Two Suitcases

It's official! Scott and I are living out of two suitcases a piece. The movers came and packed up the rest of our stuff for our "quick shipment." Hopefully we timed it right so that our first big shipment and this quick shipment will arrive in California at the same time. It's been quite a job. We have a lot of stuff. Really, a lot of stuff! Then there's the confusion of what to do with opened toiletries and medicines. Do we pack them? Do we dump them? Do we leave them behind? Mostly, we dumped them.

We are planning to have a gigantic yard sale in August. Moving around like this really opens your eyes to how much unnecessary stuff you have. We are giving our maid and pool guy quite a bit of stuff. It's all new and nice. They each already asked us to give them whatever we weren't going to take back with us. We were able to sell a lot of our large items that we bought here and are 220v. Benny has been moping around all day as we have been organizing and packing. He hasn't taken this move well from day 1, poor guy! He'll cheer up when we take him to the boarding facility on the 15th. He'll stay there until we fly out of here on the 23rd. Scott and I will also move out of the villa on the 15th and into a new luxury hotel, The K. I am looking at this as a mini vacation for me. I work until the 19th and the rest of the days will be resting days. The last few months have been pretty stressful and I'm ready for it to end!

Last week was the last full week of school. Next week we have two days of school, but the majority of my kids have told me they are not coming :) So, last Thursday I ordered them all burgers and fries from McDonald's. I let them bring in their electronic toys, which were Blackberries, i-pads, i-phones, PSP's, and laptops. These are third graders!!!!!!! Why do they have these things? I didn't even get a walkman until the 4th grade. We just partied all day. The best part was when I played them a couple episodes of Leave it to Beaver. They LOVED it! They were laughing like crazy at little Beaver and his antics. I think he reminded them of themselves. I took Beaver in because I had nothing else. I never imagined they would love it as much as they did. They were chanting, "Beaver! Beaver! Beaver!" as they walked out of the school building at the end of the day.

Scott's been busy doing turn over with the guy coming out here to replace him. I've been busy cleaning up my classroom and putting stuff away. We've both been running on full speed for so long. We know it'll be full speed ahead once we get to Port Hueneme as well. A dozen days and we'll be back on American soil!

So, since I'm finally leaving this place I decided to make two lists. What I'll Miss and What I Won't Miss About Bahrain.

What I'll Miss
My maid
The food
The base and its small town feeling
My friends
Filling up my Jeep for $15
My students
Being able to travel so easily
The amazing malls
The jewelry stores
Always feeling safe
The kind people

What I Won't Miss
The heat
The crazy drivers
The heat
The ants
The humidity
The lack of fresh produce
Hot water coming out of the cold tap
The heat
The limited TV show selections
The crazy drivers
Not being able to wear what I want when I want
The humidity
Having to cover up my shoulders and knees at all times
The heat
The AC units breaking down all the time
The crazy drivers
Not being able to drink water or even chew gum in public during Ramadan
Trying to convert Bahraini Dinars to US dollars to figure out if I'm being ripped off or not
Having to repeat my food order 4-7 times until the person on the other end understands me
The humidity
Running out of gas for the stove/oven while cooking and having to call for a new tank
The heat
Locals jumping to the other side of the road when we walk Benny
Not eating a decent Mexican meal in 2-years!
Having dry hair and skin form the desalinated water
The crazy drivers
Going to Starbucks and asking for cream for my coffee and getting a wallop of whipped cream
The humidity
Giving directions based on local landmarks rather than by address
No one is ever on time
Using bottled water for everything including cooking
Having to use transformers to get our electronics to work
Blowing out the transformers
"Tomorrow" really means in two weeks
The HEAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Countdown Has Begun..........

This has been a busy week for us. I think every week will be a busy one for us the next few months. The movers came and loaded our big shipment. They did a great job. They were much more careful and meticulous than any packers we've dealt with in the states. We packed up 95% of the stuff we brought with us and have accumulated over the past 20+ months. It was a lot. All this stuff added to our stuff in storage in Memphis will equal too much stuff when we get back to California. Of course, this all depends on the status of our stuff in Memphis. They have had two large floods since we left. We are assuming everything survived, but we'll have to wait and see. We are already planning to have a pretty large garage sale in August. Moving so much really reminds you to keep only what's absolutely needed. Unpacking will be done very carefully with a few keep piles and many garage sale piles, I'm sure.

The villa is so empty now. Each room echoes when we speak or walk up the stairs. Pictures are down and all personal touches are gone. It's a bit sad, but it's only for about 5 more weeks. We can handle it. It's amazing how cold and "un-homey" your house can feel when all your personal items are missing. Each morning since we've lived here, I've walked out of the kitchen with my cup of coffee or tea and placed the mug down in the same spot. Well, I went to do this yesterday and I couldn't do it. I'm getting myself into a whole new routine. I, like most people, don't like changing my routine. I'm handling the change much better than Benny. He's a walking, depressed, needy and emotional lab. Most of his toys have been packed up and the ones he has left, he's been ripping to shreds. Scott, as usual, is as cool about this as he is everything else. Maybe he's just used to doing this since he's been doing it for 20-years. Benny and I are still fairly new to all this. Hopefully our next move will be our last & I'll be an expert by then.

Work is going well. We are winding down. We have about a month to go. My class went on their second fieldtrip of the school year on Thursday. We went to see the movie, Rango, and then went to a burger place for lunch. There's a big play area for them to run around like wild animals. Fortunately no bones were broken, no one choked, and no one was separated form the group. We had a good time and it was a sad feeling for me because I knew this would be our last outing as a class. I've been finding many notes on my desk lately asking me not to leave Bahrain and asking if I could be their 4th grade teacher. Saying goodbye in a few weeks will be tough.

Whenever someone leaves their current duty station in the military to go on to a new duty station, a hail and farewell is held. This was all new to me a few years ago. What happens is, the person leaving is "farewelled" and the person replacing him/her is "hailed". Ideally you like to have both people there. Last night was Scott's farewell. There were three other colleagues who were also farewelled. Scott's replacement (relief) is still in Afghanistan, so he wasn't there last night. Scott's boss spoke very highly of him (of course) and Scott gave a nice speech as well. Scott works with really great people. We all realize that we have to make the best out of living over here, so real bonds form. We all have dealt with the same stupid stuff that we're not used to while living over here, so we understand eachother's frustrations. The hail and farewell was held at a colleague's "bachelor mansion." This guy is a single guy living in an unbelievable villa. Apparently, he's known as the bachelor who likes to entertain at his pad. He's a really nice guy and reminds us of The Rock. The food was catered by a great Turkish grill. As with most guys who throw parties, the main item available was liquor. Luckily for me, there was soda and water. Not a vegetable in sight. Lots of chips and salsas and of course the meat. No complaints, though, the food was delicious, as usual!

It is officially hot here now. We have reached the triple digits daily. Evenings and early mornings are in the 90's. We're happy though because there has been minimal humidity. The humidity is the real killer. I crack up when I see friends posting current temperatures on facebook. We'd love to have a high of 90-degrees. That seems almost perfect. Try 111 over several consecutive days! I try not to complain, because I really do think about the guys in Afghanistan wearing full uniform all the time while dealing with this heat or worse. At least I can go indoors to an air conditioned house and I can wear loose, cool clothing. So, I promise to do my best not to complain. No guarantees, but I will try.

Benny has been swimming most days. We have to be careful. Due to his double coat, his hair doesn't dry quickly and he got a skin infection last summer. It's hard to keep him from the pool. We aren't walking him as much or taking him to the dog park as often because of the heat, so we just let him jump in and do his thing for a while. Poor guy! Soon enough he'll be a California beach bum. We can't wait to take him to the beach and let him just run free.

Transitions

Today I watched a commoner become a princess. Talk about a huge transition! We leave Bahrain in seven weeks. Talk about an even greater transition! Sorry Kate, moving constantly is a little more difficult than becoming a princess, in my opinion! One thing I've learned being a military spouse is that moving every two years is not easy. It's not just the packing and unpacking. It's mostly the feeling of leaving "home" so often. Once we're settled, Boom! we're moving again. New home, new job, new friends, new doctor, new dentist, new grocer, new everything. I have so much respect for those that have done this for twenty or more years (including Scott). Fortunately for me, if all goes as planned, it will only be a six year experience for me.

The situation has calmed down here the last few weeks. There are still little uprisings but mainly in villages far from where we are. Life is pretty much back to normal here. We're out and about more, but still not like we used to be. We are focusing on all the things we need to get accomplished before our big pack out scheduled for May 11th. We've been to the Manama Souq a few times. Scott and his friend, Ralph, are having custom suits made by a tailor. Scott has had four suits and a sports jacket made. I am really proud of him. The guy hates shopping, but I think he has finally out shopped me! The tailor shop is run by two brothers (either Indian or Pakistani). They make all the suits. You choose the fabric, they measure you and within a week or less a perfect suit is made for $100. You really can't beat a deal like that.

My work is great. The kids continue to crack me up and drive me absolutely crazy on a daily basis. They are all so happy to be back in school and to be able to go out and do things again. I know for a fact that their parents are thrilled to have them out of the house and back in school. We have been learning about different cultures of the world in Social Studies the past two weeks. Most of my students treat the foreign nationals (Indians, Pakistanis mainly) who are the laborers here in Bahrain pretty badly. To be honest, they completely disrespect them! So, I started a campaign to explain to them the proper way to treat people from any country. I also used this as a chance to explain how to show respect to people from different cultures and how to also respect and properly treat people with disabilities. The theme here......embracing diversity! Being a speech pathologist and working with so many children and adults with disabilities, this is something I consider very important. Our class discussion was fabulous and the days following our discussion the majority of my students shared how they actually "talked" to their nanny, housekeeper and/or house watchman. They also reported every disabled person they saw and shared what they did to help them. That was a great feeling. Hopefully they will carry these acts on into their adulthood.

Scott's fine. He's got his usual busy stuff at work. If all goes as planned, we leave here on his birthday, June 23rd. What a great birthday present! He's taken charge of this upcoming move. He spends most of his free time making lists and/or organizing all our stuff. He's also doing all the paperwork and running around. Moving from an overseas location back to the states is pretty hectic. We also have to schedule having our stuff moved to California from storage in Memphis. Who knows what condition that stuff will be in. What a job ahead of us.

Benny is his usual nutty self. The heat is rising here again, so today he went for a nice dip in the pool. He loves spending as much time as possible in the front courtyard barking at these three young boys on bikes that harass the heck out of him daily. There's also a British man that walks his cat on a leash and has the cat stop right in front of our front gate. Why the leash and why stopping in front of our gate? I have no answer for any of that! Benny has been a little stressed watching us go through everything preparing for the packers. Just as he can tell when Scott and/or I will be traveling, he seems to know when we're getting ready to move. He dealt with two moves in Memphis and three moves here in Bahrain. We've been in this villa the longest and Benny pretty much owns this place. This is his house. Poor guy! Good thing he adapts well. As long as he has a tennis ball, actually, he's a happy guy. Needless to say, we have a few dozen!

Staying Home

With all of the unrest happening here lately, we have been staying home every weekend. We feel perfectly safe. We're just trying to avoid getting stuck in a major traffic jam caused by protesters. We've been lucky so far. Our weekends consist of church and grocery shopping on Fridays and meeting friends on Base for a doggy playdate on Saturdays. If we're courageous, we go out for lunch and then go right back home. I've only missed one day of work. I feel fortunate to have my job to keep me busy and to keep my mind off of things. Yes, it is boring. Yes, I'm tired of it. Yes, I'm sad for Bahrain. We have truly enjoyed our time here - from the people to the food - it has been great. I want it to go back to the way it was.

Right before the unrest here, we went to The Bahrain Fort. It was much bigger than the Arad Fort which we had gone to a few months before. It was a beautiful day with spectacular weather. We were happy about that! The Fort was very large and we were able to walk through and climb wherever we wanted. Scott enjoyed that part more than I did. I loved taking pictures, of course! I loved the architecture and the fine details. It's amazing that so much of the structure is still standing and that we could walk through a piece of ancient history. I can't believe how many forts I've visited since living here. Two in Bahrain and one in Crete. Typically I could care less about this kind of stuff! Since I'm a bit ADD, I'm pretty much done exploring after 5-minutes. I wonder if we'll stumble upon any more forts in our travels? If we do, I'll let you know about it!

This is the last blog post I will write before I turn 40. Normally, I'd be freaking out about turning 40 like a lot of people I know do. But, I am grateful to turn 40 and look forward, to 50, 60, 70, etc...... Every day is a gift! I am fully aware of this. I just wonder how much more insightful I will be in my 40's? Will people still think I'm in my 20's like they do now? Will I stop falling for no apparent reason once I'm 40? Is 40 really the new 30? Will I learn how to knit things other than scarves in my 40's? Will I start remembering things in my 40's? These questions plus a bunch of others I can't think of right now will hopefully be answered in the next 10-years. I'm looking forward to it!

My work is going fine. One day I love my students and the next I don't even want to look at them. They are so darn hyper-active all day long. They get kicked out of most support classes (such as PE) every week. It annoys me that they all come to school everyday. I ask them everyday, "Why didn't any of you stay home today?" They laugh and think I'm joking, but I couldn't be more serious. As much as I complain about them, I already miss them and school isn't over until the end of June. It will be sad saying goodbye especially since I leave Bahrain this summer sometime and know that I won't get to see them again next school year. Oh well! As is always the case, a few days after work is over I probably won't remember most of their names. That's how it is for me.

Scott's fine. He just returned from four days in Qatar. I wish I wrote down all the trips he has taken this past year-and-a-half and the length of each trip. I know it will add up to a couple of months, easily. I'm praying we can get through the next few months without him having to go anywhere. I don't like being here alone simply because it's so hard to take care of Benny and work. Benny is a very, very, very, needy Lab. He's been a great companion though while Scott's on his travels. Scott's big job at home was to file our taxes, which I am proud to say he did! I'm telling you, he's handy to have around.

As for Benny, he's still a lucky dog. He has his "bad boy" moments, but for the most part he's been good. He is in heaven every Saturday when he has his playdate with his buddies. He is a ball catching expert and likes to show off his athletic moves. He rarely runs around wildly like the other dogs do. All he cares about is that darn ball. He still gets a ton of attention from people while walking on Base. He enjoys every bit of it too. The weather is starting to heat up so we are spending as much time outside as possible before it's unbearable. We've already started turning on the air-conditioners in the house while we're home. Soon they will be running 24-hours a day again.

We still don't know exactly when we leave, but are pretty certain it will be this summer sometime. That only leaves us with a few months left in Bahrain. I still can't believe how much time has passed and how quick it was!

Breathe In............Breathe Out

We had a great time visiting with family and friends when we went home for Christmas vacation. I am officially shorter than yet another pre-teen nephew! Let's see who else I'm shorter than when we move back. It all ended so quickly, though. We are realizing how fast time flies now. We have one foot out of Bahrain and into California! Since returning three weeks ago, we've been slowly checking things off our remaining to-do list here in Bahrain. Two years seemed like such a long time almost two years ago. We figured we'd get to everything eventually. Well, our eventually is here and we need to keep checking things off this list. Now, Bahrain is not known as a place to visit because of its heritage or fabulous tourist attractions. There's nothing exceptional out here. Compared to the UAE it's a step behind. But, still, there are a few things you've got to do if you live here.

We went to the camel farm about two weeks ago. The camel farm is part of the royal family's farm and is open to the public for free. I figured I'd enjoy it, but I have to say that I really, really enjoyed it. Who knew camels were so fun to look at. They were funny, too. It was sad because some were tied up by the ankles. They were just standing there waiting to be fed. That bothered me. Aside from the ridiculous amount of flies and the occasional camel poop, it was great! I think it's my favorite sightseeing event out here so far.

Last week we went to the animal park. I don't have many positive things to say about that place. A tour van drives you around and the guide tells you what you're seeing. First in Arabic then in English. She would just name the animals without giving any sort of background or educational information. We didn't see a variety of animals, I'll tell you that much. We either saw ostriches, gazelles, goats or ducks. We did see a couple of giraffes, a few camels and some tortoises. That's it. It was clean and the animals looked well cared for, so that was nice. I got to hold a falcon, so that was pretty cool. I would not recommend this place to visitors. I think once you've been to real zoos this is pretty much a joke.

Thursday night we went to a cooking class that we signed up for on base. A group of nine of us went. A Lebanese chef and his two assistants prepared Fish Majboos with Dachos Sauce, Raita Dip, and Tunisian Salad. For Dessert we ate something called, Um Ali, which translates to Ali's Mom. Apparently, we were told, Ali's (some random Ali) mother made this dessert for her poor family. It then became famous and is served throughout the middle east. Simply put, it's bread pudding. Anyhow, all the food was delicious. The lesson took place at a local restaurant. We had our own area of the restaurant afterwards to eat what we had just watched being prepared. We will probably go to the next lesson as well. I highly recommend this activity. You can't go wrong when food is involved.

Yesterday, we joined some other Civil Engineer Corps Officers for brunch at the Movenpick Hotel. Friday brunch is a big thing out here and the hotels can be a bit competitive. The cost is about $50-$60 per person. This was our fourth one. We had heard that this was the best brunch in Bahrain and it was on our to-do list. So....check! We try to avoid these brunches, not just because of the price, but also because we eat so much and feel horrible for about a day afterwards. The variety of food is indescribable. It's simply amazing. Our favorite part is being able to hand pick our fresh seafood and ordering how we want it cooked. I think it's safe to say that this was our farewell brunch.

Our favorite weekend activity now is meeting up with some friends and their dogs Saturday morning on base for a doggy play date. One dog is another black Lab and the other two are Labradoodles. We're hoping to have a golden retriever join us starting next weekend. They run around like fools, catching balls and duck toys. The best part for us is that Benny is so wiped out afterwards that he doesn't bug us for most of the rest of the day. When Benny has any free time lately, he's been destroying his toys. The best part is when I yell at him, he wags his tail. He even loves getting attention when he's in trouble! The weather has been really nice lately, so we are taking advantage of every minute of it. Before we know it, we will be boiling again. Not looking forward to that.

Scott's doing well at work. He is busy with his usual stuff. Nothing exciting to report on Scotty.

As for my work........where do I begin?! I am ready to walk away from this wild environment. I am very serious when I say wild. These kids are out of control. It's not only my class, it's pretty much the whole school. I can't put into words the absolute exhaustion I feel each day. Last week I was almost non-functional and was ready to walk into the Principal's office and quit. It's not worth it to me. I spoke to the kids and things started off OK this week. They were fine with me, but were kicked out of PE and suspended from PE next week and eliminated from the basketball tournament coming up....something they love! Then they were so bad in Arabic Language that the teacher had them stand-up the entire period. Finally, six boys were kicked out of their Arabic Social Studies class and received one week of in school suspension. I had to watch them deny doing anything and cry and beg like fools while the school counselor yelled at them as loudly as possible. Boy was I happy I could understand Arabic while watching this comedy show. And it was a comedy show! I stood there with my arms crossed just watching in disbelief. Next week will be a deciding week for me. I won't put up with this cr*p, I just won't! I'm keeping my fingers crossed because I really enjoy teaching the other 26 kids and I love the staff I work with. We shall see.