This little desert island can be
enchanting in moments. Moments where the fiery sun is dipping toward the
horizon, painting orange a golden hues across the tan-blue sky. It’s glowing
face peaking through the palm trees. The sound of birds at a kingly roundabout;
this is a sound you don’t hear often. Typically only the coo of pigeons graces
your ear in the mornings but this is like a choir of song. A choir I have not
sing in months but what feels like years. It’s gorgeous out, a balmy
seventy-three degrees on December third. I am truly living in paradise.
I love seeing the beauty that some
people miss. The simple shape of the cookie-cutter villas all along the roads,
the way a car curves around a round about, the little glisten on the trees
created by un-lit lights to decorate for National Day. These little things any
person could surpass, but they are what I live for. They are what make life
worth the adventure and they are what truly make life beautiful among all the
disrespect, prejudice and hatred that surround most of us on a daily basis (if
we open our eyes to see). I simply love living here. It’s so beautiful,
breathtaking really. The hustle and bustle of the traffic and the idiotic drivers
are off set buy the palm trees swaying in the wind and that glowing sun
reflecting off the skyscrapers as they light up for the evening show. The
prejudice between Shiite and Sunni is off set by the beauty and devotion to
their religion. The rudeness and necessity to talk from my students is off set
buy their hugs and laughs, kisses on the cheek and pure honest emotion.
I have never had students who have talked to
me more about life, who have asked me to attend events, who have simply wanted
to chat or just be around me, to hear my stories about my life, they are
honestly interested. This experience will be like none I will ever have. Part of
me is ready to go back; to go back to a normal life in the States, to be a
teacher there. And the small part of me, is beginning to realize that I only
have 7 more months with these kids, some, my first students. I’m beginning to
realize what I am really going to miss about Bahrain but there will be no
looking back. This has been more than I could have ever hoped for and I don’t
regret a single bit of it. I have grown as an individual, a friend, a counselor
and a teacher throughout this process and it will only become better.
