Well, our first real holiday has come and gone in the Kingdom....I have to admit that for the first time since September I have been homesick. The Friday after Thanksgiving I woke up desperately missing my sister and my daughter. Susan and Alison went to Louisiana for Thanksgiving to be with my family...I thank Aunt Susan for going with Ali to make her first Thanksgiving without us filled with both sides of the family.
Deanna and Big Al went shopping on Black Friday without me. I have never read a Facebook post that made my heart sink more. I miss both of them so much and the thought of them together shopping was as comforting as it was heart wrenching. It is only about 2 weeks until Alison and Sarah get here for Christmas and I cannot wait! Alison is doing so well at A&M...she has adjusted better than ANYONE can imagine for someone whose family moved away to the Middle East the week before she went off to college! She has embraced life there and we are so incredibly proud of her! I cannot describe how much my heart aches for her at the same time that it swells with pride for the way that she has handled herself....
All that being said, we had such an amazing Thanksgiving with some friends here in Bahrain...the Daniels family. The funniest thing is that we met them here in Bahrain, but the husband worked as an Accounting Manager in Sweeny for 5 years and they lived in Pearland and we never met! They are a great family that invited us to share in their family dinner. The best part about the dinner was that she cooked almost ALL of it! It was sooooo delicious and they really are a lovely family. Their daughter Taelor is one of Janie's friends from school...love her! God has truly blessed me with some awesome friends here and I am thankful for that!
This week in our Beth Moore Bible Study we learned about how God prunes us...he does it through his Word and through trials. We learned that He prefers to prune us through scripture, but that it is a necessity to allow us to go through trials as well. Since I have done that study with our group it has been NOTHING but pruning through trials! I am so thankful that they are insignificant trials in the grand scheme of life, but they test my patience none the less. So my prayer is that I would do and saying NOTHING this week unless it glorifies God. Even when the Budget Rent-a-Car people are unreasonable or the Menatelecom people are WRONG and annoying or the maids and the watchman don't do their job....in all I pray that my words and actions serve as a witness to the lost people that I am coming in to contact with in each situation....which is easily 99.5% of all the people involved in my "trials" this week. Unfortunately my prayer needs to extend to my home as well because, although I am being successful at acting "right" in public, at home I seem to have mini-meltdowns when it all piles up. So I am left wondering, "Am I supposed to be learning from dealing with the lost world around me or reacting properly so as to model the right behavior to my children???" I guess the obvious answer is "BOTH"....ouch.
I miss and love all of my friends and family at home. The girls got their Halloween goodie bags from Uncle Janice in the mail (isn't she awesome) and we got to talk to Uncle Brownie and Uncle Janice last week. John Ed picked up the phone when I called and said, "WHAT'S WRONG????!!!" Goofy Man! The girls were just calling to thank them and I was calling to thank them for watching out for my baby since we left. God could NOT have put a better family in our lives!
This weekend we reminisced about what our past traditions (we miss you Grandaddy and Nona) while embracing the new adventure and traditions we are making in a new country with a new extended family. I know that God has us where we are supposed to be...I just pray that we continue on the path that we have been set on....for WHATEVER reason....
Can't wait for Alison to get here. We are going to take a quick trip to Dubai on the 29th of December...treating Alison to a Christmas present that she will love more than anything....A SHOPPING TRIP TO THE SHOPPING CAPITOL OF THE WORLD!
Monday, November 29, 2010
Monday, November 15, 2010
Random Observations
There are some random observations that are completely unrelated but I keep forgetting to write them down....so I am going to try and remember all the things I have been making note of....
The "open door" and "close door" buttons on the elevator really work here...unlike in American where when you push those buttons it does nothing. Here if you push the button to close the doors it does. And if you get caught in the doors while they are closing they don't pop back open like they do in America! It shuts on you and it hurts...bad.
When you go over 120 KMH there is a light that flashes on your speedometer...some cars even simultaneously beep!
Most stations on our cable do not have commercials. Fox News uses Fox Extras to fill the space. It is weird because things will end or begin at random times instead of on the half hour and hour.
They have weird three-pronged electrical outlets, but most of the stuff you buy has the European plug so you have to buy dozens of adaptors.
There is a hierarchy here in Bahrain...it is: Bahranis, Westerners, Women, Indians. There are three different prices for things as well. There is a Bahrani price, a western price and an indian price...it's unfair, but it is what it is....
American pork is banned here...not really sure why, but they say it has something to do with our outbreak of the "swine flu" in America last year? That may be a rumor...
Gas stations are full-serve here. It was weird going to Germany and having to get out to pump our own gas...I will miss this if we ever move away from here.....
The movie theaters are awesome. When you buy tickets you pick your seats just like you would at a concert. I love that because everyone can sit together...if you go in to the movie after it has started an attendant takes you to your seat with a flashlight.
Almost all the bathrooms come with a sprayer that looks just like a kitchen sink sprayer only it is attached to the wall...they usually have bedets too, but they almost always have the sprayer.
The drinking age is 18, but they don't ever card anyone.
The weekends here are Friday and Saturday. The first day of the week is Sunday.
Church is on Friday. I have had trouble getting used to that one!
Everything is or can be delivered. You may never have to leave your home again. I can't stress everything enough....groceries, food, laundry, etc. They even have mobile spas so that you can get your mani/pedi without leaving home. If it isn't delivered then you can pull up outside the establishment you wish to purchase from and honk. An indian will come to your car and you can tell him what you want and he will get it.
The king sized bed here is not the same size as home. It is almost as wide, but it is very short. John's legs almost hang off the end AND our sheets don't fit. It is the same with queen sized beds...they look like fulls and the sheets don't fit.
People just throw trash out the windows of their cars. They don't care.
Overpasses are called flyovers.
Poppy seeds are banned.
You're not supposed to drink the water...I don't know why, but I am not going to try it...
That is all I can think of right now....
The "open door" and "close door" buttons on the elevator really work here...unlike in American where when you push those buttons it does nothing. Here if you push the button to close the doors it does. And if you get caught in the doors while they are closing they don't pop back open like they do in America! It shuts on you and it hurts...bad.
When you go over 120 KMH there is a light that flashes on your speedometer...some cars even simultaneously beep!
Most stations on our cable do not have commercials. Fox News uses Fox Extras to fill the space. It is weird because things will end or begin at random times instead of on the half hour and hour.
They have weird three-pronged electrical outlets, but most of the stuff you buy has the European plug so you have to buy dozens of adaptors.
There is a hierarchy here in Bahrain...it is: Bahranis, Westerners, Women, Indians. There are three different prices for things as well. There is a Bahrani price, a western price and an indian price...it's unfair, but it is what it is....
American pork is banned here...not really sure why, but they say it has something to do with our outbreak of the "swine flu" in America last year? That may be a rumor...
Gas stations are full-serve here. It was weird going to Germany and having to get out to pump our own gas...I will miss this if we ever move away from here.....
The movie theaters are awesome. When you buy tickets you pick your seats just like you would at a concert. I love that because everyone can sit together...if you go in to the movie after it has started an attendant takes you to your seat with a flashlight.
Almost all the bathrooms come with a sprayer that looks just like a kitchen sink sprayer only it is attached to the wall...they usually have bedets too, but they almost always have the sprayer.
The drinking age is 18, but they don't ever card anyone.
The weekends here are Friday and Saturday. The first day of the week is Sunday.
Church is on Friday. I have had trouble getting used to that one!
Everything is or can be delivered. You may never have to leave your home again. I can't stress everything enough....groceries, food, laundry, etc. They even have mobile spas so that you can get your mani/pedi without leaving home. If it isn't delivered then you can pull up outside the establishment you wish to purchase from and honk. An indian will come to your car and you can tell him what you want and he will get it.
The king sized bed here is not the same size as home. It is almost as wide, but it is very short. John's legs almost hang off the end AND our sheets don't fit. It is the same with queen sized beds...they look like fulls and the sheets don't fit.
People just throw trash out the windows of their cars. They don't care.
Overpasses are called flyovers.
Poppy seeds are banned.
You're not supposed to drink the water...I don't know why, but I am not going to try it...
That is all I can think of right now....
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Germany, Luxembourg and Volleyball...
It has been a while since my last post...almost a month! We have just been living life and doing the day to day things that we do in the states...only at a much slower pace. It's weird, everything here is at a slower pace except for the driving! The culture here seems to be slower than America....it takes longer to eat, they take a "siesta" every afternoon, no one seems to be in a real hurry....unless you are on the roads! They drive like CRAZY people and will risk the lives of many just to get ONE CAR ahead of where they are! Also, if you are waiting in line for ANYTHING inevitably an arab will walk up from the back of the line to the front and cut right in....the funniest part is that no one does anything to stop it! And they wait on them!!! I always figure that I am one of few lights in this country and I don't want to ruin it by yelling at someone who cuts in line...lol! It's my small contribution...lol
We have finally bough a car! A guy that works for CPChem and his wife are moving to Saudi Arabia permanently and their car was for sale. We wanted to buy something used and we wanted to buy it from someone we knew and God just hooked us up! :) It is a silver Lexus RX350 with virtually no miles on it and it has been taken very good care of by the owners. Mike and Cindy are moving somewhere around the 20th, so we are in a rental until then! Ugh...and we got a new rental this week...and it is SMAAAALLL! I am having difficulty getting used to the sensitivity of the brakes...as the girls so graciously tell me every 5 minutes! I will be glad to be back in an SUV and out of a small car...especially with all the crazy drivers around here.
We just got back from a week in Germany on Sunday! I am sure that most of you have seen our pictures of Germany on Facebook, but I will post them again here just in case you haven't.
We went for the DoDDs European Tournament. It was three days of all volleyball! The girls were so sore. They did really well for their situation. Even though we are part of the DoDDs(Department of Defense Dependents School) system, we are at a major disadvantage. As far as my understanding goes....in order for us to qualify to play in that league we have to only have as much coaching/playing time as all the rest of the European DoD schools. It is volleyball season in Europe, but unfortunately for us, our season does not start until February. In order to be able to still play our Island League season AND the DoDDs League we can only practice so long....soooo, even though we practiced as a team for a little over a month, we have not played a match/game as a team. That is a HUGE disadvantage for us since the other teams have played 7-10 matches and maybe even some tournaments. For having never played together as a team the girls did REMARKABLY well. They played 7 different teams best 2 out of 3. They only won one game, but they brought every single game to within 3-5 points. They even have girls on the team that have never played volleyball before. Because our school is so small, we have a smaller pool to choose from...it was difficult getting enough girls to fill the spots. Regardless of their losing, it was a lot of fun! We got to meet a lot of new people from Italy, Germany, England, etc.
John, Madeline, and I went a day early because the tickets were over a thousand dollars cheaper...that was a no brainer...and it gave us time to sightsee in Frankfurt. We all went to Ramstein on Wednesday and because there were no games until Thursday John, Madeline, and I took a really quick trip to Luxembourg. It was only an hour and a half drive. Unfortunately it was cold and rainy, but we still got to see a good bit of the country...it is tiny so it didn't take long. Everything closes at 6:00 p.m. so we didn't get to shop...which was probably a good thing for our pocketbook.
We all boarded the charter bus at 7:00a.m. Thursday to be taken to Vogelweh (a smaller base by Ramstein) for our first game at 8:30a.m. The girls played 4 matches that day...from 8:30-5:30 they played 9 games. That is a LOT of playing for girls who haven't had their first match yet. They were tired and hungry by the time we left the gym for the hotel! The next day we had to do it all over again....This time they only had to play 6 or 7 games so we finished at around 3:00p.m.
We got to go to the commissary both days and I was like a kid in a candy store. There are a few things that you cannot get in Bahrain that are plentiful in the U.S., but I wasn't aware of them until I got here. Had I known that you couldn't get them I would have sent them in my air shipment. Most of the stuff that you cannot get here we can do without or find a local replacement for....one of the things I have not been able to find a replacement for is canned green chiles. I can find fresh green chiles and green chile sauce (that is so hot it burns a whole in your stomach) but no canned green chiles. I got 10 cans of green chiles at the commissary along with 10 cans of Rotel (there are substitues for Rotel in Bahrain, but no replacements for Rotel...lol). Green chile chicken soup for dinner this weekend! WOOHOO! It is difficult to find Tostitos, but we can find substitues...so queso is also on the menu this weekend!
The other thing that I cannot get in Bahrain because they are banned is poppy seeds. I make this awesome poppy seed chicken casserole and I have not been able to find poppy seeds...obviously. So I also got 2 jars of poppy seeds. Did I also mention that the prices are about 10% cheaper at the commissary than the military would pay in the U.S.? Which means that the prices for us were 55% cheaper!!!! We were in heaven. We even got a bag of REAL DORITOS! Of course the volleyball girls snacked on them so they didn't make it home to Bahrain...lol!
The last day of the tournament was the championships for all three divisions and they were held at Ramstein AFB. The bus took us there and, as we passed the PX, all of our mouths dropped open...it was as big as a mall with an actual food court and stores! It was like an oasis...a mecca for Americans in the Middle East. Clothing and food is so expensive in Bahrain that when you CAN get American items, it is almost price prohibitive. For instance, the coach purses at the PX were about 10% less than what you would pay in the US...so one that I was looking at was $218...in Bahrain it would be more like $400. The backpack Madeline asked for for Christmas was $398 in the PX and is more like $600+ here...needless to say, she is not getting it for Christmas. I looked like an old lady with my purchases as I went to the pharmacy aisle and stocked up on Omeprazole, Pepcid AC, Geritol vitamins, and other various sundries that you CANNOT get in Bahrain. I brought what I thought would be enough, but we have only been here two and a half months and we are almost out of all the stuff I brought. Ugh.
The girls that went on the trip for the most part were just amazing kids. There were 7 Americans, 2 Canadians, 1 Chilean, 1 Indian, and 1 Bahraini. It was a nice mixture of cultures....they are all such good kids too...there was a team from an American International School in England that was staying at the same hotel and they were loud, obnoxious, and they destroyed hotel property in their rooms...our girls were mature and well-behaved. Our coach and athletic director, Coach Sherer and Mr. Herrera, did a great job at organizing and chaperoning the girls. They even had a 2 hour study hall where some girls had to take their tests from school. Both of them are very young, but very impressive with their control over the girls and the situation. It was very organized.
This is one of the perks of living overseas and going to a DoD school. This is the kind of thing that we took in to account when we were making the tough decision to take the job here or not. I am so glad today that we did because things just get better and better here. The girls have amazing friends and amazing opportunities to learn about different cultures, travel, and just broaden their view on the world. This has been an experience that they will never forget and will change who they are and what they become.
God has blessed us beyond our wildest beliefs! There aren't enough words to describe how thankful I am for his blessings.
We are counting down the days until Sarah and ALISON come for Christmas! We cannot wait. We are going to shop and shop and hopefully take a side trip to Dubai for New Years.
We have finally bough a car! A guy that works for CPChem and his wife are moving to Saudi Arabia permanently and their car was for sale. We wanted to buy something used and we wanted to buy it from someone we knew and God just hooked us up! :) It is a silver Lexus RX350 with virtually no miles on it and it has been taken very good care of by the owners. Mike and Cindy are moving somewhere around the 20th, so we are in a rental until then! Ugh...and we got a new rental this week...and it is SMAAAALLL! I am having difficulty getting used to the sensitivity of the brakes...as the girls so graciously tell me every 5 minutes! I will be glad to be back in an SUV and out of a small car...especially with all the crazy drivers around here.
We just got back from a week in Germany on Sunday! I am sure that most of you have seen our pictures of Germany on Facebook, but I will post them again here just in case you haven't.
We went for the DoDDs European Tournament. It was three days of all volleyball! The girls were so sore. They did really well for their situation. Even though we are part of the DoDDs(Department of Defense Dependents School) system, we are at a major disadvantage. As far as my understanding goes....in order for us to qualify to play in that league we have to only have as much coaching/playing time as all the rest of the European DoD schools. It is volleyball season in Europe, but unfortunately for us, our season does not start until February. In order to be able to still play our Island League season AND the DoDDs League we can only practice so long....soooo, even though we practiced as a team for a little over a month, we have not played a match/game as a team. That is a HUGE disadvantage for us since the other teams have played 7-10 matches and maybe even some tournaments. For having never played together as a team the girls did REMARKABLY well. They played 7 different teams best 2 out of 3. They only won one game, but they brought every single game to within 3-5 points. They even have girls on the team that have never played volleyball before. Because our school is so small, we have a smaller pool to choose from...it was difficult getting enough girls to fill the spots. Regardless of their losing, it was a lot of fun! We got to meet a lot of new people from Italy, Germany, England, etc.
John, Madeline, and I went a day early because the tickets were over a thousand dollars cheaper...that was a no brainer...and it gave us time to sightsee in Frankfurt. We all went to Ramstein on Wednesday and because there were no games until Thursday John, Madeline, and I took a really quick trip to Luxembourg. It was only an hour and a half drive. Unfortunately it was cold and rainy, but we still got to see a good bit of the country...it is tiny so it didn't take long. Everything closes at 6:00 p.m. so we didn't get to shop...which was probably a good thing for our pocketbook.
We all boarded the charter bus at 7:00a.m. Thursday to be taken to Vogelweh (a smaller base by Ramstein) for our first game at 8:30a.m. The girls played 4 matches that day...from 8:30-5:30 they played 9 games. That is a LOT of playing for girls who haven't had their first match yet. They were tired and hungry by the time we left the gym for the hotel! The next day we had to do it all over again....This time they only had to play 6 or 7 games so we finished at around 3:00p.m.
We got to go to the commissary both days and I was like a kid in a candy store. There are a few things that you cannot get in Bahrain that are plentiful in the U.S., but I wasn't aware of them until I got here. Had I known that you couldn't get them I would have sent them in my air shipment. Most of the stuff that you cannot get here we can do without or find a local replacement for....one of the things I have not been able to find a replacement for is canned green chiles. I can find fresh green chiles and green chile sauce (that is so hot it burns a whole in your stomach) but no canned green chiles. I got 10 cans of green chiles at the commissary along with 10 cans of Rotel (there are substitues for Rotel in Bahrain, but no replacements for Rotel...lol). Green chile chicken soup for dinner this weekend! WOOHOO! It is difficult to find Tostitos, but we can find substitues...so queso is also on the menu this weekend!
The other thing that I cannot get in Bahrain because they are banned is poppy seeds. I make this awesome poppy seed chicken casserole and I have not been able to find poppy seeds...obviously. So I also got 2 jars of poppy seeds. Did I also mention that the prices are about 10% cheaper at the commissary than the military would pay in the U.S.? Which means that the prices for us were 55% cheaper!!!! We were in heaven. We even got a bag of REAL DORITOS! Of course the volleyball girls snacked on them so they didn't make it home to Bahrain...lol!
The last day of the tournament was the championships for all three divisions and they were held at Ramstein AFB. The bus took us there and, as we passed the PX, all of our mouths dropped open...it was as big as a mall with an actual food court and stores! It was like an oasis...a mecca for Americans in the Middle East. Clothing and food is so expensive in Bahrain that when you CAN get American items, it is almost price prohibitive. For instance, the coach purses at the PX were about 10% less than what you would pay in the US...so one that I was looking at was $218...in Bahrain it would be more like $400. The backpack Madeline asked for for Christmas was $398 in the PX and is more like $600+ here...needless to say, she is not getting it for Christmas. I looked like an old lady with my purchases as I went to the pharmacy aisle and stocked up on Omeprazole, Pepcid AC, Geritol vitamins, and other various sundries that you CANNOT get in Bahrain. I brought what I thought would be enough, but we have only been here two and a half months and we are almost out of all the stuff I brought. Ugh.
The girls that went on the trip for the most part were just amazing kids. There were 7 Americans, 2 Canadians, 1 Chilean, 1 Indian, and 1 Bahraini. It was a nice mixture of cultures....they are all such good kids too...there was a team from an American International School in England that was staying at the same hotel and they were loud, obnoxious, and they destroyed hotel property in their rooms...our girls were mature and well-behaved. Our coach and athletic director, Coach Sherer and Mr. Herrera, did a great job at organizing and chaperoning the girls. They even had a 2 hour study hall where some girls had to take their tests from school. Both of them are very young, but very impressive with their control over the girls and the situation. It was very organized.
This is one of the perks of living overseas and going to a DoD school. This is the kind of thing that we took in to account when we were making the tough decision to take the job here or not. I am so glad today that we did because things just get better and better here. The girls have amazing friends and amazing opportunities to learn about different cultures, travel, and just broaden their view on the world. This has been an experience that they will never forget and will change who they are and what they become.
God has blessed us beyond our wildest beliefs! There aren't enough words to describe how thankful I am for his blessings.
We are counting down the days until Sarah and ALISON come for Christmas! We cannot wait. We are going to shop and shop and hopefully take a side trip to Dubai for New Years.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)