You Don't Take Anything For Granted In Bahrain

Well I've learned all sorts of things so far, a surprising amount, considering the short amount of time that I've been in-country. As has been reinforced today, and as is said in the title, you don't take anything for granted in Bahrain. Let me explain. I walked over to the front office and got the snail mail address for the NEC (National Evangelical Church, the place that I'm working, though I work in the ELC - English Language Congregation, which is separate from the other congregations, got different pastors, different board, all of that, but they all share the building). One of the two ladies in the office commented on how someone (I can't remember who) in the States sent them a package and how when it arrived here the post is supposed to give you a little notice in your mailbox. That didn't so much happen. They had to get the person in the States to scan and email the receipt for the package and then they had to take that to the post office so that they could eventually track down the package. Another thing you take for granted is people following the rules. The most notable way is in the driving. People kinda do what they think they need to do to get where they want to go. So speed limits are even more of a suggestion then they are back in Canada. If you turn on your signal and hope to be let in, your going to need an act of God for that actually to happen. That and people cutting around and so forth... I actually haven't seen any accidents yet, so I guess it works to some extent. Apparently things were better a bit ago, but a new king (yes a king, it is the kingdom of Bahrain, not the nation of Bahrain) came to power and apparently he is not so tough on the rules of the road as the last one. Thats how things go. From what I have been able to figure, the laws on certain things change from time to time, and sometimes quite fast, depending on what the king wants, or if he needs more money or what have you, so I guess its good to be king. I think there is a parliament of some kind that is elected in some way, but I don't know how and how much influence\power it actually has. Huh. Also, I think that there are different sets of rules for the Arabs and everyone else. So its like there is this division, the arabs and the ex-pats. I actually had one fellow ask me how we treated ex-pats in Canada and he was shocked to hear that everyone got treated the same, the same laws applied to everyone. I guess its what your used to.

I think I'll put the hours and mindset of people in regards to work in another post, just to keep the ideas separate, but thats the other thing that I've found as quite different then back home, and honestly, it can serve as a warning to us. But anywho. I've uploaded some more photos to flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthew_chute/). And in the picture of the mosque next door, the sky is not blue because thats all sand in the air. When I woke up in the morning, for half a second I thought it was fog, but nope. Its 'rising sand' to quote the weather website. The sand is going to stay up and in the air to at least Thursday, so I'm postponing my wandering around the area to get the lay of the land till the sand goes down. That was suggested to me and I am going to have to agree that its a good idea. So you'll have to wait for pictures of the area that I'll be working in till then. Sorry, but thats going to have to be how its gonna be. Wasn't that some great grammar? Anywho, thats all I'll put in this post, feel free to email me, or comment on these posts, for I certainly do love reading it all.