Modern Knowledge

After many ups and downs, and left and rights, I am finally back int the classroom.  Teaching 4th grade at Modern Knowledge School here in Bahrain has been great thus far.  While it is true I have an enormous class of 30 kids, a very small room, and absent technology... I am extremely happy to be teaching again.

There is no public education system here in Bahrain... so a child's quality of learning really does depend on the family's finances.  The more money you are willing to cough up... the better the education your child will have.  Modern Knowledge is no exception to this... however they have recently lowered their tuition rates which pulled in many more kids than expected.  Some classes have as many as 34 kids.  With concrete walls and just enough room to maneuver the desks, things can get pretty LOUD.

The first couple weeks of school were exhausting, as I spent much time preparing the classroom, learning the curriculum, and planning lessons.  It took a while just to get back in the flow of things, but now that I have a few weeks under my belt, things have been much easier.

I am extremely grateful to my fiance' Beni (future post coming) and her sister Sharina who helped me get my classroom prepared in such a short period of time.  Between the cleaning, organization, and bulleting boards... we managed to get everything done in just a few days.

My class has been a joy.  The majority of the kids are Bahraini, taking up residence in or around Manama.  However, I do have one student from Egypt, two from Jordan, and two from Syria.  They are all Bilingual, speaking English in school and Arabic in their homes.  Some of my English can be difficult for them to understand at times.  It's amazing how much quicker they are to respond when I just remember to speak a little slower.  Only rarely will they speak Arabic in the classroom.  Boys in arguments will often switch  in order to say things they ought not to say... they know I can't understand them.  Sneaky boys.

Below are pictures of my classroom and students.  We did a team building exercise during the 2nd day of school called "marshmallow towers".  Enjoy!

The First Week...

Most of the first week in Bahrain was spent settling into my new apartment.  Beni has been incredible in this process.  In fact, she managed to see about a dozen different flats before selecting what I believe to be the perfect place to live!  A ton of work for her.  I'm extremely grateful.

I live in Adliya, which is just south of Manama, the capital city of Bahrain.  Adliya reminds me a lot of Wesport, for those of you familiar with KC.  There are tons of great restaurants and coffee shops, and most everyone lives above, below, or beside some sort of business.  The grocery store, bank, barbershop, bakery, and countless antique shops are all within walking distance.  I love it!

The apartment itself is very homey.   It has two bedrooms, two baths, a quaint kitchen, and a roomy dining/living room.  All I really need!  Best of all is that it's only a 2 minute walk from Beni's parents house.  This is great because neither of us have cars on the island.

Here are a few pictures of my place.  Enjoy.

Pretty classic living room with the entertainment center, 2 chairs, a couch, and a coffee table.  Pictures of the family on the TV.  The glass sliding door goes out to a balcony.  The dining room has a table with 4 chairs.  My good friend Frank poses with his coffee... the other picture is of Livestrong stadium, home of KC Sporting (I hear they are making a major run for the playoffs!  Exciting!)

Next is the hall bathroom.  May I draw your attention to the hose next to the bowl.  For those of you who do not appreciate "too much information" ... you may want to stop reading now.  This hose, similar to a bidet, is in fact for washing.  Apparently us Americans are a little behind on the restroom hygiene.  I steered clear of the device for the first several days, but curiosity got the best of me.  I am now a proud converter of the hose... it's like a mini shower just for your bum!  Warm water and everything!  My toilet paper is sparkling clean.  ;)  All restrooms in Bahrain are equipped with the hose.  You can... if you dare.. experience this thorough washing at your neighborhood petrol station.  I have yet to risk this... and don't plan to be so daring anytime soon.

The kitchen sits just opposite the restroom.  The window overlooks the alley below.  Washer and dryer  on the right hand side of the photo.

Finally the master bedroom.  Nice queen size, couple bedside tables, desk, and wall closet.  Love my room!  AC keeps it super cold, and there is so much space in the wall closet for all my clothes.

Greetings from Bahrain!

The Flight
I arrived in Bahrain 2 weeks ago.  The flight was both exciting and restful.  Exciting because of where I was flying to and who I would be seeing upon my arrival. Restful because my uncle Paul managed to bump me into business class where I enjoyed champagne, a fold down bed, and a wide variety of movies and TV episodes.  I had my own little remote and everything!  The food was incredible as well.  I enjoyed some lamb in the evening and a delicious fruit bowl upon my waking. All in all, a wonderful flight.  Below is a picture of what my "pod" was like.

The Arrival
Kansas City to DC was a little over 2 hours, DC to Kuwait (the long stretch) was just shy of 12 hours, and  Kuwait to Bahrain was about 45 minutes.  Add the refueling and lay overs and you get a 19 hour flight.  19 hours of thinking to yourself "Is this really happening?"  "Am I really moving to Bahrain?"  "Am I going to embrace my girlfriend for the 1st time in just a few hours?"  The answer of course to all these questions is YES!

I arrived in Bahrain around 5 pm (9 am KC time) Sunday afternoon.  Beni was there waiting for me at the gate.  She would say later that "I looked right through her!"  I disagree slightly.  I don't know exactly what happened.  I will say however, that my eyes were skipping from face to face so rapidly that I quite possibly looked in her "general direction", ... but I DEFINITELY did not look right at her and then move on.  Nevertheless, our eyes did finally meet.  We embraced.  It was wonderful.