Do I have to wear a Hejab?

I arrived into Bahrain on Wednesday October 24^th a little later then planned to find Leon at the airport waiting for me to arrive. I was so happy to see him. It’s been almost a year since I last saw him so he was a sight for soar eyes. Especially since I haven’t been around any of my old friends for the last 3 months give or take. When we left the airport we went straight to have a late dinner at a local Arabian restaurant called Iskenderun for my 1^st taste of Middle Eastern food. I had a tasty grilled chicken kebob with jasmine rice and we split a flat bread and hummus. I was never much of a hummus fan until I got here because it’s so much better here. It’s pureed much finer and has different spices or something but I love it. I could sit and eat the bread and humus for days.

After dinner we drove back to his place which is in Juffair district. Like I said before Leon is a Navy doctor currently stationed here in Bahrain. Juffair is the kind of unofficial westernized district that butts right up against the base. So from the flat I can walk to the main drag which has a bunch of restaurants, the grocery store, and the base. Ironically the base, Juffair and several other locations on the island are what they call reclaimed land. Pretty much they take dirt/sand and pile it up and create more land which was originally under water. So Bahrain is probably one of the only islands in the world that’s growing as we speak. In any case Leon’s flat is really nice. It’s a 2 bedroom furnished flat with all the comforts of home. I have a big bedroom with a king size bed, bathroom, kitchen with fridge, microwave, stove, oven, dishwasher and even a washer dryer. So, needless to say I’m the most at home I’ve been since I left St. Louis.

As it was late by the time we got home and I got the tour of the apartment. We both went to bed. Leon had to work the next morning and due to the way the front door locks and there being only one set of keys I had to get up and let him out. I crashed out in bed but not before dusting off the pillows, comforter and sheets. Lets just say the room has been closed up since Leon moved in 7 months ago and Bahrain is covered with a really fine dust we call moon dust that goes everywhere. Even through the AC ventilation and finds its way into the flat covering everything not cleaned every week or 2 with dust. So I dust off my bed and crashed. I slept amazingly well but then again I was exhausted.

I got up the next morning to let Leon out and found out that Thursday is the equivalent of the US Friday. Apparently the Islamic holy day is Friday so the weekends here are Friday and Saturday and Sunday is the start of the work week. So little did I know I arrived just in time for the weekend? I went back to bed and slept til I woke up which was about 10:30. I spent my day doing laundry, watching TV (in English), checking my email and just in general relaxing. It was wonderful as it’s the first time in months I’ve had nothing to do or see. Leon came home at lunch and brought a couple of shawarmas. Leon says a shawarma is the equivalent of Middle Easter burrito but I think it’s more a cross between a burrito and a gyro. Regardless to say it was different but pretty tasty. When Leon got off work we decided to have a mellow night and do dinner and a movie. So we headed out so Seef Mall a little later.

Let me just say the mall here is freakishly normal. It has a bunch of the same stores, Aldo, Marks and Spencer, RadioShack, Starbucks. But my highlight, the stores that almost put me over the edge were Caribou Coffee (which I love and haven’t been able to find yet in either California or St. Louis) and even better Veronica’s Secret. Yes, Veronica not Victoria, the mother of all knock offs. The biggest difference between my mall at home and the Seef is that there are men in thobes (looks like a men’s white dress shirt that is long to the ground) and women in abayas (black dress robe covering their clothes) and hejabs (head scarf covering the hair and sometimes the face). Other then that is just another mall. But the contrast is a trip to see and walk around in. We went to dinner at an Arabian buffet so I got to try all kinds of things I can’t remember off the top of my head. After dinner we went to a movie, “The Contract” which was actually pretty good considering neither of us had heard of it and went because we both like Morgan Freeman. The funny thing is here you have assigned seats for the movies so when you buy your tickets you pick your seats. Which is actually kind of nice as you can wait to the last minute to go in and still get great seats depending on when you bought your tickets.

After the movie we walked through the mall a bit more so I could see it then headed back to Juffair where we dropped off the car and walked over to a local hotel the Ramee and went to one of their bars. There we got a drink and shared some shisha also known in the states as a hookah. We sat and talked and smoked our hookah until the bar closed at 2am then went back to the flat and talked some more. I finally gave up and went to bed at 4am. I knew we had to get up at a reasonable time because Leon informed me he gets a weekly massage at 10am by a woman that comes to the house. And he had arranged for me to have a massage for my first Friday in Bahrain. Yeah!!

So I got up at 10:30 and got ready for my massage which started about 11:15. It was wonderful and Noami was great. When it finished I felt wonderfully relaxed and went to shower and dress. Once we were all put together we headed off to the base so I could do a little shopping. It was time to replenish the supplies of things like shampoo, conditioner, Q-tips, and what not. Once my shopping was done we walked back off base to one of the locals restaurants for lunch. We went to Nando’s which is a South African-Portuguese restaurant that specializes in fresh grilling chicken and steak with special peri-peri sauce (peri-peri being a type of South African chili). Anyways I had never heard of it but it was really good. After we went back to the flat and chilled a bit we decided to go out to Harvesters a local bar in the Crowne Plaza hotel that has live cover bands every night. Leon called up some of his friends and on girls decided to join us. It was a fun night talking and sharing and listening to a pretty good cover band call the Reason. We went home about 2:00am and I hit the sack.

I got up at noon and watched TV and finally got in the shower at 3. When I came out Leon was alive and checking his email. We headed out to a Persian restaurant for what I like to call linner. It was really good and I had a chicken and beef kebob and a lemon mint drink which is more or less lemonade with pureed mint in it. It sounds strange but it is awesome. After we ate we drove around a bit so I could see part of the island before heading back to the flat. When we got in Leon made some phone calls and then we settled in and watch “The Fifth Element” on DVD. Since it was a school night after the movie was over we both went to bed.

Now I’m not going to bore you all with the details of my daily routine during the week while Leon is working. But I will say this I’ve been hitting the gym most days because I have a gym to hit and I’m not walking all over hill and dale like I was in Europe. Then I check my email and either work on my blogs (as you can tell I’m slowly catching up), journaling, and reading books. At night when Leon get back we usually go out to dinner somewhere and have a fun time talking and catching up on everything. It’s been so long since we had a chance to just hang out together. So I’ve tried Thai food, Papa John’s pizza, and la Chocolate (a bakery we went for dessert one night). I’ve also had stuff from home like Chili’s, Hardee’s, Starbucks, and a couple of other places. I also try to get out at least once a week during the day and walk around Juffair but unfortunately there is really nothing to see or do in Juffair.

The next Thursday night which would be November 1 we decided to hit the O Club or Officer’s Club on base so I could meet some of Leon’s friends and co-workers. He came and picked me up after work and we walked back on base (I have to go one base through a specific gate with a personal Navy escort). We hit the O Club before it got busy and chatted together but when it picked up I was able to meet a bunch of people that worked with and were friends of Leon’s. I can’t even remember all the names and who I met at different functions. But let’s just say it’s a lot of people. I had a really fun time meeting and chatting around with different people. You all know me, give me a beer and I’m a social butterfly!! We finally left the O Club about 9 (it’s more of a happy hour place) and went and got some food then took a taxi over to a local hotel to see another cover band. We thought it was Leon’s favorite band, Trapped in a Box, but it wasn’t. The new band wasn’t all that great and we left after an hour or so. When we got back we were both exhausted and went to bed.

Friday morning Leon got up for his massage and I slept in until after 11am. Once we got dressed we got a light lunch then headed out to the Souq (the traditional shopping district). We walked through and Leon bought a new shirt. I was just looking around and having an interesting time seeing it all. It really reminded me of when I was in Vietnam. The only thing was I was an oddity and was stared at the entire time. And I don’t mean just looked at I mean very intently watched. It actually started to freak Leon out because he hadn’t seen anything like it. I noticed it but because I had Leon there it didn’t really bother me that much. I figure I should get used to it because I’m going to be an oddity from now until I get to Australia in March. So we walked through and then visited the gold Souq. Gold is a big thing here in Bahrain. I looked at lots of pretty shiny things that I can afford to buy especially since the price of gold just went up. We finally went back to the flat and got changed into nicer clothes and left to meet at a restaurant called Upstairs Downstairs for a celebratory birthday dinner for someone. We had a fabulous time and I really got a chance to talk with several different people. It was a really fun night. After dinner we walked across the street to Camelot to have a drink and hang out. One of the group gave us a ride home at the end of the night since she had stopped drinking long before.

I got up Saturday morning about 11am to find Leon already up and working on a presentation he would be giving that week. We had dinner plans with another of Leon’s friends later that night. We had been invited to someone else’s birthday pool party the night before so we planned to stop by for a bit. We arrived and chatted a bit but Leon left early to go work on his presentation and I stayed to just hang out a bit and get to know a few more people. On the way home I stopped off at the grocery store and picked up some supplies for myself then went to the flat and got changed for dinner. We went to a place called Brazil that I guess is like restaurant back home. It’s an all you can eat place with a salad bar, and various meats skewered and grilled, guys come around with the giant skewers and either pull stuff off for you or slice it off a big chunk. Dinner was really good and so was the conversation. The female friend we went out with is awesome. She offered to kidnap me away from Leon for some girl time to get a manicure and pedicure sometime which is really sweet. After dinner the shuttle drove us all home. I planned to go on base the net morning as I had a hair appointment at the base salon. Yeah!! So when we got home we both went to bed.

I was up bright and early the next morning and dressed and ready to walk to base at 7:10. We walked on base and Leon dropped me off at the NEX (navy exchange) I had a cup of coffee and journaled until 9:00 am then went to my appointment. I got my hair cut and colored (yes, it’s almost black again) and a pedicure. So I spent my morning getting beautified and it only cost my 41 dollars for it all. I just love that! When I was done I took a turn through the NEX then met Leon for lunch down in the O Club. When we finished we walked around a bit so I could get a rundown of the base. When Leon went back to work I spent some time wandering around the NEX, looking in the different little stores. Then I found a spot and journaled then sat and read my book. Leon came and picked me up when he was done and we went back to the flat and then straight up to the gym to work out. When that was done we showered and ordered in Senor Pacos. Yes, they have Mexican food here which was almost enough to make me cry when I arrived. I’ve missed my Mexican food sooooooo much!!!! I will say Senor Pacos is not the best Mexican food I’ve had but it’s certainly not the worst and since I’m in Bahrain I’m extremely thankful to be able to partake of any.

Monday was a bore, but I did get the word that some people I had met pulled some strings and got me onto the island tour they run for all the new arrivals at the base which was going to be the next day. So I was up early and dressed for a day out and about. Leon walked me on base and to the meeting point for the tour. I met with the guides and explained my situation so after check in and paying for the tour the guide sent me with a guy to escort me back out my gate so I could get my passport back. He and I waited for the buses and had a lovely chat and got a chance to get to know one another. When the buses arrived we boarded them and he became my buddy for the day. Our first stop was the Grand Mosque. There we took pictures of the outside before the girls went in early to be garbed in abayas and hejabs. For those you wondering yes I got a picture in my outfit. Once we were decked out properly we headed in and split into 2 groups for the tour. The gentleman that did our tour was amazing and not only told us about the mosque and how and when it was built but also discussed the similarities and difference between Christianity, Islam and Judaism. It was really interesting and I think a good reminder to all the new kids on the island that not all Islamic are terrorist. At the end of our visit we returned the abayas and hejabs and got juice boxes and free reading material on Islam, including a Koran in English.

From there we headed out to the Fort of Bahrain which is the oldest military fortifications on the island and was built in the 14^th century. Now what I visited is not the original for by any means and what I did visit had had some help in modern times. The 1^st fort dates to pre-historic times as it is built with a Greco-Roman style. It was fun to walk around the ruins and watch some of the excavations going on just outside the fort. The only downfall was the nearby fields which were being burned so it smelled like smoke. I bored some guy by telling him about the bricks and that if you looked closely you could tell the difference between the original brick and what had been added on as the original was not uniform and you could see the shells and bits of stone in them. The newer bricks were uniform and had a smooth texture. The guy I was explaining this to looked at me as if I was a complete geek. But oh well at least I’m “using” my Anthropology degree. When we finished up at the fort we boarded the buses yet again and drove out to the camel farm.

Yes, I visited a camel farm and took lots of pictures of camels and even some kind of cuddly baby camels. There was an option to ride a camel which I skipped as it was on my itinerary for Egypt (a camel ride at the pyramids). But I did talk my buddy into doing it as he wasn’t going to and I gave him a hard time about it saying “who does he know at home that can say they’ve ridden a camel”. When I put is like that he agreed and rode the camel, even got some pictures to show people. I hung around and talked with a couple of random guys in the tour one of which asked if I was half Middle Eastern or Indian (South Asian) as I looked it. I said no but that was exactly what I was hoping to get having just died my hair dark again. So at least it worked. He said he was half Indian and half Caucasian so thought maybe I was too with the dark hair and fair skin. I thanked him for the compliment as I thought it was one.

After the camel farm we headed to lunch at an Arabian buffet. Of course we had to drive across Manama (main city) to get there so with the traffic it took a little while. We were all starving and ready to eat so to organize the food and make sure it wasn’t a free for all we got in line by table. The food was really good and I sat with a different group, people I hadn’t talked to yet and had a nice time. We chatted mostly about travel and where I had bee so far. One of the guys and I had a long discussion about Naples and we had both been there and loved it.

When our lunch break was over we went to the National Museum of Bahrain. We only had an hour and the way I go through museums I only made it through the first floor and it isn’t even that big a museum. My first stop was the burial mounds exhibit. Here is a fun fact for you all. Bahrain is considered by local scholars to be the Garden of Eden because there are hundreds of burial mounds dating way, way back. The exhibit I saw was just a couple of the mounds that had been excavated and moved into the museum. But if you look on a map of Bahrain you will see huge areas that are all pre-historic burial mounds. Another theory is that Bahrain was the island of death. People would come here to die and/or be buried. Between the guide and me we could answer most of the people’s questions. Again my degree being of use, Go Anthropology!!!! From there I went walking through the exhibits on traditional life with information on child birth, naming, childhood, weddings, burials, and traditional products made by the locals. It was all pretty cool.

When my time was up I boarded the bus and we drove back to base. I got off and thanked the guides then headed back to the flat with a quick coffee stop (I missed my morning cup and had a headache). Once home I packed my bag for Egypt because we were leaving the next morning. I also called home and talked to the family as my brother Jason and his wife Kim were visiting St. Louis so I got a chance to talk with everyone and it was so nice! I miss everyone so much, just not enough to come home yet! When Leon got home late we went to dinner at a new local restaurant Dome, which is kind of a really nice coffee shop. When we got home we did some last minute laundry and went to bed.

The next morning we were up at 7am to finish laundry and packing. Once we were all ready we headed out to the airport via taxi at 8am. There was a little traffic on the road but we got there in plenty of time. Interestingly you have to go through security and a big x-ray machine with all your bags, including suitcase, before you can even get in line to check in for your flight. So once we were through that we checked in and got our boarding passes then went through more security and immigration. My passport got the exit stamp right with its entrance stamp. Once we were through we walked to our gate and hit up the coffee cart close by for my coffee and a little breakfast. About the time we finished breakfast the plane was ready to be boarded so off we went and boarded the plane. The flight was uneventful other then we got fed and a movie which was in Arabic so neither of us watched it. I spent most of the flight sleeping as I needed it. I was still really tired from the week. Not long later we arrived at the Cairo International Airport. But that’s another blog so keep an eye out!

PS: sorry for the vagueness of some of this blog but due to me meeting a lot of military I’m leaving their names and ranks out for their protection whether or not they need it.