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.
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 abou
t 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.
t 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 nigh
t 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.
t 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.
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 week
end 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.
end 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.
