First Impressions

What a great first few days we've had here!  So far (and mind you, we are three days in at this point), this transition has been wildly easy.  This is almost entirely due to the fact that my wonderful Rocky has been in Bahrain for months already and has done a wonderful job setting everything up, easing so many of my worries leading up to the move and making my first days here QUITE relaxing.  :) So THANK YOU, my dear Rocky.  <3

Our travel was easy.  Long, but easy.  Good flights, one layover in Turkey (during which I did NOT get to experience the amazing Turkish Airlines lounge (but thanks for the recommendation, Jeremy and Hilary!)), babies crying the whole way from Istanbul to Bahrain, but whatever.  I was almost too tired to care.  Almost. Derek gave step by step directions for what to expect in the Bahrain airport, so we were all set.  We met Derek outside of arrivals and stepped out into the sauna that is my new home.

For 2:00 a.m. and 21 hours of travel, I say not bad.  ;)

Let's document and discuss my first impressions of Bahrain, then.  I'm curious to see how these impressions will be validated or dismissed over time.  Basically, the three items that I have talked about leading up to this trip were the weather, culture, and safety.  

So yeah - the heat.  It's not pleasant here in the summer.  My pale German/Irish skin feels like it is frying when exposed to the sun, so I try not to do that at all.  I just cover up when it's sunny, and it is always sunny.  Right now it's in the noon hour and the temps are 100 F, with a heat index of 131 F with the humidity.  They say humidity, but if you have felt Washington, DC, humidity at all, this is not humid.  This pales in comparison.  The heat index does tell the true story, though, that this is not a dry heat.  There is definitely humidity that keeps this place feeling somewhere between a sauna and a steam room.  WHEW!

I say it's not as humid as DC, but this is the temp at 10:30 p.m.  I may eat my words.

Culturally, I think that Bahrain is unique as compared with other Middle Eastern countries.  It really is an island of half Bahrani people, half ex-patriots from Britain, India, and the US.  When taken into consideration, then, I am immediately different from half of the women here in that I do not wear an abaya or hijab (I found this article most helpful in understanding Muslim women's wear).  But I do not stand out as compared to the other half of the population.  It probably helps that we live near the US Naval Base and consulate, too, so my first impressions have a heavy dose of Western culture taken into consideration. 

 Al-Fateh Grand Mosque (near our home)

View of Manama from our neighborhood

Which brings us to the safety in Bahrain.  I feel totally fine here.  It's an urban area, so I have my city-girl wits about me, but besides that, I do not feel concerned for my/our safety at all.  When we first arrived, it was 2:00 a.m. on a weekend night, so there was a large police presence on the streets; again - no different than any urban area.  In all of my reading ahead of arriving, crime rates were reportedly low and I believe that.  We'll see how more experiences shape this belief, as we have not yet been out and about much, but I am (of course!) optimistic.  

First impression remains the same as my attitude coming into this: we're going to learn a lot, sweat a lot, and have one amazing year.  

A Year in Bahrain

Our flight leaves today.  TODAY. Ashton and I will join Derek in Bahrain for one year. I didn't even *really* know where Bahrain was before this. Middle East? Yes. It's small? Sure. Anything more than that? Nope. Not a chance. 

I've learned so much since we made the decision in March. Really, my learning started when Derek was offered the job one year ago. A two year work assignment in Saudi Arabia (SA). 

It took from August to November in 2014 to prep everything for Derek to move, during which we learned that he could live in Bahrain and commute to Saudi Arabia each day. (Fact #1 - Bahrain is an island that connects to Saudi Arabia via a 16-mile-long bridge called the King Fahd Causeway.) The more we learned about Bahrain and the differences between it and SA, the more we knew that Ashton and I would want to spend some time there. Some time was originally a summer, though. Until we learned Fact #2 - Bahrain feels like 120 F AND is humid all summer long. Not an ideal time to visit. As they do, circumstances and life kept changing, and in March, Derek and I came to the same conclusion at one. We should change our timeline to visit, and it should be a whole school year, shouldn't it?

And thus, my free time vanished. Two things needed to happen: I needed to visit as many people as possible - saying yes to each experience I was offered, and I needed to find a therapist to help me process the change and transition while solo-parenting (lest I lose my freaking mind). Both happened, and I am very proud of this. I did not hide in my house and obsess over everything going perfectly (it never does anyway). I calmed down and worked each day toward the move. Craigslist, packing, dinners with local friends, Goodwill donations, travels to see family and friends, therapy, and more packing all became regular, weekly things from April until move-out-of-DC-day on August 6. 

And here I am. We leave Chicago today. I have a list of goals for the next year. A great list - if you ask me. Ashton thinks it is way too long and unrealistic. He's probably right. I am, as the blog title indicates and as described by a former boss - unfailingly upbeat. I will always see the silver lining. I will always search for the positives and ways to grow and learn in a situation. Even the worst of situations. So the long list of goals stays. And the learning begins.

One of the goals is this blog. I hope to post something for each day that I am in Bahrain - August 2015 through June 2016. Maybe a picture, maybe a thought, maybe a quote, maybe a full out, detailed grapple with life. I'm doing this mostly for me. I so want to make the most of this experience, but at the same time, I am worried about how I will handle being away from home so long and being in a completely different culture than I have ever experienced. I want to continue to be as open and adventurous as I have lately, and I see this blog as a way to do that and process it all in a healthy way.  

I also want to have a record of our journey, both for me and for Derek and Ashton to remember too. Kid is going to college in four years. This is our family's chance to bond like crazy; we'll have this trip - just the three of us - for the rest of our lives. I love this and I want to soak up each minute. 

There's also a part of me that wants to teach others what I learn. I never thought I would end up living in the Middle East, never thought I would be immersed in a Muslim culture. But it's coming - it's pretty much here. I've had to fight and question quite a few assumptions already. I'd love it if my experiences and learning could help counter some assumptions that others have (and there are plenty of US assumptions about the Middle East and vice versa). If you're reading because you are in a place to learn along with me, I think that would be awesome.  If you're reading out of curiosity and to hear about some crazy Roberts family journeys, I think that's awesome too.  If you just check in every once in a while, I'm equally as thankful for that.  :)  Basically, if you're reading this - thank you.  I hope you enjoy, and I hope that we can keep in touch in additional ways also.

For now - I'm going to go try to stop freaking out.  Less than 12 hours until take off!