day 30

dominoes
Originally uploaded by greens n cornbread

We went downtown to the Gold Souq today, it's near old-town Manama. We were walking down the street and I heard a SLAM! and turned to see these gentlemen playing cutthroat dominoes.

Several of the guys visiting here wanted to buy fake rolexs, and this was the place to get them. As I had no interest in either gold nor knock-off watches I wandered around. There were all kinds of small businesses selling mostly jewelry and knick-knacks (hookahs, table runners, pewter camels, magic boxes (puzzle boxes),etc.) You are expected to dicker, no one pays the price on the label. One of the permanent party guys here likes to go just to haggle. He rarely buys the thing, but he's damned good at getting their best price.

So - as you can see - I got a rare day off. It was nice to wander around a bit. I'm just getting a feel for how the city is laid out. I wish I had some real time off to explore, I think I would love old-town Manama. I've been on an island for almost 5 weeks and haven't been anywhere near the water. Oh well, maybe next time.

7 days and I'm on a plane....

day 29

this is behind the hospital
Originally uploaded by greens n cornbread

despite evidence and rumors to the contrary I am actually on this planet and not 250,000 miles away. Here's a bit of greenery that could not survive in that other environment. (ignore the shadows pointing the wrong direction).

Hoo boy, this place is jumping. All the permanent party folks are back and there's a host of visitors (like myself). So, no more quiet. Confusion will reign for a while. it's already started - someone was left at the apartment this morning. Lunch is being ordered in due to the logistics of trying to get a large number of people out somewhere. I fully expect a mess trying to figure out whose food is whose. Oh well. no big deal, it'll iron itself out.

8 days............

day 28

Picture on observation deck
Originally uploaded by greens n cornbread

our production methods are state-of-the-art, the envy of our competitors.....

I'm afraid I have nothing witty, pithy, observational, or otherwise of interest to contribute today. More visitors are arriving, people are starting to return from vacation so routines are about to change. I think my driving days are about up, the person whose vehicle I am using is supposed to be back as of today. That will bite, I have enjoyed the freedom even if I haven't had much use for it. I will attempt to commandeer it from time to time for various nefarious activities.

9 days left!

aloha.

day 27

What does this say? What does that say? When can I go play?
Originally uploaded by greens n cornbread

You know, not in my wildest dreams would I cast myself in this role, although I will admit to occasionally wondering if those I train are about the age of this young student.

day 26

the modern Bahraini coast guard
Originally uploaded by greens n cornbread

"One of things is not like the others, one of things doesn't belong..."

It struck me a bit funny to see, in addition to the coast guard boats, a dhow (I think that's the correct term, maybe I'll find out if I ever make it to the museum). Up along the national highway on the north side of Manama there are almost life-size replicas of this kind of boat at most of the on/off ramps. I'll try to get a picture when I'm up there next.

Well, I'm moving out of my apartment into another a few floors down, there's a crew of accountants coming in and someone had the idea of letting them all stay in the same apartment. I've been here 4 weeks today, I hope I don't allow a month-old habit to guide me into my old bedroom whilst occupied. I mean, there's sharing and then there's sharing - and I'm not into sharing that much.

gotta go unpack, no rest for the wicked weary. nighty-night.

day 25

.....made it! (that was close.)

Not all of the dust in the air is the result of strong winds. This island is a rock, with a little dust on top. When they dig any hole, they have to literally use jackhammers (industrial size, on a backhoe machine) to break up the rock. When they excavate the broken rock, they dump it through a screen (as above) to sift out the smaller rock and dirt which will be used to backfill the hole after whatever is placed into it. If you look at the picture, you can see that under the screen is a pile of dirt, and in front of the screen is rock waiting to be screened. Sometimes they have to continue to hammer at the rock to make enough backfill to completely fill the hole. What's left are piles of rock that I'm not sure where they eventually go to live, but apparently it takes a while, because I see these piles in a lot of places.

day 24

dust storm
Originally uploaded by greens n cornbread

Got buffeted around a little this morning coming to work. The wind is up and dust is everywhere. This picture really didn't capture the amount of dust in the air, but those dust drifts in the road were really moving, and constantly replaced.

I didn't take the half day off I was entitled to, I had some system changes to take care of. So, next Friday?

I have had an interesting experience working with the staff here. 90 so-odd percent of the people I am working with are Pakistani. They are very hierarchical. If I am telling someone how to do something and their boss happens to be in the room, they will look to their boss for approval before doing as I instruct. However, if I am the only one present, I become the boss and there is no problem.

When the training session is over in the plant, I am offered tea (on a saucer, of course). It is usually cardamom tea with cream and sugar. If I am in one of the main offices and tea time comes around, I am brought tea with some crackers and/or cookies. There is a person whose job it is to bring and serve the tea and crackers and to take away the empties. This is done twice a day. Yesterday it was well past tea time, but the clerk I was training insisted that he get me a cup himself and wouldn't take no for an answer. He didn't have any (I guess he had had his earlier) but by god I sure was. I am told that the plant manager, should he have a visitor, will peremptorily order any of his subordinates - including his deputy - to go fetch tea and/or any refreshment. Last year there was a celebration here at the plant during Eid al-Fitr (celebrating the end of Ramadan) and one of the plant managers (a Pakistani) asked his boss the general manager of operations here (an American) if he enjoyed the lamb he had just finished. Being told yes, the Pakistani yelled over to his deputy-plant manager, who was eating, who immediately got up and fixed a big plate of lamb and brought it over to the general manager and waited until he had tasted it and got approval.

This also means that all decisions rise to the top. Everything here is approved by a plant manager. Purchases are approved 3 times, and receipts 2 times all by the plant manager and any supervisor whose department the purchase is for. Invoice payment is approved 3 times. Authority rests with just a few people. Part of my job here is to eliminate most of the bottle necks involved with this process and to devolve the decisions to the level that purchases can be managed effectively with little delay. Their current system is little more than a means to manage paper. With my system, there is no paper, no signatures, no middle-men.

I have my job cut out for me.

day 23

Behold! This is as close as I could come to Saudi Arabia. This picture is taken from a tower on a man-made island in the Persian Gulf between the two countries - on the King Fahd Causeway. It was financed and built by the Saudi government to the tune of 1.2 billion dollars. It is a little over 15 miles long and consists of 5 bridges and man-made dikes - with the central border-crossing island. It opened in 1986. I guess this really is the border, there are gates beyond which you cannot pass without the right papers. Trucks are parked everywhere getting inspected (I guess). The tower (in which there is also a restaurant) was little populated. There is an identical tower on the island over on the Saudi side.


We ran into a guy who had actually come across from Saudi Arabia, just to say he had been to Bahrain. He told us that the tower on the Saudi side of the island was really crowded, that it is a popular spot for Saudis to come, apparently it is a big deal to be able to visit Bahrain (or just to get a hazy view of it). He was a visitor to Saudi himself, staying for 20 days. He said that we were lucky to be visiting Bahrain instead of Saudi Arabia. He didn't elaborate, but I'm guessing that Khobar (the city on the Saudi end of the causeway) is not a very happening place. I have been told that Thursday night Saudis start pouring across the causeway in search of a good time - and alcohol. It isn't unusual to see Saudi license plates during the week, either.

So, we wandered around the base of the tower, took a few pictures - I tried to get a picture of Khobar but it was so hazy the pictures really didn't come out. After a little while, we returned to our part of the world and had lunch. It was particularly fitting end to the afternoon that the restaurant we ate at didn't serve alcohol.

day 22

source of Bahraini wealth
Originally uploaded by greens n cornbread

Happy Thanksgiving!

I worked 12 hours today, left and went to eat a turkey buffet at Ric's. There were two kinds of turkey (smoked and fried), 3 kinds of dressing, two kinds of potatoes, green bean casserole, corn, sweet potatoe casserole, glazed carrots, sweet potato pie, pecan pie, pineapple fluff and a pumpkin cake roll.

lots of food, and it was okay - really. Not spectacular, but okay. We took our time and b.s.'d about this and that and made jokes about how it was the best turkey we'd ever had - here. it was the first and only turkey any of us had had here, but that's beside the point. Some Foster's helped wash it down and livened things up a bit.

I talked to my family a few minutes ago, they had just sat down to their turkey dinner. I wish I were there.

I wish that you all have a happy thanksgiving, surrounded by your families.

Tomorrow - off to the Saudi border.

day 21

my (temporary) office
Originally uploaded by greens n cornbread

yet another last-minute post, the internet at the apartment was giving me fits last night. So, I came in early (5:30 AM) to finish what I couldn't last night - including this missive. This is where I'm spending my time when I'm not in the plant training. The owner of this office is back in the states, home for thanksgiving. I'll move back out when he returns next week and probably set up shop in the conference room.

Gotta go, sorry for the abbreviated posts the past few days but textile manufacturing waits for no man.

day 20

Sorry for the 11th hour post. I tried to post last night but the internet wouldn't stay up.

This is where I'm spending all my waking moments lately. Work, work, work, work, work, work, work. This is where I'm about to go to, as soon as I finish this and my bowl of cereal.

Good night to you all, or good morning to me.

day 19

this is behind the hospital
Originally uploaded by greens n cornbread

a bit of green in the browns of the area. They do actually plant shrubs, groundcover, and palm trees in the medians. Grass is planted outside the ritzy places - it is much more expensive to plant grass than it is to put in brick pavers, which is very popular here.

Well - the guys left today leaving me alone. There are a few other americans visiting, but they aren't guys I know and we don't work together. I'll be seeing them for dinner occasionally. I didn't have time to miss my departed colleagues as I've been working all day (it's 4:50 AM). tomorrow is going to be a long day.

time for a nap before work. kali nickta

day 18

mailbox
Originally uploaded by greens n cornbread

Tomorrow is my son's birthday. My dad's is a few days after. I was hoping to be able to find some cards and mail them (just how efficient is the royal mail?) but I have not even been anywhere I could find any. I will still look for some and mail them, they'll just have to be late.

I am a bit sad tonight. I was originally scheduled to leave here tomorrow. The guys I came with are all excited about going home, they're packing and in general in a great mood. All of the stuff they were consumed with while here are now not so important - the issues are either dealt with, or plans are laid to solve them. My job is just really starting, it'll take me 3 weeks to climb that hill to the top and take the leap - onto that plane on it's way home. They face 24 to 27 hours of travel ahead before they can hug their wives and start to forget the 18 hour days here. We talked about cooking thanksgiving dinner on the way back from the plant. (I've never heard of pressure-cooking a turkey!) Both of these guys are cooking their birds and are worried that they won't be recovered from the trip to be in shape to do so.

I might to to Ric's american - they are serving turkey thanksgiving. I might go, but it'll be busy as Thursday night here is like Friday night at home - everyone goes out to party and the roads will be wicked-busy. Swanson does a passable turkey and dressing tv dinner.

I really miss my family. I miss you guys too, I don't have time to read my regular blogs, I see maybe one or two a day - on a good day. I hope all is well with you all.

gute nacht.

day 17

FOUL!
Originally uploaded by greens n cornbread

this is apropos of nothing in particular, I just "ran" across it during one of my daily walks and it struck my funny bone. Not only is this the sewer, it is a foul sewer.

I wish I had more to talk about, but my work is really all-consuming right now. I just updated this week's time sheet and I turned in 89.5 hours. I am skipping sleep to post this.

A bit of minutiae from today - I had Thai food for the first time. A spicy soup for starters that was all about pepper and lime and mint and prawns and lemongrass. major goodness. The main course was duck cooked in a pepper-garlic sauce - more major goodness. I had crepes with mango and ?something? fruit and mango sorbet for afters.

heading for bed, masah alhair to you all.

day 16

This is all I can offer today - the view at night - what is all I'm seeing lately with the long days.

Implementation tomorrow!

day 15

Today all I can offer is a view from the roof, one I have not seen lately as my work is rather all-consuming now.

Please enjoy the view, may the warmth reach you - we have plenty to spare.

good night.

day 14

Although there are a lot of cars about, after all this is the capital city, they are primarily new cars owned by those who can afford them. The majority of the labor force in this country don't have vehicles, and so the companies they work for pick them up from where they live in the mornings and take them home at night. This scene is just down the street from where I live and you can see the coverall-ed workers getting on this mini-bus going to work. There are a lot of these buses on the road. The truck in the forefront of this picture is used to haul laborers to and from job sites - these would be the guys who bust rocks beside the road, dig the ditches, work the construction sites - general laborers. The guys in the buses are a step up, they appear to be skilled workers of some sort - factory floor or better. Anyway, you'll see these trucks packed to the gills, swerving through the roundabouts. I am told they didn't used to have shelters over the truck bed, this is a recent government requirement. Apparently this shelter is to help prevent these guys from spilling out all over the place if the truck tips over. It doesn't look too effective to me, but I haven't seen an accident either. At least it provides some shelter from the direct sun, which has got to be a godsend especially in the 120 degree heat of the summer.

day 13

THEY'RE EVERYWHERE! although I did think I was passing a KOA at first.

Sorry - No time today, deadlines a-looming. Be good.

Day 11

I'm over here in my adult world, living with some guys, going to work with them, coming home with them. I see so few children. Sometimes when we're at lunch someone will be there with their kids. I see a few school buses in the morning, kids all sitting behind the bus windows in their uniforms. I haven't been anywhere where there would be a lot of kids. Yesterday at lunch there was a woman with two kids sitting at a table behind a partition, kids running around, she scolding them and then one of them pealed with laughter. What a beautiful sound.

My wife told me last night that my daughter has recently been through a controversy. She is an officer in a group called the Campus Nerds. They put on two haunted houses, one for kids and one for adults. Well, apparently they had a noose in the haunted house. Someone took a picture of it and made a big stink. I've been told that it made the local paper. The end result is that the Campus Nerds had to go make a formal apology to a black fraternity on campus.

The Campus Nerds is not a racist organization - it's a bunch of kids who like anime, computer gaming, etc. You know, geeks. They created a haunted house using images that have been a part of halloween since before my time. This isn't Jena. No one was trying to keep black students out. But someone got all PC on these kids and made a huge stink over nothing. I am sensitive to the legacy of slavery and the racism born of it, I grew up in an area where black people were farm hands, house maids, common laborers and were constantly reminded of their place. I understand the legacy of the KKK and the murders they committed. What I don't understand is why something so obviously not meant to be racist was deliberately made out be so. Ghosts hanging in effigy have long been a staple halloween decoration all over this country. It isn't as if hanging was solely inflicted upon black people. Hanging was the primary means of capital punishment in this country until well into the middle of this century. It was the means of execution for Saddaam Hussein. So now my daughter has been initiated into this world where speech is monitored for fear of offending someone, constantly worried that a look or a gesture will be misinterpreted as a leer or an insult. She isn't out of college yet. She's in, what was for me at least, the last insulated world she'll live in. She should be making good friends and happy memories that'll last her a lifetime, not be dumped slap into the middle of the real world where intentions don't matter and victimization rules the day.

I wish she were back at the age where all she had to worry about was if mommy was going to let her have a piece of candy before supper.

day 10

During my walk today I ran across the Algerian and Senegalese embassies and the Bahrain Music Society. I am beginning to get the feeling we are in the diplomatic section of Manama. The US embassy is about a half mile from where we are staying, I haven't walked that far out yet, maybe I'll get to wave at a marine as I go by one day. The house above is close by and is indicative of homes in this part of the city. They are all behind walls and either have a strip of planting along the outside of the wall or more likely they train these bushes to grow out & over the wall. One guy has enough of an overhang to park his car under.

Today is a half day at work. Which means I'll go back to the villa and work a few hours from there. There's a rumor that we might go to the mall today, so that'll be nice.

I haven't been able to find out anything more about the tents, I'll try to tell what I've been told. In the fall & winter when it cools down people go "camping" out in these uninhabited areas. Remember I've described Bahrain as a rock covered with dust, so these are open areas outside the city crossed by the occasional road. They set tents up, they look kinda like marquee tents people in the states use for outdoor wedding receptions, only not white. These tents are dotted across the landscape. As it is early in the season, they are spread out, semi-isolated. There are also meeting areas being set up, where people can gather. I don't know what they do when they gather, that's just what I've learned so far. There will be little cold stores set up, like a miniature 7-11, so people can buy supplies. I think that they go out to their campsite on the weekends, or maybe even live out of them for periods of time. In the next few days I'll get some pictures and ask around and try to find out more for you.

Enjoy your weekend, think of me working while you're sitting around the pool.