In the land of Sand

So, 11 months after my last blog finds us living in Bahrain. For those of you who aren't that familiar with the Middle East (like any of us are!), it is an island 14 miles of the coast of eastern Saudi Arabia. And why, pray tell, are we here? That would be the Navy's doing. However, these orders are like winning the lottery as far as we are concerned. Wiley's other choices were taking an IA to Iraq or Afghanistan or going to the boat. This tour was basically the only way for us to stay together as a family and for him to keep flying.

We arrived here on May 6th after 3 long days of travel. Each leg on our journey here was delayed starting with Wichita. The volcanic ash had the navy rotater's backed up in Norfolk (the place was a raving madhouse of people!) and the Greek strike has us stuck in Naples, Italy (our last leg was to Suodo Bay, Greece). We finally made it and we were delirious with jet lag. It was quite comical, actually. Bahrain is 8 hours ahead of what we were used to so needless to say, our sleep habits to a while to adjust. I still can't get used to the 4:30ish sunrise and I've been here a month. We are basically on track and sleeping well (ok, the kids and Wiley are sleeping well). Me.....my sleeping sucks and I may need drugs for it!

Bahrain is pretty cool so far although the heat is bad and we haven't even reached the bad temps yet. Bahrain is the most liberal country in the middle east and so it's not much different from being back in the states. It' a very modern, rich city with lots of old mixed in with the new. Unfortunately, it's too hot to do a lot of sightseeing so that will start up once the temps cool down in the fall. Here is a list of some things I've learned since being here:

*The heat really is THAT bad if you're not acclimated to it.
*Wear shirts that don't show your sweat!
*While many Arab men won't talk to you, they will talk to your kids very sweetly.
*Kids are loved by all here....dont' be surprised if they take your baby from you at restaurants, etc and walk around with her.
*Driving is just stupid here. Surprisingly enough, there seem to be very few wrecks.
*The work week here is Sun - Thurs and Friday is church day.
*Most people here speak English
*Lots of expats and immigrants here. I've met very few people so far that are Bahraini's. Most people I've met are from Phillipines, India and other asian islands.
*It's very much a "nanny" lifestyle here. It costs very little to have nannies and housekeepers so many take advantage of that.
*Muslim men decide what type of covering their wives and daughters will have. Most wear the abayas (robes) and hejabs (hair covering) but there are many that wear the full burka (where just the eyes show).
*Muslim mens headwear depicts where they are from.
*Even though the country is fairly liberal, there are still many internet sites blocked that we cannot access.
*Many shows and movies are "edited." I'm going to go see Sex and the City 2 with friends and am interested to see what they will cut!
*When you buy your ticket at the movie theatre, they assign you a seat.
*The money system here is called Dinar and it is really easy. The Bahraini Dinar is about .267 of the American $ and is directly fixed to the dollar.
*Saudi's and Kuwait's flock to Bahrain on Wed nights (their workweeks are Sat - Wed). Apparently, they come here to party and let loose! All I know is, the island is filled with top of the line cars and very conservative dress on Thursdays and Fridays!
*Friday Brunch at the hotels is the place to be. Alcohol is only served in hotels so eveyone flocks to them on Fridays. I was VERY surprised (and relieved) my first brunch to see what goes on. It was nice to see that we can have drinks with our friends in public!
*EVERYTHING delivers here. You want some McDonalds - have it delivered! Are you out of milk for your kids? Call the cold store and they will deliver it to you! That is a 10 on my list of total awesomeness!

Alright, I have probably rambled on for long enough. I promise to keep this up for my kid's sake more than anything. My own little journal for them......