw me I saw then in their eyes being all alone around such big creatures sketched
me out alil to be honest but the danger of swimming w them alone did not hit me until I
went in I felt grateful to have experienced w the stingrays grace and diving w friends
on the Red Sea Reefs.... Never will forget that view Looking up lying on the bottom
through the water so clear i saw the mountain tops
On New Years the PC Director came to Al Mocha beach to vamp out with me on the
beach m pics
While spearfishing for lobster i would lay on the bottom of some white sand a hole in the big brain corals
looking up on my back i let all my air out and look up the visibly it was perfectly clear the mixing
colors of a underwater garden w green an red yellow blue orange black fish streaking by the unreal sun
shooting its rays of light to the ocean floor from over a mountain ridge • heavenly i am a lover of the SUn
and when it Sets out in country in the corn fields of OH into the pacific from Hawaii beaches into the gulf
mexico and Atlantic on both of FLos coastlines and into the pacific and in the HWood hill canyons of LA

105. CA the ranges of the giant Rocky Mts of Colorado an the enchantment Taos Mexico can never forget em
love em i'll never forget Christmas day in AlMocha i was reminded of it one day surfing alone on the Side Of
Oahu Hawaii Makaha the water had unreal visibility i was looking down a saw 2 big black shadows my heart
skipped but they were not sharks they were wide an triangular Manta Rays in velcroed my cord an dove
down to cruise w them i keep my distance not to spook them they were so flowing an peaceful i went as far
as i could go holding my breath watching them fly underwater then i had to go up for air in that moment i
was communing with them they saw me i saw then in their eye being all alone around such big creatures
sketched me out alil to be honest but the danger of swimming w them alone did not hit me until i went in i
felt grateful to have experienced the sting ray's gracefulness
CHP 25
Mooossshhhkkaalaaa! mosh ka la !!!!
A Loud serious Pounding on door Bam bam bamm bamm i heard a man yelling
“Mooshkalaa!! Mooshkalaa !!!!!!!!” it was 400am Mooskala means Problem….
Mushkula then a " Los Samat! " “Please” someone needed help so I jump up an
staggered to the door I was half awake trying to figure out the situation more clear the
man was frantically pleading "My Wife she has a baby problem ( in Arabic)” Yella I
said yella!” I knew what was up his wife was having a birthing problem i hoped it wasn't
out of my scope ?!?! I only the men DR.s assisted in births I wondered why he didn't
he go to our PC midwife Judy.? oh yea .....this week she was gone! traveling to Sanaa
! we all had to check in mandatory once month with HQ so no Judy ..an a Baby
M00shkala !?? WOw ok ! I remembered had a book from u training called "Where there
is no Doctor " my adrenaline was pumping know i felt the urgency of the father’s
situation then I remembered the page # that talked about birthing pg 68 I grabbed the
book and the man grabbed my hand Yella Yella ! Yella! we rushed off thinking . .stay
calm. .this was a serious emergency. .
we arrived I looked inside the dim lantern lit room and gave my Salam alikoum to lithe
other midwives who were looking distressed then I found out why when the screams
came the smell of p burning incense calmed me I watched as the midwives rubbed qoil
on the pregnant woman's odd shaped belly I noticed a thick rope hanging down ok no
Judy and this was a serious Mooosh ka laaaa the woman was in labor her screams

106. filled the room and surrounding neighborhood react an I Open the book Her rubbed the
baby was sideways there is was in the book how to deliver a sideways baby Gentle
manipulation of the baby's head (getting it from book) move it downward use Gravity in
between labor she grabs the rope in a squat I felt her belly and tried to calm her but I
could tell her pain must of been excruciating by her look an sound of her screams so In
her squat I started to move the baby head downward that's what it said in the book it
worked the baby dropped head down other Nature and gravity took over Labor came
and so did the baby the women caught the baby and cleaned him up I knew how the cut
the cord from the book it stressed the importance of cutting with a clean non rusty razor
to avoid tetanus which was a Huge problem in Yemen The Hospitals I visited during
training were filled w babies w tetanus the lock jaw so sad so blade I checked the blade
I sterilized it with a lighter it was new and clean I gave it to the father and he cut the cord
proudly Al Homdulela Praise be to God " a Boy a Blessing! the baby's life was in the
hands of Allah If lived it was meant to be he would live
Chp
Turkish Fort
I was so lucky to have a experienced 1 year in country w a midwife that knew the
cultural ropes Judy helped me with Arabic medical translations she was a lawyer and
so helpful to a rookie like me i was grateful To be in the same village Khowka on the
Red Sea! with a veteran Judy was the village midwife now my female coworker She
had been in Country a year already up in a Tiaz mt village with another midwife she was
a seasoned vet but she wanted a transfer to Al Khowka because the village desperately
needed a midwife she was funny she said used to have a cat named mumkin in her site
village but felt weird calling it because mumkin meant maybe in Arabic the men took it
different
Judy my female coworker She had been in Country a year already up in a Tiaz mt
village with another midwife who was leaving she was a seasoned vet but she needed
a transfer to another village Al Khowka really needed a woman midwife and now i
would be there for Support she was funny and tough /sweet she said used to have a
cat named mumkin but felt weird calling it because mumkin meant maybe in Arabic and
the men wondered why she was calling mumkin in the night
Mid wife Wendy one year in transferred over from a MOUNTAIN village she had not
yet arrived but coming soon we would be co workers in Al KHOwka Clinic i was looking

107. forward to working w her she was a seasoned vet and knew a lot of everything an
lawyer took some time off and was writing a book Judy transferred to Al Khowka
because the village really needed a woman midwife we could Support each other in
the clinic she was funny an brilliant hard working determined midwife w a heart of gold
she said used to have a cat named mumkin but felt weird because mumkin meant
maybe in Arabic the men took it a different way when she was calling it at night there
was no way Judy and i could have any type of romance we were under the microscope
not being married the guys at the clinic would ask me why i don't marry her here in
Yemen an have a wedding and make babies ? We knew that if we spent anytime alone
together rumors would fly an both our reps would be destroyed the village kept a close
eye on us they believed strongly in marriage before any relations so we kept our
distance respecting the culture Bu one day I Saw here on the beach Asked what she
was doing she asked me have you seen the Turkish Fort No wha fort hey there is a old
fort in ruins built when the Turks ruled Yemen wow i never knew cool yea show me it
just north up the beach a few miles wow i never had gone that far North Yella ! PIcs
so off we went walking down the beach we explored the ruins of the Turkish Fort Judy
my female coworker She had been in Country a year all ready up in a Tiaz mt village
with another midwife who was leaving she was a seasoned vet but she needed a
transfer to another village Al Khowka really needed a woman midwife and now i would
be there for Support she was funny and tough /sweet she said used to have a cat
named mumkin but felt weird calling it because mumkin meant maybe in Arabic and the
men wondered why she was calling mumkin in the night Mid wife Wendy one year in
transferred over from a MOUNTAIN village she had not yet arrived but coming soon we
would be co workers in Al KHOwka Clinic i was looking forward to working w her she
was a seasoned vet and knew a lot of everything an lawyer took some time off and was
writing a book Judy transferred to Al Khowka because the village really needed a
woman midwife we could Support each other in the clinic she was funny an brilliant
hard working determined midwife w a heart of gold she said used to have a cat named
mumkin but felt weird because mumkin meant maybe in Arabic the men took it a
different way when she was calling it at night there was no way Judy and i could have
any type of romance we were under the microscope not being married the guys at the
clinic would ask me why i don't marry her here in Yemen an have a wedding and make
babies ? We knew that if we spent anytime alone together rumors would fly an both our
reps would be destroyed the village kept a close eye on us they believed strongly in
marriage before any relations so we kept our distance respecting the culture but where
here in in fort secluded together all alone with each other we knew it to we leaned over
the wall edge to take in the view of the sea an ocean breeze cooled us on the elevated

108. second story post our shoulder touched can i imagine the history here in the old
Turkish Fort
Chp 26
Hot in Hodeida
I needed a fridge I was over using a big chunk of ice in my cooler it was like camping
and the iceman tI never could catch him on time and I was always out of ice,Hodedah
Was the closest place to buy a small fridge. Wo a truck it would be a mission I dreamed
of getting a propane fridge just fill up my buddha tank from the truck that I could always
find because everyone used budda tanks for cooking and I had a iron camping stove in
the kitchen already I bought here in Al Khowka to heat my water and cook but a fridge
would be great to keep milk and water an leftovers i was confident to travel alone
because my communication skills improved. Yemenis brothers have named me
Dauoed which means “ brotherhood and friendship.” I wore the machete that
Muhammad gave me around my head after practicing folding the rap so I got it to look
presentable stove So i Took a trip to Al Hodeidah trip buy a fridge the fish market there
was know to be the best Al Hodeida is a major port hot in Khowka and not just from
the sun I sensed trouble maybe more civil war? So i took a taxi truck ride to Al Hodeida
i had some PC friends that had a big place an visitors were always welcome to stop in
an hang I showed up at Gretchen and Doug’s that nite we were sitting around the table
playing cards and eating and all of. a sudden it was like a bomb blew up the whole
building rocked shock wow serious whaaaat? a gas station across the street just
blows up right wow next to us 100ft away it rocked the building ! and heated up the
the whole apt complex We sat a watched guys bring water some buy buckets which had
no effect it was a gigantic fire it finally came to dumptrucks full of dirt dumping their
load of dirt as bulldozers had to come in and pushed it over the burning station Our
whole apt building heated up even hotter than it was like now it was 95 it was 6 stories
we were in th e3 rd floor and it was 110 plus earlier in the midday but now it was like a
sauna people evacuated we just sweat an watched finally they covered it with dirt the
bulldozers pushed the piles of dirt over the burning grounds wow how exciting no one
was hurt so that was good! We evacuated over to the Sea shore port to cool off

109. The next day I went and bartered in the suk I bought a fridge and big very heavy
Sakeen metal knife for fish cleaning one slip an you could lose a digit it had a curled
end it was tough mission hauling a fridge back to Al Khowhka but worth it to have cold
water ice cubes an leftovers nothing good comes easy right ? The fridge was powered
by propane buddha gas so i could even make ice cubes in it an keep my leftovers fresh
it was worth I rode back home to Al Khowkha w 12 people in a old 75’ toyota land
cruiser 3 families and the small fridge tried on the roof . now that's carpooling ! I saved
some money but I made a mistake of eating a shawarma just before the bumpy
cramped ride ouch! Lucky the smell of goats overwhelmed me we stopped for them in
the road as the shepherd herded them across an out of the road it Was the closest
place to buy a gas fridge. Wo my own truck it was a mission Stuffed like a sardine full of
beans w my fridge on that bumpy road from Hodeida Al Khowka wow I Got home
hooked a buddha tank to the fridge and went up on the roof to relax an watch the
sunset while my new fridge was cooling off my shamlon water and making ice cubes
and then i heard on the bbc radio that the Uss Cole had been attacked a big hole was
blown in her portside hull in the Port of Al Hodeidah !?
I was happy my Communication skills have improved. The Yemenis brothers have
named me Daoued which means “ brotherhood and friendship.” I wore the machete that
Muhammad gave me around my head after practicing the rap so I wanted to look local
ipic was really feeling something was up because of all the military vehicles moving on
the road
I was over using a big chunk of ice in my cooler and the iceman that brought ice by
weekly I never could catch him on time and I was always out of ice like camping with a
cooler after a couple months I dreamed of getting a propane gas fridge just fill up
buddha tank from the truck that I could always find because everyone used budda tanks
for cooking and I had a iron camping stove in the kitchen already I bought in AlKhowka
to heat my water fast and cook a fridge would be great to keep milk and water cold an
leftovers fresh
Chp 27
EXODUS

110. Exodus
Bob Lyrics
Current 6/5/16 CNN Fareed Zakaria GPS talking about all the countries that take in
refugees now and 75 years ago how the times are changing with the current Syrian and
other refugees of the world What in the world? Inadequate sanitation What ?! Yemeni
child dies every 20 sec due to poor sanitation With Globalization the world is becoming
a smaller place there are good an bad forces shaping it We have to fight for the children
of the world !Good Over Evil
for some reason I was seeing Somalis in the suk of AlKhowka I learned they had come
in boats just 20 miles across the Red Sea I was greeting our neighbors to the west w
a big smile and As-Salaam Alikoom to each Somali I crossed paths with i went eye to
eye with some an i noticed a few stares were longer than a usual ones ??? I walked
outside north of the Al Khowka village to see what was up the tin and sheet metal
houses where the refugee camp there was filling up w Somalis yes I already had felt
something was wrong in the air…. a strange uneasy vibration the long hard stares
gave me a chill in the hot sun I tried not show fear I was chewing and wearing Yemeni
clothes ...i thought my village was definitely heating up and not by the means of air
temp that night I moved to sleep up on the roof rage learned how the eyes are “the
windows to our souls “ I learned fear shows in your eyes it's a dead giveaway that you
are scared it's easy to sense fear but To the Somali REFugees I smiled and said Ah
Salaam Alaikum because I wanted to show I was a friend here to help ... but I was still
scared.. the Somalis were very tall and darker chocolate skin color made them
different looking than a Yemeni I i had a pretty good tan and dressed in local cloths not
drawing much attention I was just wondered why so many Somali had showed up Al
Khowka?
I had a gut feeling something was wrong. i went to listen to the BBC on radio on which I
learned about the aftermath of the US army rangers rescue attempt of political
prisoners held by the Warlord in Mogadishu Somalie.. Ok now i was scared I did put a
machete under my pillow that night. Rumors of war ..i listened to the BBC “So much
trouble in the world” and the song “WAr” lyrics ‘ Bob Marley played on my headphones
I knew something was up? yep you could feel it in the air... knowing now what had went
down in Somalia that there had been a BlackHawk helicopter shot down ..watch the
true story movie “Black Hawk Down “
I decided to go to Al Hodeida to see my friends and buy a refrigerator I could feel the
Tehama was getting hotter with the military movements and Somali refugee camp filling
up in Al Khowka

111. refugee camp was filling up w more Somalis thought it just might be a good idea to get
out of town so I decided to go to Hodeida to visit the PC crew there they had a phone
and better connected to Sana’a Before leaving i checked the post office for messages
in my mail I slowly read the memo that came from the post office to call home So i
used the phone at the post office i had to call collect dad answered and told me gramma
Rohrs had died i was so sad i could think of is when she would smile in the kitchen at
the table eating apple strudel how sweet and good it was just like her i wanted to go
home .. i hit the road traveling light to Al Hodeida to buy a fridge hang w the crew there
When i arrived the City was a little different on the way i noticed more military vehicles
on the road than normal when i got to Scott and Christy’s house unknown the Civil
War was about to be declared in Yemen between the N and S (different tribes ? )and
PC would have to evacuate
Judy was gone an she had taken a boat to Djibouti I missed that boat it was much safer
for a women safer than traveling back through the MTs back to Sanaa because of
wartime hostage takers I packed my bags for Sanaa so I had as fast as I could had to
get out of AlKhowka no time to even say MasilamanI my village was definitely heating
up the movie "BLack Hawk Down” (Explain WHY) the PC an Embassy people had to
evacuate too and get out of Yemen Off to the city of stone I had to hire a brave taxi
driver to drive to Sanaa•
on reasons behind the Civil war need more Details on it
The breakdown of the final days before Yemen declares Civil War thanks to she wrote t
down and sent to to us after
wednesday April 6th 1993
fighting breaks out guns used were ak47s and 50m guns mounted on trucks shooting
was between two opposing military camps in Dhamar ( who were the two tribes fighting
Sunnis and Shiites ?) we had a woman PC Vol Angel Pickett serving as a Teacher there
The gun shooting exchange was brief an ””isolated “
Sunday April 10m
Peace Corps Yemen sends my boss a memo to all that our vols in Dhamar were being
evacuated to Sanaa they needed to pack for a week and come to Sanaa until things
calm down

112. iT was Hot in Hodeda at the time really hot! I was shopping for a small refrigerator
and no way to get the message but I felt an uneasiness in the air more than normal
military trucks on the move with a sense of urgency something was up I heard there
was some fighting In country HARP (WAR! Sunnies and the Shiites ??
War Lyrics
Monday April 11 -13 I spent traveling on the road through the ( MTs Pic ) stopping at
road blocks for hours and big delays with my refridge traveling back from Hodeda to Al
Khokha Took 3 days I made it home I went into my house I took my machete and put it
under my pillow I moved up on the roof rage to sleep in my Tahama bed with the ocean
breeze the screens I stapled around my 6x8 sleeping area protected me from any
mosquitoes and flies and the breeze was awesome at night
“God is good” Rick Isaiah would say Yea i agree God works in mysterious ways ….i
believe he played a big part in helping me to make that decision to go to serve humanity
in the toughest country in the world yea he put me there so it could make my faith
stronger open my eyes... to the spirit …. and see and learn more about the differences
of others and myself then and now ... I could see where Moses crossed I was there
where he was with his people leading them to the promised land on the same ground
now understanding the Old testament more now I was experiencing the history of
humanity the Exodus…. The movement of God’s people” the Israelites …. Exodus is a
song by Bob Marley about God's people crossing the Red Sea and great chapter in the
Bible, listen and read it
I decided to travel to Hodeida feeling that Al Khowka was just getting too hot t… Awah
harp War Yemen declares Civil War between the Shiites in the North and Sunnies in the
south (more research+) i felt it coming
ChP 28
Bullet the Blue Sky

113. While In Hodeda I splurged and hire a taxi driver to drive to Sanaa PIC
We arrived in Sanaa and I was listening to U2 “Bullet the Blue Sky” as scud missiles
were being shot from the rebels strongholds in the mts they were landing randomly
throughout the city the roads deserted an swirls of dust ghostly haunted the empty
streets not very normal my driver Abdella looked anxious for me to get out with his
mouth full of quat and sweating to the bone but he fake smiled a said Halas finish
Alhamdulillah Praise be to God! we made it
W Winding roads you never knew where the next road block would be ? i thought of the
song by Bob Marley “Road Block” it very nerve racking Facing the roadblock was
intense it could be the end of the trip or pass go card…..He were pretty high up in the
mountainous area then we came around some cliffs. as we came around a hidden
corner bamb whoaaa!!!! Abeedah hit the brakes an I had a feeling this was our 1st
roadblock the men strapped w Asks motioning w hands arms slow down pull over …
confident knowing I had some language skills and knowing how to dress w correct local
fashion not to set off any alarms I carried my village working papers and had a big wad
of quat in my cheek helping me keep my Al khowka swagger Qat it was def a Kabir
help ! Alhamdulillah I was on the right side of the warring tribe (research that ) we were
given a free pass allowed to continue on to Sanaa but that was a intense chew 2 hr
chew the rebels checking me out decided I was helping their people and let us get
through Alhamdulillah I was Dr Daood God was there for me I could of easily be taken
as a hostage but we made sadek's (friends )and got passed the “ Road Block “ Lyrics
Bob Marley
When we arrived in Sanaa the streets were ghostly deserted we went by the US
Embassy it had been evacuated the PC Headquarters also so Mohammed dropped
me at a familiar Hotel PC vols and myself had stayed before I had no form of
communication no cell phone so i but I didn't think it would be a 3 day stay .. we had
heard through the grapevine and radio on the way that rebels were launching random
scud missiles into Sanaa so my Mohamed said “Masalama!” and split real fast no one
was on the street just some police cruising enforcing a curfew to kept people from
walking I was lucky we made it this far I gave him 800 riyals for the ride we agreed on
earlier
So I checked in and was surprised to find another vol staying there also it was Brad he
has a year ready to finish his service so we split a room on the top floor with a nice
lanie he said it was a great view and I could watch the ”4th of July” display taking place
the bombs wow yea like the ones back home that make that big room shaking

114. vibration boom like a m100 would go off next to you echoing and shaking the whole
building I started reading the Sanaa paper i tried to make sense about all the tribes and
the political situation i could hardly read the paper i talked to Brad he translated to me
here's what he said.. I wrote it in I in my journal it was from the Sanaa's most popular
paper ( Yemen Civil war article in my book )
“no communication no cell phones all local telephone service was down it was dusk
now the scud missiles had stopped for now I quite awake chew the whole way w my
driver Mohammed
700am sanaa early morning knock at the door at the hotel door a message from the
embassy that I a must stay put for now until all the rest of the vols arrive tomorrow
morning then if it was safe make a run to the airport to meet the rest of evacuees I get
another taxi pay him well and by the grace of god make it to the airport where everyone
was
Another day and night passes in the Hotel w 3 or four blasting sessions came during
the evening it reminded me of the 4th of July waiting for the big boom i didn't sleep
much if at all another message came it was said to be safe to travel during the morning
I remember the looks I got when I approached everyone grouped around all their
belongings at the airport I was the last one I had been MIA for a day
Sat May 7 Embassy personnel and private citizens were registered at the Sanaa Hotel
They were loaded onto bus an taken to the airport
wednesday April 6th 1993 TA
fighting breaks out guns used were ak47s and 50m guns mounted on trucks shooting
was between two opposing military camps in Dhamar ( who were the two tribes fighting
Sunnis and Shiites ?) we had a woman PC Vol her name Angel serving as a Teacher
there I quoted her on experience “The gun shooting exchange was brief an ””isolated “
Sunday April 10m
Peace Corps Yemen sends my boss Dr Abdul Basit a memo that our vols in Dhamar
were being evacuated to Sanaa they needed to pack for a week and come to Sanaa
until things calm down
i was in Hodeda at the time shopping for a small refrigerator and no way to get the
message but I felt an uneasiness in the air military trucks on the move with a sense of

115. urgency something was up I heard there was some fighting I country (Name for war in
Arabic?)
Monday April 11 -13 I spent traveling on the road through the MTs stopping at road
blocks for hours an big delays with my refridge traveling back from Hodeda to Al
Khokha took 3 days I made it home I went into my house and things like my shovel my
wheel barrow some tools were missing I felt violated I told the sheik he said muskala w
my machete under my pillow
Driving through the checkpoints back to Sana’a w Taxi driver Mohammed we both were
pretty lit on qat we both had a good sweat going on and some bugging eyes r pic
Sanaa is being Bombed as we were coming in hot to Sanaa under fire
in locke down w scud missiles random dropping
w all my stuff Alone w no communication??
The 3 days hotel being bombed
Sat May 7
Embassy personnel and some private citizens were registered at the Sanaa Hotel They
all took taxis to the airport trying to be unnoticed it was time I went out on the street and
loaded my Taxi to make a Run thru the bombing to Airport My Yemen friends at the
hotel had prearranged a brave driver to drop me off from hotel almost got left behind I
had to make this plane We made it ! the streets were clear Alhamdulillah and we drive
into the airport immediately I noticed our PC group Karen and Doreen Dan and Harold
with some mixed embassy people everyone was there I remember the looks I got
when I approached everyone all huddled around all their belongings at the airport ready
to run for the plane I had been MIA... but now found,,,... by grace of God (Amazing
grace lyrics )
Altogether we jog very quickly with the Army Rangers directing us getting us packed
and Loaded into a C1- 30 aircraft with all our belongings and we start getting bombed i
heard the sound of incoming and the ground shake after we loaded while i'm sitting in a
hanger sweating like hell w DAn next to me he asks me “do you know Jack ?i say
“who?” Jack Daniels he replies You need to have a talk w him sitting on the runway in a
C-130 aircraft ok we were getting bombed i f heard and felt another hit the ground it
shook I was now in the hanger sitting w DAn and that's when and Jack D popped out
“hey these studs have no accuracy no worry ” Dan said he went through coup in Sri

116. Lanka he was calm kinda enjoying the drama still waiting f take off ….sitting on the
runway it seemed like forever “MAn we gotta go !” “Yea they just hit again” I said to
Dan lil bit nervous ” It's random “ he said the midday sun baking us it was 120 on the
hot runway “ I prayed I asked God do what you wish with me if was meant to leave earth
then it was your will yes we heard jets fly over and more distant bombs that i think took
care of business no more missel sounds wow I'm sure other people have gone through
the same but i was so grateful to get down the runway an up in the air Alhamdulillah
Army rangers in the air had given us give air cover by locating and taking out scud
missiles launcher sites the rebels in the l hills surrounding the airport had disappeared
it seemed like forever but i am so impressed w our military they are top notch pros i give
a Heartfelt Salute to those men you know who you are ! we all escaped Sana’a airport
Dan said “here “ i took a swig of Jack D arrg those rebels
flying into Riyadh Saudi Arabia with all my Yemeni stuff tahama bags full of Yemeni arts
crafts for all at home hand made baskets rugs even a sawfish nose vases jewelry cloths
sand elks and of course 5 madams clay and wood jambeeahs an even a small
mahogany window shutter it all was very heavy
We Landed the C 130 in Riyadh Saudi Arabia for a 3hr stop over an ate a nice chicken
dinner the Saudi men all wore a white robes (find name ) an masheta the bands around
the white head scarf Alhamdulillah I take my hat off to the US military they were so
helpful to us while we change planes into a 747 Air Force, Marines and Army rangers
how impressive and strong looking I give them the ultimate respect salute! I realized
what putting lives on the line was all about living away from loved ones I felt the
sacrifice
Dan from Sri Lanka and I had been sitting beside each other on the plane undercover
sipping a lil of that jack counting our blessings from the safe escape provided by our
military so grateful but it had gotten colder as we rose up to 3500 ft compared to 140
while sitting on the runway I got off the plane hauling all my Yemeni stuff 2 big
handwoven palm bags full of Yemeni icons for family and friends to share with thats
what I had home made baskets glazed clay bowls from Karen’s village of Zabid a
small afghan rug from Sana’a
The people the kids of Al Khowka gave me so many sentimental gifts i missed them
already they gave in pure friendship like the antique jewelry from Najib from the
Sana’a suk and Afghan rug tablecloths from the weavers then some sandals from the
sandal maker gifts . I got great deals on my 4 madas one clay from Zabid and 1 cherry

117. wood from Sana’a and 1 from Taiz and 1 from Hodeida 4 jambeeahs just from taking
time sitting in qat chews in AlKhowka pics and Al Mokha and Taiz i and made friends
w the Yemenis easy
one carpenter just gave me a small hand carved mahogany window shutter it was
very heavy real solid pic I had some curry and a couple bags of famous Al Mokha
coffee I gave away all my western things jeans and boots water filter solar battery
charger I knew could get them back at home and took all the sentimental Yemeni
things I had acquired throughout my experiences in different parts of Yemen
From the c-130 in Riyadh we changed planes into a 747 I don’t remember the flight i
was exhausted from the unexpected exodus i sleep most of the way laying across 3
chairs until we Arrive in Wash DC stayed in a Double Tree Hotel for a 3 day stay
The Peace Corps gave lots of concern over our emotional state of our Peace Corps
family pics we spent the first day in debriefing.with counselors then the next day .blood
tests and a physical / medical check up I was fine…physically and mentally and
definitely stronger spiritually . I learned in all areas of life coexisting with people
different than me , no longer was i needy looking for love and miss right God will give
you everything when the time is right
The Peace Corps left met me I no longer Fearing my different brother’s of the world
… “No fear” like the surf sticker Like a scene in the movie “Remember the Titans “
The white guy says “I was hatin you but i was only fearing my brother” . “The only
thing to fear is fear itself?” We all his children Be like a child innocent pure
Serving in US PC was a definitely a blessing in disguise …. to have the opportunity to
learn from and work side by side with different people with a different perspective but
for the same goal of believing in Love and peace . despite our differences our color
our race our gender and our religions leading by example my PC crew was a Loving
strong compassionate humanistic resourceful group
L learned from Hawaiians “Don’t confuse ALoha Love with weakness”…. “We the
people will come together if we Get Up and Stand Up for our rights” Put Good over Evil
start a revolution like our brave forefathers did!! like Muhammad Ali fought for justice an
equality like Martin Luther King Jr like Bob Marley To Love Your Brother and Sister of
every race and religion and practice Peace and Love as the Movement of the 60’s and
JFK establishing the US PC i also wrote down the poetic lyrics of Bob Dylan's
Subterranean Homesick blues... yes we pray the “Times they are a changin”….for the
good

118. Chp 29
Back in the USA
PiCtures from Hotel
I wrote a summary of our accomplishments working with the people of Al Khowka after
we came back home in Washington DC
During my eight month term of service I began working with a Child Care Vaccination
Program already implemented by the local doctors. Working side by side with the clinic
staff and community we developed a sanitary needle and medical waste disposal
system . With the cooperation of the local school system, I began a 260 hour English
language and health and wellness program for elementary and secondary students.
Working with the local English and Science teachers we designed a interdisciplinary
program to teach english language and personal health .We repaired the clinic fresh
water well for public use. Window and door screens were designed and installed for the
prevention of malaria and fly-borne diseases.
We conducted informal educational talks on child and maternal nutrition, well baby care,
AIDS prevention, and breastfeeding. Addressing the local problems of waterborne
parasites,. We also provided the community with information on diarrhea prevention and
the proper use of oral rehydration therapy (ORT) using locally available ingredients
Participating with the community in landscaping and planting a model health garden in
the clinic courtyard using local vegetation and material. along with health and wellness
and nutrition, first aid and hygiene. Utilizing our community resources visual aids were
designed by a local artist and used in the clinic and school where I taught english and
health and nutrition 6 hrs a week .

119. Chp 30
Pura Vida
City of Angels
Go west young man i went west From the the Cuyahoga @K&Js then Dokks ending
on the edge of the HW Hills pic it was Billy’s “sanctuary ‘a vortex of good energy” with
his he called it w his smiling eyes i could hear show from the the HW Bowl went to
watch movies the Chinese Theater HW Blvd and chill out by the pool over @ The
Roosevelt Hotel “ on the edge of the concrete jungle in the City of Angels.​” there was a
huge Catholic church next to us to go to church Runyon Canyon was where we trained outdoors
name>? Bald eagles land on the glass roof of the terrarium where i slept I would look up an
watch them hunting wow “ Thats is a good sign” Billy would say
This training session in the Canyon made My lungs feel heavy and they burned from
the dust and smog car fumes it was one of those days when the air quality was bad
Billy Freddy and I had just took the dogs and ourselves for a run Coco Billy’s Dog was
a Boxer pit mix blk wht he had rescued her on the subway in NY rip Coco and Sombra
was Fred’s Lab/ pit mix he is big an glossy black super playful a gift from Martina Jones
Quincy’s daughter we all admired Tina a funny sweet girl she was doing doing
volunteer work with the children of LA when i meet her.
Billy was QB throwing the football to us running up and down the Runyon canyon hills
Billy was went to Brown Univ and he had a pretty good arm for an Ivy Leaguer Yea this
is one of the toughest things I ever did the 45 degree grade in 90+ degree temp and
wow it really got you to feel your quads and lungs to burn it was a cool view when we
made it to the top a look over LA it was peaceful an the dogs liked to get out and stretch
Pura Vida means “Pure Life “ in Spanish. I got a chance to visit the Pura Vida in the
rainforests of Costa Rica I took a job on a surf safari/ tv show location scout trip out of
LA w a girl named Marcia she was Brazilian retired model she was 5 years older than
me I was in love w her and her LA woman ways We traveled to the warm water of
the Pacific West side Gulf of Mexico wow yes what a Pura Vida! It was rica montañas
y playas Marciia spoke spanish but she only taught me a few Portuguese words “susha
“ meant butt culo we surfed Manuel Antonio National Park did 5am dawn patrol
sessions w Gatto and Pablo they were epic local surfers super friendly saludable picked
us up in a little pick up truck we rode in back and took us to all their spots before while
surfing watching her carve a waves an spraying me making a rainbow mist in the sun
of orange and reds lighting the water we had a surreal sunset session water then the

120. rain came the BM Kaya song was needed at the end of the day to cool us down The
sunshines super strong and hot @6am then by 3pm the clouds puffed up and the rain
comes and cools it all down it's so relaxing to hear the rain and play some Bob M
Kaya. Eat a plate of fresh fish baked and beans and a cold beer and the price so
bueno Muchas Gracias
Marcia y yo hiked arriba la volcano Arenal She was Braziliano the view was amazing
of her behind the always blue Pacifico Gulf Mex ocean and the Atlantic ocean the sun
set in the Gulf and Marcia it was fun we were laughing and smiling we stopped and
just took in the sunset dropping into the Caribbean an after we reached our
destination as the stars and luna began to appear we found our jacuzzi a natural pool
just for 2 heated by the active volcano rivers of magma glowing the putting us in awe
her beautiful behind the the glowing hot lava flow down MT incredible her curves
black wavy hair she was so fit and strong w the sexy gap between her front teeth the
day we were making love everywhere in “Pura Vida” of Costa Rica's Arenal slopes
The first day hiking through the park we got surrounded by 25 iguanas “ Arbol de pollo”
tree chickens while making love on a picnic table they snuck up out of nowhere on us
mouths were all opening and closing Marcia held me extra tight when she saw them I
think they wanted something to eat we laughed and shared some bread …Everyone
has to EAT! One day we rode horses through the rainforest canopy it so beautiful the
butterflies by the 10000s all around yellowtail swallows in an out of the clouds white and
green rica the rivers we rode through so clean pics
I loved Costa Rica the people simple generous happy leaving the door open if you were
hungry just walk in an eat there is no army no guns the youth earn money from
ecotourism respecting nature the president he is barefoot w plenty Love for your
brother and sister mucho amor para gente Pura Vida .
I never forget when i met Freddy I was booked for my first runway model gig in Beverly
hills up on Sunset it was for Giorgio Armani We stood on a small stage I got to wear
some awesome Armani black leather jackets HW Style one I remember was like 2000$
I met Giorgio and Calvin Klein but I also met Freddy he was Dominican and full of life!
always the center of attention he couldn't help it I first met him backstage at the show
with da boyz him and his girl a 6’ Australian l blond beauty immediately we made
friends I loved his positive energy He had lived in NY for a while so he had alittle NY
edge to him also but a great smile He asked me ayy When a you gonna slick your hair
back an go to NY ?

121. Then He asked me you surf you look like it ? I said yea i'm learning... r he said “ I live in
Malibu on the beach come on over manyana we'll paddle out “ ok cool thanks !! I said
Freddy had the killer condo 2 levels all glass no furniture just boards an beach stuff all
over he said pick a board I grabbed a 8-0 fun board he said good choice for a beginner”
we paddled out into the 3ft surf I watch Fred get up ...as I rode the white wash I stood
up for a few seconds then fell Fred became a great bro and i introduced him to Billy
Billy was a friend of Omar and so was Freddy both from NY they hit it off Fred moved in
and we became the 3 amigos in the penthouse we had a blast i good vibes only! ..
Un poco comiendo a la surf spots as we would look arriba and watch all the blanco
faced moccas travel in big groups mocacacs moving through the canopy above us
when I heard the sounds of the white face monkeys up in the Costa Rican jungle
canopy their much Monkey Business reminded of that the time as I visited a rich green
tropical oasis in Yemen in the middle of the desert Pics Shams Chp 6 The owner of the
oasis land area name was Shamson which means sunshine in Arabic he had some pet
monkeys at his Oasis there was much monkey business going on I can never forget
…..@ lunch time with the humorous monkeys one just freely hanging out with us was
stealing Jim’s bread It was a beautiful tropical setting at the Oasis everything was
Tamum the was an underground stream that fed into a pool the water was life Taking a
picture is considered stealing your soul and women cannot be photographed we
uncovered face ?
I learned Spanish when I fell in love w a Canarian Spanish/ German girl while in
Barcelona where we meet on on a modeling casting then i meet her on the beach on
the beach European girls go topless an Island girls just wear a string so when i saw her
i really saw all of her and after that meeting on the beach we were instantly bonded like
gorilla glue she came to my house i was renting outside the city in the country with
some models during our stay in Baca i went to her apartment she was renting back an
forth she was staying on Piacco’s street in the Gothic area of Barca it was old stone
building up on the 7th access by stairs only which kept the legs an glutes in shape we
would go out on the roof overlooking the city she had some local model roommates the
view was beautiful Tatijana was Canarian from the Canarian Island of Tenerife We
made a pac to explore all of Europe together she spoke German and Italian and
Spanish so that made it easy for me we ran around Germany in Hamburg Munich the in
south the Ludwig castle and Bonn along the Reign River drinking spritzers ,Madrid
eating tapas , Milano , San Remo ITaly getting modeling jobs meeting cool people and
eating good food i experienced the local cultures of Europe

122. Barcelona was romantic along the Mediterranean warm waters and beautiful
architecture in later she took me back to her Island a beautiful Island of Tenerife Spain
on the west coast of Africa there I learned mas Espanol and about the original
Wananchi inhabitants how they were eating golfetto wheat barley oat grain trilogy
grew to 7’ tall strong mixing w vikings from the north a Canarian tradition is eating
canelo wild rabbit stuffed w herbs oregano and rosemary and papas small round
potatoes with hot sauce of red peppers onion garlic fresh in restaurants in the
mountains wow and down on the coast the fish the sardines full of protein the
seafood the cuisine was mostly of Spanish descent but with the German and English
influence it became a great mix I loved the German Beer Spanish tapas and dried
sardines amazing views of the Volcano Teide We did a commercial for Samsung
telephones on top it was a big production they brought a 40’ telephone up there on a
truck it was good money and lots of fun working in the Canary Islands Sp
LA………... I remembered when I had just came back from Yemen my sisters in the
Cuyahoga Valley National Park south of Cleveland Ohio where the deer roam in your
backyard i camped in a the back yard of wildflowers and deer the my bro Dokk invited
me to come out west to LA to train / act /model Dokk introduced me to Billy a guy was
very kind and humble American Indian actor /model who had starred in the classic
movie “Lost Boys” .…. Billy Loved people and he looked at the good in everyone
….looking up through the glass ceilings of Villa Bonita penthouse into the blue LA sky
from the. i thought of the maffarge in Sanaa Yemen dreaming waking up on a futon in
the terrarium it was next to the open air Lanai of the penthouse I awoke to a ray of
sunlight shining on my face from the window the panoramic view took me back to the
Hotel Sanaa rooftop suffrage. .the windows the lights the fresh air wow the pillows Billy's
maffrage is where everyone sat singing playing drums and every kind of musical
instrument Dokk an I hung out an experienced a Hollywood 1 LOVE party @ Billy's a
mix of all kinds of talented people artists musicians I meet Jim Morrison’s son Cliff and
yes he looked and sounded just like Jim It was the first Peace Pow Wow w Billy and his
tribe on the edge of the HWood hills ( pics and history of Villa Bonita research)
Billy hooked me up w his bro Omar who was a Panamanian superstar mens model
agent in Hollywood running Omar’s Men modeling agency Omar introduced me to the
upcoming high fashion Peruvian photographer Mario Testino . Billy and i went to a art
show an met Mario he was cool and super funny we all laughed a lot positivo “ y
hablo poco Espanol si !” Mario liked me an to my surprise couple days later he booked
me to shoot a Campaign in Paris for Trussardi a men's suits and accessories line

123. Before I left to Paris I knew why they call LA the city of Angels Mario, Billy and Omar
were earth Angels i felt blessed to be around such good people not easy in HW Omar
gave me a pair of his Gucci shoes after we ran pickup Bball games in the park we
won every game Billy a natural athlete droppin in 3s like a pro I threw up an alley oop
to Omar he unconsciously went up and dunked it!! the rhythm of LIFE was flowing !
Omi was smooth baller and dedicated Kobe Laker Fan how fun that day
The next day Mario picked me up and i threw my short surfboard in the back of his
little convertible BMW I had told him about a surf spot N of Malibu he wanted to
check out an do some beach yoga training so off we went up and over and through
the mtsw our hair flying what a epic drive through the canyon around every corner
through the tunnel of love out of the city and there's the Pacific ocean and i can see
the surf si la ola’s glassy 3 footers perfecto Mario chilled tranquillo dentro la playa
yo tiene un buen session and then we did some hatha yoga to the sunset perfecto
with the beautiful agua turning colors of green org red and lighting the spray tla playa
i and ran to the ocean an jumped in for some body surf i saw some nude girls on the
beach laughing feeling free and beautiful the water and waves were healing salt
water and the sound of the waves crashing the warm sun takes you away from
everything Mario had a little camera catching some of the coolest moments we
cruised back through the mts sun still setting coloring the sky w oranges and reds back
to the city of Angels ..it was fun a perfect day in LA!
..
Billy dropped me @LAX.. A gave me 100$ ..so cool ...I was on my way to Paris my first
real visit to “the City of Love and Light” WOw! it happened so fast ! When I arrived in
Charles De Gaulle I caught a taxi took that me to my hotel I paid w my francs I had
changed before in LA merci beaucoup! I checked into my Hotel to be ready for the
shoot at 700am @Daylight studio I made it to the studio i was up early it was hard to
sleep honestly It was cool riding the la metro went in on time to meet Mario’s stylist
who set me up for a haircut Mario came in checked me out we laughed again Bonswa
avwa tre- trebien I jumped into a couple awesome Trussardi suits w some accessories
Mario pushed his button an magically he made me look like a fashion star Mario is
very good “ photographer “The Best!” ..he knows the real moment to catch you it's his
timing ...he has the rhythm of life letting you be you.. tranquillo ….
After the shoot (PicS) Harper’s Bazaar and Italian Vogue) I meet the Italian Trussardi
family for a big dinner with Mario.. WHat ? How nice the familia . I hit the streets of Pari
walking on air after my shoot w Mario Testino .. I still wore my white silk Trussardi shirt
a gift Marci & Grazie ! I walked by the cafes on the streets with all the lovers sitting
together in the afternoon sun soaking it in dressed so stylish the smell and colors of

124. fresh flowers in the air I went to La Basti down rue Levi I stood in awe under Notre
Dame I was floating in a surreal dream Paris was beautiful ..it was early spring and
Amore was in the air I felt it the energy the warm smiles the sun was shining of I saw
the couples holding hands the women dressing the new line of spring clothes holding
flowers from their amore men with a bouquet of flowers an carrying the palic baguette
walking briskly to meet their amores on Charles de gaulle the buds were blooming pink
in the park on the trees along the streets the air was fresh and alive The Eiffel Tower
the people were alive after the cold winter it was unusually warm day the women wore
more shapely cloths with the warmth of the sun now I got lost on the subway following
this amazingly beautiful girl we had eye contact you when i came out of one stop I
looked again for her she was gone so I went up on the street to look and I
automatically noticed some turbines flying by on scooters whaaaaaaat ?? what is this?
where am I? I was in the Arabic part of Paris I noticed all the Arabic writing everywhere I
had never saw so much before only a little around LA it but here in Paris it was all over
the buildings and I was reading it ..?..it all came back
I smelled the familiar bread baking ummmm and the familiar eastern spices of the suk
and my stomach growled I looked down the street and I saw her black hair fly as she
turned looked at me with a melting big smile the chase was on and she disappeared
into the restaurant. I almost ran but took a breath stay calm I was feeling the romance
of the chase in Paris she was an Arabic beauty uncovered w big eyes like Angelina
Jolieish perfect shape my type . ” Ah Salaam Alaikum” I said quietly “Peace be with
you” when i entered the restaurant looking at the owner first an seeing just out the
corner of my eye I loved her surprised look when I spoke Arabic I was surprised I could
still read Arabic after 2 years wow I sounded out the letters because i'll never forget the
alphabet song “Alif ,ba, ta ,tha, jim ,,he ,ka I started to sing softly “ it is a muppets
rhythm I bought a shy tea I ordered from the bar she was sitting at a table with a lime
drink “become hatha? How much ? I asked “8 franc los samat “ the man replied smiling
curiously “Shukran” I said “Thank you! “
“ Anti kalum Arabi?” I asked her “Awah qaizz”( yes fine )she said ” I replied again “Ana
fa hem in Al Yemen” I took a drink “Tahmum ! Shukran Ismi Daood “I said “Imi Jasmine
“she said “ ( Good -Thank You- she said... I am still in wonderment? I speak 5
languages she siad It just had to come out i replied “You are jamel beautiful.” Ha ah
smiling . I said “ Maybe (Mumkin) we can go out tonight for dinner ?” Her English was
so sexy ..she was precise in pronunciation it was perfect with a confident smile….
Deadly ” Ok I know a great underground club that plays good world music we can
dance all nite” flowed from her mouth was i dreaming ?“Tamum!” I said Bon Bon she
said ! .already. I was in Love.. in Paris

125. we met the club that night at 1000pm she all black tight silk dress i was dressed in my
white silk Trussardi she had friends that had a table full;;; of bottles of everything a
bucket of ice the place was packed on floor dancing awesome I drank freely from the
bottles the music was moving a great dj I was getting drunk I got brave stood on our
table fell off cut my forehead open I bloodies my new shirt with the direct pressure from
my sleeve we left outside to the street holding my head she said come i'll take care of
you my place is not far La Bastille we flag a cab i'm holding my head w a big smile an a
beautiful woman pampering me I was a little embarrassed but it was so fun oh well she
gave me a2 butterfly bandages and we cleaned it with some French vodka bleeding
stopped all fixed up
I remember falling into the fresh white sheets of her bed that were so soft an smelled
heavenly I took a breath holding her tiny waist an kissed her neck she smelled so good
skin so soft she got up to get us some cold water an that's all I remember I knocked
out... only to wake to the early sun coming in across the white sheets with a breazze my
head pounding like a drum where was mon amour ? I smelled food...yes it was bacon in
the kitchen and coffee I went in an saw her in lingerie in the kitchen cooking bacon and
some banana pancakes she turned I saw her back and front she was perfect Am I in a
dream we hugged embraced a long time a held her a she handed me coffee I drank it
just looking at her finish the pancakes then I walked up behind her kissed her on the
back of her neck turned her around picked her up laid her down on the wood table….
the banana pancake burned I pushed the hot iron skillet off the fire but it continued to
burn . . mon amour in Pari... Tre tre bien Amor
A couple days later I went to MGM agency and they found me a apt on rue Levi i
shared it with a girl from Iceland then I meet Hoyt Richardson at the agency who
loaned me 50 Fr so cool I stayed partied a lot at the palace where i saw Mickey Rourke
went to the Louver everyday there was so so that is another book so much Billy's
friend and me over for dinner he picked me up in a Porce he lived in Versies and had
paintings in his house that were 4m tall amazing i meet so many nice French people
even if i only knew petite pou Frances i was running out of money so i had to go to
Milano and build more pics for my book and meet the designers there
How cool when Mario moved up into the HW Hills a couple blocks away from the Villa
Bonita and he hired me as his trainer for 3x a week at 6am @Casa da Mario a
beautiful Spanish style home with white stucco arches with blooming red and orange
bougainvillea framing a photographic path to a big thick wooden door a knock on his
door would bring a unforgetable simpatico “HolA Buenos dias “ Mario’s tone was

126. musical and inspiring especially for a early morning workout ! we went fast walking
through the neighborhood hills up and down it was inspiring just chatting w him getting
the heart rate up and down then we did some resistance training with weights and
core exercises in his gym then some hatha yoga stretching and resistance training in
the pool Mario was fun positive and dedicated to getting healthy he was on a mission
and his loving persona took him to the top of his profession , good timing, rhythm,
and hard work , and mucho Amor de buen humor definitely added to our healthiness
Mario has a nice smile ....
Another amigo w a great smile was my surfer/model bro Freddy who i had met
through Omar he moved in w Billy and I it was the” 3 Amigos” up in the Villa Bonita.
Freddy hooked me up with his high end clients he was working a lot of big modeling
jobs fred pics and helped me with my training business along with Billy we all worked
out a lot running Runyon Canyon or lifting weights or playing basketball with Omar at
the park or Elan’s house in Bev Hills
Monet & Alex a couple I trained they lived in the Hills with 2 boys they were an
especially tough Angels too spiritually, mentally and physically hard workers w natural
athleticism and real Love. Monet an actor singer model who pushed herself to the limit
every workout a LA born girl blond tall sweet tough with an edge Alex was the strong
South London Brit Englishman brilliant super positive I remember him motivating me
while discussing life on the trail ” we gotta carry each other “ he said they both were and
motivated workers they had kids and every moment away from them they used to its
fullest they were all about family not easy in Hollywood land
Matia was the Italian stallion he had huge arms already but wanted to keep them
shoulder arms work he a friend of Alex so he recommended me to him we trained i
killed his arms w MR what a worker Matia styled me out with his hand me downs after
he grew his arms bigger i got all his Italian shirts what a cool guy Matia and his wife
Valeria Pics a fashion designer we all healthy together such great cooks
Another client Nancy who was the publicist for Brad Pitt and Leonardo Dicaprio she
had built a new gym in hev house at the top of the HW hills our downfall was she liked
to train @ 6am I remember looking at my watch flying around the corners going up to
her house in my 65’ Porsche( pic it) ok it got my adrenaline flowing leaning into the
curves that early in the morning I was late a couple times an she had to let me go it
was mutual agreement I was not a early morning person... living in “the city of nite”
while flying wingman with my bro roommate Billy “Jim Morrison LA Woman”

127. But i did get to do some real flying in a helicopter w another friend client Paul Lefour a
S African he was a Director of Photography he liked to hit the gym on the treadmill @
Crunch he invited me to train him on the Warner Bros set also when he was working
on a Warner Bros movie “The Cell” an met Jennifer Lopez she was nice it super cool i
worked as a grip and trained Paul.
Paul was a pilot took me up in his Helicopter on my Birthday we took dates I asked this
Panamanian beauty that had just arrived to LA we were all amazed and flew over the
San Joaquin river where it split into two rivers as the sun set he hovered over the place
where the rivers water came together the orange sunlight was reflecting off the river
flinging water and light around us and the light on the water moving below us it was
spectacular then i knew why he was a director of photography Then he did a fly over
and circled our penthouse where Billy and the all my friends were out waving and
holding up a Happy 30th Birthday sign wow i was touched by the kindness of Billy he
always remembered and celebrated his friends birthdays & cake candles so classic!
Billy also had helped me get a job @ Crunch gym The gym was new in LA and Just
opened an i got in on the ground floor he knew the owner and called him and asked
me what i wanted to do? i said train I was Billy's trainer w aPE degree that was enough
I was in The first group of trainers i bonded w a trainer who also had that energy of
positive vibes mucho Pura Vida his name was Carlos we were working out he was
showing me his routine he was a new daddy w Madonna and they had a baby girl he
was on the phone a lot i understood but he was so generous about showing tips and
techniques Carlos was positive an had a good vibe a big smile w great energy i
learned that and many functional training techniques he came over an hung out w Billy
@ the Villa to work out couple times in our gym out on the lanie
Another superstar trainer that worked at Crunch gave me one of his clients and said
“take care of her she just got thrown from a horse she’s recovering from a lot of broken
bones” I would have to use some manual resistance Patrick Reeves became my first
regular 3x a week for a year we trained she was Keanu’s mom and super sweet our
sessions were intense her willpower and dedication helped her to heal and regain
strength flexibility I loved it she was a sweet woman i was invited to family Thanksgiving
dinner and I met Keanu and Sandra Bullock and listened to his band Dogstar Keanu
and i both knew a little Arabic and that was cool talking him he is a good kind soul..
down for humanit

128. Chp 31
Surfing Goats
“Here today…. gone to Maui !“…my Filipino brother Manolo would say from his yurt
deck overlooking the Shore of Maui ALohA (goodbye)Kauai Aloha (hello)Maui !
Aloha has many meanings hello goodbye…. But Love is my fav….Pics So my girlfriend
Bidya an I shacked up in a goat shack the Love Shack we called it The Love Shack
was on the slopes of beautiful Haleakala Crater National Park Our Charles the owner
had 5 acres he rented out to a couple families He had a beautiful family of his own who
became part of ours and we theirs that's Maui for a very Family Ohana oriented real
and true like Manolo had been living there also an convinced us to stay a was married
with a little girl Aina Sophia so so cute she was a lil mix her mom Jane from Prague So
we became Ohana The nature was rich lush and “green like living in the Garden of
Eden” “Bidya said but some tough mosquitoes we had to embrace The aina land is
volcanic organic you could just throw your seeds where you wanted them to grow The
soil is rich dark black which made it so fertile. We were just a short drive from Jaws
Tuopu the big surf break if i felt like taking some waves hahah we cruised on down to
OH Okika a lil more manageable break mixed w European wind surfers cool vibe
beautiful cliffs and beach for kids too
research pics Maui’s North Shore known for its surfing goats and their Nationally
accredited gourmet cheeses The Goat cheeses are sold in the lower Kula area where
they are sanitized and pasteurized. unlike the cheeses in Yemen We saw some baby
goats on a farm there they were adorable jumping around we decided to breed and
raise them around our goat shack pics
When we arrived on the goat farm in Kula to buy a couple baby kids the smell and
sounds of goats took me right back to Yemen where goats were being herded freely
through the streets blending with the crowds in the souk an eating the trash in the
streets of Al Hodeidah that day i was hauling a fridge home to Al Khokha

129. the cheese is a popular and a staple in the Yemeni diet but being unpasteurized it was
off limits for our PC stomachs t which could not handle the bacteria and infections
caused by consuming unpasteurized goat cheese . Some Goat carcases also hung
outside in open air from the butcher shops and the flies were covering them. The flies
were a bit shocking to me seeing them all over the food and That was just different for
me to see. I remember seeing the goat cheese for sale in the market it was smoked and
had a harder brown covering I wasn't about to try it i knew the taste and the smell just
doesn't agree with me
I had yet to really experience eating goat in Yemen
My Mom's Mom Grandma Dorothy Young who was a 3rd grade teacher 25 years was
98 years she was “pure life” taught me how important it was to never stop using your
memory so you can recall important things and my Grandpa Lloyd Young taught me
how to fish in Bradenton fL Pic now where i'm teaching my girl Brooke how to fish pic I
remember fishing out on the dock and the beautiful orange SW FL Coast sunsets with
the seagulls crying overhead I remember the spiny blowfish I caught an all the
prehistoric horseshoe crabs and big starfish covered all over the beach pics
I looked across the water and saw the bridge to St Petersburg and thought of my cuz
Robert and his family we had just had reconnected he was living in Tampa Bay and we
all went to see a Rays Baseball game we got great tickets from my old college
roommate Kevin Barr the trainer (story) peewe42 movie ) there in St Peter's It was a
blessing to reunite with and see f Robert and Melodie was my mom’s sister son and
we spent many family Christmas’s together He had 2 beautiful girls and Melanie is into
healing people w Beach Body fitness we all had a blast together training in her studio
and at the game and visiting each other on weekends at the beach an pool Robert’s
ability to say the most heart felt prayers was something i always will remember about
him he has a graceful way speaking and of communication with our heavenly Father.
Robert has been blessed but he has worked for all and has just wrote a book about how
to be successful called a must read
Chp 32
Soulmate

130. Ohio ,Yemen ,Ohio, LA, Europe, Canary Islands ,Barcelona , Ohio , Oahu, Kauai , Maui,
Ohio , LA, Kauai, Fla, Ohio
.
Lyrics Could you be love and be loved ?
Could you be love and be loved ?
Don't let them fool ya,
Or even try to school ya! Oh, no!
We’ve got a mind of our own,
So go to hell if what you’re thinking is not right!
Love would never leave us alone,
I am the darkness there must come out the light
Could you be love and be loved ?
Could you be love, wo now ! and beloved ?
The road of life is rocky and you may stumble too,
So while you point your fingers someone
Else is judging you
Love your brotherman!
Could you be could you be love?
Don't let them them change ya oh !
Or even rearrange ya oh no!
We’ve got a life to live
They say only only
Only the fittest of the fittest shall survive
Stay Alive ! Eh !
Say something ! Could you be…. could you be love ?
lonely in Kauai Searchin for my soulmate “Could i be loved .. and give Love ? it I
turned to the new age “social media “ to find her i was looking on my laptop for a
exoctic beach girl so I went to South Beach Florida on Myspace and there is where I
found Bidya I saw her beautiful smile she had me there and w aerobic instructor
curves l a Christy Turlington elf like petite face mocha brown from her posted pictures
I hit her with a a big like and the romance began we checked each other's site out and
started our cyber love affair chatting and posting pics I had tons of older looking

131. pictures from my try with modeling around the world. So I sent her my youngest looking
pictures and trying anything to convince her to come to meet me in Kauai where I had
a job teaching special educ and it payed ok she had a good job working at a posh
5*Hotel. I was missing romance and having a friend in my life it was hard eating alone
coming home after surfing after work alone I kept busi I was a volunteer hs fb coach too
so I knew a lot of hs kids and had a couple of teacher surf buddies and Ona my local
Kauaian bra I knew his brother from Sunset NS Ohau a big wave surfer They were all
cool but still I was coming home alone most of the girls were usually taken by local guys
and others just transient visitors from Cali and Brazil
One evening i walked down from the Hawaiian house that i was renting up on the mt
side Makai side of what a view to see the waves breaking into sun drop on the North
shore its theraphy Sunset Beach and Banzai Pipeline pounding next to each i felt the
brakes hit from my bed at night i walked down to the beach to watch the best
entertainment in town the sunset magical i heard some acoustic guitar playing as i got
closer i could hear some guy singing a song i listened to the lyrics “where have all the
good people gone? it was soulful ...it was a acoustic guitar i looked over at the yellow
house on the beach on the stone wall where the guy was playing the sun set i
thought yea where have all the good people gone ,...? I think it was a year later when i
put it together who it was it was ..it was Jack Johnson lettin it out down on Sunset
beach Aloha and Mahalos To bradda Jack for the bluesy soulful messages
When would i meet miss right ? .”I could You be loved ?”.. Ohau can be lonely place i
kept soul surfing the Shore then Diamond head i camped there a week sleep in my
van in the Town Waikiki parking lot i camped there with my 7 boards and then hanging
on the westside Makaha with my bradda Craig and the Wall family :Big Daddy “and
Jessica with their beautiful place @ Lahilahi POINT All Aloha people! We ate from their
beautiful home watching the sun drop ! and Mike the fisherman taking me out fishing
for Ahi in a sailboat loved it Pics we saw whales jumping 2 at the same time jaw
dropping the in a feeding frenzy with Marlins chasing Ahi Ahi chasing minnows and
minnow chasing krill and some dolphin curiously following and saying hi to our sailboat
Ryan caught a Marlin Josh looked at me when the whales jumped Discovery
Channel??/ Westside Aloha
I surfed with another teacher Paul and Dave soul surfing the wessssside the
Hawaiian side Craig was the Hawaiian who gave me my first board he gave me a
great board he was a pro at one time but injured his knee he was 2nd generation
Japanese a electrician a soul surfer too divorced healing from the salt water too so we
surfed 2 sessions a day and played basketball in between Craig was all Aloha always

132. thinking of other first always wanting to pay for lunch like i was his guest a true
Hawaiian All Aloha he lived in Kaalani beach on in the hills he said “be light on your
feet” i always remember what a great surfer ripping what ever break we hit Turtle Bay
NS where i lived is where we met he would take me out to the point of every break we
surfed and introduce me to the best surfer we was helping the ocean heal me
MySpace it was the newest thing looking for love and found it someone whose smile
just reflected pure love so i contacted her But That wasn't enough we decided to talk
on the phone that wasn't cheap half a world away the time change was 6 hours
different.Her name Bidya took me awhile to get it right she had enough of South
Beach and decided to move out west to San Diego to work at the Hard Rock Cafe.
YES! she's getting closer we talk a lot so We decided to meet up in LA she took the
train from San Diego and i flew to LA from Kauai to meet her in the train station I
waited I saw here train come in i saw her get off the train when her foot hit the ground i
was a mazed wow a perfect ll woman and wow she was little petite sorry we hugged i
picked her up an swung her around said wow you are little 98lbs she looked at me
wow you are older i laughed ok it's true the pics i sent 10 years younger she said it's
ok i like older men yea whew i thought all is not lost we went to eat some Thai food
we took it up to the penthouse on the very top looking over LA i watched her eat she
was chewing like a little squirrel with nuts stuffed in it s cheeks i was in love so cute
How cool that my brother Billy said it was ok to stay in the Villa Bonita he knows it's
perfect for starting a love affair Located on the edge of the Hollywood Hills PIC this
place was a beautiful palms well landscaped the Apt Building rose 8 stories covered in
roses and vines crawling over the walls to the top built in 1938 w a Italian
Renaissance Style guaranteed to sweep a girl off her feet Billy had now but the
penthouse had some heavy history starting w the “Rat Pack” Sinatra had hung out
there with Errol Flynn the long time it was very cool that Billy always and had a extra
room that was special about him he had a big heart I tried to pay him back by training
him in the hills up in Runyon Canyon but he was a true director and ended up training
me !?. my brother Billy Wirth would always say….. is the answer to every question. “
Billy was my guru a true brother who I feel fortunate to have spent part of my life
around. A peaceful Warrior in LA CA with native American Heritage he looked for the
good in everyone He was the first dude that said “I love you “ to me and I felt
comfortable saying it to my other brothers ..” I love you man! “
Yea it was perfect for Bidya and I to start our journey of love it was so romantic from
the cherry wood elevator to the marble floors glass ceiling Errol Flynn and the history of
the old HW ratpac from Sinatra even Madonna lived there in the beginning of her

133. career so it had plenty history from on jungle to another jungle “Welcome to the
jungle” G an R
.
So Billy and and his girlfriend Sarah graciously put us up in the penthouse Sarah
also was a lovely beautiful and kind soul a professional ballet she had danced on
Broadway her heritage was Norwegian at we had a lot of fun Sarah an Bidya hit off
with their common love for dancing we had a lot of fun going out to all the dance clubs
in LA Billy liked techno beat Bidya too
we fell more i live and it was easy to convinced Bidya to come back to Kauai with me
and stay she agreed yes it was on! We worked together at Kapaa Middle School
Bidya with a multi handicapped boy in his teens and me with 7 and 8th Special needs
kids it was so rewarding we learned the meaning of Aloha!! The kids they were like an
extended family seeing them everywhere we went on the Island Miss B an MR Rohrs
we loved it xx
While surfing on west side Oahu Turtle beach Lahilahi Pt BIG Daddy's i was just sitting
on my board all alone counting the sets coming in every ten minutes i looked down
an saw a couple big dark shadows moving under me I looked down again whew they
weren't sharks thank God they were rays i bailed off my board to take a look wow
amazing when i saw them the grace of their wings as they flew in slo mo indescribable
there i tried to swim with them 10’ in diameter the stingray's wings pan it was the
longest five seconds being one with them as they disappeared and left me in awe
diving the reef of Kei Beach NS Kauai HI @end of the road Bidz and i found so many
green sea turtles she b even touched a turtle on the snout unknowing as she swam
there so many everywhere we drove up the NS in our jeep an camped on the beach
pulled the kayak off the roof went out anchored it and snorkel around the shallow reef
no one around then but those days are over it's been discovered Johnny Depp walked
down it in the last scene of Pirate of Caribbean stranger tides yea it's still beautiful
it's sunset coastal cliffs view amazing please stay off the reef standing on it kills it
now the life guard will let you know
Kauai is so beautiful it seemed like we kayaked every river slept on every beach i
surfed every break we barrelled our kayak out on the shore break of Polihali we then the
kayak flipped over i just saw Bidz and we hiked up every waterfall we got lost looking
for Secret Falls ha we made it to Hanakapiai on the Kalalau The Mts and beaches in
Hanalei and views from Waimea Canyon breathtaking. Travel is romantic still young an

134. free in love we decided to Island hop for more work opportunities in Maui so Aloha
Kauai
“ here today gone to Maui” ….we were ready to explore Maui inspired by its majestic
beauty Bidya found a place up on the slopes of beautiful Haleakala Crater National Park
where we could grow a garden and raise goats. The Garrison family owned the land an
took us in like family another couple lived in a yurt on the 5 acre plot Manolo and his
wife Jane a mixed couple like us with 3 yr old girl they were selling hemp necklaces at
a tourist stop called twin falls on the road to Hana the beauty of The nature how lush
an and full of life green everywhere the aina land is volcanic organic from a aerial view
you can see how the flow from MT Haleakala (house of sun) Also another mix couple
became friends just from their nice vibe and friends of Manolo Trish and Paco She was
Filipino he was blond German
We all took a hike once deep into the jungle got to see where Jimi Hendrix had once
hung out a little hide away a place he stayed in when he gave a free show on top of the
Mt Haleakala it was a Tiki shack hidden away at the foot of Haleakala deep in a thick
bamboo forest that talked you when” the wind blew mary” and where the volcano
spread its rich dark nutrients gently down its north shore giving abundance of
sustainable life vegetation with consistent rains it can get a little mucky jungleish Jimi
made a movie called Rainbow ??/
When we arrived Maui We lived in an area just above Kula in a in Goat house that
area is well known for its surfing goats and their Nationally accredited gourmet goat
cheeses. , I remember that The cheeses are sanitized and pasteurized. and as safe as
drinking cow's milk Goat pics we went to a goat farm in Kula to buy a couple baby kids
wwe fell in love with 2 cute girls who we called mele and splash We saw the baby goats
and decided to raise 2 2 girls and breed them and give them a good home Win our
reconstructed goat love shack si cami one time a both peed they stayed outside I built
them a playpen and they stayed dry on the concrete lani so they would not get hoof rot
o why not raise some goats ? they were good lawnmowers and produced good fertilizer
and milk too if you like goat milk ?
Back n Kauai We cruised the Island in a volkswagen vanagon 75’ pop top looking for a
place to take roots at the time I was working as a trainer in at Fit studio in Princeville
where Pres Obama and Laird Hamilton trained Summer was the Owner we were still
living out the van and as i was going into train and i saw a guy coming out of the studio
and could tell he needed a training session so i said” Hows It ? Ahh i missed my
session he said No worry cuz I said “hey lets work out” That's how I met Bob I trained

135. him in the studio he was strong and determined to stay in good health in his 60’s he
was a I came to find he was Kauaian born an raised in Kauai we talked and he asked
me what i was doing an where i was living i showed him the camper van he looked in
and saw my daughter Brooke pics said hey “I might have a place for you and he
invited us to lunch we talked Bob had a 5 lot in Kapahi with a 40 ‘ camper on it next to
the river he said” come on over take a look “ he showed it to us it was a movie trailer
left over from the movie “ “Tropic Thunder” Robert downey Jrs they shot it on the 600
acre ranch that he managed for Bette Midler a singer he went to school with we settled
this spot along a river living at the foot of Makalea Mts and its waterfalls up in
Kapahi.Wow what a view from the camper looking into the waterfalls of Makalea in
Kapahi he said “hey i'll plug in water and electric just cut the grass” “deal ! “i said
“Mahalo” and thought of the by song Ziggy Marley “On a Beach in Hawaii “
Chp 33
Fire on the Mountain
Waimea Canyon in Kauai HI .
my local bradda Ona called me up to go Wild Boar and Goat hunting onI wasn't
hunting with a gun ..you can say I was an accomplice. I had always wanted to
experience the adventure of a wild boar hunt Hawaiian style but this time we were going
for Bighorn sheep too but if some goats are around they would need to be taken down
too their population is over running the Canyon with limited food supply because of
drought the goats are killing all the trees by eating off the bark so they needed to be
controlled . Ona is pure Hawaiian born and raised Kanaka an he knows every mt in
Kauai like the back of his hand he truly loves the mts and the Aina So controlling the
goat population in the Waimea Canyon is critical to maintain its natural beauty Hawaiian
Wild Boar and Goat Hunt wanted a wake up be alert and feel the air …. it was freezing
cold!! wow!! and we were going 40mph up 2000 more feet cuz yea i'll be awake and
ready to hunt mental toughness
Experiencing hunting trip with Ona would be epc went to the top the highest peak of
Waimea Canyon Kauai HI oh what a view! 2nd only to when mom and dad took me up

136. in a helicopter over Kauai for my birthday a Soul mission cuz!. So I stay ready to go at
4 am Ona picked me up from our place in Kapahi i he was coming from the club and
said “drive I'm out drive ...wake up when we arrive Waimea” the truck was a new 4 door
lifted Tundra I was stoked “let's roll Waimea “i said . It was about an hour drive and I
was excited to be on board with some bigtime out of town hunter friends Ona was
touring them to his hot spots in the canyon what a nice guy I thought they had heard of
some bighorn sheep in the area but pork was the real main dish here
In HI smoked pork and smoked bacon over some white rice was dakine tasting super
ono. the first time I ate smoked bacon the thick strip were from his own homemade
smoker Bid and I had some w rice an egg for breakfast and it was so so Ono I felt like a
wild boar myself and chased her around all day an finally got her Ono yummy that pork
flavor flav when it's just crisped up brown on rice w egg sunny side up so ono A loco
moko is ono a steak burger cover w gravy on top 3 scoops rice topped w a egg sunny
side up
A Emu is a cook out a pig buried wrapped in tea leaves w hot volcano rocks buriied
on top with a fire on top 10 12 hours friends cooking together everyone brings what
they have the boys put it all down on a long table we had fresh lobster Ahi poke raw
fish Ohana Hawaii is a small island like the world is a small island we have to take care
of it sustainable Being Honest loving the land and ocean
RiP to our Pilot who took Mom and dad i up o my birthday he was a Vietnam veteran
was hit by a storm and crashed month later He was as awesome giving us close up
shots of the waterfalls inside and the birthplace of mother Kauai the curator where she
came out Pele the Hawaiian God of Fire Yes she is Beautiful show pictures He was
dakine a his spirit will always fly in my heart in the canyon
When we arrived at the hunting spot @ 5 we all jumpin one tuck to ascend to the top of
Waimea canyon National park Ernest Hemingway was inspired by it naming it the little
Grand Canyon of the Pacific We here so high up on the very top ridge so high i
remembered the helicopter ride that mom and dad took me on for my 40 birthday we
saw the whole Island from the top it was amazing epic trip RiP to our Pilot a Vietnam
veteran he was hit by a storm and crashed month later in the Canyon He was so
awesome by taking us close to get close up shots of the waterfalls inside the Canyon
and up in Kalalau valley showed us the birthplace of Kauai it was the oldest curator
where she first came out Pele the Hawaiian God of Fire Beautiful she is pictures

137. AS I was Watching the sun coming up over the canyon ridge I had to stop and stare
….the mystic laser beams of light shooting a crossed the Waimea canyon caught in the
dust were illuminating our hunting crew the warmth was welcoming not being used to
below 50 riding in the back of the pickup it was 530 and we arrived at our drop off spot
we all jumped out and hit the trail Ona leding we were woken up to an epic view from on
Top of Waimea Canyon whoa It was about 545 am we were on the very very top
ridge....I turn to look towards the blue sea my eyes could not stop to followed the
winding beautiful curves of the Waimea river below it emptied its red brown sentiment
the flowing out out into the current into the pacific...in wonderment . .big picture nature...
Helicopter pics
the view was so breathtaking I wasn't watching my step I Slightly loose my balance and
my foot slips accelerated from the weight of my top heavy backpack it shifts from the
sudden movement and momentum starts to pull me forward over the cliff edge my life
flashes before me... Family…. friends. Ahhhh.....600 ft of jagged cliff rocks below stare
back at me …. I react w adrenaline rush full on twisting back to grab the edge of the
ridge to avoid the free fall wow......like a cat on a hot tin roof a claw a grab the side of
the mt and finding a life grip on something solid a root wow adrenaline I believe in and I
was saved by roots but I had just created a small Avalanche I can still hear the
echoes of the rocks falling down the still canyon The other hunters simultaneously all
turned their heads w a jerk All Eyes fixed on Me ! mental telepathy was strong...who
brought him? Awkward silence I was embarrassed ;; dumb whoolie style or original
haole Hawaiian means no breath Yea I was scared breathless heart pumping in my
throat
making the clumsy avalanche and the smell of goat all took me back to the mts of Taiz
Yemen hiking (History of Taiz) Pics especially when Ona shot his first Billy goat it was a
big black long haired long goatee and some nice horns he was the leader of the herd
we found him shot thru the heart one good shot Ona strung him up overlooking the
valley and river a field dressed him we buried the rest of the carcass Again the smell of
goat was really strong a it took me back to the Sana’a Suk where I first saw goats
roaming the streets and seeing goat carcass meat hung out in the open streets in front
of the butchershop
In the Mt heat gathered all my might and I threw the REI backpack that I actually took
to Yemen 20yrs ago now it was filled with 20 lbs of goat meat up over a 8f bolder wall I
needed to climb to keep up w Ona ….wait up cuz! he climbed like a MT goat sure footed
and quick

138. “ Kam mA Te! Ka mA te!. Kam ma te !.” thundered from the field as the Kapaa Warrior
High School football team broke out their Haka War Chant so intimidating it took me
back to the packed stadium in Tallahassee Florida where I felt that same energy of the
Florida State Seminoles pre- battle physic-up of 75,000 people just before my team the
Toledo Rockets took the field... the Polynesian HaKa made your heart beat faster also
just look to at the faces of the players and their body language it’s a bit intimidating and
aggressive coming deep from the soul of the warrior's spirit it's called in Hawaiian “
Mana” (explain more pic of the team ) it's a old chant of an War chief that was captured
and thrown in a pit he chants as he is coming out of the pit step by step ka ma tee. .ka
ma te. .
Ona was a graduate from Kapaa he played on the football team 10 years ago he liked
when i bragged how good the Warriors were now because it had been a long time
since they had won but this year was different ...The Kapaa Warriors went on to win
their first football league championship in 23 years. Led by Head coach Christian
Morgado and Brandon Fujita and a great staff the Warriors played in the Hawaiian
state semifinals the community was behind their boys all the way I was fortunate
enough to have the opportunity to strength train the team and teach them some hatha
yoga poses Warrior 1,2,3 and 4. I was also the running back coach I was in awe when
we went to the Aloha Bowl in Honolulu... I walked through the tunnel onto the 50 yard
line and looked around the stadium wow what a feeling standing on the field where the
Pro Bowl is played for a lover of the game of football I was standing where some of the
best warriors had ever played the game we won
I was teaching PE at Kapa’a High School too “da East Side” of Kauai, Hawaii some
guys had ESB tats for East Side Boyz Kapaa is a proud blue collar town every parent
had 3 jobs we all worked to survive in Kauai it expensive place you have to pay to live
in” Paradise” even if local The Team worked hard in the weight room. .mo eva dan
before they had it in their soul. .they were on a mission too they wanted a
Championship ! we did a yoga bootcamp down in “the pit” our practice field it was a
sacred place hotter more humid secluded from the world surrounded by pines mts that
blocked that smoothing pacific ocean breeze .As I looked east out across at the Pacific
Ocean it went on forever the clouds so far away…
we could tell ten minutes before it rained we could see it coming down acrossed out
over the horizon. . I looked to the west the Mt side at the Makalaia Mts w the water falls
pumping and the sun setting breaking through the Mt range the orange red clouds
shooting rays of light onto the practice field peaceful..Heavenly… I was in football
heaven... and we were working for a CHampionship... the Spirit was in the air.. Da Boys

139. practiced and played w alot of Mana from da Heart ! Flyin Hawaiians ! HOW BAD Do
you Want It Was the ? Champions ! one of our spiritual leaders Tumua Masaniai Mua
led us in the team's HAKA he gave me ” the look” as he ran by He was our DT..6’3 270.
It was a look that needs no words... the look of confidence determination, strength
power and Love …. Love for Ohana family Love for TeaM I met Tumua back in when
he was in 8th grade I was his teacher he walked straight up to me in my face and said
smiling “wazs up haole?” Serious he could stand face to face w me @ 6’ he was 200lbs
and “more bigga dan me” then he held the serious face we stared hard at each other...
it was a long few seconds for me... on how to respond ???…..then slowly Tumua’s face
started to lite up his eyes softened then the corners of his mouth broke into the biggest
brightest smile I took a breath…... whew! he thumped me on my chest with his huge fist
“Howz it Teacha ?!” laughing” JK Jk “ he said (just kidding) He was the alpha male on
middle school campus “Howzit Bradda ?” I replied “Ono because ono” he says back
walking away with his patented swagger shoulders back chest puffed out chin held high
He had the right he was a King a Tongan King oozing w Hawaiian pride.
His Father owner of a rock wall building construction company and his braddas one
named Una our other tackle the other Fresno our QB they were All Heart and his sisters
I had in PE class that were all amazing athletes and people their Ohana had so much
Aloha spirit One day Tumua gave me a longboard my fav surfboard of all times a 10’
epoxy pro longboard but he also showed me humble respect and still calls me
coach...the power of ALOHA he showed me He and Fresno are playing ball now in a
CA college he is some 285lbs of Heart and one of the most toughest braddahs I eva
know”!
Aloha has many meanings... Hello...Goodbye….Love… or just Thinking of others first...
we before I ….and representing your family...but please don't ever mistake ALOHA for
weakness ! Aloha to Tumua and Ohana ! In the HI Islands you see the bumper
stickers “Live Aloha” sharing Love that’s the most powerful one to me ….” Love”
...nuff said.. A Hawaiian saying is . “Respect the Locals “ a pic of a fist full of knuckles
ok that's pretty clear i got it ..rightfully so when in someone's small house you abide by
their rules that’s respect HI is a small state and if you don’t listen it’s a lot harder to
move in society wo cultural respect i learned in the PC but somehow I must have
forgot it one day when i paddled out to Makaha a famous surf break on the west side
Oahu with my new perfect board an start taking all the waves…. Just try that . you’ll
learn hahah
.the wave was so nice and easy to. take off every time on i got every wave oops wrong
cuz ….you gotta share waves bra . One meaning of.Aloha is “think of others first “so

140. an wait your turn cuz..... wow the wave was so fun so clean an nice .. then getting air
on the washback wave wooohooo ok i could not stop w my new 9-2 Town Country
high performance long board again and again i went down the line so clean the wave
glassy..touching the wall of water with my hand going by smiling at the guys in the
lineup … but they weren't smiling back i should've known watz up? then i was getting
stink eye ..i wasn't sharing.. i was disrespecting... going out of turn..not sharing ... out of
the rhythm of life... then a guy just ran over my new board skag marks all across it
then a guy just dropped in on top me took me out on take off HuAAaey ? we came up
out of the foam i could see he was not happy swimming towards me “ you dent my
board ” “ you like beef !? get out da water ! see ya on shore !” the guy was mad
seriously mad he said “go.. Go in get out” wow ok i think i understand wow ok i got to
greedy ” i should crack you!” i said ” sorry “ he said “wake up this is Makaha you gotta
share you lucky oi don't crack you an snap your new board ““
I went in an sat down on the beach i thought about what i was doing …..i put myself in
the place of the local guy everyday someone coming to your backyard acting like a
kook taking every perfect wave and showing no respect by not sharing ... it would piss
me off too after awhile ok i was lucky i didn’t get a crack
“You one teacha eh? He came over an ask me “ Yea” i said “5th grade at Leihoku
Elem down the road ” think someone knew me in the water and told him i was a
teacher “ahh ok hey keep up the good work cuz teachin the kids but you learn
something today eh? “Yea I Am always learning” i said “no forget eh? ...Aloha
Bradda” he said i replied “Mahalo Aloha “ i was thankful for the tough love at
Makaha he said “No worry cuz I won't let hate destroy me ...always Aloha!
I did learn the next time i went to Makaha i sat out on the outside after awhile i saw
one guy wave hey come on in so i paddled in Buffalo Kailana was in the pac i
recognized him right away hey teacha Howzit” I said How's it you like Makaha ? I said
Yea i live here da west side is da bess side Mahalo “ the guy goes “ “go cuz Go take
dis wave paddle.. get em” i said “MahaloS an paddled into the biggest wave of the day
wow amazing left .
CHP 34
ALOHA WARRIORS

141. . Hawaiians are naturally full of Aloha.!!!!!. and they give it til it hurts... unreal. We all
have Love Aloha we all can give back and do for others and think of others first like the
Hawaiian way of life a lot of my close friends treated me this way growing up as a
youth in Ohio Steve Keene did feeding me at his Mom's house during college Billy
Wirth for sure has a lot of Aloha I owe him so much all his cloths that he could never
wear he gave to me so many lunches from Poquito Mas up on Sunset so much back
rent from the Villa in LA and Jodi and Kris for also putting a roof over me and my
family's head I texted my buddy Chris Brandy I had talked with him about PC and
Yemen he also lived in Villa Bonita too an we became good friends hanging w him
venting at the end of our work days he was working directing independ community
service commercials he was always intrigued about my stories about Yemen so I just
wrote him “CB I need a name for this book” he instantly replied “ you were Like a human
drone cruising the beach…. Call it “ I was a human drone “ “that title will sell books ?! i
laughed I thought about it...yea maybe I was a drone. . a “health drone “ Cruising the
beach Yea I did just drop in on boat building fishman/pirates building their boats by
hand using the imported mahogany wood from Russia living in lil in their tiki bamboo
huts on the beach So many people Omar my amigo i lived in his house and those
Gucci shoes My banker Mike in Kauai tons of help to survive financially All my coaches
in Ohio and Toledo My neighbors the Gonsalves in Kapahi were great they had a lot of
ALoHA we sat and ate and prayed and ate so ono and Bob Farias we sat and ate him
at the table he let us live on his land under the majestic Makalia falls where God sends
down beams of inspiring blessings of love like my neighbor Craig who let us camp on
his land living sustainable growing a amazing organic garden and sharing it what a
brother ! i was coaching kids league basketball and training members Greg Gonsalves
was the President of the church of Latter Day Saints and his wife and kids would bring
rice pudding over during Christmas break yummy thanks Michelle !Greg was also my
Athletic Director at Kapaa High School we and at I the time I was working with a group
of students @ Kapaa High school and kid from Kauai named Tyler who was Mormon
heard me mention that my wife wanted to be baptised so he invited some
missionaries over to talk with us Elder Holyoak came over with some other cool brothers
Lance logan and his son Seqouia a amazing golfer who i trained we talked we prayed
Elder Holyoak he even helped me mow a ditch on his birthday we were moved by their
devotion to Jesus Christ and their selfless mission to spread the gospel My brother
Brendon Young i coached as a running back has a huge heart feed me a his parents
opened their door to us and we ate and prayed together Vidya and I and we became
members of the Mormon church they were loving and all about family we liked that and
we sure got to learn more about the Gospel ……yea we all have the same God ...we
just serve him a little different I am so grateful to my parents for getting me to church

142. as a kid an raising me to respect my elders others of different beliefs races colors
religions and genders and be grateful to God and for all he has given us everything
is earned thru hard work and we eat by the sweat of our brow I will give unconditional
LOVE like my parents they to are “The Greatest” too! Love you Mom & DAd
Currently Now living in Ohio in e the Cuyahoga Valley National Park “ the land” as
Lebron James puts it w with my wife and girls I Have gone full circle I'm back @my
sisters Jodi’s and Kris’s guest house where I came back from Yemen now they have
graciously taken us again in. We both have good jobs Bids working for Cardinal Health
and I just signed a teaching contract to teach PE for Faith Islamic Academy where my
daughter also can go to daycare we are feeling the LOVe ASAlam Alaikum Peace Be
with you I meet the secretary Fatima she happens to be from from Yemen and I just
met a man a parent of one of the KIDS from AL TAiz wow he smiled so big when i
said” Kaif halik Hakie “the kindness of the Yemenis is real it's a good feeling I speak
shaya Arabic to the kids they are at my level. we are sowing seeds of Love and Peace
in Ohio and the world it's a blessing Alhamdulillah! Praise be to God!’
Back in college My soon to be brother in law Kris was a tough wrestler 185lbs for
Bowling Green State Univ where my sister him met I remember us wrestling around in
the yard i was pretty strong ...so i thought ...until i saw myself flying being thrown up in
the air….then landing on my back and gasping for air He said” It's all about leverage “
Kris went into the US Air Force became a Capt T 38 Trainer now he commercial Pilot
flying air busses for Delta /construction engineer/ carpenter Lumberjack we’ve been
harvesting Oak Pine and ash big old trees and milling them up for a smaller house he
is building
In Ohio it's “family first” ..solid like my big nephews like the Ash trees Pin Oak and
Black Cherry by the old covered bridge i hummed in my head the song “ Deep Elm
Blues “ looking over the all green trees and rolling hills there’s a little pond in the
backyard full of big bass pics where i saw the family of 3 deer come up to drink moma
and bambi fawns a blue heron flew off and beavers made waves in the pond working
away on that dam in the corner i saw a white tailed hawk swooping heard
woodpeckers pecking geese honking going south rabbits and owls sounding who
whoo- the cicadas singing a mad trance once every 17 years that's heavy it is quite
relaxing as the wind blows a cool breeze
Captain Kris just told me a life or death story that had just happened when his crew flew
into a flock of geese and the geese came through the belly of the cockpit feathers went
everywhere the stewardess thought the plane was on fire one eugine went out but that

143. was no problem a goose had just missed the other engine that would of been fatal they
landed and he took the day off . He and his best friend Tom RIP built their beautiful
home here in the valley ... “Family “ is all I can say about Kris is he has been a great
influence on me working together and some growing organic vegetables Jodi my sister
the artist helped raise me she was always sweet to me even when i was a brat drew
on all her art sheets of paper She studied Interior design @ Bowling Green i remember
how she dressed me up as a girl when i was 8 pic and helped me get in touch w the
feminine side a great artist also drawing family portraits with great taste she has red
hair but don't call her red! Jodi is a die hard Cleveland fan too and we just Watched
The Cleveland Cavs make sports history and have a cigar Pic came from behind 3-1 in
the playoffs and an won 4-3 Cleveland's first professional sports Championship in 52
years yes the whole city is proud 1.3 m people go downtown for Parade + my sister too
very dedicated fans!! Jodi and Kris have 4 kids together wonderful kids I got to watch
them grow up Ryan the oldest we started surfing the HI Islands together had some
epic times almost drowning and getting pounded @ Makaha then all of us hiking the
Kalalau Valley pic now he’s a electrician/home builder guitar player surfing Kauai
Josh second oldest I gotta say is a great grill master chef man the guy can cook he’s
athletic too Also a Football running back and every position on the baseball field and he
is a businessman now w major from Kent State Happily married w beautiful wife Erica
HI pics
It was great to hear Lebron James was mentioned in the same line as Muhammad Ali
Lebron just gave 41 million for scholarships for any kid who wants to go and earn one
work for a college degree.. He says over a over he is all about community and kids
that's a superstar to me! .Motto here in Cleveland is “Nothing is given , everything is
earned, you work for what you have” i was proud have cruised “King James Way”
through Univ of Akron campus great guy giving back LBJ. nice move !. You Win with
PEople .. nuff said
Matt the 3rd boy a brilliant Lawyer working a graduate from Ohio Northern Univ has
great taste of automobiles now driving his Mini around revitalizing downtown
Cleveland and the youngest daughter Kelsey a Ohio State grad in Animal Nutrition an
artist too she was just a 4th grade cutey .?!.. wow how time flies now a grown up
beauty niece.
It just seems like yesterday I came back from Yemen and stayed with my family here in
the Cuyahoga Valley my nephews were all young i shared my PC story w them and
were genuinely interested i camped in the backyard w the deer and wild daisies

144. After the Blossom GD show in the Valley i was moved when i heard a great bluesy
soulful song called “Brokedown Palace “ i was “into the blues” and “ Deep Elm Blues “
the blues seemed to help kick the blues and i recharged for another trip to see another
show i drove straight to Kansas City in my Toyota Corolla I put a GD sticker of some
Roses on my window remember seeing the Royals Baseball Stadium from the highway i
took a coffee at a cafe on the street where someone was singing and playing the blues
on a sax
Whoaooo my bro Phelpsy got tickets for Sandstone Amphitheatre we were in the 4th
row we bought the coolest tie dyes from Wisconsin I remember that.?!. It was a great
show I remember watching a little boy outside the show with a water hose giving drinks
to everyone while they were all waiting patiently it was so hot.. the show was hot too i
saw so many people dancing down front a lot of hair fling spinning around and around
it was another world.. wow the music was so moving ….
Then from KC I Took off to the City of Blues , Chicago. Congrats on the World series
Win 108 yrs To meet up with more Ohio friends Drew Joe Dokk an the tribe The 89
Show was amazing people dancing everywhere The Dead Played US Blues people
went crazy we danced all night even in the parking lot after the show to some the
Chicago Police are super cool giving high fives from riding on the trunks of their cruisers
Love! love peace and love ... and we went out to the bars in the city i was inspired by
everyone dancing . all this was all new to me seeing the roots history of blues in
American music society I had been in the gym training most of my life but now “on tour”
my eyes were opened and sometimes closed…
My GD highlights will forever remain in my soul my biggest i have to say was when I did
get to catch the Jerry Band on Easter Sunday at the Warfield Theater in San Francisco
the last time i would see them ...Jerry Band played “the song “The way ya do the things
ya do” and “LOve Each Other” it was one my favorite songs it was like church spiritual
(Lyrics). always liked listening to bootleg tapes from all the live shows thanks to my
taper friend Brian . I cruised w my brothers and sisters on the Haight St. in “the City
“.PICS more I got to speak some Arabic to the guys in the pizza shop ..add dialogue ... I
loved their surprise that I spoke their language they just gave us the pizza free !??
Sukran Gazillion Our GD tour ended w Jerry's death in Las Vegas
RIP Jerry
Years Later Bidya and I stopped over in “The City” for a couple days on our way home
from Hi we caught a big Bluegrass festival in the park by the Bay it was great time and
went out for Thai food that night and later that night we made our 1st daughter Brooke

145. i played the song “they Love each other” to her and “The way ya do the things ya do “
lyrics
My state of mind during college just before volunteering was …like my friends and
neighbors ”Revive the 60’s Peace and Love Movement “ touring w the Grateful Dead’s
musical message and hearing the great quote “Ask not what your country can do for
you. .but what you can do for your country” by JFK it always stuck in my heart like i had
some unfinished business w Uncle Sam “US Blues “ GD song’s my 1st show on tour
was at RFK 2nd JFK the restl..//?/
“ Eyes of the world” Grateful dead
“Gov by the People for the People” Liberty and Justice for All”
“ FREEDOM!!!”
“ May we all shine on” John lennon
Bob Dylan Tombstone Blues
Let Love Rule” Lenny Kravitz
“1 LOVE” Bob Marley
Its also PC duty to reach out to as many people as possible old and young who need
to find some inspiration in our mission of uniting the world I can't stress enough to lose
the fear of people’s differences in sexual gender color race or religion or whatever it be
than you we are all humans the human race we have to embrace diversity and all work
together I believe the time is Now 2016 more than ever considering what's going w
humanity I feel the need to share my experiences to this Great Melting Pot of The
UNited States of America . and the rest of the world . this is a big part of the Peace
Corps mission….. to bring back another flavor of the world… to America …. mix it in….
make it even better like food music fashion and ideas it that's what I love most about
my country our diversity our beautiful mix of people from everywhere it will make us
stronger!!
Don’t let fear and hate infect your heart ..
Love Is the Answer to Every Question …
You will Reap the seeds you sow
Being a lover of SUnsets … when the magic light comes out …. the best entertainment
in town watching a live picture for a moment a painting across the sky the blending
of colors Always will remember The autumn sun setting over the corn fields of O-HI-O
the Hawaiian wessside Kauai Oahu West side beaches Kalalau Siesta Key the gulf
mexico Fla the HWood hill canyons of LA CA in The City by bay and the Golden Gate

146. up in High Desert Joshua Tree Nat Park the ranges of the giant Rocky Mts of Colorado
of Steamboat Springs the enchantment of Taos New Mexico i can never forget em
love em and I will never forget the deep color of Sunsets on the Red Sea PIcs
The west side of Maui and the NS of Maui have some beautiful sunsets also just a ½
mile off the highway to Heaven or HAna we lived in a truly heavenly place in Maui the
first thing I noticed as we drove off the highway through the thick tropical green jungle
was the hand painted sign fuzed in perfectly with the paradise vibration reading “ONE
LOVE” I believe it was a trail mark showing us to our true destination a sign from above
I had found real LOVE One Love with my soon to wife and my Ohana family came to
visit Bidya and I they saw and felt the beauty someone i remember said “you couldn't
get much closer to God here ”“PICS we lived in the ” Love surf shack “ an old
remodeled goat house surrounded by banana trees on a 5 acre lot We rented from a
soft spoken giant African American man who brought us into his beautiful Ohana of 5
children and the all the Maui Ohana Monolo
Bidya and i we got married on a rocky cliff at the surf break HO'Okipa (pics) Ziggy
song on a beach in Hawaii We went to a beach called and Little beach it was secuded
with a bohemian crowd w clorhs optional we took our baby goats as we watched the
sunset and listened to the drummers humpback whales were singing along out in the
water we could feel it threw our body it was unreal
I dedicate this song to my wife Bidya “One Love” written by the world renowned
International singer Bob Marley he asks people of the world ..” Let’s get together and
feel alright “
One Love One Heart!
Let’s get together and feel alright
Hear the children cry’in (One Love)
Hear the children cry’in (One Heart)
Sayin give thanks and praise to the Lord and I will feel all right
Sayin’ let's get together and feel all right
Let them pass all their dirty remarks (One Love)
There is one question I’d really love to ask (One Heart!)
Is there a place for the hopeless sinner,
Who has hurt all mankind just to save his own beliefs?

147. One Love What about the one heart ? One Heart!
What about - ? Let’s get together and feel al right
As it was in the beginning (One Love )
So shall it be in the end (One Heart!)
All right !
Give thanks and praise to the Lord and I will feel all right
Let's get together and feel alright.
One more thing !
Let's get together to fight this Holy Armagiddyon (One LOve )
So when the man comes there will be no, no doom (One Song)
Have pity on those whose chances grows thinner
There ain’t no hiding place from the Father of Creation
Say'in One Love ! What about one Heart? (One Heart)
What about the -? Let’s get together and feel allright
I’m pleading to mankind ! (One Love)
Oh, Lord ! (One Heart)
Give thanks and praise to the Lord and I will feel all right :
Let’s get together and feel all right
Give thanks and praise to the Lord and I will feel all right
Let’s get together and feel all right
God was strengthening my faith working in mysterious ways My coaches always said I
needed the reps I remembered all the Bible lessons and talking about the Old
Testament stories about Abraham and Moses Solomon and David and John the Baptist
and the New testament Peter Paul Mathew Mark Luke an John in sunday school
Please just educate yourself because the great majority of Muslim people are peaceful
loving compassionate people who do not want war Let me tell you the great majority of
Yemenis are not enemies of the west Islamophobia was created by fearful bogus
media !
And fear mongering people...but it can be cured by Loving people ask yourself what
would Jesus do ? What would Muhammad Ali do? What would Martin Luther King do?
We are all God's Children , Hebrew, Christian, Muslim ?The Yemenis brothers called

148. me Daoued it’s my name in Arabic and means brotherhood and friendship . David is a
Hebrew name which also means beloved
The Yemeni people especially in the isolated outer villages were conservative Muslims
their faith is their life living it daily unchanged for 1000s of years Yemen is a poor and
famished country one of the most in our world At the time i was in Yemen i never even
thought of terrorist the Yemeni made me feel so welcome so kind and generous and
welcoming i think all of 38 of us 30 women 8 men could agree on that the positive
people far outweighed the negative ones
CHP
Love Your Enemies
“Hate won’t Win any war” People need to be love like plants need water to grow . Let's
make sure everyone gets enough water clean water ….water is universal life “religion
is like water it all flows from the same source” MUhammad Ali said Did Jesus not say
“Love your Enemies” ? yes multiple times in the bible scriptures Matt Luke (Quotes )
and if you watch the TV and read the papers you might believe that Islam or Muslims
are now the enemy? Like the Japanese in Hawaii after the bombing of Pearl Harbor
“fear “ of Japanese Americans had them rounded up and put in prison camps that’s
fear
Yes it says in the Bible to Love your enemies in many scriptures ..but still i think about
turning the other cheek and plant seeds of LOve and compassion like Jesus like the
Dalai Lama or Mother Teresa or Martin Luther King Jr or Bob Marley…. taking up arms
of violence is the last a resort Doesn't Jesus say to Love your enemies ? (Scriptures /)
Not so many people now fear Muslims I've’ learned there are bad and good people
everywhere of every religion and its just wrong to stereotype No matter what your
surroundings in a airport at a party in a cab a elevator on a boat or at a qat chew, at the
al suk, at the Health center on the street ..look for the good soul in everyone Let your
Love light shine to give a simple smile it can be so powerful Pray for those who do
wrong against humanity…”Wheres the LOve Yall? “ Black Eyed Peas “Hate won’t Win
any war”
I love this article written by Thomas Christianson where he explains

149. “What it actually means to Love your Enemies “
Digging in to Jesus’s most unreasonable command.
How much do you love the members of Isis? Or the latest person who shot up a school
church or movie theater? That ? may seem absurd . and maybe it is ? I think “Love Your
Enemies “ is the most unreasonable thing Jesus says And that's saying something from
a guy who says stuff like sell all your possessions and give all the $ to the poor” But
Love your enemies come on man. And this is more than the inconsiderate jerks who
pop up in your life occasionally we're not talking about the people who tailgate you or
cut you off on the highway then sick finger at you/! Jesus ved in a oppressive Roman
government The Romans employed torture and murder to keep people in line Everyone
listening to Jesus talk about this “Love your Enemies” stuff had plenty of opportunities to
experience “I hate you “ soldiers that carried out out this daily social domination. Not just
Monsters.As i read about the latest shooting or beheading my natural reaction is to
dehumanize the people who are doing these things I think of them as monsters. Or
demons . Or something else that that allows me to pretend that they are not fellow
humans. But that's not true .Each was born each has a mother and a father .they eat
and Drink. They have personal experiences full of joy and pain. They are human. And if
I take the narrative of the Bible to be true they are fellow children of God. They are
loved by God.
I want to be very clear I'm not supporting terrorism or mass shootings. I Am also not
arguing against legal consequences for those actions But if i hate these people who
undertake these actions , I Am not hating demons or monsters I am hating fellow
humans fellow children of God Some are suffering from mental illness, or from personal
anguish or from religious manipulation In the midst of grief and anger for those who
suffer can i not spare some compassion for those who have missed out on the life filled
with grace and hope that Jesus has called all of all of us to live? We like to live in a
binary black and white world where everyone is basically “good” or “Bad” but life isn't so
cut and dried . Someone can be guilty of terrible things and still deserve compassion.
The Hope of Humanity. I'm not seeking to humanize terrorist or murderers because they
deserve it or because I'm ignoring their actions Iam seeking to humanize them because
it's true It is also the only way we can hope to stem the tide of terrorism and shootings at
schools and malls and workplaces and houses of worship Because if these actions are
the work of monsters and demons I am powerless to stop them I can only shake my
head and feel sad that such beings cannot be stopped But if I'm dealing with Humans I
can have hope Hope that messages of love and acceptance and peace can be heard.

150. Hope that God can redeem even the worst of sinners Hope that God can redeem my
deep dark sins too.
I look at examples like the Civil Rights movement, and the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission in post apartheid South Africa where I see clearly that only when we treat
our adversaries as humans -no matter how flawed -can we hope to prevail in our cause
: the cause of ultimate justice The belief that God will ultimately set all wrongs to right
As Miroslav Volf says in “Exclusion and Embrace” If you want justice and nothing but
justice you will inevitably get injustice , You Must Want LOVE. Much more could be said
about injustice.If you've been willing to go with me this far perhaps you are willing to ask
the next question How do I love my enemy?Pray for you enemies. I'm not talking about
“Please give that person what they have coming to them” prayers But I also dont mean
that you spend a hour each night asking God to pour blessings upon them There is a
way to pray for both justice and for the hearts of those committing injustices
If you hate in your heart for somebody , maybe it starts with “God I hate that person but
I don't want to. As C. S. Lewis has said ,[Prayer] doesn't change God - it changes me. “
Praying for your enemy opens you up for the work of the Holy Spirit in your heart.
Forgive your enemies. Martin Luther King Jr in “Strength to LOVE “ posits that
“Forgiveness is the decisive factor on how much you can love your enemy.” I fully
agree. When Jesus looks at his executioners from the cross and offers forgiveness can
their be any doubt to His love for them? When relatives of the victims in South Carolina
church shooting offered forgiveness to the young man who murdered their loved ones
could anyone doubt that they were seeking to take Jesus’ words and example
seriously? Loving your enemy doesn't mean you have to add them to your Christmas list
, or make them your best friend It doesn't mean you excuse their actions It means you
forgive them ,with the knowledge that God is merciful and just. Jesus faced grave
injustice with sacrifice. Through prayer and forgiveness in our hearts let us go forth and
conquer injustice in our time with the courage not to demand retribution, but rather
repay injury with blessing and hate with LOVE!!!!
Amen!
Jewish Christian. Muslim, or b​lack or white or red yellow brown green orange
Buddhist, Hindu we have to love each other embrace the fact we believe in one God
a higher power of international morality ! please we can not divide not separate not by
color, race,,sex, gender or religion we are Stronger
Lenny Kravitz “ Let LOVE RUle “ lyrics

151. in Yemen I learned that love conquers fear people can sense your vibe like a shark
senses fear in the water or a dog they can smell fear people can too … fear can make
you hurt your brother or sister and being in a country where there is war is everywhere
in the water surfing the smile is the universal language .no words and no fear only
positiveness yes sharks can feel a fearful vibration “Stay Calm” Remember we are
more alike than unalike !.
The KKK in the USA? WHAT the heck?!??!!!!So bad for humanity We need a sense of
international morality. !!!!!!C'mon man!!! these lyrics are a near -exact repetition of a
speech given in the UN by the Ethiopian King Haile Selassie And Bob Marley made it
into a song “War” straight from the heart right to the Soul!
“War.” ….... Everywhere is War !”
Until the philosophy which holds one race
Superior And another
Inferior
Is finally
and permanently Discredited And abandoned
Everywhere is war
Me say war
That until there no longer
First class and second class second citizens of any
nation
Until the colour of a man’s skin
Is of no more significance than the colour of
His eyes
Me say war
That until the basic human rights
Are equally guaranteed to all
Without regard to race
Dis a war
That until that day
The dream of lasting peace
World citizenship

152. Rule of international morality
Will remain in but a fleeting illusion to be pursued
But never attained
Now everywhere is war war
And until the ignoble and unhappy regimes
That hold our brothers in Angola,
In Mozambique
South Africa
Sub-human bondage
Have been toppled
Utterly destroyed
Well, everywhere is war
Me say war
War in the east, War in the west, war up north, War down south
War war
Rumours of war
And until that day,
The African continent
Will not know peace,
We Africans will fight - we find it necessary
And we know we shall win
As we are confident
In the victory
Of good over evil, Good over evil, Yeah ! Good over evil ! Good over Evil
Chp 35
Love is My Religion
While in Maui we bought tickets to see Ziggy Marley play a small concert ……..this one
song stuck in my mind and heart “ Love is my religion”
Love is my religion

153. Love is my religion
Love is my religion
I’ll take you to the temple tonight
All my days I’ve been searching
To find out what this life is worth
Through the books and bibles of time
I’ve made up my mind
I don’t condemn, I don’t convert
This is a calling have you heard
Bring all the lovers to the fold
‘Cause no one is gonna lose their soul
Love is my religion
Love is my religion
Love is my religion
Hey you can take it or leave it
And you don't have to believe it
I don’t want to fight
Hey let’s go fly a kite
There’s nothing that we can't cure
And I’ll keep you in my arms for sure
So don't let nobody stop us
Free spirits have to soar
With you I share the gift
The gift that we now know oh oh oh
Love is my religion
Love is my religion
Well I'm done searching now, I found out what this life is worth
Not in the books that I find, but by searching my mind
I don’t condemn, I don't convert
His is the calling have you heard, bring all the lovers to the fold
No one is gonna lose their soul
Love is my religion
Love is my religion
Hey you can take it or leave it, and you don’t have to believe it

154. Love is my religion ... let LOVE unify us an bring us all together the Hindu celebration
of Holi for Love and happiness pics...the beauty of a kind word ….the value of a smile
I'm Christian and i don’t fear my Muslim brother or my Jewish brother any other child
of God “The only thing to Fear is fear itself let’s not let it separates us …
.Big wave surfers must know this in n Hawaii Maui where the big wave Jaws is you see
the bumper stickers “NO Fear” cuz if you have just a sliver of fear of unconfident doubt
or fear just for a millisec as you time up the big wave you will miss that wave blow the
take off and eat it it could mean death . Once while surfing Ho’Okipa a break north of
Jaws it was the end of the day i was tried 3fters head high stared to pic up it was
getting bigger i looked in the line up and saw Laird Hailton paddle by on a stand up the
only guy on a stand up as the sets picked up to six feet thats double over head pic I
knew i was out of my ellement anddecided t head in when out of nowhere I saw a 4
story building set rolling in my heart jumped into my neck i need to get to the out side
before it sucked me in did dig dig i paddled my hardest but it was to late i turned and
paddle straight into the 20foot face it picked me up as i paddled i just wanted to make
it over the top i dug super hard to make over but the top started crumbling white a dug
harder and tried to pushtrough under the wash to the otherside but i didnt have the
strength and it pulled me in and over i took a last breath i was going over the falls i
was in trouble i let it take me over pushing me down into the washing machine an
pushing me pulling around with its power was nothin i ever experienced i tried to relax
ill float back to the top where ever that was ? i i few secs went by it felt like a minutes i
started to float up i prayed God let me make it in My head popped out i inhaled that
sweet oxygen that gave life i looked where i was i saw the next wave coming my arms
were heavy should i paddle in or ride in the wash? it's that fine timing the rhythm of life
and i was scared and hesitated i was To late it sucked me in i took another big breath
and the 2nd wave broke almost right on me and pushed me back down to the bottom I
never felt the bottom of Ho’ okipa i just hoped it would push me in then i could catch the
wash in but it was a long hold down this time and i was short on air and my body was
loosing strenghth please God i need your strength but I floated to the top lungs burning
for air and my head came up am i gasped 3 breaths as much as i could the 3rd wave
was about to break on me this was to much God help me I thought of Bidya my family
my life was gong before my eyes as i got crushed again exhausted drove to the bottom
again i had no strength i was panicing now in my head with no air one more time i
asked God to help me i was pretty deep under water and foam i just pulled slowly on
my cord up to the top body was shutting down just put one hand over the other up the
cord my board was floating up and i pulled my self up and out i layed ascoss my board
gasping air still thinking im gonna drown then i saw a hand reachout it i felt it grab onto

155. my arm i heard a voice hey were goin in hang on i hung on to my board as the strong
swimming bodyboarder started to pull me in through the wash i saw she was a local
Hawaiian girl people had been watching me from up in the pavillion she paddled out to
save me knowing i wasnt going to make it we made it to the shoe she said Aloha w a
smile and swam back out her selfless “Eddie would Go” attitude in Hawaii I sat on the
beach humbled by her kindness and prayed thanking God for sending that girl out
grateful and lucky to be alive many had drowned at Ho’okipa the sun was setting i felt
the tide coming up the sets got much bigger pounding in line I looked out to see Laird
on a stand up flying across the biggest wave of the day.
A friend from Kauai a singer named Sashamon with his band spreading a message of
Aloha invited us to his show in Piea Maui he comped our tics at Willy Nelsons bar and
fed us dinner before the show then met all his band in the back then danced all night
great time his music soulful Hawaiian style Ma ah leeah
Blessed to be around great people my parents , teachers , coaches other parents who
helped raise me i understood that saying “it takes a community to raise a kid”...i
believe in my heart it's true i had the opportunity to experienced it personally in my
small farming community of Wauseon, in NW Ohio. where im from. I was lucky to have
grown there And what a honor to me be able to give back as a teacher and coach
travelin around the world being a part of raising the youth of our world community the
saying “Think Global Act Local” You can do it too ... it inspired me to go on soul
missions to teach , inspire , unite and love love All people. Love that bumper sticker
”coexist” . Let’s start with our future ..our youth... for we will reap the seeds we sow!
And what a joy it will be to watch them grow to become extraordinary citizens of the
world.!!
Animals are so sensitive like horses dogs and sharks they can feel smell fear. If you
listen to much to the wrong media you might fear people that are different than you or
worship different than you eat talk dress different or whatever don't fear open your heart
and mind and soul trust the goodness in people embrace the diversity the world is
only getting smaller LOVE Each Other trust your soul …. believe we are all more
alike my than we are different