Second day in Bahrain
As we stepped out of the airport, the heat and humidity hit me like a wall, though it was a much softer wall than the heat and humidity of Do Son a couple months earlier, in mid-summer. We made our way to the edge of the full parking lot with my new boss, who had met our flight , passing double-parked vehicles everywhere. Cars, so many cars, everywhere. The drive from the airport was uneventful, but interesting. The architecture so different from anywhere I've lived before though slightly reminiscent of some of the Kazakh and Central Asian architecture - Islamic. The skyline was a new sight as well: skyscrapers lined the sky. Eventually, we made our way to a plain-looking building down the street from a mosque with two minarets. We said goodbye to my boss who left us an ample 'welcome pack' of food and drink for the evening and following morning and headed up to see the flat we'd be living in for the next two weeks.
The flat was small, but well-stocked, especially when compared with the villas I'd been living in in Do Son. As I opened every cabinet and drawer in the kitchen, I noticed there was nearly everything one would need for food preparation. There was also a small breakfast bar, a living room, a bathroom and a bedroom. Everything was in very good condition and felt quite comfortable. Within minutes, we were settled in and having some food while we checked email on our wireless connection.
Monday and Tuesday were spent in all-day induction sessions at my new school. I was jetlagged and tired for all the travel and time zone changes from the previous days, but the other teachers and staff seemed very nice and I managed to not fall asleep during any of the sessions which was a bit of a trick the first day.
I've found the first two days here much more stimulating and exciting than expected. The culture is so different from anything I've experienced before and the excitement of discovering things anew in a completely foreign country is wonderful. We'll see how I feel after a few weeks or months, but for now things feel pretty good.
The flat was small, but well-stocked, especially when compared with the villas I'd been living in in Do Son. As I opened every cabinet and drawer in the kitchen, I noticed there was nearly everything one would need for food preparation. There was also a small breakfast bar, a living room, a bathroom and a bedroom. Everything was in very good condition and felt quite comfortable. Within minutes, we were settled in and having some food while we checked email on our wireless connection.
Monday and Tuesday were spent in all-day induction sessions at my new school. I was jetlagged and tired for all the travel and time zone changes from the previous days, but the other teachers and staff seemed very nice and I managed to not fall asleep during any of the sessions which was a bit of a trick the first day.
I've found the first two days here much more stimulating and exciting than expected. The culture is so different from anything I've experienced before and the excitement of discovering things anew in a completely foreign country is wonderful. We'll see how I feel after a few weeks or months, but for now things feel pretty good.