Oh. My. Gosh.

They just extended my visa to stay here, and they apparently have a policy/practice under such circumstances that is not universally applied. In order to get a visa or visa extension while in Yemen, they wanted me to take an AIDS test. Men don’t have to do this. Arab women don’t have to do this. I realize that I sound repetitive with my “Western woman are assumed to be whores” thing, and this policy may cover more than just “Western” women, but the frequent reminders I get of this mindset are infuriating. Why am *I* considered more likely to have, and spread, AIDS than a man? Or than an Arab woman? What is that about?????? They made S take her a test when she arrived, since she got her visa at the airport. TL said that he’d rather pay them a “bonus” than make me do it, which he did, and which I appreciate. I cannot believe this place sometimes.

Things like this make it really, really, really, really hard to be positive about being here. And I am really, really, really, really trying – I promise I am. Although it may not look like it.

One thing I’m really glad about? My church started doing podcasts of their messages that I can download and listen to on my own. It provided some important chill time for me tonight, gave me a little perspective, and took my mind off things. I know that I need to take things like this in stride a lot more, and I know that I need to be less sensitive – I think that there’s a degree of this I’d find objectionable anyway, but yeah…these days my patience isn’t what it usually is.