This was how my friend described yesterday. We had no electricity and it pretty much rained all day yesterday. In the years past I had always enjoyed the rain because it kept the temperature cool and presented interesting skies for photography, but this year with all the depressing news coming out of Yemen, the gloomy sky just added another layer of melancholy.

When I first got here in March, there was a two-week period of consistent electricity supply. The security situation was stable enough that I felt comfortable getting around most places within the capital. Starting in April, things took a turn for the worse. The power line between Marib and Sana’a has been attacked repeatedly or so they say, and we have had no more than 1 or 2 hours of electricity per day which is not enough to keep my laptop and phone charged. I’ve given up on trying to keep food in the fridge. Whining about the situation earned me no sympathy amongst my friends. “Shut up Linda, we’ve been living like this since May last year.” is the usual response I get.

The latest rumor on the street is that Ali Muhsin and Al Ahmar family are gathering troops outside the capital for another attack. The fighter jets have been buzzing over Sana’a for the past few days and loud explosions can be heard at night. Since the military command reshuffle two days ago, those who were ousted took control of the airport on Saturday but were driven out on Sunday. The central security office on Hadda, the main commercial street, was attacked yesterday, prompting the military to show up at major intersections along Hadda today.

Though I’m in the middle of the events, I’m pretty much sitting in the dark literally and figuratively. I can’t watch TV or check the internet. All my information came from rumors on the street and we all know how unreliable they can be.

Last night as I sat without electricity for the fifth night in a row, I turned up the volume of my mp3 player, the only device that still had the juice to run, to tune out the sound of fighting in the distance. Maybe it’s time to go home?

Sana’a may be falling apart little by little, there is still a lot of beauty all around if you look hard enough. I took these photos after a rain shower last week. People came out in droves to enjoy the view, temporarily leaving the misery of the past year behind.

A double rainbow graced Sanaa's skies this afternoon.

The old city of Sana'a after the rain. People came out in droves to enjoy the view, temporarily leaving the misery of the past year behind.

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