Skipping Across Reflections Today

The Great Escape: Bahrain

This four day weekend created a ghost town effect on the compound. Most people took off to Bahrain; some Muslims went to Mecca; others ventured to Dhahran to party; we stuck it out and vegged around here all day. Barely two hours southeast of us, lies the tiny island of Bahrain. You take a 12 mile causeway that towers over the Arabian Sea to get there. Once inside, you can indulge in the Western tradition: movies, booze, bacon, prostitution, etc...

We have exit visas and plan to make it there soon to check things out. We hear it is pricey and overrated, but anything to alleviate the waves of boredom we intermittently experience will help.

Nothing to Call Our Own

The house is nude. We thought our shipment would arrive this week; however, customs has not released it yet. Men with longs beards and thick mustaches are digging through the 8,000 pounds of our cargo that arrived a week ago at the port of Damman. They will, inshallah, be done soon and leave everything intact. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee all of our possessions will arrive. Anything with depictions of animals or people could be confiscated; same goes for games of chance (chess, checkers, Monopoly, etc); movies with any skin are yanked too, and then they fine you (100 bucks) for it. The general consensus around here is"it just depends who the supervising officer is". If the guy is more prone to secular tendencies, your goods are spared. At this point, we could care less if we lose a painting or two -We just want to take make this place feel more like home.

Whimpering Revolution

Google news alerts are a good way of keeping current with Saudi/Middle East affairs. A recent news article shows you how slow things are going here in terms of social change. I liked the article because it revealed a glimpse into the complex power structure of the Royal Family. Locals make snide comments about the family, but so far none of them have really given me their elaborate opinions.

Tis the Season

Ramadan continues and it becomes clearer how special of a holiday it is to Muslims. To deeply understand Ramadan, you need to use your own Western navigational marks for guidance. For instance, it reminds me of Christmas in the States. You know, people get a bit nicer to each other and wind down their busy schedules. Another striking thing you see during these times is the praying on a rug towards Mecca. It is a beautiful sight to behold when the sun is setting and entire families sprawl out on lawns to pray, going from downward dog poses to full standing Tai Chi positions.

In a effort to understand Islam further, I requested an English version of the Qur'an -Did you know they are illegal in this country because Muhammad said his words should only be transcribed in Arabic? We also got a History Channel video on the subject of Islam.

Millions of Words

We've digested numerous magazines and books since we've been here. Consequently, we've read nearly all the magazines in our local library. Luckily, they will order any subscription you desire. Not having Netflix or TV helps keep the pages turning. Reina finished Name of the Rose and is starting Bird Without Wings; I am finishing Poisonwood Bible and started The Road by McCarthy. For those of you that love to keep ahead of the tech curve, I highly recommend WIRED magazine. Claudia has even become a voracious reader as well. Often, she plunks right down next to us and reads her favorite books: She recommends Five Silly Monkeys and Itsy Bitsy Spider.

Coffee

A good cup of coffee is as elusive as good vino here. For some reason, most cups are tainted with the taste of cardamom or disinfectant. A few times we've found semi descent beans, but they were ground in a grinder that had been used for herbs -Imagine NyQuil crossed with coffee! For a while, we had two bags of Starbucks coffee ground at Starbucks, but now we're out and have to go 1 hour south to reload -And let's be honest -Starbucks is not the best coffee when it comes to a good cup of joe. It pales next to Peat's or other Pacific NW labels that produce thick tar-like blends. In Portland, Brooks introduced me to the best coffee I've ever tasted and I would give my right pinky's fingernail for a cup. We also miss the Trader Joe's varieties of coffees that help lift the mental morning fogs. Nescafe will have to be the prevailing wind till we figure out a better method of caffeinating.