Settling In

Hey guys! So sorry for the late post but I’ve just been crazy busy with moving in and getting ready for school! It took me about 16 hours travelling to get from Omaha, NE to Manama, Bahrain. Let me tell you, it was not much fun but it was so worth it! Throughout two parts of the trip I found a few people that I was going to teach with so it was nice to know that I wasn’t the only one stressing about some things and not about others. I got to Manama last Monday night and had to wait in the airport for a while before I got my visa and by the time we got to the apartments, it was way past my time for bed (local time).

Our first week was spent doing a short tour of the school, visiting a few discount stores, going to the mall (for SIM cards in the phones and apartment supplies), getting a currency exchange, visited the Grand Mosque, going to see King’s Camels and seeing American Alley while visiting with fellow teachers alums and new. I will say that out of all of these, the ones that are the most interesting were the camels, mosque, American Alley and the school. King’s Camels, from what I’ve heard, is basically a giant shelter-farm thing of a bunch of camels that belong to the Prime Minister. I am unsure he got so many but I think I heard he was given some as gifts from visiting politicians or friends and some I’m sure he got or bred himself. Just so you know, camels here only have one hump ;)

The Grand Mosque was so different from anything I’ve ever seen before and was so symbolic of the Islamic religion. We were told all about the Islamic beliefs and why everything is the way it is, like the actions, colors, decorations, etc. When walking in, we already knew that we would have to cover up in respect of the religion and the Muslims. There were 2-3 sections of the mosque and can hold about 5000 people in one section. One part was a sort of outdoor area that is empty except for when they have their mass on Fridays.
The other, much larger section where we spent most of the time at was the main part where they hold daily mass and daily prayer services. This is where he explained to us the three main parts, or motions, of their prayer. He also explained a few story differences between the Christian and Muslim religions from the Bible. We were there for the Call to Prayer-which happens 5 times a day and when about 100 Muslims came in to pray. Basically, everything that the Muslim religion stands for and represents is equality and knowing where we come from. Everything said and done is there to remind you to put others first because you are not important and that we come from Earth so we must give back to it.

American Alley is exactly what it sounds like and, quite simply put, where all the American restaurants and Americans hang out. It’s really fun and there’s a lot of stuff there that is right by where we live and work but it’s just interesting to see all of these American things out of place. The school, on the other hand, is a mess. There’s a lot of people that were very recently hired or are still being hired. For the most part, I’m pretty much on my own. There isn’t much for resources for a Speech/Debate and Drama teacher due to failure on the part of past teachers and the introduction of classes before that. I’m teaching 6 blocks (90 minutes) in two days and have two classes for prep. I’m not sure on the exact schedule because that’s something they’re still figuring out permanently. The thing is that there’s so many things still up in the air. For example, I was one of the only people who had a classroom right when we got here but I actually just found out today that I am supposed to get another one because the one I have has a stage in it and has never been used as a classroom before.
Another thing we all have to deal with is a change in classes because a few people didn’t get the classes they were expecting and have not received any help in terms of past lesson plans and yearly plans like we were told we would receive. I am pretty lucky compared to many other new teachers, however, because I have a room and I already have experience writing lesson plans from scratch…so basically I’m using all the same things!

I’d say that overall, this experience has been quite an eye-opener when it comes to school and the Muslim religion, but it just feels like a new place to live and a fresh start. I really love it here and, while some things can get a little irritating, it’s a change without being a change. I knew coming in that it was a very rich country but there are times when I completely forget I am not in America. Just looking out my apartment window and walking along the streets, it feels like I am still in America. I still feel very safe and the only things I notice different are that architecture is a little different and very interesting to me here, cars are older and what America had on its roads maybe 20 years ago and that it’s very hot and sandy. I have noticed that I am getting used to the 115+° weather because walking into an air conditioned store is not always as refreshing and I’ve been able to stay outside for longer periods of time—like last night we played soccer outside for about an hour at 6:30! Anyways, I’m off to some more adventures this last week before school starts!