I know it is really just a weekend, but if the rest of my week continues with the busyness of these last two days, then Easter Break will really fly by. On Friday, I headed to Old Muharraq and in the rain (yes rain) managed to walk a round a little and see some sites. Old Muharraq is another island just east of Manama. It is where the airport is located. Anyway, as I said it was raining yesterday and just not a light drizzle for ten or s minutes, like it had been doing earlier in the week. No, this was a typical rainy day, that left me with the chills...even though it was still probably 80 degrees or so. I am not complaining though as it has not rained like that since I arrived and it actually had that fresh rain smell.
Muharraq has some of the oldest residential properties in Bahrain and the narrow streets add to the quaintness. The first stop was Siyadi House, which belonged to a pearl merchant in the 19th century. I am proud to say that one of my students is a Siyadi descendant. He could not give me a special tour though, as the main portion of the house is now a mosque. I took some pictures from the outside though and the building is very unique and artistic. Not to far from that is the Shaik Isa House. Shaik Isa was the King's great-great-grandfather and was ruler from 1869 to 1932...which was the longest reign of a Bahrain ruler. I know you all care about these facts :) The home was huge with many courtyards and rooms. It is a good example of 19th century architecture with intricate wall carvings everywhere. Of course I took a lot of pictures. There was also a windtower, which is how air used to circulate throughout buildings to cool things off. Call it the first air-conditioning system if you will. What day of sightseeing would be complete without a stop at Dairy Queen? Of course as a true Minnesotan, I would never let a little rain stop me from having a blizzard. Heck a blizzard cannot stop me from having a blizzard.
Today was another busy day and the sun was shining. The first stop was the Barbar Temples ruins. It is basically just that...ruins. The excavation which was started in 1954 is still going on today. It is three temples that were built on top of one another during the Dilmun Era, during the third and second century BC. Of course it was a bunch of ruins (rocks and stones) in the middle of what is now a residential area, but still it was worth the visit. I have always had an interest in archaeology....after all anthropology was declared major number two (or was it three) back in the day :) The goal after that was to find the Saar Ruins, but we gave up on that after not being able to find them. Another day perhaps. Instead we went to the Al Budaiya Botanical Gardens. It was a beautiful place to walk around and see plants and flowers from all around the world. At one time the Governor of Britain's wife would always bring something back from her travels...thus creating the gardens. Unfortunately, did not see too much from North America....oh well. Today' s outing concluded with grocery shopping, which needed to be done. I do not like grocery shopping here anymore than I like doing it in the States. Anyway, I do not have anything planned yet for tomorrow, but that will most likely change. Not that I would mind sleeping in a day or two :)
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
The Grand Mosque and Food, Food, Food!
There are only two more days left of the school week and then it is Spring Break time, or as it is actually called here, Easter Break. I am not travelling anywhere as there is still so much to see in Bahrain and many of my friends will be in town, so there are lots of people to hang out with. Besides vacations always fly by anyway. Before I know it, I will be back at school with the long haul to the end of the school year. Literally in that there is only one other day off after between Easter Break and the end of school, which is June 28th....and that day is May 1st, so it's pretty close to break anyway. The students are getting restless and I know they are just as ready for time off as I am.
I had a cold last week, which resulted in no voice (although that partially had to do with all the yelling I did at my students). I learned after the first time I went to London, to always travel with Nyquil as countries always have different types of cold medicine and they have never worked. After breaking into the Nyquil I got sleep and felt much better. I had to get better because the weekend had arrived and there were more places to go and explore. On Friday I went with my friend Mariam and her family to a birthday party. I kind of felt like a party crasher, but was very welcomed and had a lot of fun. There was so much delicious food. The husband is a chef and created this feast of all kinds of food, from American to Middle Eastern to Indian. Of course I ate way too much, but I always love it when I am not cooking for myself, especially since my culinary skills are hardly even basic. Although I am trying to be more adventurous in the kitchen. If anyone has any EASY recipes that do not require a lot of ingredients, please pass them on to me :)
On Saturday the main stop was the Grand Mosque. It is the biggest mosque in Bahrain and can accommodate up to 7,000 worshippers. It is also opened to non-Muslims who can get a tour. Of course to get inside and have the tour, I had to put on an Abaya, which is the traditional long robe/gown that Muslim women wear. There was a whole closet to choose from and I thought since I have to wear one, I am going to wear a fancier one. Of course the head had to be covered also. Pictures were taken which I will post, although try not to notice how non-flattering they are. Of course I am wearing clothing underneath, but still :) I only had to wear it for fifteen minutes, but that was enough to think I was going to pass out from heat exhaustion. I have a new admiration for the women who have to wear it. It was truly an experience. After touring the mosque, which was beautiful, the highlight still ended up being the Abaya. After the mosque tour, it was to the mall for lunch. Marina Mall (one of many) has this delicious and reasonably priced buffet. The food is Middle Eastern and Indian and of course delicious. What I find amusing is that the buffet is located in the mall food court. Again, I ate too much, but I just love ethnic food. And for sure we know I am not going to be cooking any of that :)
After school this week I have been going for walks. I am feeling safe and comfortable doing it and it is nice to get out and enjoy the weather. It has reached the 90s several days and of course I love it. Many people think it is too hot to walk, but I grab my water bottle and go. I feel I need to do something other then just hang out in my flat after a day of teaching. Stores are open though and people are out on the streets again shopping and walking. It is nice to see that....a return to some normalcy. Tonight I walked with Victoria (another teacher who lives across the hall from me) to the post office and the Dairy Queen. She is from India and had never been to DQ. I felt it was my duty to introduce her to the blizzard. On the walk home it started drizzling, but in a way it was nice and refreshing. It has not really rained since I arrived, so it was a little unexpected. That pretty much sums up life since I last wrote. Hope you are all well. More soon :)
I had a cold last week, which resulted in no voice (although that partially had to do with all the yelling I did at my students). I learned after the first time I went to London, to always travel with Nyquil as countries always have different types of cold medicine and they have never worked. After breaking into the Nyquil I got sleep and felt much better. I had to get better because the weekend had arrived and there were more places to go and explore. On Friday I went with my friend Mariam and her family to a birthday party. I kind of felt like a party crasher, but was very welcomed and had a lot of fun. There was so much delicious food. The husband is a chef and created this feast of all kinds of food, from American to Middle Eastern to Indian. Of course I ate way too much, but I always love it when I am not cooking for myself, especially since my culinary skills are hardly even basic. Although I am trying to be more adventurous in the kitchen. If anyone has any EASY recipes that do not require a lot of ingredients, please pass them on to me :)
On Saturday the main stop was the Grand Mosque. It is the biggest mosque in Bahrain and can accommodate up to 7,000 worshippers. It is also opened to non-Muslims who can get a tour. Of course to get inside and have the tour, I had to put on an Abaya, which is the traditional long robe/gown that Muslim women wear. There was a whole closet to choose from and I thought since I have to wear one, I am going to wear a fancier one. Of course the head had to be covered also. Pictures were taken which I will post, although try not to notice how non-flattering they are. Of course I am wearing clothing underneath, but still :) I only had to wear it for fifteen minutes, but that was enough to think I was going to pass out from heat exhaustion. I have a new admiration for the women who have to wear it. It was truly an experience. After touring the mosque, which was beautiful, the highlight still ended up being the Abaya. After the mosque tour, it was to the mall for lunch. Marina Mall (one of many) has this delicious and reasonably priced buffet. The food is Middle Eastern and Indian and of course delicious. What I find amusing is that the buffet is located in the mall food court. Again, I ate too much, but I just love ethnic food. And for sure we know I am not going to be cooking any of that :)
After school this week I have been going for walks. I am feeling safe and comfortable doing it and it is nice to get out and enjoy the weather. It has reached the 90s several days and of course I love it. Many people think it is too hot to walk, but I grab my water bottle and go. I feel I need to do something other then just hang out in my flat after a day of teaching. Stores are open though and people are out on the streets again shopping and walking. It is nice to see that....a return to some normalcy. Tonight I walked with Victoria (another teacher who lives across the hall from me) to the post office and the Dairy Queen. She is from India and had never been to DQ. I felt it was my duty to introduce her to the blizzard. On the walk home it started drizzling, but in a way it was nice and refreshing. It has not really rained since I arrived, so it was a little unexpected. That pretty much sums up life since I last wrote. Hope you are all well. More soon :)
Monday, April 4, 2011
A Little Bit of Normal (and finally the Hard Rock Cafe)
I am happy to report that school continued as normal last week and so far this week. It is nice being back into a normal routine and not have to wonder day to day whether there will be school or whether or not I will be stuck in my flat again for a long period of time. Of course now that I have said something....keep praying and keep your fingers crossed. As of yesterday, there were only 59 days of school left and being that most of that time will be spent reading and studying the novel "Hoot," I am sure it will fly by. After this week we have next week and then it is Spring Break....or excuse me Easter Break. I am so used to not being allowed to refer to it as Easter break in the States, it is weird saying it here. Then again, back in Minnesota Spring Break doesn't necessarily fall around Easter anymore. When I found out from some of you that you were off the last week of February, I was shocked. That is way too early.
So finally after being rescheduled twice I made it to the Hard Rock Cafe, last Thursday! For those of you who know me, it is a big deal and a tradition for me. Wherever I travel where there is a Hard Rock, I have to go and eat and buy a shot glass that says the location. I think I have 13 or so in my collection now. I know it seems silly, but everyone is entitled to their bizarre collections. It was a lot of fun though. I went with five other teachers and we just had a blast, talking and eating. One of the others informed the staff that it had been my birthday, so they all came out to sing for me and gave me a brownie with ice-cream. Delicious! I am glad that I got to check something else off my to-do list, but even more important is getting to hang out with friends :)
It was the week to eat out last week apparently. Besides the Hard Rock, I went to two buffet style restaurants with friends as well. Both of them consisted of Middle Eastern and Indian food- also delicious. One was unique in that it was located in a mall food court. I had never seen a buffet set up like that in that kind of environment. I love people watching and a mall food court is just the place to do it. It is always nice to eat out because it means I do not have to cook, since I really can't.
The weekend consisted of other things, like a stop at Bab al Bahrain, which is basically the means gateway of Bahrain. At one point the shoreline was right up to this gateway, but certainly not anymore. Now to get to the water, you have to walk our equivalent of several blocks and cross a highway. I may or may not have previously mentioned that Bahrain keeps adding landfills to the island which gives more land. I have joked that if Bahrain keeps adding land, it will no longer be an island. There is something to be said as the country that keeps growing the fastest....literally. My friend Mariam was also kind enough to arrange a jewelry shopping outing with one of her student's and her older sister. I knew that I would be taken advantage of and would not get the best price. It was so much fun shopping with them and watching them barter. I had truly forgotten how fun it was to hear "for you I have special price." The excursion was productive, as I was able to pick up a few gifts.
The weather has reached the low 90s the last few days and while I am one who does not mind the heat, I am glad that the classrooms at least have air-conditioning. I love my students, but on a warm day after they come in from recess...there is definitely a distinct aroma in the air. Time continues to pass by and I am keeping busy, which also helps. There have been a few days when I am experienced homesickness, but for the most part I taking advantage of this adventure and enjoying every minute. As long as I am not under flat arrest, all is good. I hope that all of you are good as well :)
So finally after being rescheduled twice I made it to the Hard Rock Cafe, last Thursday! For those of you who know me, it is a big deal and a tradition for me. Wherever I travel where there is a Hard Rock, I have to go and eat and buy a shot glass that says the location. I think I have 13 or so in my collection now. I know it seems silly, but everyone is entitled to their bizarre collections. It was a lot of fun though. I went with five other teachers and we just had a blast, talking and eating. One of the others informed the staff that it had been my birthday, so they all came out to sing for me and gave me a brownie with ice-cream. Delicious! I am glad that I got to check something else off my to-do list, but even more important is getting to hang out with friends :)
It was the week to eat out last week apparently. Besides the Hard Rock, I went to two buffet style restaurants with friends as well. Both of them consisted of Middle Eastern and Indian food- also delicious. One was unique in that it was located in a mall food court. I had never seen a buffet set up like that in that kind of environment. I love people watching and a mall food court is just the place to do it. It is always nice to eat out because it means I do not have to cook, since I really can't.
The weekend consisted of other things, like a stop at Bab al Bahrain, which is basically the means gateway of Bahrain. At one point the shoreline was right up to this gateway, but certainly not anymore. Now to get to the water, you have to walk our equivalent of several blocks and cross a highway. I may or may not have previously mentioned that Bahrain keeps adding landfills to the island which gives more land. I have joked that if Bahrain keeps adding land, it will no longer be an island. There is something to be said as the country that keeps growing the fastest....literally. My friend Mariam was also kind enough to arrange a jewelry shopping outing with one of her student's and her older sister. I knew that I would be taken advantage of and would not get the best price. It was so much fun shopping with them and watching them barter. I had truly forgotten how fun it was to hear "for you I have special price." The excursion was productive, as I was able to pick up a few gifts.
The weather has reached the low 90s the last few days and while I am one who does not mind the heat, I am glad that the classrooms at least have air-conditioning. I love my students, but on a warm day after they come in from recess...there is definitely a distinct aroma in the air. Time continues to pass by and I am keeping busy, which also helps. There have been a few days when I am experienced homesickness, but for the most part I taking advantage of this adventure and enjoying every minute. As long as I am not under flat arrest, all is good. I hope that all of you are good as well :)
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