sanaa after-school hustle: where kids actually go (and where they don’t)

okay, real talk about after-school stuff in sanaa. my roommate’s little sister is like a human pinball-moms wants her in something ‘constructive’ after 2pm, but everything here is a logistical nightmare. forget ‘vibrant community hubs.’ it’s more like, ‘can we find a wall that isn’t currently a target?’

first, the brutal numbers because my finance brain won’t shut up. average rent for a decent apartment? like 40% of my entire student loan. safety’s a constant low-grade hum-you don’t just wander. you plan routes like a military op. job market for teens? do you mean ‘help uncle at his shop’ or ‘smuggle phone chargers across the border’? yeah. that’s the baseline. the weather lately? it’s not hot, it’s insulting. a dry, gritty wind that feels like ground-level fog and tastes like old concrete. neighbors are always a short flight away-beirut for chaotic vibes, cairo for sheer sensory overload. but here? you stay put.

so, sports. the big one everyone mentions is *football (soccer, you americans). except the pitch near my place doubles as a parking lot for weddings. kids still play. there’s a rumor the 22 may sports complex has actual grass, but that’s like saying there’s a oasis in the desert-somebody’s dad probably knows a guy.

martial arts are huge. kung fu, taekwondo-lots of ‘dojos’ in basements or under construction sites. my buddy karim goes to one near al-thawra school. says the instructor is a retired soldier who yows about ‘focus’ while fixing broken AC units between kicks. it’s 50,000 yemeni rial a month, which is basically my snack budget for a week, but it keeps him off the damn streets.

swimming? forget public pools. there are private clubs but they’re for families with connections and money. you need a ‘membership’ which is just a code word for ‘who’s your dad?’ i heard a whisper about a place in hadeel maarif with a small pool, but it’s mostly for little kids and ladies’ hours. a local mom on the sanaa subreddit (shoutout r/yemen, you chaotic lot) warned: ‘if you see water in a public setting that isn’t a bottle, assume it’s for show.’

art stuff? there’s that cultural center by the national museum-they do basic stuff, ceramics, calligraphy. but it’s like pulling teeth to get in. you need a ‘recommendation’ which i think means you must know someone’s cousin who’s sick and needs art therapy. also, hours are ‘vague.’ like, ‘we open after asr prayer if the power’s on.’

now, the gossip i’ve collected while overpaying for mint tea:

> “my cousin tried to start a skateboarding group. they lasted two weeks. the police said the boards looked ‘weird’ and confiscated them for ‘public safety.’” - overheard at a café in old city, 2023.

> “the real after-school activity is standing at the souq gate trying to sell phone credit to passing students. it’s a brutal economics lesson.” - my electronics vendor, ali, while dodging a water truck.

> “avoid the ‘sports clubs’ advertising on facebook. they’re just fronts for collecting pictures of kids for… other purposes.” - a paranoid parent on a local facebook group, deleted 20 minutes later.

so what’s actually working? cooking classes, weirdly. there’s a woman, umm ahmed, who does tiny batches in her kitchen near bab yemen. teaches kids to make bint al-sahn. it’s 1000 rial a kid, they get to eat it, and it keeps them contained. she won’t advertise, you just have to hear about it from someone who trusts you. that’s the vibe here-everything’s a secret you’re barely allowed to know.

links that might save you 5 minutes of headache:
- the 22 may complex rumor mill: check https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g293991-d20772120-Reviews-22_May_Sports_Complex-Sanaa.html but take reviews with a grain of salt (some are from 2010, pre-war).
- umm ahmed’s kitchen (find her via word-of-mouth, but here’s a thread where someone mentioned her: https://www.reddit.com/r/yemen/comments/xyz123/sanaa_cooking_classes_for_kids/).
- if you’re desperate for a ‘structured’ activity, the yemeni scout association page is a ghost, but they sometimes update: https://www.facebook.com/yemeniscouts/ (good luck).

look, the truth? ‘after-school’ here isn’t about enrichment. it’s about survival. it’s about finding a space that’s not a target, a thing that’s not banned, a friend whose parents won’t rat you out for just existing outside. the best activity might just be walking your little sibling to the market and back without crying. that’s a win. that’s the real extracurricular.

ps-my roommate’s sister? she ended up in umm ahmed’s class. she made the best bint al-sahn i’ve ever tasted. it’s something.*

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