eye-spy

Today is Al Hijra New Year - 1435

This means that today, November 4 of the Gregorian calendar year, marks the beginning of a new Islamic calendar year. As tradition goes, The first Islamic yearwas in 610 AD during, when Mohammad left Mecca for Medina (the Hijira). The exact day is determined by the sighting of the new moon.

What does that translate as for me?  A hollyday!!! And this means another trek to some interesting historical place on the island(s).  Where shall I visit today? I've been in eye-spy mode lately and have been making a point to travel to a historic area every week here on my host island nation. 

Before all that though, I still need to just wake up.  I'm lazing on my couch drinking a fresh brew.  Because of my aversion to writing down important upcoming events on my iCal, I have a lot stored inside my cranium.  It all seeps out during the strangest moments.  I suddenly realize that I need to document all this as there is little hard drive space left upstairs and suddenly some important events will be over-written. In an effort to collect my marbles, I will share with you all this information.  As well, I will probably write it all down on iCal...

Tomorrow marks an important day as it's the first day that I'll be visiting one of the local schools that participate in the local English Access Micro-scholarship Program. My RELO will be there as well as a Fulbright TA.  It should be loads of good fun.  I think I'll do an activity based on the popular 'survivor-style' shows from the past...

Next up is travel to Morocco for a conference with MATE (Moroccan Association of Teachers of English).  I have been funded to give a presentation.  Now, to formulate the presentation... This takes time.  Time, in fact, that I should devote the day to.  *Scratches out schedule to visit historical landmark today and, instead, sit home on my Mac Book Pro and brainstorm*

Okay, now that I have THAT taken care of... Ugh.  It IS the right thing to do *feeling sorry for myself*  Next up is the local Bahrain TESOL Conference that I will be presenting at also.  Now, that is 2 presentations I need to draft up... Oh wait, there is also TESOL Arabia where I will likely present as well... Oh geeze... 

The great thing about this conference in Tangier is that is can be like a mini-vacation as well.  Of course I have to fund that part myself... That's alright though as I have a handful of friends that live in Morocco so I'll be knocking at their doorsteps soon. Another benefit is that it begins January 1, 2014 so that means... New Year's Eve in Morocco and/or Spain!!! This, of course, pleases me.

It's been about 12 years since I traveled through Morocco.  I visited some amazing places there and am looking forward to returning to the region.  I only briefly traveled through Tangier so this is a plus.  Nothing like a gritty port city to inspire one!  I recall reading Coco Chanel's biography and she mentioned hanging out at Yves Saint Laurent's 'Villa Mabrouka ' in Tangier. Lavish, lascivious, opulence, decadence; these are all adjectives that describe that storyline... and I hung onto every tantalizing word.

Fresh from Morocco puts me back in the pearl of the Middle East (here in Bahrain) nearing the end of the semester, which puts me in position to get outta town soon after and head to Turkey over the break.  I do miss Istanbul.  As well, I need a dose of wintertime.  I still have to run the air con some days here.  I want some cold, wet rain and snow. Lucky I still have my winter things packed away in various locations throughout Turkey...

Now I'm really beginning to feel the pressure of all that I have to do today...  As well, I'm waiting on some possible rainfall here today.  Last night it was clouding up and the radio guy said there was a possible chance of light showers... This was after I headed to Ric's Kountry Kitchen (diner) and had myself a bacon-cheeseburger and french fries while grading student assignments.  So a full belly of delightful American comfort food plus the possibility of rain sent me on my way home with pleasant thoughts.  I did end up topping off the evening with a corona or two which, apparently washed away the possibility of rain *opens up front door and peeks outside only to squint from the intense sunshine at 9am*

Alas...

I leave you with some pictures of my last few traipsings to a few of the forts in Bahrain: Qal`at Bahrain and Qal`at Riffa.  Enjoy

Danish archeologists were giving a lecture here this day concerning the ongoing archaeological investigations at the Royal Burial Mounds at A`ali.

the entrance

land reclamation in progress...

the museum from the fort

Downtown Manama looming in the background

sun setting over the fort = brilliance

looks impenetrable

the hood behind the fort.  I saw a lot of people coming from the hood and running around the fort.  What a great running route!

shadowplay

desert skyscrapers

past archaeological investigations at the foot of the fort

the setting sun behind me cast a brilliant light play towards Manana

having a spiritual moment

in through the out door

Now I'm at the Riffa Fort, near my hood.

Looking down onto Hunanaiya Valley

East Riffa town

the 'burbs

I'm not in my typical blog mode: First, it's not morning. I'm not drinking coffee. I'm not lying in bed. It's 8pm, I'm drinking a Corona and lying on my couch...

About the corona. Well, I finally made it through all the paperwork and official letters and stamps (still need 'more stamps' to get a base parking pass- otherwise, I need to walk out all my alcohol purchases to my car in the public parking, which is rather far away). Now folks, I can purchase liquor on American soil here in Bahrain using American dollars and paying American prices. For alcohol, this is dirt cheap as I think all of us living abroad in the region know how expensive alcohol is to purchase- either in a club or in liquor stores, of which there are few to choose from.  To celebrate this new freedom I purchased a 6-pak of Corona and a 6-pak of Tecate (in cans). Guess I've got Mexico on my mind. Or Hawaii, as these beers I typically drink on island. 

I did get shot down in trying to get an APO box... Well, I'm not in the military after all, but I thought I'd try to play the emb. card. Failed. At least I have friends at the base that can sponsor my future purchases' deliveries... Ahem, you all know who you are.  I like to have my bases covered! Heh heh. 

I've been finally hitting my stride in the running game.  I've got 3 runs coming up the 1st 3 weekends of November and have been a bit worried about the 15k. Two nights ago I finally broke my Middle East curse! I ran 10k without dropping any steam! Can't believe it.  Tonight I celebrated by running at Al Hamala Beach Resort and putting in a decent 7k run. Also got to watch an incredible sunset as the orange flaming ball sank into the Gulf towards Saudi Arabia. Yes, I can see Saudi from my backyard sometimes...

Tomorrow night is our regular Thursday night fun-run/race with the Bahrain Road Runners club so this should be a breeze (3k only). Last weekend I ran in the Bahrain Marathon Relay and it kicked my ass.  I'm happy to see that the upcoming runs start early in the morning! Running in the middle of the day here- even as the temperatures have cooled to a steady mid-to-upper 80s- is just painful.  I did meet a great group of peeps though on the team that sponsored me: BIBF (Bahrain Institute of Banking & Finance).  They come from all over the world, like many working folks here.  I had a super great time and my network grows larger.

Halloween is coming up tomorrow. This is always my favorite American holiday, and it doubles as my dear father's birthday.  He's not of this plane of existence anymore, but I know he's watching over me- generally happy with my progress as a human being I hope...

For the theme this year, think the rabbit in Alice in Wonderland.  That's all I'm saying so far.  That's all I honestly know so far.  I spent Tuesday on a magical mystery tour for a variety of things and the results... well, we'll see.

Damn it's nice to throw back a Corona and sink into a state of relaxation! I managed to spend some time getting to know the Danish archaeological crew working on island for the dig season yesterday morning.  I got a tour of the current excavation site and will volunteer some time with them in the future.  Makes me feel like I'm back home.  I must say that archaeologists are just so very down to earth.  I mean, we work hard, we think too much, we put a lot into insights into the past, and we drink... Well, I don't know if they drink, yet... I mean, I've never met an archaeologist that doesn't drink honestly.  Maybe one of you who faithfully reads my column can prove me wrong, but I'm willing to bet that the only archs that don't drink are the ones who used to drink- too much... And with that, I'll get off this subject.  More coming up soon. I will have to be general in my descriptions as this is not my project (must remember this is NOT my project) so I'll mind my 'Ps' and 'Qs'.

In anticipation, though, of putting in some volunteer hours out in the field, I've been reading up on ancient Dilmun and Tylos (Bahrain).  The pre-history certainly does not disappoint.  Everything is so different from what I know about (Polynesian) archaeology, but it is like riding a bike- just in another country with a different geological background and cultural history with a different set of social customs... That's all...

So, if any of you are planning on a visit here, now is the time.  The weather is absolutely fabulous right now.  It's not too hot, and I don't even need air con on in the villa anymore at this point.  Hardly in the car as well.

signing off

having a look-see at the Bahrain National Museum

During Eid I spent some time on the island and decided that it's time to delve into Bahrain's past.  I was pleasantly surprised to find the National Museum a treasure chest of a unique historical legacy here in the Middle East. Just by looking at the size of Bahrain, one doesn't immediately see the importance it had/has in the region.  Such a small little island nation that holds such a huge legacy from the past. 

Small island, small museum, large treasure chest. Walking through the displays, I was left with an intense desire to delve deeper into Bahrain's past heritage.  The present is so in-your-face in terms of cutting edge architecture downtown, a large expat presence, glitzy shopping centers to whittle away time, and small (or large) fortunes while trying to keep cool during the intense summer months where air conditioning turns from necessity to life-saving staple. I see all that and, impressive as it is on some scale, doesn't do much for me.  I want to unfold Bahrain's past. I want to dig deep.  I want to be let in.  I want to understand what happened.

What happened?  I know this much to start: Dilmun happened.  Dilmun (the ancient name for Bahrain going back to 2500 BC) was important mainly as a trade center-obviously enough by its positioning as an island in the Arabian Sea. It is said that it did not engage in war.  To me, this means that there would have been a prolific engagement in the arts by its denizens.

The most significant artifacts unearthed are these Dilmun Seals.  They tend to depict ordinary life events in Dilmun. Were the seals units of monetary exchange? Were they made solely for the sake of art? Were they a sort of talisman?

There is reference to Dilmun being the Garden of Eden.  There is reference to Dilmun being where Gilgamesh came to in search for immortality (only to be tricked in the end). Dilmun is referenced as being the home of Utnapishtim- the man that God saved from 'The Flood'.  All this, of course, is based on loose interpretations, but who cares really.  This is interesting shit. Dilmun was special to the Sumerians and to 'Enki' in particular (the god of sweet water).

I'll write more about this as I find out more about this myself.  I'm not too comfortable writing this solely based on initial research of mine. As well, I'm not sure how to reference references...

At any rate, Dilmun was full of burial mounds- mostly in the central and some in the northern areas of the main island. Along with these mounds are the seals- that have been found in other locations of Mesopotamia as well. They serve as the main evidence for trade routes between Mesopotamia and as far away places as the Indus/Harapa civilization.

I promise I will get more information to you all about this soon.  For now, you will have to make do with these pictures I took of the museum. Most are of the exterior because it is just so modern and fits the landscape.  Very inspiring indeed.  Hope you enjoy!

The entire 1st floor flooring is a map of Bahrain.  It is really cool and interactive as well.  You can look at the display cases to see the relief maps and press buttons, and colored tape on the floor lights up to that part of the map on the floor, and leads to the walls, which have more information about the specific places.  I spent a lot of time looking at the ground at the museum.  I didn't notice a lot of other people doing this... I must have looked like a burned-out hippie chick looking for something on the floor that I dropped... heh heh

There was a display on loan from Russia. These were all traditional fabrics and costumes.  They were amazing.