Anoush Suni: Yemeni Musician and Volunteer

As soon as Anoush, a junior at Pomona College, arrived inYemen, she inquired at the Yemen Language Center after an 'oud (lute) teacher.  She was skeptical about finding a suitable teacher not only because she was a foreign woman, but because her Arabic was very limited.   Within two weeks the YLC put her in touch with the Health and Culture Center, an NGO that gives music lessons in addition to providing social services and encouraging activism in the local community.  Anoush studied at the HCC with a Yemeni teacher for 2 hours a day, 5 days a week.  She loved learning the oud and her skills advanced very quickly.  As part of her repertoire Anoush learned to play and sing traditional Sana'ani music. The Yemenis for whom she played were extremely encouraging and enthusiastic, and numerous reporters interviewed her for newspaper articles and television programs.  Anoush was also very happy to have learned a skill that she could share with friends and family upon returning home: "not only did I bring back gifts of jambiyas and saffron, but the ability to play Yemeni music for my family as well!"

In addition to studying the 'oud, Anoush volunteered at the HCC with a number of other YLC students. She helped modernize their facilities, brainstormed and planned fundraising events, and helped train their employees in various skills, especially computer skills, to help the organization run more smoothly. She spent a great deal of time with the local Yemeni volunteers at the HCC and she says, "eventually they became like a family to me!"  Anoush urges future students at the YLC to "go out into the community and get involved! There are a lot of NGOs working in many different fields, so if you are willing to look, there's probably something out there that will inspire you."