Life in Bahrain - Top 10 Highlights (Part 1)
Back in 2015, Chris and I embarked on our first international adventure as a couple. He received orders for a 2-year assignment in the Persian Gulf and I came along for the ride.
My introduction to Bahrain came 7 years prior in grad school, when I met and befriended a Bahraini woman who grew up in the US. She was the first person I met from this country AND it was the first time I even heard about it. I was on my ferry ride home from work when Chris called and told me about the assignment. I was somewhat ambivalent, both interested and hesitant. Despite having a Bahraini friend, I didn’t know much about this country, Arab Spring had hit that region 4 years earlier, and it was a looonnnnggg way from home. But, after much prayer and conversations with a handful of random people who raved about their experiences, I decided it couldn’t be bad. And I’m glad I had that attitude. Not only did I thoroughly enjoy our time there, I got to reunite with my old friend and classmate who moved back to Bahrain shortly after grad school, made more lifelong friends and had an incredible, life changing experience (which I talk about at length here).
Our time in Bahrain kicked off our travels, opened our eyes to Muslim culture, and brought us, in some ways, to a part of the world that resembled the region where our faith tradition was birthed. It also introduced us to new ways of thinking, new foods, scents, sights and sounds. While in Bahrain, I launched “Two Seas” the prequel to this blog. My goal was to capture and share the life of living in Bahrain, “the land of two seas”. Alas, I started working, picked up two extra side hustles, and, before you know it, the currents of life caused my blog to drift away. But, not a month goes by when I don’t reminisce about my little Sand Castle (as I affectionately call it).
So, this #WanderlustWednesday, in celebration of Ramadan 2020 and the Pearl of the Persian Gulf, I’m sharing my top 10 Bahrain experiences (in no particular order).
If you’ve lived in, visited, or currently live in Bahrain, what would you add to this list? Share in the comments below.
BIDETS
My introduction to Bidets (buh-DAY) came in Bahrain. I had seen a few in movies, but never in-person and never in a house of my own. For those who don’t know what they are, they’re separate from the toilet and deliver a spray of water that basically washes your genitals after you finish your business. You can get the hand-held water hose attachment (all the cloth diaper peeps know about this), or the sturdier and larger basin-like structure that looks like a sink that you’d squat over.
You use a bidet to “wash off” your bits and often there’s a hand towel next to it to dry off. You would also see them in hotel or mall restrooms, and I couldn’t bring myself to use it. We had both types in the houses that we rented. We never understood how to use them and they do take getting used to. So, we were content with our good ole toilet tissue. Now, in the time of COVID-19 I’m reminded that the bidet is probably a game changer for many who don’t rely on toilet tissue and aren’t affected by the tissue shortages. Other suggested uses for them included a pedicure sink and puppy or cat bath.
I recently listened to a podcast episode highlighting the history, do’s and dont’s of bidets. You might find it intriguing. I caution you to be ready for the TMI factor.
HABOOBS (SAND STORMS)
I once polled my Facebook friends to see what they thought was worse, sandstorms or snowstorms. Both result in dangerous driving conditions, are a mess to clean up and you don’t want to get stuck out in either. And while the majority said they weren’t fans of snow storms, I can say there is nothing like a sand storm.
For starters, if you’re lucky enough to be indoors when it hits, and you remember to close your windows, you’ll be paralyzed by the sight of it rolling in. In 2015, when I experienced my first, I remember being indoors and looking out the window onto the horizon.
The sand rolled in like those scenes in the Mummy, I’m not exaggerating. And although the windows were sealed shut, and we lived on the top floor of a high-rise building, the sand managed to come on in through the windows, vents, wherever it could. This left us with a thin coating of dust on everything.
If you lived in a villa, more than likely you would get a sizable amount of sand blowing in through your front doors. The other challenge with sandstorms is that the dust would get in your nose, hair and ears, even with closed windows and especially if you went out after everything had settled. So, it was a mess and didn’t just melt away. Fortunately, when you live in the desert, and a sand storm rolls in, it rains. But, alas, the rain is dirty from all the sand, so nothing really washes clean.
KARAK TEA
Y’all, this unlike anything else you’ll ever drink and it is addictive. Pronounced Kah-RA-ck (but folks call it crack), this chai tea is popular in restaurants all over. I honestly don’t remember the first time I tried it, but I do remember it being with a group of girlfriends. We were at some mall and one of them ordered a Karak or asked me if I wanted to try Karak. Having never heard of it, but being opened to new culinary experiences, I asked her to describe it and then said, “sure.”
I’m so glad I accepted the invitation and I’m so glad she was a faithful messenger of the church of Karak. It’s a creamy, chai tea with milk, anise, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, saffron, and Holy water or something because when they make it in the restaurants, I have an out of body moment. I bought the instant packs religiously on grocery trips and occasionally asked friends to mail me a few boxes after we left Bahrain. I still have a few boxes left in my pantry and need to just look it up on Amazon so I can maintain my supply.
HOLY MONTH OF RAMADAN
The Holy month of Ramadan is special and unique and fascinating all at once. It marks the 9th month of the Muslim calendar and is a designated time for fasting, community, prayer and reflection. My introduction to it came in high school when two of my friends, sisters who practiced Islam, told me about the concept of fasting sun-up to sun-down for 30 days. I’m sure they went into full detail about the ins and outs, but there’s nothing like experiencing it first hand in person in in a Muslim nation.
The best way I can summarize it is as follows: Muslims deny themselves pleasures and vices for a set period, not unlike Catholics and Christians during Lent. Except, Muslims abstain from these activities during the period of daylight and they also avoid eating anything from sunrise to sunset. This is observed by adult Muslims that are not elderly, pregnant, menstruating, ill, and or breastfeeding. They are also not allowed to smoke, chew gum or drink water in public.
There are special meals eaten right before sunrise (suhoor) to initiate the fast and right at sunset (iftar) to break the fast. There are specific prayers recited throughout the day, and each night a cannon goes off to signal the start of the iftar feast. That Iftar feast is no joke and reminds me of a wedding celebration. If you’ve been to a Muslim nation during Ramadan and had the fortune of attending a few of the iftar meals hosted at hotels, you’ll know what I mean. The spread is tremendous, the food is sumptuous and the scene is glorious (at least at the restaurants). There’s also a special celebration called Eid al-Fitr, which comes at the end of Ramadan and literally translates to “The Festival of Breaking the Fast”. This is like a weeklong party. Forget what you know about New Year’s celebrations and Thanksgiving feasts. This, my friends, is on another level.
CALL TO PRAYER
In Bahrain, we heard the Adhan (daily call to prayer) throughout the day. Depending on the time of year, it occurred as early as 4am and was contingent upon the hours of sunrise and sunset. While people didn’t stop what they were doing on the spot and assemble to kneel and pray in public, I couldn’t help but pause and soak in the richness of that call.
I don’t speak Arabic, so I never knew exactly what they were saying, though the prayers each have their own names and purpose and are available and translated online. They always started with “Allahu Akbar”, God is Great [greater than everything] and the muezzin (person administering the Adhan) would recite it in a manner that reminded me of heartfelt, gut wrenching, yet eerie, poetic songs that drew you in.
In any given area, you’d hear a crescendo of Adhans cascading into the atmosphere roughly at the same time, like echos. It was both beautiful and reverential and I missed it when we moved. Then, I heard a few flamenco canteaores and my heart swelled up with gratitude as their melodies echoed the ones of the muezzin, both pouring out their hearts and spirit into the words that flowed from their souls.
SHOPPING AT THE SOUK (MARKET)
It is a trip. It really is and it requires time, patience and strategy. Luckily, my dad is from New York and he introduced me to the fine art of negotiation aka bartering early on in life. Now, in many Middle East and North African countries, shopping in the souks (souq or markets) requires both a keen eye and a knack for banter. For starters, when you enter a shop and take a look at the items for sale, you’ll want to avoid looking overly impressed or in love with any one item. You’ll also want to have visited several shops before settling on one to make your final purchase.
For example, if you’re set on purchasing a butter-soft and luxurious pashmina scarf or a bejeweled carpet, you’ll likely see something like it in several shops. Now, the trick is to ask for the price, but not really react up front. Unless it's’ something you’ve never, and I mean NEVER seen anywhere else, don’t rush to purchase at the first shop you visit. And know that most of what you look at won’t have any prices listed. You might be offended or turned off by this, but again, it’s an art.
You’ll be quoted a price at 50% more than what the item is valued. See if you can negotiate for multiple items, like a bundle purchase, and if you don’t have the interest or patience to talk it down, walk away. That may prompt the seller to bring his or her price down to a better point. But don’t be rude, nasty or disrespectful. And by all means, don’t scoff at the idea and do accept the offer to enjoy karak tea. Most vendors are genuinely hospitable and offer you tea in exchange for your time to let you sit, process and yes, spend more time on the decision in hopes that you’ll eventually say yes. But even if you opt to go somewhere else, don’t worry about offending them because you won’t.
One of my favorite shops at the Bahraini Souq near Bab al Bahrain
Another tip, if you do feel overwhelmed at the thought of entering multiple shops before you buy anything, ask a guide or your friend to join you. In our case, we were strongly advised against going shopping by ourselves and especially at night as a woman. Why? For one, the souqs are a grand maze and in Bahrain, that was no exception. You’d have to go several times and even then, you won’t remember every twist and turn. There are no street signs, only stalls. So your best bet is to rely on landmarks and business names to get where you need.
But, if it’s your first time, you’ll do better to go with a friend or a group of friends. In my case, I went with a friend and she introduced me to a friendly and great vendor, which is where I continued to purchase my knick knacks and gifts.
Shopping at night is a risk because a) it’s darker even with the bright lights, things always look different at night and you can easily get lost and b) and the majority of the patrons are men. So, while shopping solo as a woman in Bahrain isn’t the same as shopping solo as a woman in Marrakech (believe me, solo shopping as a woman in Bahrain is MUCH easier), it’s still something that throws you off as you realize you’re one of a handful of women in a sea of men.
The other catch to souq shopping is the hours. Due to the unbearable midday heat, most shops close in the middle of the day from say 12pm - 3 or 4pm depending on the vendor. This was nationwide, but if you were looking to score a deal at the souq, your best bet was to go shortly after it opened and get a good breakfast at the Saffron cafe to give vendors time to open and give yourself time to outline your game plan before setting off on your mission.
