WTF?

Dear Diary,

My personal life has just taken a turn for the bizarre.

An employee at my school (not a teacher) asked me last night if I would have dinner with him this evening. I assumed that he meant dinner with some of the Yemeni staff, who often dine together. I thought of how a pleasant evening it would be to sit and chat with such friendly people.

However, as it turns out, his intention was to take me to a restaurant, alone. Just me and him. And not in the large group I had anticipated. That is just absolutely not done in Yemen, ever. Unless the people in question are a married couple or relatives which are not elegible to marry each other. It was a situation that implied something about a social relationship which I am not willing to encourage. Needless to say, the day I go on a date in Yemen is when pigs fly or Hades covers over with ice, or something to that effect.

"Where are all the others?" I asked.
"What others?"
"So you mean that we are going to a restaurant, just you and me?"
"Yes..." He made a funny face that I was unsure how to interpret.
"Why?" I asked, glaring at him.
"Is there a problem?"
Of course there's a problem here, you bloody idiot! Or at least, that's what I wanted to yell at him, but I didn't. Though not for lack of knowing how to translate the appropriate idioms into Arabic, the language of our conversation. From that point, I tried to speak slowly, and clearly, my voice getting increasingly louder, as. if. talking. to. an. extremely. dense. person.
"Because...becuase this is Yemen. And here in Yemen, unrelated men and women don't do out to restaurants alone."
"Sure they do."
"No, no they don't." Seriously, like I was going to fall for that one?

I should have seen it coming when he called me the most beautiful woman in Yemen last night. I thought he was just joking, since he says stuff like that all the time to everybody.

The only romantic interest from anyone in this country that I shall entertain is, oh, well maybe I shouldn't be writing that sort of thing here. I'm leaving in 10 days so the point is rather moot anyway.