Home

That is our apartment building to the left, which is flanked by a Shi'a Mosque. I'll go on more about that later. There are two different sects of Muslims in the Arab world, the Shi'a and Sunni. The Shi'a are the majority in Bahrain, but Bahrain is ruled by the Sunni. So it makes for an interesting mix here. Actually, the neighborhood that we live in is populated mostly by Shi'a. It's the exact type of neighborhood that the US State Department tells you never to go into, let alone live in. But I have never (except on Elsmere St back home) lived in a more friendly place. Everyone smiles, waves, and goes out of their way to be friendly. I almost guarantee we are the only three white guys (Scott lives in our building in another apartment) in this neighborhood, but I'd much rather live here than any of the other, more western friendly parts of town. Here, we are immersed in the culture and the people. We have little ethnic restaurants all over within walking distance, kids out in the street playing soccer, and just the other night experienced an Arabic wedding on the street at the Mosque. You can't get this type of culture in those brand new high rises in some of those other pictures I've put on here. So screw the State Dep't. I'm happy here. This is why I came to Bahrain--to experience something new.