Yesterday, I found out that my #Yemen shirt was only ever worn by the #Olympics team, but never by the A national team. I admit that I was briefly disappointed, before I recalled how I got this:

In September 2013, I sent an email to the Goethe Institute, a German cultural institution, in #Sanaa, #Yemen, to ask them, if they could help me getting a football shirt.
An intern replied to me, a 19 year old guy named Dawas.

Dawas just finished his school in Germany, where he was born in raised. He moved to the country for his parents to learn more about his heritage and for the internship, as he was dreaming of becoming a professional translator. He also was lovely!

We chatted for months to come. The tensions that ultimately led to the Yemen Civil war just kicked off. Almost daily, a bomb went off downtown by November 2013. People got shot in the streets, especially on markets.

A few weeks later in, the Goethe Institute sent all their German staff back home, as it got to dangerous to live in Sanaa. Dawas wasn't evacuated, as he also held a Yemeni passport. In fact, he was left behind to "take care of the office until we return".

They never returned. Not until today, at least. Dawas was left alone, having no friends or family locally, speaking broken Arabic and struggling to cope in a country that felt foreign to him - and got increasingly deadly over the years.

Yet, he insisted to get me these shirts. As it got all worse, he went to the market in central Sanaa to find someone selling shirts. It took him weeks asking around and checking stores, but he found these shirts in the end. He made photos and got a list of sizes.

I ordered all the shirts that shop had for me, @GlobalObsession, @FSWorldUK, @211Canadian and others. Dawas went back to the shop and bought them all, walking with a significant amount of cash over the dangerous market. An hour after he left a bomb went off there. He was fine.

When I received the parcel, I found not only the shirts, but also a Yemeni dagger, frankincense and about 20 postcards. I can't believe what a nice bloke he was, actually. We stayed in touch for years since and chatted regularly.

By now, he has adapted in one of the hostile countries to live in these days. We rarely chat anymore, sadly, as internet is rare for him. Whenever he has internet, he posts pictures like this with the line "when Santa Clause visits my country". It's heartbreaking.

Dawas is now a Yemeni, after all. Living through a war. Advocating for his country online, often in German and seeking help from friends - but barely anyone cares. Yemen is far away for us. It isn't for him.

I just caught up with Dawas. A friend I lost out of sight for a while, but still a friend. I'm sorry for the turns his life took, but I'm incredibly grateful for this shirt. It means a lot to me, really. His kindness was and is nothing short of inspiring.
Shukraan, Dawas!