We joined the British Club this week. Yes, I know that sounds all kinds of snooty, but as we enter year 4 in Bahrain, we needed a change of pace. There isn’t much to do here outside of shopping and eating out. We’re plenty busy with school and work, but on weekend afternoons we end up sitting around the house and doing nothing or the kids play video games because we don’t have a yard or anywhere else to go.
Since the British Club has a large pool, playground, tennis courts, a library and other activities it’s a great place to go for the afternoon and let the kids run free.
Doing some homework and research for our next trip poolside
Going to swim and have dinner after a busy day
This weekend was one of the football/soccer finals in the UK so we cooled off, the kids broke out their cards while I broke out my book (surprise!), and then they broadcast the game on a big screen next to the pool once it got dark.
Expat life may seem glamorous, but I was commenting to Josh that so much of our experience overseas is either amazing or ridiculous. Not much in between. For example, in the 2 minute drive on the way to go relax poolside I was ready to strangle 3 different drivers as they couldn’t navigate the narrow streets in our neighborhood in a logical way. There’s nothing like seeing there is only space for one car to pass through and then pulling forward to block the way and not understanding what to do next. That is a constant stressor. In 10 minutes of driving today I had 2 cars almost turn into me, 1 major backup at our neighborhood mosque (where people park in the street instead of driving on it), and used my horn 3 times (though that’s less than usual).
Or the 13 point turns I have to perform to get out of my carport multiple times a day because the guys with the Bentley/Jaguar/Porsche all have decided that the best place to park their very expensive cars is directly behind my garage door. Or that my DVR box stopped working 2 months ago and in spite of multiple calls to the landlord and a visit by the cable company who said, “Inshallah 24 hours,” I still can’t watch TV when I want to.
What else has been sticking in my craw lately? A work crew did construction on my street and tore up the edges of the road so now my narrow street has become virtually impassable because people don’t want to park on the dirt edges (they never repaved it) so they park in the middle of the road and it’s a crapshoot if the schoolbus will be able to make it down my street today (they couldn’t yesterday). And anyone who rings my doorbell thinks the preferred way is DINGDONG DINGDONG DINGDONG without ceasing until someone comes to answer it. And it feels like people are always ringing my doorbell. I guess that’s why people have full time househelp. To deal with the doorbell and all the repair people who don’t show up when they say they’re going to.
So I’m going to soothe some of the rage that builds up in my daily life by escaping to “the club” every so often. But don’t be jealous — it’s just how we cope.