Don't get too jealous...

of my gas prices because everything else is super expensive. Groceries, sheets, toys, etc. For example, a $20 toy in the US is still a $20 BD toy here- but that means it is 2.65 times more expensive in dollars. Roger is dying for some homemade chocolate chip cookies, but I couldn't bring myself to pay $3 BD for a bag ($3 would be pushing it!) I am trying to figure out the cheaper staples- bread is cheap- milk seems okay- it is .950 BD, so - fruits and vegis seem to be okay- I try to go for the ones between .5 and .7 BD (which is 500 to 700 fills) per kilogram. Too much math at the grocery store!

misc.

I did it! I drove. I am pretty proud- no shut-in status here. Now I just have to conquer driving when its crowded, driving new places and driving at night...but baby steps, right?

The gas here is cheap- it is like $9 US Dollars to fill up our tank. There are two different types to choose from Mumtaz and Jayyid. Mumtaz is 95 octane and its name means "great". Jayyid is 91 octane and its name means "good".

The other cheap thing here are men's haircuts- Roger got a nice one for $1 BD, which is like $2.75 US. It included an awesome head massage. He thinks he might indulge in a haircut once a month now. Good thing- I accidently moved our hair cutting scissors from our checked bags to our carry ons in Amsterdam and they got thrown away going through airport security since they were an inch too long. Drat! Edward's hair is starting to get longer and thicker in weird, uneven ways. Maybe he'd like a head massage too...

cruisin in Hamad Town

I've been pretty chicken about driving here. I've just driven twice or three times, maybe? The drivers are aggressive and fast, although a lot better than the drivers in Egypt, I'm told. And there are roundabouts everywhere instead of the nice traffic lights I am used to. I don't like the yields not stops and fluidity of lanes. (Yield here is "Give Way"). Evelyn has a playdate in Hamed Town today, an area whose claim to fame is 24 roundabouts. Roger did a dry run with me last night at dusk when the streets were pretty empty due to being so close to the break the fast time. And he dropped her off this morning with me. So picking her up is my do or don't moment which will determine if I am going to be a shut-in the rest of our time here.
The problem is, right now I am fine being a shut-in. I have chores, the kids, the Internet, books, ect. and if worse comes to worse, I can make it to Lulu's (the grocery store- left, right, left) and the Awali Hospital (just two roundabouts away). But I am sure sooner or later I will miss adult interaction and shopping.
I better go grab those keys!

Barnes and Noble?

There is this really nice girl named Lydia that took me out shopping- pointing out where to go and what to do. We passed a bookstore that I had been wanting to find. "Barnes and Noble!" I said. "Oh no, no," said Lydia. "Barnes Noble- no and. Its a bookstore, but it isn't Barnes and Noble." Too funny!
Copyrights and trademarks don't seem to mean much here, I observed, after seeing a lunchbox with Winnie the Pooh and Barbie and Dora hanging out together.

yucktastic

I found our second cockroach today. The other one showed up our fourth day here- so I am hoping they aren't indicative of my housekeeping abilities and instead just a reality of life here- but I am a little grossed out. I go in search of roach traps tonight!

More about Amsterdam

We had a whirlwind of a trip in Amsterdam. I can't believe how much we got to fit in. Here were the highlights:
Zaanse Schans: There were a lot of awesome windmills here, but the favorite was De Kat- a paint mill. They grind pigments here for dyes. They restored it and run it- it is amazing to see it in action. The force being generated was incredible! We also saw an awesome wooden shoe carving demonstration.
The Rijks museum: The Delft, Rembrandts and Vermeers were amazing, but the surprize was an Andy Warhol of Queen Beatrix I loved! and a Miffy (Dick Burna) exhibit Evelyn liked. Miffy is the Dutch version of Hello Kitty- but she is a cute bunny.
A canal boat tour: Wow. It was so neat to see all the different canals and look at the pretty canal houses and house boats. I loved it.
Our Lord in the Attic: This was awesome. It was a 17-century houses a rich merchant converted into a church when Catholicism was banned in Holland. It was actually three canal houses that were adjoining- he knocked down the walls between the attics to make a church. It was beautiful and amazing what people did to try to practice their religion. Maybe it was more amazing because of the juxtaposition- we passed by a tiny slice the Red Light life- some shops and ladies of the night. But it was 2 p.m. Luckily a fast thinking Roger tried to distract Evelyn with the swans in the canal.
The Van Gough Museum: It was incredible- I love Van Gough and seeing Sunflowers and Almond Blossoms in person was great!
The Royal Palace: Before it was the royal palace for the House of Orange, it was Amsterdam's City Hall, then a palace for Napoleon's brother. When it was a town hall they had an orphans administration office, where three officials were in charge of the city's orphans. It was so interesting how much they admired the Romans and modeled so much after them.

The Grand Mosque

We were able to take a tour of the Grand Mosque here in Bahrain. It was neat that they had opened it up to tours for expats like ourselves. They let the women in our group borrow abayas (the black cloak / overdresses) and headscarfs for our tour and we had to remove our shoes. The architecture was amazing! We learned on our tour the only requirements for mosques is that they provide a tidy and clean place to pray and that they face Mecca. We saw this while trying to find the church- we drove past a very humble looking mosque in a poor neighborhood.

Iftar

During Ramadan, Muslims fast from sunup to sundown. The sun goes down here around 6-6:30 every day- today sundown is at 6:10 p.m. Once the sun goes down, the fourth of the daily prayers is said and then Iftar begins. Iftar is the break the fast- it starts out by eating dates like the Prophet Muhammad did. Then the feasting starts. We got to go to an Iftar at a restaurant called Lanterns. They had a ton of great Middle Eastern and Indian dishes. I think my favorite of the night was the Indian Honey Chicken and these fried sweet balls soaked in honey for dessert. I've seen a mix for these at the store- I may try to make them. It was very fun. The Bahraini driver at the school Jaffara said that for a time of fasting there sure is a lot of food during Ramadan! He said during Ramadan they typically sleep during the day- then spend the night eating and visiting with friends.

The hard part about being here during Ramadan isn't really eating in public- that is pretty easy to remember. It is that nowhere has regular hours. Stores in the mall won't have staff there till 2 or 3 p.m.- (like a tech at the optomitrist to fix Roger's glasses). And no restaurants are open until Iftar. It is different- business hours don't apply!

American TV abroad

Okay- so check out the American shows on a channel - MBC4 - here in Bahrain. It is a fun mix! Fantasy Island, the new 90210, Friends, Two and a Half Men, The Late Show with David Letterman (on at 8 a.m.), Entertainment Tonight, The Insider, The Talk, Monk, America's Got Talent, The Apprentice, The Biggest Looser, How I Met Your Mother and My Name is Earl. Interesting, no? My fav of the bunch is Fantasy Island.

The water

I found out why everyone drinks bottled water- it is because although you can drink the water, it tastes and smells like gas. And when you shower- it makes the smell stronger in the air. Yucky.

In Bahrain!

We are now in Bahrain and it is so surreal. Can't believe we are here. I am celebrating with the stomach flu. We went to the store today and it was pretty interesting. We have some Johnson and Johnson No More Tears Baby Shampoo we bought and it smells different here. Like the Middle East- inscensy but baby-mild? It is strange that even the familiar stuff can be a little different.

I AMsterdam!

We made it safe to Amsterdam and are having a great time. But I've learned that jet lag is a very real thing. Evelyn fell asleep in a restaurant and when we tried to wake her up, she popped up and started sleepwalking- racing amid another tour group. It took me a minute to get her back. We slept from 4 to 7:30 p.m. local time, then paid for it by being wide awake starting at 3 a.m. I'm sure our neighbors appreciated that! Our apartment has the steepest spiraling stairs. Roger mutters about them every time we come home with the stroller in tow!