Since he was a child, Ahmed had a passion for sitting near his mother in the kitchen, watching the movements of her hands as she kneaded, mixed, and added spices with a touch that a heart could not mistake. He felt that the flavor of her food was not just a recipe, but a tale of hidden love that she wove for her family. One day, he decided to carry the secret of those recipes in his hands.
He began with the simplest dishes, the ones closest to his heart: Al-Aseed with ghee and honey, made with golden durum flour. Its aroma would fill the house with the warmth of childhood, and when his father and mother tasted it, they couldn't believe it was made by their eleven-year-old child. It was a moment of astonishment and a proud smile. From there, Ahmed began to steadily walk in the world of cooking: he learned Shakshouka and mastered Yemeni pastries, from bread and cakes to the rich, layered Sabaya. Each recipe he perfected was a small victory he added to the book of his days.
But his passion did not stop at the kitchen. While the gleam of his mother's love and the warmth of her food shone in his eyes, his mind began to open its doors to the languages of the world. At the age of twelve, he started repeating to himself: "I will learn English... and Japanese too." He knew that his grandfather and uncles would make it a reason for more conflicts with his parents, but his inner self was stronger than all those restrictions.
To achieve his dream, he extended his hand to his father's hand. He began to work with him after school in plumbing and electricity. He would move between pipes and electrical wires, watching his father fix faults, then try with his small hands to imitate him. Despite the fatigue and sweat, his heart was filled with hope, for he knew that every day of work brought him closer to collecting the money needed to learn languages.
Ahmed was living between three worlds:
The world of the kitchen, where he tasted the flavor of his mother's love,
The world of school, where he sharpened his mind with knowledge,
And the world of work, where he shared the effort of struggle with his father.
And from all of that, one idea was forming within him: that he would travel one day, far from the chains of envy and malice, to complete his studies in America or Japan, where a future wider than the narrow sky of Sana'a awaited him.