The Gates of Bahrain

The Gates of Bahrain...this is the entrance to the souq (huge market). The souq is a series of streets and alleys lined with shops of all kinds.

Mosques at night are aumong the most beautiful and amazing works of art I've ever seen. They are all lit up and when these pictures were taken, the prayer call was being announced over the speakers. Prayer call is beautiful to listen to, especially if you know what it is that you're listening to. It's done in Arabic and it sounds like a cross between a chant and a song.

I'm officially an adult...

Yep, I'm a dork. I had to get a pic of me with my first paycheck as a teacher. It's official, I'm an adult...but one of my students called me a 'little girl' today, while another student called me a 'good woman' because I don't show much skin in public. I get what he was saying, should I take it as a complament? Yes.

bad night shots but they still look cool...

The grand mosque at night is all lit up and very beautiful. Sometime I will get a digi cam that does night shots well and I'll get a better shot of this. In person, it really is breath taking.

How I get to school everyday!

Alright, in reality, these are some of His Majesties camels and these pics were taken by Krisvell because my camera doesn't work well in the dark.

My classroom...

This is my classroom. It's pretty small but it's got what I need to teach my kids to enjoy history.

Things you'll never see in Indiana...

This is a compound...there are 4 houses that are virtually identical (except for one being a different color). There are four houses for four wives. yes, I said four wives. In Islam, you are permitted up to 4 wives so long as you treat them all equally. This practice is more common in the Middle East and not so much in the west.

Enter Ramadan

Ramadan started at 3am. Durring daylight hours, no eating, drinking, smoking, biting nails, picking teeth, etc. in public. Nothing is to pass your lips in public--even for those who are not Muslim. Once you hear the cannon fire when it is dark, you can eat in public. Most resturants are closed for the month, so, it will be lots of staying in and cooking at home for meals for me.

Gas prices driving you crazy...

Then you need to move to Bahrain. 3.5 BD to fill up a tank...

p.s. 1BD = $2.67 US

One month in Bahrain...

Yep, it's true, I've been here for a month. I'm still adjusting to life in Bahrain, teaching, etc. This picture is a statue/fountain called 'the pearl of the gulf' and can be found in one of the big roundabouts this country has pleanty of. I think it's pretty neat.

You can't make this stuff up...

What you are seeing is real, I saw it with my own eyes. I was sitting in the back seat of Josh's car but Byron took this picture and I still can't believe it.

Midwest meets the Middle East...

This is the F1 speedway. One of the few things I can talk about with my students that has become something of a common language...even though I'm not into racing, I lived in Indiana and therefore have a clue about racing and can talk about what little I do know with the racing fans in my classes.

My students are a little shocked that I know about F1 racing, but hey, some of them didn't know about the Indy 500...

group shot of early teachers

Starting in the front left is me, Jennifer (New Jersey), Shane (Perth, Australia), Byron (Ohio), Josh (Ohio), Scott (Kansas), Beth (Virginia), and Krisvel (California).

This was the early group out to dinner at the Bam Bu! Needless to say, good food and lots of fun that night.

The city life

The dome is on top of the Parliament building... they are holding elections this year in November. This should prove interesting.

Home sweet home

This, for the most part, is my flat, it's really big. There are two other bedrooms and the bathroom that are not pictured. The two other bedrooms are occupied by two other teachers.

Social rank and file

As an observer of culture, I’ve noticed a few things about Bahraini culture. There is a food chain that I have mentioned earlier but now I can elaborate on it a little—now that I have a much better idea of what the food chain really is…

There is the lowest class: South East Asian immigrants, maids, drivers, nannies, hotel staff, restaurant staff, etc.

The lower class: Indians (from India), equally maids, drivers, nannies, hotel staff, restaurant staff, etc.

The lower class Bahraini: the people who don’t have a driver, servant, and/or a nanny for the kids.

The middle class: Ex-Patriots from New Zealand, Australia, Europe, Africa, North America, and South America (there is a pecking order here too—South America is near the bottom, North America is near the top). These people are engineers, teachers, and other “real work” people. These people are also paid relatively well by standards of their home countries.

The middle class Bahraini: The people who have a driver, nanny, and at least one servant or maid that comes in or lives in the home. These are also the men who have multiple wives and such.

The upper class Bahraini: members of Parliament, Government workers, university professors, etc. Predominantly Bahraini and Middle Eastern. The kids are sent to ritzy private schools, have private tutors, and/or sent abroad for an education.

Then there’s the royal family. Needless to say the royal family is above the upper class so you can imagine what their life is like.

I can't get away from cheap american fast food...

Regardless of how far you go, you can't get away from Mc Donnalds. Note the Arabic writing...

strange landmarks

The Hotel California is NOT in California, it's IN Bahrain... about three buildings away from mine. This is the view straight out my window from the 8th floor of my building.

The Hard Rock Cafe

I've been in there once... if anyone wants anything from this place, you know how to get ahold of me.

The national library...to be opened in December 2006...

finally an image...

Ok, this is the Grand Mosque of Bahrain. It is amazingly beautiful closer up and I'm going to assume that it will look even better without the scafolding on the dome.

Wedding Parties

Bridal Showers and Bachelor Parties are a huge part of the wedding in Bahrain. These parties are done separately on either the same night or separate nights within days of the wedding. These parties are segragated and it's wild how women will wear an Abai (long, black, robe looking dress) over an evening gown. As soon as the women get inside the party, the abai comes off revealing the evening gown.

Usually if a woman is wearing an Abai, they are also wearing a hijab that matches the abai. Abai's are traditionally all black, but in recent years, they have become embeleshed with bead work, embroydery, and accents of color around the sleeves mostly. Abai's can also be taylored to fit anyone. I'm considering getting one because they look comfortable as well as very proper in this culture. When wearing one, you do look very presentable in the eyes of conservative and liberal Muslims alike.

first day of school...

Oh my, running a classroom is very different than being a member of the audience. Most of the students are working with two, if not three languages. I do have to remind my students that English is the language of choice in the school and that is what I would like to hear in my class. My students are interested in making history fun again and for the most part, understand that respect is in order to be able to do the fun projects--I have a girls section that wants to re-enact (in class) the trojan war... yes, this is going to be a fun year.

Courting in Bahrain is very different than in the states. There is NO public display of affection outside of a quick hug--if that. There are a few known couples in the student population, but they don't hold hands or anything that by American standards would indicate that they are anything more than close friends.

Most of the girls in my classes choose not to wear thier hijabs in class but once they hit the halls, they go back on. I saw this on the first day of school and have for the last couple of days--I find it interesting that they feel that they can uncover a little bit while in my class. That is a sign of being comfortable with other people and a sign of respect. It also doesn't hurt that I'm female and dressing modestly by American standards (long sleeves and long skirts most of the time, if not long pants).

Bathrooms in Bahrain...

In the Middle East much like in other parts of the world, there is a firm belief that toilet paper is a western idea. Instead, most locals use what is called a bade (baa day) instead of toilet paper. A bade is a toilet looking contraption with water squirting out the back where you squat over it and clean yourself. Personally, I have tried this and can’t seem to get the ‘stance’ right without getting myself soaked in the process. Most public bathrooms have a small shower hose looking thing that does the same job as the bade. Regardless, I think I’ll stick to toilet paper.

*edit* photo of the bathroom in my flat.