Victoria Twead's Blog, page 16

We've had enough!

Can you believe it? Our very last update from Bahrain! Boxes have already been shipped back to Spain and I'm knee deep in lists, more lists and lists of lists.

We've had our last day at the school. The students finished their finals, emptied their lockers and exploded out of the school gates screaming hysterically, revelling in the long-awaited freedom of the summer ahead. We followed, but for us it was excitement tinged with sadness. We've made so many friends and we'll see very few of them again.

Apart from packing, we've been visiting the places in Bahrain that we'd meant to see, but hadn't managed to fit in; being under house-arrest during the protests in February and March, and school obligations severely cramped our movements.

Of course we had to see the King's camels, all 450 of them. Joe moaned all the way ("Once you've seen one camel, you've seen the lot...") but even he had to admit that my favourite camel, who I named Camilla, was rather gorgeous. Surely His Highness wouldn't notice if I smuggled her back to Spain? I could introduce her to Uncle Felix's mule.

So what have we learned during this year in the Middle East? So much!

(Apologies, but yet another list...)
1) Individually, the Arab people are friendly, generous and respectful.
2) When people tell you you're entering a peaceful country, never believe them. 
3) The Sunni/Shi'ite divide is far deeper than we ever imagined.(Pic 3)
4) In temperatures of 48C (118F) it's hard to function normally.
5) We never want to teach again.
6) Never leave your windows open during a sandstorm.

Soon we'll be in our crazy little village of El Hoyo, nestled in the Alpujarra mountains of Andalucia. Instead of military helicopters, we'll hear birdsong. Instead of loudspeakers calling the devout to prayer, we'll hear our chickens clucking and Uncle Felix's mule trotting through the village looking for her beloved master. Living in the Kingdom of Bahrain will become a memory, but the chapter is not quite closed. I'm bursting with stories to tell about life in the Middle East and there`s easily enough material for a third book...

The mighty Pearl Monument crumbles

I apologise. There is no humour in this blog, just resignation and sadness.

When we arrived in the Kingdom of Bahrain last year, we were taken on a guided tour. We were shown the most famous, iconic sculpture on the island, the Pearl Monument, towering into the blue sky in the middle of a huge roundabout. The sculpture represented the importance of pearls to Bahrain's economy before the discovery of oil in 1932.

We gasped and admired; it was gorgeous. The snowy slopes of the columns supporting the giant pearl against the cloudless sky was truly breathtaking. At night it was equally beautiful, lit up against the starlit desert night.

Then, on the 14th February 2011, the protesters arrived, and the roundabout (wrongly called Pearl Square by the media) became their headquarters. The authorities tried to forcibly evict them using tear-gas and live ammunition, and lives were lost. The protesters regrouped and violence escalated on both sides. The authorities withdrew and a small town sprang up on the roundabout. Tents were erected housing protesters and their families, generators, shops, all the things that support a community. The Pearl Monument had become the symbol of the protests.



















When the Saudi troops arrived, the roundabout was cleared. Some protesters set fire to their own tents and used molotov cocktails, and the police and militia were equally violent. More lives were lost from both sides.

So it was with sadness, but no surprise, that we heard that the proud monument which had witnessed such violence and sorrow was demolished yesterday in the dead of night. No longer would it remind the islanders of what had happened beneath its shadow. The proud giant toppled and lay in broken pieces on the same ground where corpses had been stretched out so recently.


























Do join me on Facebook to find out how we're coping, day to day.

Shedding tears for Bahrain

[image error] Hello Everybody,
First of all, we are absolutely fine! Please don't worry. Joe and I have been overwhelmed by the kind emails, tweets and messages from dozens of people; readers, friends and family - all very concerned about us. 

What silly old fools we are! Of all the places to choose... the Kingdom of Bahrain! Apologies for this tardy (and NOT amusing) update, but the unrest here has almost killed the Internet making tweeting and Facebooking extremely difficult. 

Old Fools' News from the troubled Middle East

What a month! As you all know, we left our beloved Spanish village to work in the Middle East for one year, teaching at an International school. Many people had hardly heard of the Kingdom of Bahrain, then, on Valentine's Day it catapulted to top BBC and CNN news topics.

The Muslim community in Bahrain is either Sunni or Shi'ite and most of the time they co-exist very happily. For instance, our school is Sunni owned but the Muslim pupils and staff are a mixture of Sunni and Shi'ite. This Sunni/Shi'ite mix usually poses no problem in Bahrain. However, the majority of the population is Shi'ite and unhappy that the Government is largely Sunni, arguing that the Sunnis get the best jobs and preferential treatment. Small protests flare up sometimes, with tyre-burning being the most common occurrence. (Now I understand those black, doughnut-shaped stains on the road!) 

But on the 14th February, a huge anti-Government protest (mostly Shi'ite and fired up by recent Egyptian events) was organised at the Pearl Roundabout, which is about 3 miles from us. Kids in my class told me they were going to join it with their families. The protest gathered momentum and the police tried to disperse it with tear-gas and rubber bullets. One protester was killed. The next day, a public holiday for the Prophet Mohamed's birthday, the funeral procession took place. More clashes, and more deaths. 

The crowd at the Pearl Roundabout swelled to thousands, whole families arriving, many with tents.

On the 17th, we woke to hear the shocking news that the Pearl Roundabout crowd had been attacked and dispersed in a pre-dawn raid. More deaths. Tanks and armoured personnel carriers arrived. Highways were road-blocked. Our school opened but hardly any children turned up. We became accustomed to constant helicopter activity above and the wailing of police sirens. 

On the 18th, there was a massive rally at the Grand Mosque and it was totally peaceful. 300,000 people turned out, and it was a joyous, flag-waving demonstration of the people's love for Bahrain. Joe and I know, because we were there.

But it didn't last. Another shocking attack at the Pearl Roundabout, this time the military using live ammunition on protesters. More deaths. Bahrain went to bed mourning.

So, the the little island of Bahrain has become divided. Most are loyal to the King, but few support the Prime Minister who is fabulously rich, has been in office for decades and is the King's uncle. Protest marches occur daily, some ending in tear-gas and ugliness. The Crown Prince is attempting to open up dialogue and we all hope that the talks cure the problems before more lives are lost. 

So, thank you all for your thoughts, but please don't worry. We signed contracts to teach in the Middle East for one year, but that may well be cut short. If the unrest here escalates, and the British Embassy advise us to, Joe and I are on the next plane back to Spain... No question.

Do join me on Facebook to find out how we're coping, day to day.

Wills and Kate and Chickens

[image error] Thank you, Paul Hamilton! (aka @HamsteratFrys)
Your 'photos' never fail to make me roar with laughter!

Wills and Kate and Chickens

[image error] Thank you, Paul Hamilton! (aka @HamsteratFrys)
Your 'photos' never fail to make me roar with laughter! xx

Wills and Kate and 'Chickens'

[image error] Thank you, Paul Hamilton! (aka @HamsteratFrys)
Your 'photos' never fail to make me roar with laughter! xx

Two Old Fools go Shopping

[image error] October is the month for stock-piling firewood in our little Spanish village of El Hoyo. Evenings are very cool, and by the end of the month Joe and I would be lighting the wood-burning stove nightly. Not so here in the Kingdom of Bahrain where, for just one year, we're working as teachers in an International School. For the first time in six years, we don't need to think about logs.

Here in Bahrain, clothes are a problem. The showing of arms and shoulders is unacceptable but neither is it comfortable to wear too much, even in October. The clothes I brought with me from Spain are too warm, or too short-sleeved, and I needed some more to wear to school. 

The shopping malls in Bahrain are beautiful; huge, lavish, marbled affairs packed with clothes stores, so I didn't think refreshing my wardrobe would be a big problem. Wrong. 

I'm not a city gal, and I don't enjoy shopping. Reluctantly I put a day aside to hunt down some new outfits. With Joe trailing behind me, I rifled through racks and racks of clothes, trying to find something suitable. To my surprise, everything on display was low-cut, skimpy, glittery or a combination of all three. Rack after rack of strumpet-wear. How is that possible when Muslim ladies are dressed from head to toe in black, with only their faces (or just eyes) showing? Who buys these clothes? 

We deduced something that day. Outwardly, Muslim ladies are the picture of anonymity and decorum, but underneath those veils...who knows what saucy show-girls are lurking? 

And these ladies, all dressed in black, posed yet another problem for me this month. It was Parents Evening at school, and the Principal gave an introductory speech. The rows of mothers, all veiled and dressed in black, listened intently. Then the Principal invited parents to introduce themselves individually to us teachers. Soon there was a long queue of black robes waiting to speak to me.

"How is my little Mohamed doing?" asked the first mother. 

I couldn't see enough of her face to work out a family resemblance, plus I have at least five Mohameds in every class. Which of them belonged to this lady? I struggled.

"How is my little Mohamed doing?" asked the second mother.

By the time I had reached the fourth, my reply had been perfected. 

"Mohamed's doing fine," I'd answer. "Lovely chap, bit chatty - but when he applies himself he can really do well..."

Do join me on Facebook to find out how
we're coping, day to day.

Spain to Bahrain - What's it really like?

[image error] So here we are in the Kingdom of Bahrain, one of the Gulf states, and rubbing our eyes in disbelief. So much to tell!

I can only give you the briefest of glimpses in this blog but can assure you I have a bulging notebook of material for my third book, bursting to be told... But I must discipline myself and finish the 'Chickens' sequel first.

I get asked the question every day: "What is it really like, living and teaching in the Middle East?" No short answer, but as a chronic list-maker, (my nickname is Schindler) I'll try and convey our first impressions.

* The heat. Imagine Spain in high summer and multiply it by 1000. The apartment is cool, thanks to A/C, and when you flush the toilet, the water is so hot it steams.

Sand. No hills, no birds (apart from some exhausted-looking pigeons) no animals, no insects, no trees, no flowers, no weeds, no earth. Just sand. Skyscrapers and neon lights rising out of the desert.



* Ramadan. Ramadan is the 9th month of the Muslim year, a period of strict fasting. Nobody eats, or even sips water, between dawn and sunset. We had to wait for the top Islamic cleric to announce enough of the waxing crescent moon was visible to the naked eye for Ramadan to be declared over. Until then, Joe and I were forced to hide in cupboards to sneakily drink water.

* Bewildering Arabic etiquette. Never compliment an arab about a possession or he'll be obliged to give it to you. Never offer anything with your left hand. Ladies, always cover yourself up. And many more...

* The school. Run as a business. Teachers and staff queue to clock in at 7.00 am and out again at 2.30pm. Spies in every classroom and corridor. (Yes, spies.)

* The pupils. Mostly boys, mostly called Mohammed. Easy to learn names, but I suspect Parents Evening will be confusing.

And we thought moving from England to Spain was a culture shock?

Do join me on Facebook to find out how we're coping,
day to day.

Two Old Fools on a Camel?

Firstly - I want to thank the many, many lovely people who I've 'met' online. I belong to lots of forums, and I'm a Twitter addict. I have a favourite Gang on Twitter (you know who you are!) heaps of other friends and I've often laughed 'til I cried...

Many others have kindly bought my book, and either left super
Amazon reviews or emailed or messaged me. What nice
people you are! Yes, I'm writing the sequel to 'Chickens' now.
The working title is 'Two Old Fools - Olé!' It won't be ready for
a few months though.

So why the camel? Why this blog entry?

Because life for Joe and I is about to change.

My big news is that Joe and I have just signed contracts to go and teach in Bahrain for a year. We leave on the 20th August. So we're having to lock up our house and leave paradise, our beloved little Spanish village of El Hoyo. I have a tight band round my chest even thinking about it. We've found great homes for the kittens and Paco next door is going to care for the chickens.

It's only for a year, but I'm already missing our life in Spain… We haven't taught for years and never even visited Bahrain. (I had to check the Atlas to find out exactly where it was!) Never mind, it's only for 1 year, it'll be an adventure and probably fodder for a third book - 'Two Old Fools on a Camel', or something...

Victoria

P.S. I shall carry on Tweeting from Bahrain, both as @StephenFrysCat
and @VictoriaTwead.
And the monthly Newsletter will continue.
And so will the monthly book Giveaway.

Two Old Fools on a Camel?

[image error] Firstly - I want to thank the many, many lovely people who I've 'met' online. I belong to lots of forums, and I'm a Twitter addict. I have a favourite Gang on Twitter (you know who you are!) heaps of other friends and I've often laughed 'til I cried...

Many others have kindly bought my book, and either left super
Amazon reviews or emailed or messaged me. What nice
people you are! Yes, I'm writing the sequel to 'Chickens' now.
The working title is 'Two Old Fools - Olé!' It won't be ready for
a...