So you can usually tell the difference right away between American expats and European expats. Especially the men. But sometimes when the Americans have been living away from home a long time, they start to look more expat than American.
"Don't worry. If you ever go home wearing capri pants and carrying a 'murse' (man-purse), I'm sure your brothers will straighten you out!" I told Roger.
A few more things about living as expats- we eat at American chain restaurants at home more often than we did while in America. I think I've eating more KFC and Baskin Robbins in Bahrain then I did my whole life before. And I'd never eaten at Johnny Rockets, EZ Burger, Chilis, or Tony Romas before moving here. We do eat out more here because while food is way more expensive, labor is cheap. So many times it is cheaper to go out for steak or chicken than it would be to buy a raw one in the store and fix it yourself. Food can cure a bit of homesickness. And there is tons of good food on the island- no joke- there is a "Bahrain 15", like a "freshman 15"- we've experienced it!
The BBC world service is heaven-sent. It makes me feel in touch with the world and with home.When we got here I would be so homesick I would go to the furthest grocery store just to listen to those comforting British accents.
And it can be surreal. This weekend, I saw Les Mis in theaters some friends- I had a "can't believe we are watching this movie here" kind of experience- to see the French revolution unfolding on screen- given recent events here. It's crazy to be driving along and hear "Rock the Casbah" on the radio as you pass oil wells and palm trees and it hits you like a ton of bricks how far you are from home. And to go from seeing Armani, Bulgari and Cavalli in the mall to the third world out the door is crazy- and I hope it keeps bothering me instead of being another thing I get used to here.
It has been a great experience overall. So we just signed up for one more year here in Bahrain- the 2013-2014 school year.
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