Saturday, June 19, 2010

Just Surviving!

I sat my kids outside on benches last Tuesday at about 12:30pm. I told them I wanted to take a few pictures since it was the last week of school. They were very excited. I took a few pictures. Then, Scott and Benny walked through the front gates and screams of excitement could be heard throughout Bahrain. I had arranged this surprise visit with my principal. The kids had been pestering me for weeks to meet Benny. I tried to change the subject or ignore them, but they didn't give up. In the end, they got what they wanted, as usual!



Benny is great with kids, so I was not concerned about his behavior at all. He is a jumper, so I was a little worried that he'd jump on the kids & knock them down. As usual, I worried for nothing. I was surprised to see how subdued he was. I think all the kids screaming and running up to him was a bit overwhelming. Luckily, one of my girls happened to bring him a gift that day....a tennis ball, his most favorite thing ever. They are always bringing gifts for me to take home to him. I usually throw them away, but this time I knew to keep it. She presented it to him, which seemed to relax him a little. We took a few pictures, then Scott & Benny left and the kids were on cloud 9 for the rest of the day. I love that Benny and I love Scott for taking a few hours off work to do this.

The last day of school for the kids was last Wednesday. Twenty of the twenty-five students showed up. Other classes only had between 6-11 kids. Most parents keep their kids home because of the heat. Not mine. Why me? I ended up baking them brownies. Luckily, I baked enough. I wasn't planning on having so many kids that last day! I also ordered them pizza from Pizza Hut. After eating a slice, I remembered why I hadn't eaten it in so long. It was so greasy and cheesy. The kids loved it, of course. They also loved the brownies. This was something new to them. None of them had ever eaten brownies before. They kept complementing me and telling me what a great baker I was. I never let them know that I just added oil & eggs to a package of brownie mix. That will remain my secret. I got some nice gifts. Most were perfume. I gave them all away. I also got a purple wallet, which I'm sure my maid will enjoy. The one thing I kept was a delicious cake from a fancy bakery. Scott & I enjoyed a few slices & the rest went into the trash.

It is really hot & humid here now. I know I keep saying this, but it's really hot & humid here now. It's pretty much unbearable. I did not leave the house once today. Our laundry room is on the roof, so I have to climb three flights of stairs to get to it. I thought I was going to suffocate today. Even Benny who was following me up at one point, turned around and went back downstairs. Just breathing is difficult.

As I stay indoors during this heat, Scott is keeping himself busy, as usual. We went to a nursery & bought some flowering cacti. Really, what else could we plant that would survive this heat? Now I understand why there is no greenery over here. Scott planted them on either side of the front door. It adds a little character to our otherwise boring front yard. I miss spending time outdoors. The weather was not great at all in Memphis...too hot, too cold, rain, tornadoes, snow. Now we're here and again can't enjoy being outside. I really miss Los Angeles so much. I can't wait to start my 12-month countdown in October! Our last year here should fly by, especially with me working. The main reason I work is to help the time go by faster. Unfortunately, other than going to the mega malls, there isn't really anything to do here. I know of several wives who went back to the states. They were not working here & just got too bored. Working was the right decision for me. Plus, I am having a lot of fun & I'm immersing myself in the culture & get to use my Arabic.

In celebration of my final week of work, I have decided to relax all of next weekend. Therefore, I will not be blog writing next week. Talk to you in two weeks!

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