A Few Thoughts

The Break is Over

I am now on my last day of a weeklong break from school. For the most part I feel rested and relaxed and ready to start school again tomorrow. During the break, I was able to spend some time with friends from school and church – including a bbq in the desert and visiting a few of Bahrain’s sites. I visited, for the first time, the local Starbucks (which is even more expensive here!) and went to a concert – an Iranian group who played traditional persian music.

I even ventured to get my hair cut for the first time here, with success for the most part. I need to work on my Arabic. However, part of the haircut is an amazing head massage. I will definitely be returning (armed with a few more relevant vocabulary).

While it was nice to have a break from teaching, this week has had provided a moment for me to look back and see how the first 7 weeks of teaching has gone. All in all – I’ve survived. Hopefully I’ll have a better report at the holiday break in December. The learning curve is steep, and to be honest, I’ve learned more in 7 weeks here – both about teaching and myself as a teacher – than I would have if I were teaching in the states.

For the Visual Learners

I have a place to post pictures.

Update #3 - "His Still Quiet Voice"

My brother David's film did very well in the San Antonio Film Festival. He was a finalist in his category - Young Filmmaker - which means his was one of the top 4 films in that grouping. He is already planning his next project, and will begin production very soon.

My idea for his next movie: "Bahrain Witch Project". There is a legend (believed by many people, actually) that there is an old woman who wanders around the desert in the southern part of the island. She apparently haunts the Tree of Life - a random tree growing in the middle of the desert.