I knew I got more than I bargained for when
1) My airline scheduled 5 flights to leave from the same gate AT THE SAME TIME and 500 people were trying to get through a 4 foot wide door.
2) My hotel room had not been cleaned from the previous inhabitants, and the hotel attendant apparently thought this was ok.
3) I was advised to travel between cities in convoys with other tourists escorted by armed military vehicles, due to potential danger.
4) I was blatently asked for a bribe (yes, they used the arabic word for bribe) whenever a service was performed.
5) My cab driver was comfortable driving 100 mph while weaving through traffic (that was in kuwait). And I'm not even joking. He was doing 160 kph. I looked.
Overall the trip was good. I saw some temples, saw some heiroglypics and got hassled by all the shopkeepers. But whats a trip without a little hassling. We also ate some good egyptian food and had good conversation. Russ, who was with me, speaks fluent Arabic, so that was awesome. I'm sure we saved a lot of money simply because of his language skills.
We didn't see the pyramids. Those are in Cairo. We were in South Egypt, in Luxor and Aswan. But maybe I'll make it back there again and I'll visit Cairo and Alexandria in the North.
Pictures are coming soon.
I'm not going to lie. I sometimes feel like I'm living this odd existence where I live in the Middle East and travel to these exotic countries. And I do. And if feels strangely normal. But there are times when I have these "what the crap am I doing" moments. So I try to remember my strange life as I do the 'mundane' things as well - like teaching. Even that is an adventure, though. I would have never thought 8 months ago, that I would be teaching arab kids in the middle east. Its pretty sweet. Usually. Unless I'm frustrated. Then I have a bad attitude.
So I guess post-college life has been more than I bargained for, thus far. Fortunately, by grace, I have kept my head above water.
Knock on wood.
Jan 31, 2007
Jan 26, 2007
I can't decide which is better!
Today, I picked up a car. For free. Tomorrow, I'm leaving to travel in Egypt for four days. So all in all, its pretty sweet.
So about that car - I have a friend who went back to the States for an extended period of time, and wanted someone to be able to use her car. I was lucky enough to be that someone. I went today to pick it up - and its nice. A 2001 Honda Civic. Much nicer than I was anticipating. And to be honest, I'm a little nervous to drive it. Bahrain doesn't exactly have the Minnesota Nice driving I'd become so endeared to. Rather, there are no rules, and if I need to turn left from the farthest right lane (and crossing four lanes), I will do so. So I find myself being extra careful. Which is a good thing, I guess.
And Egypt? I was able to get cheap tickets to Egypt. Lucky for me, we have the Ashoora break next week along with the weekend. So I'm taking the opportunity to visit Luxor. And its got a lot of sweet stuff. Valley of the Kings, some ruins, some Hieroglyphics, but no pyramids. Those are up near Cairo.
When I return, school starts for real. The last few weeks had been a cake walk as I just gave tests. But now I have to start lesson planning and doing some prep work again. So my two months of bliss is in its twilight. But thats ok. I'm going to Eygpt. And I have a car.
So about that car - I have a friend who went back to the States for an extended period of time, and wanted someone to be able to use her car. I was lucky enough to be that someone. I went today to pick it up - and its nice. A 2001 Honda Civic. Much nicer than I was anticipating. And to be honest, I'm a little nervous to drive it. Bahrain doesn't exactly have the Minnesota Nice driving I'd become so endeared to. Rather, there are no rules, and if I need to turn left from the farthest right lane (and crossing four lanes), I will do so. So I find myself being extra careful. Which is a good thing, I guess.
And Egypt? I was able to get cheap tickets to Egypt. Lucky for me, we have the Ashoora break next week along with the weekend. So I'm taking the opportunity to visit Luxor. And its got a lot of sweet stuff. Valley of the Kings, some ruins, some Hieroglyphics, but no pyramids. Those are up near Cairo.
When I return, school starts for real. The last few weeks had been a cake walk as I just gave tests. But now I have to start lesson planning and doing some prep work again. So my two months of bliss is in its twilight. But thats ok. I'm going to Eygpt. And I have a car.
Jan 16, 2007
Is this Home?
Well, maybe not yet. But after returning from Turkey, a few incidents may have marked a bit of a turning point.
As I was driving around the first day back, I felt a sense of familiarity. It was rather strange to have a familiar feel in a place that is as far away from home as Diraz - my little town in Bahrain. As I drove down Budaiya highway and noticed all the small shops and other random things that I had never noticed I'd noticed before.
Today, as I was waiting at the bus stop with my groceries, a woman (who was also waiting for the bus) started asking me directions. She needed to find a fax machine. Amazingly, I knew where to find one. And not only that, but how to get there, which bus to take, and how to find the 'taxis' (pick up trucks, really) for her to get back home. I was a bit surprised at how much information I'd amassed - a tribute to the fact that, yes, I do actually live here. I am not merely a tourist.
In other news - we have exams all this week and next. Which means that the kids come to school at 7:30, take one test till 9:30, and then leave. And then we have the rest of the day to do whatever we want. I do some work... but lets be honest. Its been an easy week. And all of next week will be like this as well. That means I feel less guilty about playing soccer at the neighborhood field and maybe even watching a movie or two.
As I was driving around the first day back, I felt a sense of familiarity. It was rather strange to have a familiar feel in a place that is as far away from home as Diraz - my little town in Bahrain. As I drove down Budaiya highway and noticed all the small shops and other random things that I had never noticed I'd noticed before.
Today, as I was waiting at the bus stop with my groceries, a woman (who was also waiting for the bus) started asking me directions. She needed to find a fax machine. Amazingly, I knew where to find one. And not only that, but how to get there, which bus to take, and how to find the 'taxis' (pick up trucks, really) for her to get back home. I was a bit surprised at how much information I'd amassed - a tribute to the fact that, yes, I do actually live here. I am not merely a tourist.
In other news - we have exams all this week and next. Which means that the kids come to school at 7:30, take one test till 9:30, and then leave. And then we have the rest of the day to do whatever we want. I do some work... but lets be honest. Its been an easy week. And all of next week will be like this as well. That means I feel less guilty about playing soccer at the neighborhood field and maybe even watching a movie or two.
Jan 6, 2007
Returning from my Adventures
Let me just say this: If you ever have the chance to see Turkey – go during Christmas. It was AWESOME. For the most part. If you will remember, winter break started back in mid-December, and I thus fled my Paradise Island for Turkey. I met up with Owen, a friend from high school, where we thus traveled around the country on random buses, seeing much of the Mediterranean coast. Here are the top 10 highlights (links to are pictures taken by me):
1) Seeing the Aya Sophia. This is a church built in the 4th century by the Emperor of Rome. It was destroyed and rebuilt a few times, each time bigger and better than the last.
2) Istanbul in general is a great city (minus all the shopkeepers). I would put it on the top 10 cities for history buffs (and any one else, too).
3) The Lycian tombs. It was amazing to see these on the top of the mountain, shadows of a past that seems more a dream than reality.
4) Apparently Turkish shop keepers think that the phrase “Where are you from?” means “Let me charge you an exorbitant price for mostly worthless merchandise.” I told them they needed to work on their English
5) Ephesus: The largest city of ruins in the Mediterranean. I stood in the church of Ephesus and read Ephesians.
6) A lot of the pieces of “ruins” were not ruins at all. Rather, they were made to look old and ruined, so as to the aura that was missing from the original ruins. Awesome.
7) Half the world Turkish population lives in the US, apparently. Every one we talked to had a brother or a cousin selling carpets in Chicago and New York!
8) Breaking (storming!?!) into the Castle in Selcuk. Shhh.
9) Randomly meeting a girl who I swore was the sister of my friend Cassie. But it wasn’t.
10) Hanging out with Marco, learning about the Turks from him, and him teaching us backgammon.
I am currently sitting in my living room on Saturday morning. This means two things:
1) Tomorrow is Sunday.
2) Sunday is the day school starts up again.
Now as a teacher, you would think that I am excited to go back to school, assign homework, and give students dirty looks. But to be honest, I’ve enjoyed sleeping in and not spending all of my time doing lesson planning. Such is life, I guess. Back to the grind.
1) Seeing the Aya Sophia. This is a church built in the 4th century by the Emperor of Rome. It was destroyed and rebuilt a few times, each time bigger and better than the last.
2) Istanbul in general is a great city (minus all the shopkeepers). I would put it on the top 10 cities for history buffs (and any one else, too).
3) The Lycian tombs. It was amazing to see these on the top of the mountain, shadows of a past that seems more a dream than reality.
4) Apparently Turkish shop keepers think that the phrase “Where are you from?” means “Let me charge you an exorbitant price for mostly worthless merchandise.” I told them they needed to work on their English
5) Ephesus: The largest city of ruins in the Mediterranean. I stood in the church of Ephesus and read Ephesians.
6) A lot of the pieces of “ruins” were not ruins at all. Rather, they were made to look old and ruined, so as to the aura that was missing from the original ruins. Awesome.
7) Half the world Turkish population lives in the US, apparently. Every one we talked to had a brother or a cousin selling carpets in Chicago and New York!
8) Breaking (storming!?!) into the Castle in Selcuk. Shhh.
9) Randomly meeting a girl who I swore was the sister of my friend Cassie. But it wasn’t.
10) Hanging out with Marco, learning about the Turks from him, and him teaching us backgammon.
I am currently sitting in my living room on Saturday morning. This means two things:
1) Tomorrow is Sunday.
2) Sunday is the day school starts up again.
Now as a teacher, you would think that I am excited to go back to school, assign homework, and give students dirty looks. But to be honest, I’ve enjoyed sleeping in and not spending all of my time doing lesson planning. Such is life, I guess. Back to the grind.
