Don't Worry....We're Fine!

Greetings from BAHRAIN! 

To our friends and family at home...we are fine!  We woke up today to a phone call from our security guy here in the country telling John not to send the girls to school today.  It seems as though last night the riot police, in an attempt to prevent another Tahrir Square, used force on the protesters killing 3 and wounding 50 or more.  Obviously this is not the ideal situation for the country, but we are not alarmed...yet. 

Just like in any small town in America, rumors fly around here with exaggerations and inflated numbers.  The entire country is 34 miles long by 11 miles wide.  Not very big...and the latest census puts the population at 1.2 million.  We do currently have a security guy, who works for CPChem in Saudi, on the ground checking things out.  I am so thankful that he has been in country for the last three or four days.  Sometimes living in Bahrain away from the main group of families that are in Saudi can make you feel isolated...it can also sometimes feel like we are forgotten over here.  BUT, without Mark checking things out and reporting via text and phone we would have no idea what areas to avoid, if it is safe in general, if we should send our kids to school....Again, I am so very thankful and he has been invaluable...and it makes me feel a little less "forgotten."  HA!

I have gotten numerous emails and texts from friends and family wondering why we aren't scared or why we aren't coming home.  Since we moved here six months ago we have had so many demonstration notices I can't even count them all!  The Bahrainis like to demonstrate about everything.  There were numerous demonstrations leading up to the elections in October, there have been demonstrations calling for the release of 25 detainees accused of terrorism, there are demonstrations for everything.  Not that they don't have a right or reason to demonstrate, but we have just accepted them as part of our life here.  The U.S. Embassy does a good job of notifying Americans when and where the demonstrations will be and we steer clear of the areas.  Most of the demonstrations are held in areas we don't frequent and most are peaceful.

The protesters are not anti-American protests...they are protests against the government of Bahrain.  They want a new constitution, they want better paying jobs, better housing...and the list goes on.  Not that they don't have a right to protest, but compared to Egypt and Tunisia where all this started, Bahrainis have it pretty good.  The Bahrain GDP is four times Tunisias and SEVEN times Egypt's GDP.  In Bahrain they are afforded the right to demonstrate, they have some religious freedom, they have a parliament elected by the people, etc.  Relative to other Arab countries they have it pretty good here...but it is easy for me, as an American, to sit back and say that they have it pretty good...I might think differently if I was a poor Arab living in Bahrain.

You will probably also hear on the news that the protests here are not sectarian, but from what I have been able to read and hear from numerous sources, it is still sectarian.  How could it not be?  The Sunnis are the ruling party and they are only about 30% of the Bahraini citizenship...the rest are Shia.  I am obviously simplifying the plight of the Shia, but they are angry that they don't have representation in the goverment, aren't given government jobs, and have bad housing.  Basically it is an US against THEM situation...and I think it always will be.  To add to the unrest, Iran likes to stir the pot of discord here in Bahrain as well as other Arab countries. 

So to all our friends and family...we are fine.  We live very close to the Saudi Causeway and we are a good ways away from the vicinity of the big protests.  We are not going out any time soon and John is here with us until Sunday morning.  We are not scared...the girls are happy to have a THIRD day off of school (two for protests and one for the prophet's birthday) and they are sleeping soundly...as I suspect they will be doing ALL DAY.  The biggest disappointment will be that the Madeline's Valentine's Dance will be cancelled.  John is watching television and I am getting ready to go and take a nap.  There are men working on our tile in the backyard and we have plenty of rations to last us a few days (he he).  Just know that we would never keep our children in harm's way.  My warning is that you don't believe everything you see on television...I have seen some of the footage and they make it sound and look much worse than it is....

See you all in 4 1/2 months!