Football, Money, and Rituals...The Three Gods in Bahrain

Highlights for this week are fairly constricted: football game, getting money, the souq, and school stuff. There are a few teachers in the building-Drew and Nolan-that coach a soccer (called football here) team here at MKS. They coach a 8^th and 9^th grade girls’ football team that played their first tournament of the year. From my understanding, there aren’t just games because they have shorter game times so they play a couple teams in a short amount of time. Also, our 8^th and 9^th grade team didn’t have enough girls so they actually had to pull a few more girls up from the lower classes’ team. Anyways, their first tournament was across the street from our high school at DODS…or the U.S.’s Department of Defense School for all the military kids. I walked over after school and met up with a few other teacher friends and watched the game. It was the first time I’d been anywhere in Bahrain owned by the U.S. and I wasn’t used to being searched…it wasn’t bad or anything just abnormal. They had to check my CPR card and my information online, not to mention my book bag t
hat I bring to school and had all my stuff in. When they

Just because :)

finally let me in, they had given terrible directions as to how to get to the football field so I had to figure it out a little on my own. When I got there, the girls had already started playing but I just joined in the cheering right behind our team (we’re cheesy like that). I only knew one girl because I teach older students but it was a lot of fun just to let loose and attend a school function regardless. We ended up winning against DODS 2-1 (or 1-0, something like that) and against the French School team 4-0. Apparently, these were the first wins for Drew who coached the team last year and both coaches were surprised they won. Since all of us teachers were sitting on a concrete slab, we gave the girls a sort of high-five line after their two won games.

As for drama club and classes, I am still in the process of setting up for a school international day where different clubs and departments represent different countries with food, games, and other decorations. Drama Club has Italy. Any ideas for costumes or decorations are currently being accepted. I’ve got the leather shoes down. Other than that, classes have been going well. I also got the London sign-up sheet for another week and am now up to 17 kids but I need 3 more by Sunday afternoon *fingers crossed*. Classes are going good though. For the most part, we’re wrapping up the last unit before winter break and then I have a few days when I can just have fun with the kids and teach them random things like stage combat. I just got the money for the drama club play scripts so I just ordered them this afternoon so Kate and I can finally cast the auditioners (Ha, that’s the name of the play-The Auditioners).

I went to the souq a few times the past week to get Christmas gifts for family at home and I’ve been going with Kay, Kate and Taylor. I was also on the search for a White Elephant gift but I found one elsewhere. Last night, however, I went to the souq again with MIKE and MORGAN (made sure to name you guys :P) to watch a sort of parade that goes through the streets as part of a religious ritual per say. It’s hard to explain what they were really doing but it basically came down to listening to a prayer song/chant while also hitting themselves in the chest or back. At least, men did this. I didn’t see women doing anything though I’ve heard they do things at other times.

This is my helper at home

So for the next week, I’ll be pretty busy outside of school but school itself will be pretty simple since I have it all planned out. Tonight I’ll be going out to eat with a few people: Miah, Mohamed, Morgan, Mike, Kate and me. Friday, I’ll probably try to go to the Navy base to watch ultimate Frisbee, go to a co-workers house to make and bag popcorn, then bring all of it to a movie (Spy) that the senior class has that I was invited to. Kind of excited for that because I thought it was really funny the first time I watched it. Lastly, Saturday will be spent going to a park and going to a book club or reading the book for it. I’m sure I have more that I can’t think of but I’ll tell you all about the coming activities next week. See ya!