some local flavor

Our new neighbors, Dan and Kendra, fellow teachers at Al Raja, are very keen to see the sights of Bahrain. Wisely, they have been pacing themselves as they could have easily finished everything off in about 3 days. :) One of our recent sightseeing trips was to the Grand Mosque. I hadn't been there since 2009, when my family came to visit. It's always an interesting place to go. This time we had some connections--Dan and Kendra's Arabic teacher offered to give us a tour. It was quite long but very interesting. And of course, dressing up in the thobes and abayas is always fun too.

chandelier over the main prayer room

I love the star patterns they use in decorating. I'm going to figure out how to use this somewhere...

outside view

passage to the outdoor courtyard

local style

ninja (as Rey likes to call them!)

prayer time

probably the most awkward looking animal ever

After 4 years, I finally made it to the camel farm. I had heard rumors of such a place, but had never made it out there. The closest I got was driving by, which allowed me to see the giant sign saying, "Private Property! No entry." After a few inquiries, I discovered that is indeed the place; you simply drive past the sign and go right in! There's Bahrain for you :) We partnered up with our friends Dan, Kendra, and Kristine and took a little field trip there one afternoon. There are about 450 camels out there, all of which belong to the private collection of one of the sheikhs. Upon arriving, we quickly met one of the workers there who eagerly showed us the newborn camels--only a week old they still reached nearly to my shoulder! But the best part by far, was when Rey discovered the food pile, which quickly transformed him into the camel whisperer. Soon all the camels were straining against their ropes trying to get a little closer to the greens. We all took turns feeding them. What a riot.

Rey working his magic

Hello, Mr. Camel

everyone wants some food!

Who's hungry???

close up

feeding frenzy (it looks like there in one eating my hair!)

Here, camel, camel...

awkward nap time

oh, ya know, just hanging out

tear gas

It's been a while since Bahrain has made it into the news, but unfortunately things have not completely settled down since February. There are still regular riots and arrests of protesters, especially in the villages. Last month 30 women were arrested after starting a protest in City Center, the largest mall in Bahrain. This month the activity continues. According to CNN, five people were arrested this weekend who apparently had plans for terrorist activity in Bahrain. The latest tactic by the protesters is to pour oil onto the highways. Two or three times a week one road is blocked due to oil.

This weekend I had my first experience with tear gas. Some friends and I went out for a movie and dinner this weekend. As we left the theater, we heard shots--mostly likely rubber bullets or tear gas canisters. Sadly, we hardly notice these sounds anymore. We've become so accustomed to them, they barely register among the other sounds of the city--honking, traffic, kids playing, men talking. After the movie we went to Juffair for dinner. Juffair is where the US navy base is located. There is one particular street called American Alley. Virtually every American fast food restaurant is located on this street, and it's always very crowded with Americans and visiting Saudis. After eating our delicious pizza dinner, we went outside to walk to our car. As soon as we stepped outside, we could smell it. I had had a cold all week and my nose was completely blocked, but after a few seconds outside, my sinuses, throat, and eyes were burning. That is some nasty stuff. We were several blocks away from where they shot it, so I can't imagine what it would be like to have been right there.

Although this was my first experience, unfortunately it is not uncommon these days. We continue to carry out our daily routines as if everything is normal, but experiences like this are a sobering reminder that not all is well on this island.

Please continue to pray for peace in Bahrain.

Eid

Last week those of us in the Middle East celebrated the Muslim holiday called Eid. This is the second Eid of the year, where Muslims celebrate the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son. Many Muslims slaughter a sheep or a goat on the first day of this three day celebration. Most people spend the holiday with family and friends, dressing in new clothes, and collecting money from relatives. For the rest of us, we celebrate a week off school! :)

This Eid I traveled to the United Arab Emirates for a conference put on by Youth for Christ. The conference was a gathering of all youth leaders from the Gulf for a time of encouragement, brainstorming, and training. I went with my good friend and fellow youth leader, Nuku.

We arrived in UAE a day early, which gave me a chance to meet Rey's brother Melvin in Dubai.

Burj Dubai--the tallest building in the world

bottom of the Burj--Dubai reminds me of a city in outer space or in some alternate universe :)

The conference was held in Al Ain, which is on the border of Oman. While Dubai is a city of steel and glitz, Al Ain is a quiet place nestled in the mountains and surrounded by beautiful sand desert. We had some free time, which allowed us to have fun in the sand dunes.

quad bikes

Nuku, ready for her first ride!

bumming around on the bikes

beautiful sand dunes

some local Emeratis getting a kick out of watching us bike and sand board

SAND BOARDING!!! Basically snow boarding but the desert version

ready to take on the hill

practicing

It's pretty difficult to balance, but totally fun. I went down the huge hill twice; both times rather unsuccessfully as I totally wiped out half way down. We were pretty much covered in sand from head to toe and every random place in between. I could definitely get used to sand boarding! Can't wait to go again. :)

Cross that one off the bucket list.

Last week

Al Raja School

As some of you may recall, I originally moved to Bahrain to teach at Al Raja School. I spent 2 lovely years there as the seventh grade English teacher before moving on to another school where I took on the role of grade 5 classroom teacher. That was a wonderful (mostly!) experience, as I really love teaching grade 5. But this year finds me back at Al Raja. My good friend and teaching mentor, Verna, called me this spring saying that she would love to have me back at Al Raja. At the time, she was supervising the entire English program from K to 12, and it was proving to be quite the task. She was wondering if I would be willing to come back and help coordinate the English department, and so a beautiful partnership was formed; she would coordinate grades KG-6, and I would take grades 7-12. In addition to managing the English department, I am also back at my old post of seventh grade English teacher. Coming back to Al Raja was a bit like coming home: a lot of the staff remembered me, and about 85% of my old students (now in grades 10 and 11) came back to say hi. It was quite the shock to see some of them: I left them as scrawny, awkward middle schoolers and now find them as full bearded adults! Among some of the first to greet me where the notorious middle school trouble makers, asking, "Miss, do you remember me?" As if there was a chance I would forget! :) Overall, it's been good. Coordinating adds new responsibilities and challenges, but I'm learning as I go. I'm thankful for the opportunity, as in the US I would never be considered for such a position. Funny how being in my 5th year here makes me a veteran!

Here is my classroom...



colorful and organized, just the way I like it :)

flat 32

My lovely sister pointed out, that it might be helpful to see the rest of my flat, seeing as you only got to see one room. Well, we haven't had time to fix up every room yet, but here's what we've got so far. This is actually the same flat I first lived in when I came to Bahrain in 2007.

hall (sitting room) view from the doorway. Christine and I painted one wall dark brown; the rest we left white.

hall (opposite corner)

from the hallway

small hallway--from here you have the kitchen to the left, bedroom straight ahead, and Rey's music room to the right

very LARGE kitchen (too bad we don't cook!)

my oven for baking

kitchen table

our bedroom (from the doorway)

bedroom 2 (looking back towards the hallway)

And there you have it! Al Bait Phillips (The Phillips' House)

wall art

What do you do with three creative girls with a lot of time on their hands and lots of white walls? You start decorating! This summer my dear friends Christine and Sharina and I undertook a project to give Rey's new music room a little make-over. He wanted to go with a "retro music" theme. We started with a bright blue wall, a funky orange carpet, and internet inspired photographs of retro/hippie graphics. Sharina put her drawing skills to work, and Christine and I followed up with some bright colored paints. Here's what we came up with...

collage of various music/drumming, retro pictures and memorabilia

Woodstock poster (I painted onto a canvas)

a few more music inspired canvases

Christine's handiwork

graphics...

Rey's very own VW van! :)

graphics corner

angle one: spare bed, cupboard, drum kit

Rey's corner

other side of the room

It was quite the project, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. And it certainly helped pass the unbearably hot days of Bahrain summer!