He stopped willingly on the highway, to rescue me rushing
to an already-late appointment, after being hit by a
tyre puncture. We got talking. Aden, and the more recent
history of the region, North and South Yemen and reunification.If you spend late hours at the Sify I-Way cybercafe at Panjim (even if costlier relatively, it's faster and offers 24-hour access), you would often run into Arabic-speaking students. Zago mentioned they were mostly from Yemen, Saudi and Eriteria (formerly part of Ethiopia). When the police in BJP-ruled Goa feared a fallout after the US attack on Iraq, they let drop their 'concerns' about the Arabic students frequenting a 'particular' cybercafe. [Of course, nothing happened. Just like the ISI-out-to-get-St-Francis-Xavier's-body story?]
Learning English was Zago's priority, he told me. As I hopped off at Porvorim, he asked if there was any family willing to offer tuition and language practise, for a fee obviously. If anyone is interested, contact him at 9850 503225. FN
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_/ ____\____ Frederick Noronha * Freelance Journalist * Goa
\ __\/ \ India T +91.832.2409490 M +919822 122436
| | | | \ http://fn.swiki.net http://goabooks.swiki.net
|__| |___| / http://www.bytesforall.net http://www.bytesforall.org
\/ -----------------------------------------------------
Writing with a difference, on issues that really make the difference.
