Bahrain - March 2008 (cont.)

by Hannah

Saturday March 22, 2008

This morning we went to a huge mosque.  It was very decorative inside and all the doors have carvings in them that create square designs.  The doors are huge with big metal handles that also have designs on them.  The inside walls of the mosque is decorated with different kinds of writings and there are lots of lights in a big circular shape.  In the inside of the circular lights were arrows that point in different directions and in the middle (where the arrows met) there was a huge light chain that hangs downward.  We had a tour in the mosque and learned more about fasting.  I was taught that if a Muslim person is pregnant, traveling or sick then that particular person doesn't have to fast.  During the tour we were also introduced to their prayer call, which is a opening verse from the Holy Koran.  The verse was like a song and it was very pretty.  We took a lot of photos and afterward we went to the U.S. Military Base in Bahrain.

We spent about 3 hours at the Military Base and had lots of fun.  We met a lot of people who were from the U.S. and we had American food for lunch including: hamburgers, hot dogs, chips and more.  They also had sports planned for us including: volleyball, bowling and other activities.  It was like a party and they also had music.  We talked to the military workers and learned about each other.  I got to talk to two guys who are middle aged and I learned that they both have lived in the U.S. and they have families who are living in the U.S.  I shared with them about myself and my experience in Bahrain and what we did so far.  Some of my group mates played cards games.  It was really fun and I really enjoyed talking to the guys except that I forgot their names.  Before we left for our formal dinner party, the people gave us Easter Baskets that contained a lot of candies.

We went to a formal dinner party at a compound place and we dressed in formal clothes.  They gave us mostly American food like corn, fries and potatoes.  We had different kinds of soda and juices.  I drank a few cups of strawberry soda and it was very refreshing.  We had henna painted on our hands and they had a Bahraini band that played for us during and after the dinner.  The place was very pretty with a huge swimming pool in the middle.  In the very center of the pool was a palm tree that was lit up by little decorative lights and below the tree were benches for people to sit; there are stepping stones to leads to the center.  Some of us danced after dinner and received gifts.  The dinner was very enjoyable and tomorrow we'll be going to a water park.

Sunday March 23, 2008

This trip so far has been an easy one because everyone in my group is very helpful and super kind.  So far I don't feel like there are challenges because I thought this trip was all about attending workshops and talks at different places, but we have been doing other things that are fun.  For example, going to a water park.  Everyone of the delegates are very friendly and we are always together working as a group and most of us feel like we are at home.  All the local people are really nice and they would always greet us with hugs or hand shakes.  Sometimes they would even offer us food and drinks especially at a party.

This morning we went to a wildlife park and did community service.  The park had a lot of animals, birds and plants.  Many of the animals are from different parts of Africa, but there are some that are from other places.  We were divided into three different groups for community service.  My group cleaned up the stalls, swept and picked up twigs, leaves and branches. 

Afterward we went and saw some ostrich eggs and I got to hold one.  It was as big as a small watermelon and it was very smooth in the shape of an oval.  We also saw a lot of birds and plants.  We went on a tour in our bus around the park; it was very big! Our guide talked about all the different kinds of animals, birds and plants, but I fell asleep because I was very worn out by the picking up of the twigs, leaves and branches in the hot sun.

We went to an American fast food kind of place for lunch and afterward we went to a water park called the Lost Paradise. The water park was very big and amazing.  The most striking thing was that they had a bar in the middle of a swimming pool and it had stools that rose above water, so people can sit and drink or eat.  They had a man made beach, which was mostly concrete with waves that aren't salty.  The beach is surrounded by walls and when entering the beach, there is sand, like a real beach.  We also went on inner tubes on a river, a long and twisty swimming pool with some bridges overhead and there was also a tunnel, which had water falling from the top like a gentle water fall.  We spent more than two hours there and it was one of the most fun things we've done so far on this really amazing trip.

Monday March 24, 2008

Today we had two workshops in the morning about recycling and IEARN. During the IEARN workshop, we learned about IEARN, which is an additional online school where a person can take classes around the world.  IEARN is all over the world and they mostly focus on art projects that are educational and they also focus on a person's interests.  People can also take languages through IEARN.  Every year there is a meeting in some country, where students and teachers can get together to meet each other face to face.  This class on usually online and it is in addition to the student's schoolwork.

During the recycling workshop, we learned that there aren't any recycling centers in Bahrain, but some schools have recycling bins for students.  In Bahrain, recycling is taught to other people especially students in schools.  In the early days people are not educated well, so many people don't know the benefits of recycling, but lately people have done recycling workshops or presentations.  Recycling bins aren't used in homes or anywhere other than a few schools.  All the rubbish is taken to a place where it is being buried.  Bahrain is currently facing the problem of not having enough space to bury rubbish.

In the afternoon we went to a mask museum.  All the masks are of various sizes, shapes, features and they are made out of different things such as beads, clay, metal and etc.  Most of the masks either came from different parts of Africa, Asia or America.  We spent about an hour and a half their looking at masks.  Then we went to a market place.  It is much like the last market that I went to except that this time it was like street stores.  For the first time I got to walk on their very narrow and uneven side walks.  It was not wheelchair accessible and all the stores had a least three steps leading indoors, but we somehow managed.  It was very crowded with lots of people in cars that drive very close to the sidewalks and stores items outside.  The street were brightly lit up with tons of lights and almost everything seemed to either be in glass or covered in little plastic bags.  I felt like I was in a tightly fitted closet because there were merchandize on every side with people who try to sell you things and other people walking by.  It was very noisy too and it smelled like a market.  A few Bahraini delegates joined us and it was very fun even though I didn't buy much.

Tuesday March 25, 2008

This morning we went to the perfume factory that was started in 1910.  We had a tour around the enormous building and saw the workers (mostly women) and smelled the deliciously smelling perfumes.  Some of the perfumes were sweet and some were fresh.  We spent about two hours there and before we left we had a little snack of cake, soda, candy and something that's Bahraini, but I forgot its name.  During the snack, we received three bottles of perfume; two for women and one for men.

Afterward we went to one of Bahrain's malls.  It was pretty small and quiet compared to the other malls that we've been to.  Most of the items were American because people can find it in the U.S. like a hair clip and flip flops.  I bought a bottle of perfume that smelled sweet and we saw it at the perfume factory.  I also bought a hair clip.

In the afternoon we attended a public speaking/communication workshop.  We learned a few techniques that are often used in communication or public speaking.  The techniques include: being aware of body language, time management, tell a story, bring laughter and do not use power points.  We also learned about a Bahraini holiday, where children and adults go around there neighborhoods in traditional clothes especially dresses.  They would carry a very pretty and decorated traditional bag to collect candy.  They would sing a traditional song as they go around and the next day they would have a feast in which they would compete with each other to see who got the most candy.  It is like Halloween and it is also once a year.

The Bahraini delegates were also with us and after the workshop, we had dinner.  For dessert, I had some fruit salad, but it was served over some kind of yogurt sauce; I didn't like it much.  During dinner I sat with Ateqa and Mona who came to Oregon last summer.  They are really nice; Mona is 17 and Ateqa is 16; they are really sweet.  That's about all we did today and tomorrow we will be going bowling again because it is in our schedule.

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