Not Feeling It!

As many of you know, Scott was unexpectedly sent to Iraq. He was given about 12-hours notice that he would be going. He left early Wednesday morning. We're hoping he won't be gone longer than a week, but it could be for who knows how long. That being said, I just don't have anything else to say. I would like to ask everyone to please pray for his safety.

Thanks!

My Busiest Week Yet!

This has truly been my busiest week in Bahrain! I can't believe it's finally over.

Valentine's Day was a big success at work and home. The amount of food the kids brought for our party was ridiculous! I have never seen so much food. Most food was homemade but several things were store bought. My red velvet cupcakes were a hit. We had a great day. The most special part of our day was a visit form Scott. He had the day off for President's Day. He was like a celebrity on campus. The Indian Aides were giggling together & making goo-goo eyes at him. Everyone came up to introduce themselves. One lady kept offering to make him tea, but he didn't want any. My kids asked him some great questions and Scotty was a great sport as usual. There were many loud cheers when he responded that his favorite juice is mango juice. I'm happy to report that there were no major spills or incidents! Scott & Benny picked me up after work. On the dining room table was a beautiful bouquet of roses. We went gold shopping at the gold souq the day before. Scott bought me a beautiful white gold crucifix with baguette diamonds. Shopping at the souq was a bit overwhelming. There are so many jewelry stores and every one of the jewelers tries their best to convince you to come into their store. We were happy we went in to the store we did. The man was really nice. I used a bit of my haggling skills and we ended up getting a good deal. We'll go back to him before we leave for sure. I really want to get something with pearls here because Bahrain is known for their pearls.

On Monday, Scott & I met the Crown Prince of Bahrain. He came to the Base to welcome all the spouses back to Bahrain. I went in to work that morning and left at about 12:00. The meeting with the Crown Prince was scheduled for 1:00. He, of course, did not show up until about 1:45! We were told that he was running 15-minutes late......15-minutes later than his usual lateness of 30-minutes. Anyhow, it was nice to catch up with friends. We were really impressed with him. He spoke beautifully and honestly. He really only had nice things to say and we felt very welcome here in Bahrain. He shared that he was educated at the Department of Defense School here in Bahrain, graduating with Shakira! He then went on to Universities in the US & the UK. We were really impressed by him & were glad to have a chance to hear him speak. After his 15-minute welcome, he went to the back of the room and was speaking with people. I had no idea he was hanging around. I had promised my kids that I would speak with him and mention that their behavior had improved. At first I was bummed because I thought he had left. But then there he was. A crowd started gathering around him. I told Scott that I absolutely had to get to him because I promised my kids! I pretty much walked right up to the front of the line. There were about 5 kids talking his ear off. They were all students at the DOD School here and he was asking them questions. Finally, I made eye contact with him & pushed my way up to him and shook his hand. I told him that I taught at a Bahraini school & mentioned how great my class was. He wanted me to tell them he was proud of them. Scott snapped a couple of quick pictures & we were off. I was so excited to share the pictures with my kids the next day.

On Tuesday I was excited to share the picture, however I learned that my kids were absolutely HORRIBLE with the sub. Apparently, she even cried. Needless to say, I gave it to them & I gave it to them good. They felt horrible about how they acted. The stories I heard from them were unbelievable. They were all pointing fingers at each other. I pretended like I knew exactly what had happened. I did not know any details at this point. As their writing assignment, they had to describe what happened while the sub was in the class. They spilled their guts! From reading these absolutely hilarious confessions I was able to put together a picture of what went on. It was pretty bad. They were wild animals.

Wednesday & Thursday flew by. I went to Ash Wednesday mass after work Wednesday afternoon & Scott & I went to a function on Base Thursday evening. Benny's fine. I bought him a few more guilt gifts. I also gave him a stuffed teddy bear one student gave me for Valentine's Day. He carries them around like a ding-dong & sleeps with them. He is a real crack up! Our pool man is still terrified of him. We had a few plumbers come by to fix a leaky shower & they would not come down the stairs until I assured them that he could not get to them. Poor Benny. All he would do is lick the heck out of them. They just see his size & it frightens them. Our cleaning lady absolutely loves him & he loves her. Honestly, he's about double her size!

Today (Saturday), I had to work. It was parent-teacher conferences & report card day. Twenty-one of my twenty-five families showed up. All in all it was very positive. They were so complimentary. It made me feel good, considering this is my first classroom teaching job ever. They know that I truly do love their kid! I don't think I'll love my next class as much as these guys. They are all so adorable to me. They've all made progress too! As is typical, about one hour into the conferences I dripped coffee on my chest. Pretty embarrassing. I just acted like I had no idea there was a big brown spot on my right boob.

Next week should be much quieter. I'm looking forward to that! Scott will be traveling again. I'm not looking for ward to that! I seem to be alone here with Benny every month!

Mmmmm!!! Kunafa

I love kunafa!!!!! I've always eaten it as a very sweet dessert....which is totally fine. However, here it's more like a snack. It's nowhere near as sweet as I'm used to and the center is filled with a cheese rather than a cream or custard. The kunafa man at the mall makes it fresh, right in front of you. You let him know how sweet you want it. You also choose your toppings. I just wanted a dusting of pistachios on mine. The man next to me had the kunafa man put honey, pistachios & coconut on his. The whole process took about 10-minutes. What a treat! I had no guilt eating it. It really was nice to eat the real thing.

This week was a good one. School is going great! I really love those kids. So many funny things happen everyday. I really should write them down. My one regret from working in the Memphis City schools is that I didn't write down all the hilarious things the kids would say. Well, the kids here are just as funny. Every Thursday, the last day of the week, if their behavior was excellent all week long, I throw them a popcorn party. I just pop 3 bags of popcorn in the microwave and divide it amongst them. They think it's the coolest thing. Well, one girl brought soda this week. One of my students, the one who doesn't like sitting under the fan because her father told her she will catch a cold, came up to me to let me know that her father also does not allow her to drink cold things. "More for us!" I told her. Well, when I was passing out drinks, sure enough, she came up & got a cup. Good for her! What a rebel! The drink was hard to resist because it was a strawberry soda, similar to Fanta or Shasta Strawberry but by a brand called, Miranda. I was hesitant because I did not want them spilling in the classroom. Well, we made it to the end of the day fine. No one spilled. Then, as we were packing up to go home, I hear a gasp. I turn around and red Miranda has spilled all over this girl's desk, onto her seat and onto the floor. My favorite kid in the class, named Hussein, was standing like a deer in the headlights. I knew he caused this catastrophe. Turns out as he was putting on his jacket, his arm hit the cup. The girl had the cup on her desk because she was saving the soda to take home for her little brother. "Are you kidding me?" I asked her. Who saves their soda for hours just to take it home to their little brother? Anyhow, I had about 25 helpers eager to clean up the mess. I'm hoping when I go in on Sunday there are no ants! My new rule...no more drinks allowed in the classroom & no saving of drinks for family members, friends, enemies, maids, etc....

On Tuesday I received an urgent message from one of my student's mothers. I had to call her back immediately. It was so urgent!!!!!! This is the mother that complained to me that her son's backpack was too heavy causing him to fall off the school bus. So, during my break I went to the office to call her. Well, she had to speak to me right away because she was going to be traveling for a week and wanted to let me know. I thanked her for letting me know. Then she told me that she wanted to let me know in case her son (who is 8) would be crying all the time. She also wanted me to not yell at him or give him too much homework. Was she kidding me? I was very nice & told her not to worry. The secretary was laughing as she overheard the conversation. Apparently she hears this stuff all week long. Well the kid didn't even come to school Wednesday or Thursday. I guess he was too distraught! Very bizarre stuff I'm dealing with.

We'll be having a Valentine's party in our class on Sunday. The kids have no idea what Valentine's Day is. I explained it to them. The boys one by one raised their hands to inform me, "Miss, I will never marry a woman!" They were very serious about it too. I told them they would change their minds & I would love to come back in 20-years to see who the heck they ended up marrying! All the girls just giggled. They are already planning their weddings. One girl shared with me who in our class she was already planning to marry - the nerd who falls off school buses and can't come to school when mommy is away.

For the party I promised to make them red velvet cupcakes with chocolate frosting and pink sprinkels. Done. They are so excited. They are each planning to bring in some sweets and some have told me they've made Valentine's cards for everyone. One girl told me she and her mother bought me a gift. Can't wait. In LA I worked with upper calss people. For the most part they never gave me a simple thank you or a gift or if they did it was junk. There were some very nice & special families that always showed their appreciation, I must say. In Memphis.....well, I don't have anything good to say about that place. A funny story about Memphis, though. When I let the kids know we'd be having a party for Halloween, my 1st party with them, the #1 question to me was, "You bringin wings?" When I said, "No." They then would ask, "How bout Doritos?" That was also followed by a, "No." They cracked me up. To them a party had wings & chips!

Scott has been working late all week & all weekend. Some big project. He's not allowed to discuss his work with me & I do my best not to ask. The wives here are trying to start an organization for the families here. Mainly, it's to keep the families connected. It's hard when you're overseas and away from family & friends. So, making connections is very important. There's an equal mix of couples and families with kids here. The families are increasing now that children have been allowed to come back here. They had stopped allowing spouses and children for about 4-years. Then November 2008 they started allowing just spouses back & then they allowed children as well. The Child Development Center has opened and a friend of mine is running the youth organization for kids in grades 7-12. I've seen a huge increase in the number of families here now just since we arrived in October. There are also so many dogs here. We've run into a few labs and other breeds. Benny always enjoys making new friends. We're still working on gettting to use the baseball field as a doggy park when it's not in use. We got the thumbs up from the Admiral, but the man in charge of the field has given a thumbs down. So, we'll have to wait and see. Benny and the other pups really need a place to run around. There is nowhere to run around in our villas. All we have is a courtyard. No real yard.

Benny's good. We take him for rides with us whenever possible. He loves sticking his head out the window & letting the wind blow his ears! He's almost jumped out of the window when seeing a cat. He really wants to catch one of those stray cats! He's as dramatic as ever & didn't eat the first two nights Scott worked late. That kind of stuff drives me crazy! We'd like to travel during my spring break, which will also be during my birthday. We're thinking of Greece. We'd love to see family there and Scott has never been. He's been pretty much everywhere else. We'd also like to see Scott's brother and his wife if possible before they leave London to go back to the states. They are both in the Air Force and will be stationed together in Missouri. Benny will be boarded. Apparently the only place to consider boarding him is with this lady named, Frieda. As soon as we finalize our plans, I'll book his boarding. Word is that she fills up fast.

Next Tuesday the Crown Prince of Bahrain wants to meet with all the spouses to welcome us back to Bahrain. I'll be taking 1/2 a day off of work. It should be interesting. I've never met a real prince before. Hopefully cameras will be allowed. If they are you can count on me posting some pictures. Until then stay well!!

I Will Survive!

Sorry for the late entry. It was a tough weekend. I should say it ended rough. It started out great! Our work & school week here, as in all of the middle east, is from Sunday-Thursday. We’re off on Friday & Saturday. Friday here is like our Sunday. Most places are closed. It’s a day of prayer. It was tough adjusting to this schedule, but we’re pretty much used to it now. Going to church on Friday is still a little weird to me. Anyhow, on Saturday we decided to head out to run some errands and cash my paycheck. I am paid by check in Bahraini Dinars. I was told I could go to the bank where the check was drawn and they would cash it for me. I then would take the Bahraini Dinars, convert them into American dollars and deposit the money into our account on Base at the credit union. A few extra steps than I’m used to, but no big deal……so I thought.

We arrived at the bank at about 12:35ish. Parking was horrible, but nothing out of the ordinary for here. We decided that I would run in and cash the check & Scott would wait for me in the car once he was able to park. Should’ve been quick, right?! Well, I walked into what looked like the DMV but with horrible body odor smell filling the air. People were sitting in auditorium like seating, others were standing around in clusters and there were about 10 number screens, like those at a butcher’s counter, all over the place. I had no idea what to do. Hundreds of people all around me. People asleep on chairs. Women clutching their heart or forehead. Very dramatic! I stepped outside to make sure I was at the bank. Sure enough, I was. I approached a friendly looking man who was standing in a cluster of people in the vicinity of what were the teller’s windows. I asked him if he was in line for a teller. He looked at me like I was nuts. I explained that this was my first time here & I did not know what to do or where to go. He kind of waved his hand in a certain direction and told me to get a number. I went to where he waved and sure enough there were people pushing to get to this machine. There is no such thing as a line let alone an orderly “line” here. I pushed my way to the front, finally, and there was the machine. I had no idea what to push on it. There were 3 options. I pushed them all and got 3 tickets with 3 completely out of sequence numbers. I went back to my new buddy and asked him what to do now. He told me to look at the number screens and wait for my number. After watching for a while I finally figured out what was going on. One ticket was for customer service, one was for accounts, and one was for a teller. OK. Now I just had to wait my turn.

I was number 623 and they were on number 572. I called Scott in the parking lot and explained what was going on. We decided to wait and see if the numbers moved quickly. They were moving. Not as quickly as I would have liked, but they were moving. The main distraction slowing the numbers down was the ridiculous amount of people that would walk up to the tellers (all male by the way) and in the middle of a transaction with another customer, shake their hand, ask how the family is doing, share pictures of their kids that were stored on their cell phone. Social hour while a couple hundred people were waiting! I really felt like walking up to a teller at one point and saying, “Come on…..move it!!!!” I didn’t. I’m doing my best to remember that I am a visitor here. Anyhow, the numbers were moving and then suddenly 3 of the 5 tellers disappeared. Then they all disappeared. For about 5-minutes no one was helping anyone. We were just stuck. I have now been waiting close to an hour to cash my miniscule paycheck. But at this point, I was not turning back. My back was killing me from standing around. Not one man offered his seat to any woman. On top of it all, I was the only non Bahraini, Indian or Pakistani person in there. I stood out like a sore thumb. Finally, I went up to a security guard to find out what the heck was going on! He told me, “Shift change.” Shift change? In a bank? I was a teller for years while in college. There was always at least 1 window opened to serve the customers. About 5-minutes later, 3 different men came out with metal boxes. They went to their windows and started hand counting all their money. I thought I would die. I would not leave! My lower back was killing me, but I was 10 numbers away from my turn. Again, men were going up to these guys and socializing with them as they were trying to get set up. I have never seen such a thing. My bank manager would poke us in the back with a pencil as he walked by if we were not moving the line quickly enough or if we were chatting too much with the customers (a hobby of mine).

Finally, it was my turn. It took what seemed like 10-minutes to change from 622 to 623! I ran up to the window. The man made no eye contact with me. Did not greet me. Nothing. I handed him my paycheck & ID. He did what he needed to do with it. Had me sign it & put my phone number on it and gave me my cash. That was it. After all that waiting, it ended so quickly. I was exhausted. I really felt as if I had just worked out…..a hard workout! I was pooped. I hobbled back to the car and we were off. The idea of doing this every month….it’s a killer!!!!!

We went to a mega market called, Geant to buy food & household stuff. You can pretty much find everything there. Right when we got there I had to get Starbucks coffee and a piece of dark chocolate. I had to calm my nerves. We went in. Scott & I separated because I do not have the patience to wait around while he looks for stuff. He reads EVERYTHING! I can’t deal with that. So, we usually separate & find each other later. As soon as we separated, the Admiral’s wife comes up to me and starts talking my ear off. I stood, again, in the same spot for about 30-minutes! Worst of all, she talked me into joining this committee that meets Wednesday nights. I could not say no….not to the Admiral’s wife!

I needed to just get home & collapse. Scott took care of dinner. Benny was so happy to have us back home. We left him for quite a long time. Poor guy!

We are all fine here. Work's good......some funny stories to share next week. It's been freezing over here as we see it is in most of the world. Global warming? Uh-uh!

Blog Post Will be Late This Week : (

Hi All-

Sorry, but I couldn't write this week's post. I pretty much spent the entire day at the bank here. What an experience!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've never witnessed anything like this before. I will tell you all about it soon. Hope to get the blog up within a few days! Sorry.