10/28/08, 5:50 pm (BT) [Pics: Skyscraper from hotel front door; my room's view of the national bird - the construction crane!]
Well, my posts may be infrequent, as I am not sure I want to pay the amount the hotel requests for internet service (~ $140 U.S. per week). After a couple of free drinks in an hour (happy hour at the pub starts in 10 minutes), and finally eating my first meal, I will probably be willing to spend the money, so maybe this’ll get posted then! Spent my morning sleeping, and woke up just in time to get myself together before heading over to BIBF (the school where I am teaching – Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance).
Was a littler nervous when I saw on the TV while getting ready that, according to the BBC, the U.S. helicopter-raided a Syrian site and killed eight people. But that is far from here, in distance and – hopefully! – in mood.
So, off I went to school – Thank goodness for the hotel driver; WHAT traffic for mid-afternoon… wow. The school seems great, and I remain very comfortable. Zahra Tabbara, the program coordinator, is WONDERFUL!!! We spoke honestly and frankly about the Bentley in Bahrain program (not for posting), and about the students (their situations, status, enthusiasm, etc.), and I got to hear some of her personal history. She is a biologist and has taught anatomy & physiology, and has lived in Washington State and southern Texas (huh!), traveling with her husband while he finished his PhD in immunology and then they both worked teaching/researching… Maybe my department would be interested in finding a way to offer a visiting professorship in the Human Bio courses to them for a semester?? It would be such a kick for Zahra, I think, to see Bentley from the “home” side…
And the school seems to have fantastic resources. I have an office (occasionally shared with another visiting professor, but not at this time), with a phone, computer, and printer. Far more for one adjunct than I usually see! I should be all set for teaching – the only thing missing from the classroom is a chalkboard! (So much for the colored chalk I brought!) But there are whiteboards, and those large presentation pads of paper, and Zahra found me some markers for each, so between that and the computer/powerpoint projection, I will only be a little discombobulated. (Imagine not being able to erase…!)
Once I got back, I went for a walk for over an hour. Found a rug dealer (mmmm!), and walked through a jewelry mart. (Think a Simon’s mall, but all jewelry.) Got fleeced on some postcards (not too bad, but I think if I had grabbed 10, instead of 5, it would have been the same price), couldn’t find the post office for stamps, did find a nearby coffee shop (“New York Coffee” – hmmm…). For those who are wondering, a medium coffee cost me 0.80 BD (Bahrainian dinar), which is about $2.10 US… a bit more expensive than Dunkin’s. Richer and darker… Stronger than I am used to.
Well, regardless of the fact that a classic teen-targeted John Cusack movie is on the TV (“Say Anything”) I suppose I shall close down and try out the Happy Hour at the Clipper Bar…
Well, my posts may be infrequent, as I am not sure I want to pay the amount the hotel requests for internet service (~ $140 U.S. per week). After a couple of free drinks in an hour (happy hour at the pub starts in 10 minutes), and finally eating my first meal, I will probably be willing to spend the money, so maybe this’ll get posted then! Spent my morning sleeping, and woke up just in time to get myself together before heading over to BIBF (the school where I am teaching – Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance).
Was a littler nervous when I saw on the TV while getting ready that, according to the BBC, the U.S. helicopter-raided a Syrian site and killed eight people. But that is far from here, in distance and – hopefully! – in mood.
So, off I went to school – Thank goodness for the hotel driver; WHAT traffic for mid-afternoon… wow. The school seems great, and I remain very comfortable. Zahra Tabbara, the program coordinator, is WONDERFUL!!! We spoke honestly and frankly about the Bentley in Bahrain program (not for posting), and about the students (their situations, status, enthusiasm, etc.), and I got to hear some of her personal history. She is a biologist and has taught anatomy & physiology, and has lived in Washington State and southern Texas (huh!), traveling with her husband while he finished his PhD in immunology and then they both worked teaching/researching… Maybe my department would be interested in finding a way to offer a visiting professorship in the Human Bio courses to them for a semester?? It would be such a kick for Zahra, I think, to see Bentley from the “home” side…
And the school seems to have fantastic resources. I have an office (occasionally shared with another visiting professor, but not at this time), with a phone, computer, and printer. Far more for one adjunct than I usually see! I should be all set for teaching – the only thing missing from the classroom is a chalkboard! (So much for the colored chalk I brought!) But there are whiteboards, and those large presentation pads of paper, and Zahra found me some markers for each, so between that and the computer/powerpoint projection, I will only be a little discombobulated. (Imagine not being able to erase…!)
Once I got back, I went for a walk for over an hour. Found a rug dealer (mmmm!), and walked through a jewelry mart. (Think a Simon’s mall, but all jewelry.) Got fleeced on some postcards (not too bad, but I think if I had grabbed 10, instead of 5, it would have been the same price), couldn’t find the post office for stamps, did find a nearby coffee shop (“New York Coffee” – hmmm…). For those who are wondering, a medium coffee cost me 0.80 BD (Bahrainian dinar), which is about $2.10 US… a bit more expensive than Dunkin’s. Richer and darker… Stronger than I am used to.
Well, regardless of the fact that a classic teen-targeted John Cusack movie is on the TV (“Say Anything”) I suppose I shall close down and try out the Happy Hour at the Clipper Bar…
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