GDN, you cannot be serious

This in todays Gulf Daily News. I mean seriously, nothing says confidence and stability like a state in chaos, right? I guess you can't blame them for trying to put a positive spin on things!

Emergency 'may revive business confidence'  

MANAMA: The decision to impose a three-month state of emergency in Bahrain could prove a saviour for the country's business and financial community. Leading businessman, economist and Mashal Group chief executive director Dr Yousef Mashal said that after a month of chaos the declaration of a state of emergency will give peace of mind to both local and international investors.

"The state of emergency is the best thing that could have happened at this time after a month of chaos has brought the economy to a standstill.

"It will also bring more safety to banks and will be good in restoring the reputation of Bahrain that has been shaken by recent events.

"Hopefully this will put Bahrain back on the map as an oasis of peace and harmony."

"Businessmen, both locally and internationally will be watching Bahrain with wider eyes in the coming days to see how this decree will be implemented and how it brings back safety to our roads and streets.

"The economy is based on money and investment and for it to work we must have security."

Prior to the state of emergency yesterday one senior commercial property expert, who asked not to be named, said that unless something was done to deal with the unrest businesses and financial institutions would start leaving Bahrain and heading to Dubai.

"Companies operating across the regional markets are reviewing where they should be and Bahrain is close to losing its credibility.

"Most of the international companies here are in offices with short-term leases and they would have no problems in moving to Dubai to run their regional operations.

"The world is risk averse at the moment and if something does not happen soon Bahrain is going to suffer."

The board of Dutch asset management firm, Robeco yesterday announced that it would be moving its people out of Bahrain.

Robeco Middle East chief executive officer Douglas Hansen-Luke said he hoped the government in Bahrain could unite its people and bring to an end the disturbances. "If we can resolve this situation then Bahrain has the prospect of becoming an even more powerful financial hub of the Middle East." business@gdn.com.bh

State of Emergency

Ok, so maybe rumour about 'martial law' was not so ridiculous after all. Things seem to have deteriorated further and the King has called for 'a state of safety', clearly less alarming wording than 'a state of emergency' but we think it's the same, although still trying to figure out what that even means.

M went out to buy some essentials and he said there was lots of panic buying. Lots of friends are flying out of the country, so there is panic travelling too. If their home countries are close by, they are travelling there. Others are flying off to Dubai, just to get away until things calm down a little - there is still a feeling that they will. After three days of staying indoors M took H over to a friend's house for a quick play. He said the roads were clear enough at that point. H is going bonkers staying at home, so she returned refreshed.

3am now - I can't sleep and can hear sounds of activity in the distance and the last few nights have had an eery quality to them. It's been particularly windy for this time of year, so the whistling of the wind up against my window doesn't help. Helicopters are whirring above and I'm wondering what's happening at the Public hospital which is just up the road from us. News reports telling us that there are many injured and even dead.

We are now planning an exit strategy. Tickets booked but do we stay and sit it out or do we go and watch this unfold from somewhere else? (Tickets to Abu Dhabi is booked for Thursday evening - we can have a break and return to make long term plans when things settle down). Honestly, we just don't know where this is going. There are assurances that things will be fine in a couple of days time, but what if they just get worse?

Oh no, here we go again:(

On Sunday morning we awoke to news of more unrest in Bahrain.

A month after protests began, it seems that negotiations between the opposition parties and Government have stalled, in part because the six opposition parties (ranging between soft and hard line reformists) are at odds with each other. After some dialogue, an agreement has not been reached and protesters demands have not been met, so civil disobedience has been amped up a notch... or two, or three.

Last week US Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates visited Bahrain and he advised that baby steps towards reform were not enough to stave off unrest in Bahrain. Clearly, this has turned out to be the case.

Earlier this week, anti-government protesters managed to shut down Bahrain's financial sector. Using their own make-shift blockades (eg, couches, metal railings, bricks and sand dunes) protesters caused chaos on the major freeway and significant disruption to morning traffic. Ten minutes after M dropped H off at school on Sunday morning (Sunday being the start of the working week in Bahrain) we received the following text message from the school:

"The situation has escalated - major traffic jams, teargas and police activity in Manama. Please collect your child ASAP. School is closing."

Needless to say, M rushed back to collect her and bring her back home.

Later that morning, we heard news that the protesters blockades had been challenged by police as rubber bullets and teargas were fired. And then last night rumors of the Saudi army being called in by the rulers were confirmed when a convoy of tanks entering Bahrain were shown on all the news channels. Images of the "Peninsula Shield" coalition force soldiers with big grins, holding rifles and signing victory with their fingers were shown on the Bahrain news channel - an attempt by the State to instill confidence, perhaps? In most people, those images seemed to have struck a chord of fear as all sorts of ridiculous and not so ridiculous rumors have surfaced.

Yesterday a friend of ours sent us a message saying that she had heard that martial law was to be imposed and that the British Embassy had sent out an alert. A quick check on the British Embassy official Facebook page revealed that this was a hoax. According to them, things are not so dire.

Aside from the unpredictability of it all, the most annoying thing about being here is that most of our news is hearsay. There's a lot of information floating around and we have to decide what is reliable. BBC and Al Jazeera are understandably focusing on Japan at the moment and the Bahrain news channel is too one sided to be reliable - refer to para above about scenes of happy soldiers.

I have a lot more to say, but my mind is a little scattered at the moment. We are deciding on a game plan in case things get worse but trying to stay calm. Alert but not alarmed:). It's sad to see this nation coming undone. It's  been our home for almost three years and in our experience, Bahrainis are down to earth, lovely people.

Excerpted below are a couple of paragraphs from an email my friend J sent out yesterday to her friends in Bahrain and abroad. It's good to read her perspective and with her permission, I am sharing it with you:

There is talk on the TV of an introduction of martial law - again no idea if this is accurate as the TV news has been wildly lopsided and inaccurate - and that made me think of why now and why at all - I guess it means you can start to see and treat some of your civilians as a threat to the nation's security and bring in your allies to support a crack down.  There is no doubt that things need to be brought back to order but it seems like a very tough line to take after a month of very little attempt to return things to order.  There has been dialogue but the opposition is not united - and those who want to overthrow the royal family have no interest in a discussion - and so I guess there was a timeframe in mind - it has been almost exactly a month.  I am sure that the terrible news coverage last month left the authorities not knowing how to bring order without attracting similar coverage - it was shocking how one-sided the coverage was and how irresponsible much of it was - and how flat footed the authorities seemed in the face of a tech savvy population communicating amongst themselves.

The strange thing about the last month is that things went back to normal quickly, people accommodated the protests - although it has been a nightmare for local businesses - hotels, restaurants, factories, small newly set up consultancies - and the Pearl roundabout took on the air of a music festival on its third day - people really settled in, a bit jaded but happy - little stalls selling water, shisha tents, paintings, haircuts, protest traffic control in the morning, kids there all day - people really enjoying the camp atmosphere.  A couple of days ago there was an extension - they moved across the freeway and started to block (four tents) the financial harbor and there were some violent clashes and bad tempered exchanges and then yesterday it got very serious, very quickly as you have all seen. 

I am very sad that there will be more violence and at the moment the poorly paid expats from Pakistan and Bangladesh/Bengal seem to be targets for local thugs - and that is really tragic.  The tradition here for people to be welcomed and to work their socks off for very little money, sometimes in terrible working conditions in order to support their families back home has enabled Bahrain to be built - for people to resent this now, to see these poor people as somehow taking jobs they don't want away from them is tragic and is as inhuman as the exploitation was to start with.  I know exploitation and resentment happens all over the world, including the UK - but it is so stark and visible here - and I know a lot of these guys personally and really respect how they work and am in awe of their capacity to earn so little and to be able to support others as a matter of course.

I am also very sad for my Bahraini friends - they are rightly known for being friendly, down to earth, enterprising and are fiercely proud of Bahrain - I understand that family members have really fallen out across sectarian lines and many friendships will take a long time to heal - hearts have hardened and that is always sad.  This is not a sectarian fight but is one of equality of opportunity - and reforming from the position of privilege must be possible - and I am optimistic (possibly naive) that the Crown Prince wants to do this - as he can't fulfill his purpose without doing this - but I am not sure he will get the support to do this quickly enough.

Fresh food people

As a child, one of my favourite pastimes when visiting my grandparents in Pakistan was shopping. Of course, I loved shopping for the obvious 'girly' reasons - new clothes, new shoes, new jewellery... but apart from that, I loved to go grocery shopping too. Being used to mundane supermarket shopping in Australia, my five senses were utilized to their full potential in the markets of Karachi. At the utility store, my grandmother would buy all her spices, pulses and grains in bulk and speak to me about their different qualities and uses. And, at the markets, I would listen to my grandfather explain the difference between the dozen varieties of mangoes that were on offer (I have already written at length about my family's fascination with mangoes). We would smell our way through the market stalls before we decided on that one, premium, aromatic crate.

But, my market experiences weren't all good. Buying meat was one kind of shopping that I did my best to avoid. In those days, chickens would be slaughtered at roadside stalls and the task of selecting one chicken, to be plucked, skinned and beheaded right before my very eyes would render me almost unconscious. It would get worse when the chopped chicken would be handed over in a bag, still warm from its final heart beat. The very process revolted me. I could not touch that night's chicken biryani let alone any meat for weeks afterwards.

Those childhood memories have been flooding back to me these days. Whilst I usually shop for produce at the supermarket in Bahrain, when it's a pleasant 25oC outside, I cannot resist getting out and about to the various roadside fruit and vegetable stalls around our neighbourhood. Most of the fruit and veg stalls stock run of the mill varieties of carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes and apples but then they also have exotic vegetables in stock, some of which I don't even recognise let alone know how to cook.

And then there is the fisherman's stall that takes me back to those quease-inducing meat shopping days. M is a fan of fish, but only if it is fresh (me, not so much). He is convinced that this stall is as fresh as we can get (and even I have to admit that it's good). The fisherman turns up at the same spot every day with his many catches of the day, stored in a row of Eskies. Once you make a selection from a variety of local fish, you stand and wait whilst the fish is cleaned/gutted/de-boned/filleted to your liking. The stall is by no means hygienic looking and when you hand your cash over and wait for your change, you're not sure you really want it as the shopkeeper passes you a fishy five hundred fils note. You then bring the fish home and hope that cooking it at a high temperature will eradicate any possibility of food poisoning. I can happily report that there haven't been any issues to date.

Below, the fish filleter doing his thing:

Below, a basket of crabs at the fish stall.

   

Lulu update

Lulu is the Arabic word for Pearl, so the Pearl roundabout it also known as the "Lulu roundabout".

In Arabic culture (and I suppose in every other culture as well) a pearl signifies something very precious. I guess it could also be seen as a symbol for those that have been camped at the roundabout (for two weeks now) for what they view as a 'precious' cause. I drove past again yesterday and there is still plenty of action and folks are well and truly settled in what the Government is regarding as a shanty town. There seems to be something of a stalemate with their negotiations, as neither the protesters nor the Government look as though they are going to compromise, although there have been some developments with the appointment of a couple of new Government Ministers.

A friend of mine who lives in a building only metres away from the Pearl has had to temporarily relocate, not because she is concerned about her safety, but because of all the noise; loudspeakers, lights, cameras and mics all over the place.

Another pic from my drive-by yesterday:

@ Pearl

Everyone's been talking about Pearl roundabout - this is where the protests began and where they remain. It is now an amazingly organized sit-in, as people have set up tents, food stalls have sprung up and the rather large roundabout which usually takes us towards the major shopping centres now resembles a carnival.

In an average week, I pass by this place at least twice, to attend various children's activities or to get to the shopping malls. Since the protests began, I hadn't ventured out that way. A couple of my friends had visited Bahrain's 'Tahrir square' over the last week out of curiosity more than anything and they told me that it was quite amazing. I couldn't imagine the transformation of this ordinary, run-of-the-mill intersection to a vibrant hive of political activity, so I decided that I had to see it with my very own eyes.

I ventured out this morning for a quick drive-by, I was amazed. People are peaceful. Pots of tea were being boiled on a makeshift gas stove, food was being cooked on one side whilst a man handed out flyers and bottles of water on another. Blasting out of a louspeaker was a woman's voice, making what I could only guess to be an impassioned speech about the cause. Traffic was running better than it ordinarily does as protesters took turns to assist with directing vehicles. I can now almost picture what Egypt's Tahrir square must have been like.

We've received notification from the British Embassy that another demonstration is scheduled for this afternoon and will go from the Pearl roundabout towards the Grand mosque. I'm not sure what the weekend ahead has in store. Hopefully resolution is on the way.

I took a couple of pics from my car, not particularly impressive photography, but worth sharing.

The Pearl that you see in the background of this pic is at the centre of the roundabout. Tents have been put up all around it:

The pic below is of a tea stall - there are photographs hanging in front of it, I think of people who died in earlier clashes:

This website and specifically, the article on Bahrain is worth a look:
Middle East Report

Perspectives

Emotions are flying in the Middle East but it was business as usual in Bahrain. M went back to work, H went back to school. I was in two minds about sending her, not convinced that things had calmed down for good. But, after being cooped up in the house and in our compound for almost a week, we thought it might be good for her to get a bit of routine back. I told myself that if I got nervous, I would go and pick her up early but I managed to get through the morning without worrying about it.

Then last night, there was a huge pro-Government rally outside the largest place of worship in Bahrain, the Grand Mosque (Al Fateh Mosque - named after Ahmed Al-Fateh, the conqueror of Bahrain - ironic?). Today's Gulf Daily News (pro-Government newspaper) reports that there were 300,000 people there. I'm skeptical as that's about half the local population, but let's assume there were. Surprisingly, no international news coverage, nothing reported on CNN, BBC and Al Jazeera (no surprises that Libya was the main story there). I'm guessing pro-Government rallies are not as interesting as demonstrations that call for the Government to be overthrown?? Bahrain TV did report, but their coverge was like something out of the seventies, really grainy and sometimes black and white, with background music that sounded so much like the title song from 'I Dream of Genie', that I wouldn't have been surprised if Barbara Eden had popped out onto the screen.

Then today the school requested that we collect our kids earlier than usual and now we hear that the Anti-Government protests are going strong this afternoon and will be even more fervent tonight, as a prominent Shiite leader is set to return from self-imposed exile after it was decided by the ruling Monarchy that a long running terrorism case against him would be closed. I reckon Hell hath no fury like an exiled political leader returned, so I'm pretty certain that there's more noise to come.

But whatever happens, it does at least seem that the Monarchy is engaging with the protesters and dialogue has been opened. Whether the discussions go anywhere is anyone's guess. Protesters are apparently suspicious about any offers of reform as promises have been made in the past and few have come good.

A week of demonstrations comes at an economic cost too. The Bahrain Grand Prix scheduled for early March has been cancelled. I'm sure the Australian Grand Prix organisers are saying 'cha-ching' - Bahrain's loss is their gain as Melbourne Grand Prix will now be opening the F1 2011 season.

The Bahraini Royals seem to be in damage control. I was impressed by the interview given by the Crown Prince to CNN. He came across as sincere and ariculate. I've posted it below:

There are a number from both sides of the political spectrum who are saying that it's not about sectarianism. It's about everyone being just 'Bahraini' - nothing more, nothing less. Reminds me of an (ongoing) recently re-ignited debate in Australia about multiculturalism and the fact that it's important to celebrate differences, but in the end, to be united under one national banner.

Please note - I'm not taking sides on this political issue. This is not an issue that concerns me or any other expat. This is an issue for the Bahraini people. I am merely providing commentary as an expat, about what I see and hear, and piecing it all together for all at home.

Below, a picture of a rally on the main highway near Pearl roundabout, 22 February (this photograph was taken by a friend):

Unrest

Temperatures are rising in Bahrain. Not just outside, but inside people's hearts and minds too.

On Valentines Day, love was far from people's minds as a group of anti-government protesters set up camp at Bahrain's most prominent landmark and biggest intersection, Pearl roundabout. A fortnight before they took place, there were rumours that they would, but nobody took them seriously, "As if anything would happen in Bahrain" some said, and "Bahrain doesn't have the numbers for Tahrir square."

But something did happen, pitting Bahraini against Bahraini protests have impassioned the Nation, attracted international news coveragae and have caused us expatriates to feel somewhat unsettled about the long term stability of this country.

To explain the nature of the protests in basic terms: Bahrain has a population of 1 million, just over half are Bahraini citizens, the remainder are expats, like us, living and working Bahrain. Out of those Bahraini citizens 70% are Shiite Muslims but the ruling Party are Sunni Muslims and Bahrain being a Kingdom, the Monarchy (Khalifas) are Sunni too. At the heart of the uprising is the Shiite/Sunni divide. The Shiite citizens feel that they are marginilized and that they do not enjoy as many rights as the Sunni citizens (ie, they are under-represented in Parliament). By and large, it would be true to say that they do not enjoy a strong socio economic position. The grievances in Bahrain are very different to those that anti-government demonstraters in Egypt were protesting about. Yes, perhaps protesters here were inspired by their fellow Arabs, but it would be wrong to compare them. It would also be wrong to compare Bahrain to any of its other neighbours, this Island is not as rich as others in the Gulf. Long ago it was a wealthy outpost for pearling and fishing, its economy has now shifted to oil (which it doesn't have much of) banking and construction.

The two Islamic sects have had little difficulty co-existing and I would say that the community here is generally stable and peaceful. Of course, there have been incidents in the past, particularly in the 90s. More recently, small-scale anti-government protests have gone under the radar, barely rating a mention in the daily newspapers. To the US as well, Bahrain is a strategic military base and has been a model of stability and reform (because of the referendum that was held in 2002 regarding changes to the Constitution). It has been put forward as an example for other Arab nations.

So this civil discontent comes as a surprise - to everyone. The protesters are disillusioned enough with the regime to demand change, more rights, effective representation and some have risked (and lost) their lives in the process.

Bahrain has been in a state of unrest for four days now. At first we thought it would last a day or two, but now we are not sure how or when things will get better. Over the last couple of days we stepped out to our local shops and ran a few errands, we felt safe but there was a sense of urgency in the air as everyone seemed to be stocking up on essentials, supermarket shelves were near empty. H is on mid-term break at the moment, so she has been home and has no clue about what's going on. We are hearing helicopters flying above and this evening my heart jumped when I heard gunshots. I've never heard a gunshot in my life but I knew one when I heard one. One shot was followed by three or four more. Scary.

Funerals are taking place, the wounded are being taken to a public hospital that is pretty much up the road from us. Many are camped outside the hospital to make sure that the wounded and casualties are treated. Doctors are not able to keep up with treating the wounded, Al Jazeera News reports as I type this. Meanwhile we're burrowed up at home, baby with an ear infection suddenly doesn't sound so bad.

Hopefully I've made sense, typed this quickly. Signing off from Bahrain with a heavy heart tonight. Hoping that things will improve, sooner rather than later.

The rain in Bahrain falls mainly on the plain

Whilst the floods in Australia wreaked havoc, we had a few puddles (fortunately, not floods) of our own to contend with here in Bahrain.

After a deluge, chaos often ensues on the Island. Last time round, school was cancelled as a result of minor storm damage. This time I didn't hear of any major after effects - although there was this pool in the school car park, giving the Arabian Gulf a run for its money:

Because it's not everyday that it pours in Bahrain, for me, two days of rain is a welcome change from endless sunshine...just listen to me, a welcome change from endless sunshine!? (I wonder if people in the Middle East suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder in the Summer?)

I know that rain, drizzle, wind, mud and sludge are strange things to be happy about, but putting on a pair of galoshes brings with it its own kind of joy. Not that we even own a pair of galoshes... I'm just saying... nothing says winter like jumping in a big puddle. Well that's what H thinks anyway.

Then there's H's friend S - she 'celebrated' the wet weather by sailing origami boats in her puddle, props to her mum JS for this awesome pic:

Back to sunshine tomorrow...

St Kilda Esplanade...with a squint

Just returned from our trip to Melbourne where our new baby girl made her debut. Great seeing family and friends and spending an extended period of time at my parents place with the girls. Nothing compares to quality time with loved ones.

It was hard coming back, the first day I was a bit teary, but then I took some inspiration from H. She just picked up where she left off, excited about sleeping in her own room, starting back at kindergarten, playing with her OWN toys in her OWN house... a few weeks of SHARING someone else's toys is like being subjected to extreme torture and punishment for a four year old. I asked her yesterday if she wanted to go back to Melbourne, "No" she replied with more certainty in her voice than I've ever heard..."I don't NEED Melbourne right now" - well I guess that answers that!!

It made me think about what a four year old needs. I always feel bad about depriving H (and now A) of her (their) extended family (especially grandparents and cousins) and depriving her of all that Australia has to offer (all year round) and Bahrain does not - acres of green grass, trees to climb, a million varieties of flowers to plant and pick, the zoo, farms, beaches, picnics and BBQs in Summer/Winter. That's what I want her to be enjoying in her free time, not staying indoors to watch Dora the Explorer because it's too hot to play outside in 50 degrees centigrade.

But when I have all of that in mind for H, all she want for herself is her mum, dad, sister and her home. Bahrain is H's home. This is the only 'real' home she knows, since she was only twenty months old when we moved here. So I remind myself that she is happy and more than satisfied with what she has and that is the MOST important thing (maybe that's because she doesn't know any better - oblivion does play a role in creating happiness and keeping one happy).

So when I went off to the beach with A for a walk this morning (a private one that we pay an exorbitant amount of money to enjoy because there is no decent 'public' beach... ok, not going there...that's not important...especially as the point that this ungrateful wretch is trying to make is that one should count one's blessings) I thought about how lovely it was to be in Bahrain at this time of year, enjoying the superb weather (December to March is perfect - currently a gorgeous 22oC outside) time with family and the company of friends...all in all, life's not so bad.

And, if  I pretend or maybe squint (as V pointed out:)), I can imagine I am in Melbourne... Maybe... is that the St Kilda Esplanade I see?

Thanks for the inspiration V.

Bahrain elections 2010

Last weekend was election weekend in Bahrain. This was the third election ever to be held in Bahrain's recent history. The first election held in Bahrain post-1975 was in 2002 and that was when women first gained the right to vote and stand for election. Those elections came about as a result of democratic reforms introduced by the current King, King Hamad. It's nice to know that there is an inclination for the rulers and people of Bahrain towards embracing democratic values.

Being slightly lazy these days with my writing.. For now, I will let this article explain how election day went:

Bahrain elections

Bahrain baby

I have a good excuse for being MIA... I was having a baby. We are now proud parents to another gorgeous little girl.

My birth experience in Bahrain was quite different to my first experience in Melbourne, I mean in terms of medical and hospital care (although both times, babies arrived slightly early by way of emergency ceasarian). In Melbourne, I had my own obstetrician and went through the private system - but the private system in Bahrain is really something else.

48-hours post ceasarian at the  Bahrain Specialist Hospital (BSH), I was advised not to attempt any physical acitivty and had a midwife dedicated only to my care (stark contrast to my first experience, where I was expected to get moving the very night I was operated on). At the maternity ward of the BSH, I also had nursery staff to help care for my baby during the entire duration of my stay (in the private hospital I delivered at in Melbourne, the nursery was virtually non-existent and was opened only to help care for special needs babies - fair enough, but we thought we were paying for that service when we booked).

The post natal approach in Australia and in the west generally is that the mother should bond with the baby from day one. I agree with this approach and my expectation was to get to know my baby from day one. And this expectation was met - the baby and I did get our one on one time and I nursed the baby from the start, but, something must be said for giving mothers adequate time to recover and feel physically confident and mentally prepared before leaving hospital with their new bundle.

Don't get me wrong, some of the midwives who were with me during my first delivery in Melbourne were generally helpful. But, for them, the focus seemed to be on getting me confident with the baby rather than confident with my mental and physical health. That's just my observation - but I'm sure lots of other people would have had lots of different experiences. I guess I only have one experience to compare my Bahrain delivery to

Also, even though I choose to breastfeed, my view is that not enough focus is put on 'choice' in Australian hospitals. Back home, a couple of mums I knew who chose not to nurse or could not do so for health reasons said that their midwives made them feel guilty about their choice or pressured them to continue trying when they chose to stop. Everyone knows breast is best, but what a parent chooses, after considering what suits their lifestyle, is surely up to them? In Bahrain, there was no push for breastfeeding - and there was no push not to breastfeed. I was spared any lectures and the question was simply put to me - what would I prefer to do? I told the midwives and they helped me establish my feeding.

So at the end of the day, although we did miss our extended family, the delivery experience in Bahrain was a satisfactory one. I enjoyed my sea view room, ordering a la carte meals and watching satellitle TV... wasI there to deliver a baby or on a five star vacation? I forget which?

Most of all I was happy with the end result...bless:

Sheesha

Driving through one of the side streets late one Thursday afternoon a couple of weeks ago in an area that is mainly populated by locals, I noticed a row of lovely (but quite run down) traditional little townhouses and outside, on the terrace of one of these dwellings was a group of abaya (cloak) clad women sitting down in a circle, smoking "sheesha", drinking cups of Arabic coffee (khaiwa) and looking like they were having a ball.

Watching from afar, I looked onto this little congregation only for a few seconds - I was driving past, so I couldn't stop, but I was tempted to take a spin down that block again, just to get another glimpse of that charming site. In the absence of a camera, I wanted to preseve the scene in my mind.

Weeks later, I am still thinking about that scene. What secret women's business were they talking about, I wonder? (Surely not the complete works of Jane Austen!) And, how long have they have been meeting over 'sheesha'? Perhaps they meet every Thursday? (I don't even know, as I haven't since had the chance to drive down that road late on a Thursday afternoon).

So, some may be wondering - what is sheesha? It's a smoking device that is widely used in the Middle East (in the Sub-continent, it is also widely used and known as the 'Hookah') and it seems to cross the generation and gender gap in the Middle East. You have our charming little women's club puffing away, you get groups of older Bahraini men smoking it and then it's very popular amongst the 20-something set too. But it's not just 'smoking' - I read somewhere that whereas cigarettes are just 'fast food', sheesha is the 'cordon bleu' of smoking - not that that's any kind of honour - it is smoking after all and can probably kill you just as fast, if not faster than your traditional cigarette.

There are particular cafes that are devoted to sheesha here in Bahrain (and its partner in crime, caffeine). It can be ordered at a cafe along with a tea or coffee and it will be delivered to your table by a waiter who sets the pipe up next to you with a pile of hot, golden, glowing charcoal. To add to the attraction, it comes in different flavours too - like apple, grape and mango. The aroma of it is strong, but it grows on you. It's certainly one of those smells that I'll always associate with the Middle East. The contraption is quite interesting looking too and can be quite decorative.

Mango man MIA

It's hot now... too hot.

But Summer does bear some good news - it's mango season again! Only problem is that my mango man is missing in action. I tried dialling his digits the other day and got a recorded message: "the number you are dialling is not accessible at this time..."

Relating this back to my previous post about a transient expat population... even the fruit wallas come and go! Oh well MM, '09 was our summer, but I must move on.

Hmmmm, now on the look-out for a new produce dealer...

Moving on...

It's not us moving on... no, we're not heading home just yet.

When you're an expat, life can be transient. You meet people, you like them, you get close and just when you think it's all clicked, they up and leave:(

The reality of expat life is that someone is always moving on.

We are about to say farewell to our neighbours. They arrived in Bahrain at the same time as us, our toddlers grew into little pre-schoolers together and our families have become good friends over the last two years. Exciting for them, they are heading off to experience a new lifestyle and new adventures in Africa, sad for us though, because we will miss them.

Our children have been each other's little companions and have spent a lot of time together. It's got me wondering about how H will feel when her little friend leaves. At the moment, he features prominently in her conversations. It's kind of sad to think that as the days go by and she gets busy with other acitivies and new friends, she may not even remember him at all. Children are resilient and adaptable. I guess I don't remember too many friends of mine from when I was three or four and it hasn't affected me too much. Maybe it's just a part of growing up. That first small experience of loss that every little kid has to go through.

Hmm...perhaps a slightly dull and depressing entry on my part... but it's just something that's on my mind.

Here are another expat's thoughts on how life can be transient when you're living abroad:

WRS Expat Life: Moving on

Grand Prix - March 2010

I have never been to the Melbourne Grand Prix and have never had the inclination to attend... just not a fan of fast cars and noise... that's just me....I know plenty of people are.

Even so, it clearly is a subconscious prerequisite for me to live in a city where a GP is held! First Melbourne, then Bahrain... (Does this mean that I will be moving to Malaysia or Brazil next??) As I understand it, the first GP of the year is traditionally held in Melbourne. Bahrain hosts the third race of the year. For whatever reason, Melbourne is hosting the second GP of this year and Bahrain staged the opening race of the 2010 season.

All the big names in racing were out here at the Bahrain Circuit which is located at Sakhir, a desert area just on the outskirts of Manama. Compared to Melbourne or Monaco, the event is pretty tame...for eg, there are no grid girls around to distract the (male) spectators!

If you have followed the news, you would know that this year Fernando Alonso won for Ferrari...but you might not know that when he won, instead of spraying the traditional champagne on the podium, he sprayed an Arabic, non-alcoholic rosewater called "Waard." How's that for Trivia?

Anyway - I didn't attend, but my friend J did and she has kindly allowed me to share a couple of her snaps from the event. Thanks J!

Who's the Boss?

Growing up, I would go on holidays to the Subcontinent and I was used to seeing cooks, cleaners and gardeners at my relatives' homes. My other reference point for home-help was Tony Danza from the 80s series, 'Who's the Boss?' ... how amused were we, trying to work out who had the upper hand, Tony or Angela?... And then who could forget the 'Amelia Bedelia' series of children's books... Amelia was a maid who always seemed to get directions wrong or confused, with comical consquences. At the age of seven, I found her hilarious.

I have a maid. There I said it. Don’t misunderstand me, I’m not rich and nor am I famous. This is life in the Middle East and it’s less common not to have home help than to have it (in some capacity, part-time, full-time, live-in). I have someone around who helps out with the cooking, sweeps, mops and generally cleans up after us. She even babysits occasionally. This sounds great - but funnily enough, Tony and Angela were not off the mark about leadership tussels and we certainly have had a few comical moments with Mala (our maid).

Mala is a school teacher from India who moved to the Middle East almost 12 years ago, after she separated from her husband. As a single mother, she needed to make a living, so she left a two year old daughter behind with her mother and sister and because teaching wasn’t the most lucrative profession for her back home, she decided to find her fortunes abroad. Unfortunately, housekeeping was the only work available to her – and working as a housemaid in the Middle East paid better than any of the teaching jobs she was eligible for in her home-city Bangalore.

Before our family, Mala worked with a local family, then she worked for four years with an expatriate family. She came to us with great references and her previous employers assured us that she was honest and reliable. I remember the day she came to work for us – it was a couple of days before her previous employers were to leave Bahrain. She was in tears because she had become a part of that family and didn’t know how she would be accepted into ours. But as time passed, she got used to us, we got used to her and she has become a part of our daily life in Bahrain.

Mala has been working for us full time for about a year and a half now and although we get along, the transition has not been without its difficulties. I’m not complaining, because we are lucky to have a reliable person like her around – it’s especially a huge help as M works full time and I work part time. But, people are people after all and it takes time for you to get used to the way someone else does things or for someone else to get used to the way you do things. Her previous employers, though praising Mala’s good qualities, did warn us of one thing – that she cries at the drop of a hat. We’ve noticed.

Coming from Australia, I am used to an egalitarian way of thinking and rather than treating her as an employee, I started off by treating Mala as a pal. She wanted to call me ‘Madam’ and M ‘Sir’ as all the maids do in Bahrain. I told her I wasn’t comfortable with that (but do you think she listened?). I wanted to give her the freedom to do things as she pleased at our place because I felt bad for her and the fact that she really has never enjoyed freedom.

But, I had to draw the line when I saw her do ridiculous things like iron our socks and undies, cover our shelves and counters with tacky plastic tablecloths and machine wash our clothes on a 1.5 hour cycle. I soon realised that this wouldn't work for me. I didn’t want her to make decisions for me - even the very mundane ones like deciding what my family was having for dinner, deciding what groceries we needed and being responsible for buying them and being aware of what was going into my daughter’s snack box. When it comes to your family, you don’t want to give up control of certain things. That’s when I realized, whether I liked it or not, I would have to become a ‘madam’and start dishing out orders to get things done the way I wanted them done (in the nicest possible way).

So even though I am not used to being particulalry assetive, I try to tell her the way I like things done and I tell her that there are some things that I just want to do myself. I let her do things her way too – but if it means a lot to me, I say something. The problem is that sometimes, when I say something about her way, she looks like a wounded deer for the following twenty-four hours. A few months ago, I would have let things go. Now, I have realised that I can't feel uncomfortable or walk on egg shells in my own home. I have to do things the way I want them done.

Lately, I've spent an extended period at home and have had to take some time off work. This hasn't helped my relationship with Mala. I feel as though we have been getting in each other's hair. It got to the point where she voiced her grievances with me and we had to have a chat about it. Things did not go 'Who's the Boss?' style and our issues were not resolved within a half hour time slot... but we worked things out, eventually, after a couple of days. So having a helping hand is not in reality a stress-free dream situation. There is an extra person to please, to worry about, to care and look-out for.

But at the end of the day, I do appreciate her and recognise that she provides me with a service and luxury that I could never afford in Australia. Mala is just an example of the many blue collar workers who come to the Middle East to make their living. Her story is unfortunately not unique. Mala has missed out on watching her own daughter grow up. Though she is happy with the job that her mother and sister are doing with her daughter and she travels back to see her family for a couple of weeks once every year, she says she feels she’s not quite a part of that family anymore because they seem to have their own closeness and their own routines that she’s not part of. I guess that might be the case after an absence of 12 years. What is perhaps the most sensitive point for her is that her daughter calls her sister ‘mum.’

Mala talks fondly about the children she’s looked after over the years and shares a good relationship with my daughter who trusts her as a carer and friend. Even so, I don’t think this replaces what she has missed out on with her own daughter. She hopes that her daughter will one day appreciate the hard work she has done to give her a good life. I hope so too.

At the movies

My little girl went to the movies a couple of weeks ago. There is nothing remarkable about this, except that it was her very first visit to the cinema:). Perhaps her parents were a little more excited by this than she was. All expectant and nervous were we... will she be scared of the life sized television set? Will she sit through the entire film without wanting to go to the toilet? Will there be any scary bits that we will have to counsel her through? We ended up selecting something right up her alley (but perhaps not ours). The Disney cartoon, "The Princess and the Frog" was the right choice and particularly suitable for a three year old little girl who is, these days, obsessed by princesses and fairies.

Our expectations were exceeded. She sat through the entire 90 minutes quite patiently, gobbling and gulping down her popcorn and juice (thankfully cinema kiosk food in Bahrain is not exorbitantly priced) and although she did get a little antsy a third of the way through when the story-line wasn't going quite as she'd hoped - she persevered and held her attention span till the end (having said that - she did better than her parents - dad was constantly fiddling with his blackberry and mum was fighting off a bad headache which wasn't helped by all the overly-cheerful musical numbers)

There are several comfortable and modern movie theatres around Bahrain and we visited the one that has recently opened up at Bahrain newest shopping complex. Going to the movies here feels just like it does back home, except that as well as English language films there is a choice of Arabic, Hindi, Tamil and Malayalam. It's quite the hangout for teenagers looking for entertainment on the weekends, young couples (and maybe young men and women looking to become couples) and families. There's usually a variety of choice in terms of what you can watch. Lots of Saudis who visit Bahrain over the weekend like going to the movies here too... especially as there are no movie theatres in Saudi Arabia. Unfortunately, not everything gets released here. Sure, the big blockbusters all make it but not small, independent films. This can be disappointing. Sometimes you'll be hanging out to watch a movie, only to find out that it's not going to be released in Bahrain. Lots of flicks go straight to dvd. Take a look at this site to get an idea of what's on offer at the movies: http://www.bahraincinema.com/.

....By the way, we did end up having to counsel a little on this creepy looking character from the film (the Shadow man)...thankfully, there haven't been any nightmares...

Sightseeing in Jordan

No post for weeks and then two in one day!!

In my previous post, I mentioned that we visited Jordan. A couple of the places we visited there; Mount Nebo and the Baptism site of the Jesus. According to Jews and Christians, Mount Nebo is where Moses was buried but whether the current site is the actual Mount Nebo that these faiths refer to remains a source of debate for scholars. Whatever the case, the view from the look-out point at Mt Nebo was amazing:

The Baptism site of Jesus we visited is considered by all major Christian traditions as being the authentic site where Jesus was baptised:

A short walk from the Baptism site is the Jordan river that divides the East Bank (Jordan's name until 1921) and the West Bank.

Then there's also "Lot's wife" - I'm not talking about the Monash Uni student rag...

In Christianity, Jusaism and Islam, Lot is recognised as the nephew of Abraham. In Islam he is recognised as a prophet. In the Bible (the Book of Genesis) there is a story of  Lot's wife turning into a pillar of salt. Some believe this geological formation overlooking the Dead Sea to be Lot's wife:

But, a more popular theory is that the so-called Lot's wife is located at Mount Sodom in Israel.

...And that was sightseeing in Jordan 101:)

A glimpse of Petra

It's been a long time between posts.

The last couple of weeks were hectic as we made a short trip to Oz for a wedding and then returned to Bahrain via Thailand and Jordan. We got back to Bahrain a couple of nights ago and it's nice and cool now, there's a definite chill in the air and it's been raining too...the warm, balmy nights of just a couple of months ago seem like a distant memory.

In Bahrain, just a few raindrops can cause chaos on the roads and even minor flooding (the roads here weren't really built for wet conditions) so when a friend told us (just before we got back) that there was "lots of rain" - we were skeptical. It turns out the rain did wreak some havoc as we returned home to find our phone/internet and television out of order. Luckily, in Bahrain - tradesmen don't make you wait -even on weekends (clearly, there is a surplus of labour in the country - we're not complaining). So it's all fixed and we're back in business.

Anyway, getting back to our sightseeing - Petra in Jordan was definitely a highlight. Getting there was a bit of a disaster - it's a 3.5 hour car trip from the Dead Sea (where we stayed) - and we chose to take the scenic route up to Mt Hor (where Petra is located), which didn't really agree with poor H's tummy. So a couple of vomits later, we made it there to see this amazing site:

Also knows as the Rose City (because of its colour) or the Lost City (as it was unknown to the Western world until 1812), Petra was once home to the Nabatean people and provided a centre for their caravan trade around 100BC. My understanding is that Petra is also referred to in the Qur'an in Sura Al-Fajr where it is called "Thamud".

People say it usually takes up to 4-5 days to explore all of Petra - we were there just 4 hours!

Just a glimpse of our snaps...

Holiday's over - back to real life!