Our Family Living in Bahrain: 2007

Friday, November 23, 2007

A Trip to the Desert

Our first official trip to the desert. We went in a caravan with several other families... we hiked in the "mountains"... we built a big bon fire and we roasted hot dogs and smores and then played flashlight tag... it was a very fun evening.

More Dessert... I mean Desert...

Can you believe the moon and these incredible rocks. I love God's creation... who else could have done something as cool as that?

How about those smiles. I love seeing my boys happy.

That is the best part of my life.

Finally... a picture of my car... that is it, the little navy blue mini van... isn't it cute? I need a name, Dad... can you help me out? Not Col. Clink, but something fun....

The Three Musketeers

Hirut, Wurgey and Ruth.

Hirut and I have managed to get two of her friends working in this same compound with her. It is great to see her happy. The other two girls work for my American friends here and we all had Thanksgiving dinner together, so the girls had their first Thanksgiving. I know that they were one of the things we are thankful for...

Wow! Beauty!

Dylan at the top of one of the formations at sunset. If a picture was ever worth words...

The boys and I step down some rocks, and yes, that is the moon at Ethan's elbow...

Is that sky something to behold, or what?

We learn...

We learn that it is not nearly as cold here at Halloween.

The boys are bags of jelly beans for Halloween and the weather here is still hot, so the bags and the balloons are not nearly as comfortable as they would be in a more reasonable climate.

Luke Learns.

Luke is taking Football (Soccer), Horseback riding, and Swimming Lessons. Football he likes, Horses are a bit boring after the first few rides, and swimming is something he can do now, quite well, which is a huge relief for my mind.

Ethan Learns.

Ethan has learned to swim... and he is quite good. The instructor says he is a natural in the water and that we should continue his swimming, which he loves.... Ethan being a natural at ANYthing athletic is not something I thought about, but he is, and I am so proud of him.

Monday, October 1, 2007

Ramadan Tent Night

Here we are getting ready to leave for the party.

... and at the party, you can see the colorful tent over our heads. From left to right is Annie, Donna, Autumn, Celeste, Verna, Me, Paris, Betsy and Leah. There were 30 AWA (American Women's Association) Girls at the Party.

Henna

The girls all got henna for the Ramadan Tent Night. This is my hand and my foot. It lasts about two weeks and I think it is pretty cool, it kinda smells funny, though...

The Boys

Todd and Autumn getting the kids involved in a game of don't let the ball touch you...

The Manama Souq

The way to enter the souq, which is kinda all over and up and down tiny little streets in Manama.

Looking down one of those such streets..

The Dress Code

The Jellabiaya (what we all were buying for our Ramadan Tent Party Sunday night)

The Jellabiya or Jelabiya, pronounced Gellabiya in Egypt, is a traditional Arab garment native to the Gulf region worn by women as a casual dress or as evening wear depending on the amount of work, complication of design beadwork. It dates back to early days of civilization in the Arabic countries of the Gulf. Jellabiyas are also created for men; however, these include a minimal amount of design and are usually just striped or plain in a variety of colors and are worn exclusively as night-wear or house clothes.

The Abaya (a store for Abayas in the souq)

The abaya is an overgarment worn by some women in Muslim-majority countries. It is the traditional form of hijab / Jilbab, or Islamic dress, for many countries of the Arabian peninsula. It is sometimes adopted in other parts of Islamic world. Traditional abayas are black, and may be either a large square of fabric draped from the shoulders or head, or a long black caftan. The abaya should cover the whole body save face, feet, and hands. It can be worn with the niqab, a face veil covering all but the eyes. Some women choose to also wear long black gloves, so their hands are covered underneath the abaya.The abaya is an overgarment worn by some women in Muslim-majority countries. It is the traditional form of hijab / Jilbab, or Islamic dress, for many countries of the Arabian peninsula. It is sometimes adopted in other parts of Islamic world. Traditional abayas are black, and may be either a large square of fabric draped from the shoulders or head, or a long black caftan. The abaya should cover the whole body save face, feet, and hands. It can be worn with the niqab, a face veil covering all but the eyes. Some women choose to also wear long black gloves, so their hands are covered underneath the abaya.

Behind the four of us you can see the men's robes, called Thawbs (pronounced thobe, like robe with a lisp)

A thawb (Arabic: ثوب, ṯawb), dishdasha ( دشداشة, dišdāšä), kandura ( كندورة, kandūrä) or khameez ( قميص, qamīṣ) is an ankle-length garment, usually with long sleeves, similar to a robe. It is typically worn by men in the Arabian Peninsula and some surrounding countries. It is normally made of cotton, but heavier materials such as sheep's wool can also be used, especially in colder climates.

The Souq

Spices at the souq. It smelled absolutely heavenly right here.

Fabric Shopping in the heat. Notice the fabric draped from one building to the next to provide shade. It is HOT!

The camel roundabout in Manama at the Hyatt Regency hotel, this is the same hotel that we are having our Ramadan Tent Party at in just a few nights. You can see the hotel on the far left, behind the camel is the entrance to the parking.