Happy National Day!

December 16th is National Day in Bahrain.  Around Bahrain, trees and buildings are decorated with red and white lights.  On December 13th, we celebrated national day at school with a festival that celebrated Bahrain's culture, heritage, and history.  Little kids played traditional games, painted pottery, ate traditional food and came dressed in traditional clothes.  They even had a play that showcased a traditional wedding!  The older kids went on field trips around Bahrain to places that showcased Bahrain's culture and contribution to the world.  All in all, it was a wonderful day.

Bahrain was a British protectorate from 1820 till 1971, when the British pulled out of the Middle East in general.  On August 15th, 1971, Bahrain gained independence from the British, and on December 16th, 1971, Bahrain formalized its structure as the State of Bahrain, with the formal ascension of Sheikh Isa (the current King's father) as the Emir of Bahrain.

So for your listening and viewing pleasure, I present to you the national anthem of Bahrain.

Arabic	Transliteration	Translation
بحريننا	Baḥraynunā	Our Bahrain
مليكنا	Malīkunā	Our King
رمز الوئام	Ramzu l-wi’ām	A symbol of harmony
دستورها عالي المكانة والمقام	Dustūruhā ‘ālī 'l-makānati wa-l-maqām	Its constitution is high in the place and the position
ميثاقها نهج الشريعة والعروبة والقيم	Mītāquhā nahgu s-sarī‘ati wa-l-‘urūbati wa-l-qiyam	Its charter is the way of (method of) Shari'a, Arabism, and the values
عاشت مملكة البحرين	‘Āshat mamlakatu al-Baḥrayn	Long live the Kingdom of Bahrain!
بلد الكرام	Baladu 'l-kirām	Country of nobles,
مهد السلام	Mahdu 's-salām	Cradle of peace,
دستورها عالي المكانة والمقام	Dustūruhā ‘ālī 'l-makānati wa-l-maqām	Its constitution is high in the place and the position
ميثاقها نهج الشريعة والعروبة والقيم	Mītāquhā nahgu s-sarī‘ati wa-l-‘urūbati wa-l-qiyam	Its charter is the way of (method of) Shari'a, Arabism, and the values
عاشت مملكة البحرين	‘Āshat mamlakatu al-Baḥrayn	Long live the Kingdom of Bahrain!

Ashura 2012

You may hear that there are different sects of Muslims - Sunni and Shia.  This last week was the Ashura holiday that Shia Muslims participate in.  During this holiday, they remember the deaths of Hussain and Ali, the son and grandson of Mohammed.  They were killed in the Battle of Karbala, which took place in Iraq.  This is a 10 day long ritual that happens every year.  The last two days - the 9th and 10th of Muharram - are usually days off for most schools, businesses and government offices. 

This year we experienced it a little more closely.  As the week goes on, more and more people participate in the rituals in the Manama center, which is right next two where we now live.  (oh yeah, we've moved!  I'll post pictures another time).  Because people from all over Bahrain, and other Gulf countries, come to Manama center to participate, we end up being in lock-down mode.  Which means there are so many cars that we have difficulty driving out.  And if we do, there's no guarantee that someone won't park in front of our garage entrance while we're away. 

Since we live so close, I've been able to visit the Ashura activities a couple of times over the last week and show my New Zealand and American friends around (I've been down before, so I have a general sense of what is going on, and where things are at).  Even though it is a more sombre event, people are quite welcoming towards us.  

Some key experiences of Ashura: 

• Families (and by family I mean hoards of cousins, aunts, uncles, etc) will stay in a familiy house in Manama and prepare food and snacks that people can freely take.  We sampled tea, various dates, falafal and other treats. 
• Aza'a:  the men will march while hitting themselves (sometimes lightly, some times not) and listening to someone recite various aspects of the story of Hussain and Ali.
• Art:  the Islamic Art Society of Bahrain hosts an art gallery every year with art depicting various scenes from the Battle of Karbala.

Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures, but I will certainly take my camera next year and share with a little more color. 

Thanksgiving 2012

One of my favorite memories growing up - and one of the things I miss most about being away from the US - is thanksgiving at my aunt and uncle's house.  My mom's side of the family would gather, and a hoard of us boys would romp, wrestle, and ruckus for three days (my poor cousin, Alice, was the lone girl among 11 boys).  However, we are not deprived of Thanksgiving thrills! There are enough Americans around to make an evening of it.

Last year, we had a pretty big thanksgiving with lots of friends hosted by us and a neighbor.  Alison did a lot of the cooking and prep, and was pretty exhausted afterwards.  Earlier this year, she vowed that she would not host thanksgiving this year.  As November neared, she softened and was ready to host thanksgiving for our family and some of the American teachers from school.  Add a few people here, a few people there and, bang - 27 people for Thanksgiving.  So much for a small, intimate meal!

However, we were not disappointed on several fronts.

• First, our neighbors graciously agreed to host, lifting one of the biggest burdens from Alison (and myself, but mostly Alison).  
• Second, many people were willing to help out with food.  Alison cooked (baked?  I don't know the difference) the turkeys, along with home made cranberry sauce and sweet potatoes.  
• Third, our hosts, Jim and Beth, asked everyone to say one thing they were thankful for.  It was encouraging to hear from so many people.  
• Fourth, Alison made a pumpkin pie and an apple pie.  We still have leftovers in the fridge.  
• Fifth, I was able to watch the Lions game.  We never watched football on Thanksgiving growing up, but watching football made me feel American.  It's good to have that from time to time. 

Coincidentally, Thanksgiving weekend occurs the same weekend as the Shia Muslim time of Ashura, so we also have a four day weekend, having Sunday and Monday off. 

Back from Blogging Oblivion

It has been two months since this blog has been updated, and almost twice as long since I have written anything.  A lot has happened in the last four months: 

• We visited America in all its glory.  Frog jumping contests, children's museums, family pets, and of course, family. 
• I spent 1 month away in Bahrain while Alison and the kids remained in the US.  It was good to have time to get lots of stuff done, but I also missed them.  
• Gabe may have an allergy to gluten and/or dairy.  Uff.  Breads and Dairy products?  Poor kid. 
• Eva is being potty trained!  I'll spare you the details. 
• The Packers lost to the Seahawks on a horrible call 
• My parents have a foreign exchange student from - wait for it... - Bahrain!  Alison and I have had the chance to meet her familiy here, which has been a lot of fun. 

Away to Chicago

Alison and I left the kids with my parents for three days and headed to the Windy City (named for its long winded politicians, not for excess amounts of wind).  We walked around downtown, at Chicago style pizza, visited a few museums, went for bike rides, took tours, and visited the U505 submarine.  As the nerds we are, we even visited a couple bookshops and I found a book on Bahrain from the 1980's!  I am still working my way through it. 

We have moved!

One of the perks of being the Principal is moving into the house reserved for the Principal.  It's actually a duplex, and we occupy the second floor.  The first floor is occupied by the pastor of the National Evangelical Church and his family.  They have already been wonderful neighbors, and their four teenage/adult children living at home provide ample baby-sitting opportunities. 

The house provides more room for our family and, most significantly, a yard!  The kids love being outside.  We are within walking distance of quite a bit, and I am within walking distance of the school.  This cuts my commute down by an hour.   There are a lot of small things I need to come to the school for, so it is nice that I can pop over for an hour if I need to without taking up my entire day. 

On Being Principal

I have learned more in the last three months than I anticipated.  I have learned about how air conditioners and electrical wiring work, set ups of industrial fire alarms, labor law, organizational design and a plethora of other things.   And of course, when someone comes to me, I can no longer pass the buck if I don't want to deal with it.  I have had to learn better time management, to prioritize, and to slow down a bit.  I may have some ideas, but changing institutions takes time - even if everyone inside wants to change with you.  Fortunately, I have a great staff.  Everyone is hard working and dedicated, and I am encouraged every day by the work that they do.  

Another first day of school

Tomorrow is another first day of school for students at Al Raja.  Every new school year has it's own element of excitement, however, it is particularly exciting for our family as Joshua Perkins, will be the one greeting all those eager to learn faces in his new role as principal.

Al Raja (Arabic for The Hope School) was formed on the porch of a young mother who came alongside her husband  more than 100 years ago, to serve the community of Bahrain. At the time Samuel and Amy Zwemer were primarily working on establishing a hospital and church, however, in my mindseye I can imagine Amy's young school (which most likely started as an extention of homeschooling her own children) grow as her pupils eagerly embraced her lessons and love for them.  The Zwemer family sacrificed much, not only because they lived in Bahrain before planes, skype, and air conditioning, but the graves of their two daughters are located less than a mile from the hospital, school, and church they established.  Their estblishments are still standing, and their love and self sacrifice for a people not their own, is still inspiring.  

Al Raja has rich roots.  I'm so proud to have worked there, and I'm excited that Josh will be able to continue the legacy of faithful service that has marked the work of so many  of Al Raja's principals before him.

America!

Many of you know that we've successfully made it back to the States.  We are currently at my parents house in Aledo, IL, a small town about three hours west of Chicago.  Since being here, we have enjoyed: 

• A frog jumping contest
• walking to get ice cream
• meeting our sister-in-law, Jenn, in person for the first time!
• bike riding, with the kids in a bike trailer
• getting lost on my bike at 10pm at night on dark country roads, while deer with large antlers stalk me from the treeline
• reading books leisurely
• walking with the kids to parks 
• sitting on the porch in the morning before breakfast
• thunderstorms 
• playing with the kids in the kiddie pool outside
• showing Eva all the plants and flowers
• Watching Gabe eat the flowers given to him by Eva
• playing with my parents dog, Toby.  Actually Eva has enjoyed this the most and she has declared, twice now, that Toby is her best friend. 
• family pictures taken by my brother, David.  

There's probably more, and I'll post them later.  With pictures!

Happy Father's Day!

For Father’s day, I (Alison) thought I would list 10 of the things our family loves about Josh Perkins.  

10.  He often will help with dishes and sweep floors without being asked.  He works hard at his job, but he also works hard at serving us at home.

9.  He reads books.  He is one of the most avid readers I’ve known, and that has translated to regularly and consistently reading books to Gabe and Eva (which they both love).  Eva loves nothing better than to snuggle up with a good book, and Daddy is one of her favorite snuggle partners. Gabe has also been getting a lot more interested in books – especially if Josh is involved.  Josh has also been known to read a Harriet Beecher Stowe novel, simply because she’s one of my favorite authors and I like to talk about it with him.  We all love that he involves us in one of his favorite hobbies.

8.  Most afternoons after work, he can be found lying on the floor.  Eva will almost always try to ride him like a horse, and Gabe will put his slobbery face on his and pull his hair.  Needless to say, Eva and Gabe LOVE this time, and it usually gives me a little break from them which I love.

7.  He makes coffee and pancakes on Saturday mornings.  Okay, maybe I appreciate the former more than the rest of the family, but Gabe and Eva definitely enjoy their break from oatmeal when Daddy makes breakfast.  Eva has particularly enjoyed “helping” Daddy recently. 

6. He thinks of fun ‘outdoorsy’ things to do.  It’s always Josh’s idea to go to the beach.  He’s also usually the one to suggest going to the park, or going to a pool or on a walk.  We’re always grateful for his creative ideas to get us outside and moving.

5.  He offers to carry heavy things.  Like children.  Granted baby-lifting is my primary source of exercise, (I consider putting away toys as my cardio workout…which is why I only feel the need do it 1 – 2 times a week) I still appreciate when Josh offers to take a kid (or two) when we’re out and about.  And I know they always prefer him.

4. He is ambitious about godly things.  He always has a vision for the future that I’m excited to be a part of and work towards with him.  While he is ambitious at his job, since I’ve known him, his primary ambitions have always centered on ways and methods for serving God in a hurt and dying world. 

3. He shoulders responsibility like a man. I have never known Josh to shirk from any responsibility – rather he always takes it up ungrudgingly whenever he sees it.  He does this at home with sorting out our finances, insurance, car maintenance, and a whole host of other things that I have nothing to do with but Josh regularly takes care of.  He does this at work as the math coordinator and has already started doing it with anticipating the new responsibilities of being a principal next year.  He has also consistently done this at church.  This year he has served as an elder, has preached several times, is regularly scheduled to be the service leader, as well as running powerpoint, helps with the church website, and most recently has added working in the children’s church with the 2&1/2 – 3 yr olds class which Eva is in. He doesn’t volunteer for these for any other reason than it needs to be done, and his sincere love for the church.  I’m sure that watching his own godly father perform the same unselfish service in the church while growing up has played a huge part in Josh’s heart to take on many of these needed responsibilities.  I can’t think of anyone else I would rather point my own son to and say “follow him as he follows Christ” than Josh.      

2. He arranges date nights.  This past year has been wonderful, but at times highly stressful with the demands of young children.  During those times when my next plan of action was to fed-ex one or two of my children to my mother-in-law, Josh has often suggested and arranged that we do the next best thing – get a sitter and escape for a few hours.  Everyone in the family ends up much happier for this. 

1.  He is a very attractive man.    

Happy Father's Day Josh!

Alison Graduates!

At the beginning of May, Alison turned in her last assignments for her last classes in her masters program. She has toiled for the year and a half - reading books, writing papers and solving problems. All of that while caring for two kids at home, supporting me in my work, and being involved in various church activities. The fruit of the labor is an MA in Curriculum and Instruction, and a wealth of ideas for education development.  You can see some labor bearing fruit here and here.

Alison Perkins, MA Teaching and Curriculum

To celebrate, I arranged a surprise party for Alison.  It was the complete package - a graduation gown, marching to "pomp and circumstance" and Alison giving the key note address.  Since Alison was unaware of the prestigious responsibility, I took the pains to write a commencement speech for her.  She was eloquent, if I do say so myself.  If you have a minute, send Alison an email or FB message of congratulations.

Giving the commencement address.

The question is, of course, "What will she do now?"  The possibilities are endless.  There are naps to be taken, recipes to be explored and books to be acquainted with.  I also have ideas to have her help me at school.  Well, she already has helped me, but now she'll have a bit more time and energy to contribute to my own development as a teacher. Below is the copy of her well-written and eloquent speech:

Alison's Graduation Speech
"We are never more than we were, than before we started the journey" - cheesy and meaningless inspirational quote #426

This month marks a month of many exciting milestones.  My son Gabriel, is celebrating his first birthday, I finished my masters degree, and most important, I am still not pregnant.  As exciting as that last point is, the reason we are gathered here today is to mark the milestone of having finished my masters (and partially to celebrate Gabe's birthday).

The question everyone asks now is "What are you going to do?" I have a lot of dreams and ambitions.  I expect those dreams to come during my afternoon naps which I now have time to take.  I also expect to do most of Josh's lesson planning for him, since I'm so skilled and masterful at planning lessons.  Lastly, I am going to work on getting everyone to call me "Master Alison".

Of course, I would like to thank those here who made that possible.  First, Gabriel, who took 30 minute naps during the afternoon.  Those short times forced me to become a better quicker writer.  Second, Eva, who occasionally shared "her" ipad with me so that I could read my articles.  Lastly, and most importantly, I would like to thank my strong, handsome, winsome, cool husband from whom I gained all my inspiration.  He even wrote a bunch of papers for me and basically did everything.

I would like to close by saying how thankful I am for everyone here.  Each of you has played a part in my life in some way, and I am grateful that you are here to celebrate with me.

Happy Birthday Gabe!

On Thursday, May 10, Gabe passed the milestone of his first birthday.  Those harried days when he was a month earlier than expected and mad rush to organize our lives before he arrived seem so long ago and yesterday at the same time.  He's gone from a frail newborn...

From Gabriel

...to a chunker that will someday be a linebacker for the Green Bay Packers. 

From Easter 2012

In true Perkins tradition (and tradition and tradition), we made our trek to Dairy Queen to give Gabe his first taste of ice cream.  

But true to the climate he has grown up in, he seems to have difficulty handling anything that is less than 75 degrees.  

We didn't get him any presents - but some friends saved the day.  Even though Gabe was a little unsure of his role with the crinkly box, Eva knew exactly what to do and was more than willing to lend her services.

Easter from the Muslim Perspective

This is a bit old, but I'll forget about it by this time next year.  The New Yorker published an article on how Muslim's view Easter.  The article does a good job of summing up the basic beliefs of Muslims regarding Jesus - that Jesus...

• does not hold divinity.
• was not crucified, but possibly someone else was (see the article for the range of explanations)
• did not die, but descended into heaven.  He will return at some point. 
• by extension, did not rise from the dead. 

There are more things in the article, but I wanted to focus on what the author says towards the end of the article, quoting an Imam (i.e. religious leader of a mosque):

"When Muslims and Christians meet, Sayer said, the Jesus connection can only take them so far. Getting into a deep conversation about exactly what happened to the Jesus in the Gospels versus the Jesus in the Koran only ends up emphasizing the gulf."

Anyone who says that Islam and Christianity are really the same have not taken a serious look at one of the (or probably both) belief systems.  This is not the only difference in theology, but it is possibly the most important.  And its true that it does emphasize the gulf between Muslims and Christians.  Not only that, but all the aspects of Jesus' life and nature that Muslims deny above have grave consequences:

• If Jesus was not divine, he did not bear the punishment for the sins of humanity. 
• If Jesus did not die, he did not bear the punishment for the entirety of humanity. 
• If Jesus did not rise again, he did not truly defeat the death of sin.  And followers of Jesus have no hope. 

And if any one of these are not true, we cannot enter into the holy presence of a sinless God.  (for a full discussion on that issue, see this video). 

The author concludes:

" [Sayer continues] 'In the afterlife we’ll see anyway who is wrong, who is right, what is Jesus—we will learn everything there.' Until that time comes, it might be best to focus on the kebabs."

He is half right - we will find out who is right and who is not in the afterlife (he also makes a good point that we should focus on kebabs).  When we stand before God, we will find out who and what Jesus really is.  However, leaving the discussion and focusing on "getting along" puts people in danger, from a Christian perspective.  Jesus states quite clearly in the John 14:6,

"I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me."

So it is immensely important what people believe about Jesus in this life.  Because it has eternal consequences.  And I praise God for His provision.

1 Peter 1:3-5  "³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, ⁵ who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvationthat is ready to be revealed in the last time." 

Easter

This is a little late in coming, but better late than never.  Every year we've gone over to a friend's house for Easter, and every year they do the same thing.  Tell the Easter story for all the kids and then do an Easter egg hunt in their back yard.  Now their kids are teenagers, but they've done it so often that they can't NOT do it.  So all of us with little kids gather anyways, and the Taylors organize a fantastic afternoon.  Their own teenage kids (and other teenagers) help out.  Eva and Gabe participated this year, and collected their own stash of candy.

Subway Expansion

When Subway first expanded outside of North America in 1984, do you know the first place a franchise was opened?  I'll give you one guess.



I hope you didn't guess anything other than Bahrain.   The picture above was posted by Subway Arabia's facebook page.  I don't know where this is, but now I'm curious to try and find it.

Bahrain by Bahrain

As a history geek, I am always on the lookout for books or websites on the history of Bahrain. Unfortunately, there's not a whole lot in English, and the books in English I do find are often long, expensive and dry. Not only that, they are rarely by Bahrainis. Often they are written historians and archaeologists who have come to Bahrain.

To my great delight, I found out that my friend Ahmed is working on a translation project doing just that. He is taking a history of Bahrain written by a well respected Bahraini historian and translating it into English. Even better, he is doing translating bit by bit and publishing it on his blog. You can see it here at Ahmed's Translations.

Cover of the Book: Masjid Al-Khamees (Khamees Mosque)

The first translation post is about Khamis mosque, one of the oldest mosques in Bahrain. In fact, this mosque is just up the road from us and we drive by it relatively frequently. Check back to the blog every once in a while (or subscribe, like I've done) to read more about the history of Bahrain. By Bahrainis.

Good Friday

Today is the day when many Christians celebrate the death of Jesus (I say many because orthodox believers will celebrate Easter next week).  There is lots to say about why Jesus died, but I would like to just leave two parts of a document called the Heidelberg Catechism: 

Why did Christ have to go all the way to death?  Because God's truth and justice demanded it: only the death of God's perfect Son could pay for the shame of our sin. 

What advantage do we receive from Christ's sacrifice and death on the cross? Through Christ's death our old selves are crucified, put to death, and buried with Him, so that the evil desires of the flesh may no longer rule us, but that instead we may dedicate ourselves as an offering of gratitude to Him. 

But Good Friday - the day of Christ's death - is only good because of Easter Sunday.  As the old preaching cadence reminds... it's Friday, but Sunday's a comin'!

Donald Peterson: 1917 - 2012

My grandfather, my mothers father, passed away yesterday at the age of 95. While the death carries sadness, the memories and legacy of my grandfather far outweigh any sadness. 

A Patriarch: my grandpa did not grow up in a Christian home, and he saw first hand the destructive power that alcohol can have on a family. However, he became a follower of Jesus in his teenage years, and after serving in the military during World War II in Morrocco, married and returned as a pastor. After Morrocco, they moved to Alaska and then on to retirement. But it was with him that God's faithfulness finds one of its key starting points in my line of the family. Three daughters, 11 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren (and counting!) are the legacy that he leaves behind.  And while I saw his frail body with my physical eyes, my mind's eye saw a titan - not because he was strong (physically or otherwise) in his own right, but a titan of the faith.  Someone who loved God and served him fiercely.

"Well done, good and faithful servant." 8 years ago I traveled to Florida to visit my grandparents on both sides to attempt to get some family history. I heard all about how my grandpa became a Christian, how he met my grandma, moved overseas and back, and raised three daughters. While he talked about their time in Morrocco, his heart became heavy as he wondered whether the 20 years they spent there even made a difference. He and my grandmother toiled in the Gospel for two decades, sharing the love of Jesus, but seeing little fruit. Phrases like "when seeds are planted, we don't always see the fruit" didn't seem to have much comfort, true they may be. But I am confident that now, as he stands before God in heaven, that the loving Father will look upon him and say, "Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your master." All question of the Father's approval have been laid to rest that affirmation. All wonder at whether it 'was enough' is answered with that invitation. My grandfather now knows, fully, the width, height, and breadth that is the love of Christ.

There is always sadness that accompanies death, but my grandpa's passing into God's presence is also a cause for happiness. He led a life that was faithful to his calling from God as a father, husband, and pastor. His fruit is seen in his children, his children's children, and as far as I can tell now, even in his children's children's children. Four generations of faithfulness flowing out of his start. Praise God for long, faithful lineages.

Eva with her Great Grandfather, July 2010

From Summer '10

Back to the Peasant's Life

We were spoiled for two weeks, and then a week before that. Alison's mom, Janet, came to visit in January (and sandwiched a trip to India in between her two visits to us). It's always good having her here for a couple of weeks - not least because the kids love having her around. More importantly, she

• gets up at 5:45 with Gabe and Eva (which is a nice break for Alison) 
• is willing and ready to hold fussy babies 
• is ready to do more than her fair share of diaper changing (and, when I'm a grandparent someday, that fair share will be none) 
• does more dishes than a whirlpool 
• reads "I can lick 30 tigers today" 30 times during the day 
• takes more pictures than you can shake a stick at 
• watches the kids while Alison works on school work 
• and lots more. 

Now, though, she's gone, which means I change more diapers, do more dishes and read more '30 Tigers'. More devastatingly, it means Alison gets lots less school work done during the day, and has to do more studying and writing in the evening. This cuts into my YouTube surfing time.

Obviously, everyone is happy that Nana is here!

The Many Faces of Gabe

Alison's mom has been here for the last two weeks, and has taken lots of pictures of the kids.  As I looked through them, I was struck by Gabe's facial expressions.  I thought it would make a good slide show.  There is also a disparity of pictures when comparing Gabe and Eva, and I don't want Gabe to have an inferiority complex as a result.  Eva will be able to accomplish that one on her own.

Caption Contest: There are captions on most of the pictures.  However, there are three that I was not creative enough to come up with captions for.  Leave a comment with the picture number and your caption, if you are creative enough.  There's no prize for the best one, so I guess its not really a contest.  But I'm hoping no one actually reads this far. 

The Frigid Winter of Bahrain

Suffering
I know all of you in the states are scoffing.  You think my blood has thinned.  You think that I can no longer handle the long, bitter winters of the midwest.  Well, I submit to you that surviving winter in Bahrain is more difficult than surviving winter in Minnesota.

1.  When the temperature gets below 55 degrees, there is no heat to turn on.  Anywhere.  Not in cars.  Not in the houses.  Not anywhere.  I know all of you turn on the heat when it gets below 65 degrees. 

2.  For 10 months out of the year, I sweat when I go outside.  Maybe its my own fault for not remembering to purchase warm clothing, but ties just don't work well as scarves. 

3.  When I get up in the morning, there is no hot air vent blasting out the blanket of joy I so dearly remember growing up.  No - there is only 50 degree air waiting for me after I get out of the shower. 

4.  Eva flips and flops in her bed while sleeping more than a [insert your loathed political party] during campaign season.  This is, we believe, the reason she wakes up at 5:30 am, cold after having thrown the covers off, to climb into bed with us.  

I challenge any of you "suffering" in your houses with central heating and fire places to come to Bahrain and brave our cold weather.  I challenge you to endure teaching and holding white-board markers all day with no way to warm your hands.  And if you take up our challenge, please bring some triscuits.

Winter Thobe Collection
You may recognize the traditional white robe called a "thobe", that many arab men wear.  During the winter, many men will wear darker colored thobes.  I'm not sure if its simply a fashion deal, or if the material is heavier.  But you know its winter in Bahrain when the dark thobes are sported.  The thobes below are particularly stylish - apparently they are from a designer in Saudi Arabia.

Happy Birthday And Merry Christmas II

Talking about my children without including pictures causes small riots among their grandparents.  So here is what the last post was missing.  A hodge-podge of pictures from December and a couple of pictures from our annual trip to Dairy Queen for birthday ice-cream.

And in case the pictures didn't satisfy your curiosity about how we celebrate birthdays, video of the big night out. 

Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas!

Its been a while since I've posted, but we've been quite busy.  Brian and Liz (Alison's brother and his wife) came and visited for two weeks over Christmas.  We had a fantastic time with them, and were even able to to go Dubai with them for a couple of days.  Here are some things I learned. 

• You can apparently book private parties at indoor ski resorts in the desert.  We had intended to go sledding and skiing to experience snow on Christmas day, but the indoor ski resort was closed for a private party.  Really!?!  Is it not crazy enough that you can do indoor skiing in the middle of the desert?  Apparently not.  We still had a good time that day.  We explored the mall, went to the book store (not that we're starving for one in Bahrain - we just like books) and took Eva to the area with the kiddie rides and arcade games.  She was freaked out by the 
• Chasing Eva saying, "Oh no!  Sharks!" is hilarious.  For both of us.  In another mall, there is a "water-zoo" (aka aquarium), and it was everything I had hoped and dreamed.  Eva laughed and giggled and squealed her way through the whole thing looking at otters, bright and colorful fish, and most of all - penguins.  There is also a tunnel that goes under the massive two-story aquarium and there are 15-20 large sharks with jagged teeth.  Lots of fun. 
• Camel Burgers are tasty.  They're a little tougher than beef burgers, and I probably wouldn't order one again.  But its kind of cool to say I've had a camel burger. 
• The Apocalypse does NOT come if we don't put our kids down for naps at 1pm.  Usually the kids are on a pretty rigid schedule, and, although we intended to keep them on the schedule, we grossly underestimated travel times going to and from the hotel.  But it ended up all right.  Its a little freeing to think that, if we choose for a day, we can do something that requires a little more time. 

Of course, this last week was Eva's 2nd birthday!  Happy Birthday Eva!  We didn't do a whole lot, just went out for ice cream at Dairy Queen and let her have a vanilla sundae.  We didn't plan any events this year, and maybe that makes us bad parents.  I'm not sure. 

I remember when I was a kid my dad (or mom, maybe) telling me that it was nice that my birthday was in April.  That way they had time to save up for presents in between Christmas and my birthday.  I remember being a bit confused as to why that mattered.  Well, now I know.  Not that its a problem now.  But someday when she wants a laptop for Christmas and an iPad for her birthday, there's going to be some tears shed.