Well, I arrived in Bahrain a few days ago (don't ask me exactly; I can't keep the days of the week straight). I spent my last plane ride from Amsterdam to Bahrain (after nearly missing the flight) talking to one of the men who I'll be teaching with, Mark. It was nice to finally be able to share the weight of my experience with someone who was going through the same thing. We got off the plane and met the eleven other new recruits that were on the plane with us to figure out how to get through customs. None of us had a visa because we were to buy them when we arrived in Bahrain. Actually, we were told they would be bought for us by the school, so most of us had no Bahraini dinars when we arrived, except for one girl who brought 100. Brilliant! We would have been able to pay in U.S. dollars, but it had to be $15 exactly. I was stuck with twenties. Nevertheless, I was able to borrow some dinars and got through without any trouble. We met our welcoming committee shortly thereafter and made our way back to our apartment building in Muharraq.
Our apartment: I was assigned a roommate on the bus. Her name is Laura, and she's super cool. Funny how our hosts seemed to just "know" who went with who. She'll be teaching English in the high school, so it'll be great to bounce ideas off of each other. When we got to our apartment, we were amazed. I have NEVER lived in a place nicer than this one. It's huge and everything is marble. We have a combo living room/dining room that looks out on town. We each have our own bedroom and bathroom and there's an extra powder room for guest. And of course we have a kitchen. Everything is furnished. It's simple, but that just means we can add our own flare, which I fully plan to do when I don't have to worry so much about money.
Speaking of money, we haven't been to the bank yet; that comes tomorrow. We were provided 100 dinars (roughly 266 U.S. dollars) upon arrival and have been surviving on that. We've been to a lot of places to shop, but I have really only gotten the bare essentials: a phone, a trash can, a drying rack for clothes, shampoo. It's tempting to buy a lot more because there is just as much here as in the U.S. We went to the mall in city centre today and it was ridiculous. It was like the King of Prussia Mall. Really. There was a Birkenstock store and a home store, which was incredible. There was even a Saks Fifth Avenue. Anyone? For me, it is both interesting and, in a way, disappointing that people are so rich here. I was searching for an experience where people didn't have so much money. In a way, though, this is best for me. Already the middle east is so far from my life at home in America. The culture is so different. Clothes are different, mentality is different, men are different, women are different, religion is different, climate and geography are different, etc. SO, perhaps it's best that I live comfortably while learning all about things here (not to mention, that's something to know about Bahrain).
Speaking of things to know about Bahrain, here are some of the realizations I've come to in the last few days: about 70% of the women wear the abayah and hijab (full body covering and head covering). I was told that women who veil their faces are mainly Saudi. I almost don't blame them for wanting to cover themselves, the way the men are here. I've already gotten free food and been honked at. Ugh. There are many men who also wear thobes, which are like long dresses, and headscarves. They are like the business suit of the middle east. Bahrain is very diverse. There are quite a lot of Indians and Filipinos; they do most of the labor jobs around here. There are also quite a lot of Americans, given that there is a Navy base only a short distance from where I live. There are many things I'm sure I've left out, but it's hard to think of it all at once. I'll make sure to update photos more when I get internet at home. For now, it's internet cafes! Take care, friends!
