Comparing prices

I thought for sure that Cody's wii game was fried. However, we have good news! We just had to replace the electrical cord. The difference in cost electrical cord ($60USD) vs wii ($598USD). For those of you that have purchased a wii for your kids know that is probably 3x's the amount.

Price Comparison:

Housing - very expensive the prices are tripled (vs Houston's market)
Vehicles - about the same
Furniture - very inexpensive bedroom furniture can only be purchased by the set (bed, two night stands, dresser and wardrobe closet). Does not include mattress.
Groceries - expensive the prices are doubled here
Gas - inexpensive 1/2 the price
Men Haircut - inexpensive. J paid 3BD which is equivalent to $7USD.
Eating Out - about 20% more. The final bill includes a 10% service fee (tip).
Internet Service - expensive double the amount

Night Lights of Bahrain

What a day...

Jeremy did it. He was able to fix our phone and Internet service. So we're back in business.


Where we live (hotel) now there's not that many kids. There are probably a total of four (three boys and a girl). We see them every morning while we wait for the van. Well Christopher and his sister Stephanie are around Cody's age. They go to a different school and use a different van. One morning we were on time but the bus was early. So Christopher called our room to let us know that the bus was waiting. Their from Ecuador and are awesome kids. I invited them to come over if they ever got bored. So Christopher came over yesterday but Cody was still at school. He had swim lessons. He brought one of his Wii games and asked if he could play while we waited for Cody. So I said sure. Christopher bought his Wii here in Bahrain and obviously has a different connection. When he went to connect Cody's Wii he made the mistake of connecting it to the 220 V which fried the Wii. So of course when Cody got home I had to break the news. I feel sooo bad. The first week we were here Jeremy gave Cody this long talk about not messing with the outlets and if he needed to plug something to ask him or myself. So Cody said do you remember the talk Dad had with me regarding the outlets why didn't you listen.... And to make matters worse his favorite game is stuck in it. I hope there is an easy solution because the Wii is twice as much here.


Today we are on a mission to find a barber shop for J. We are going to have dinner with the Blessings. They use to live in Kingwood and went to KWCOC. However, we never met them until now.

No Phone Service

Cody & Devin 6:15 a.m. before school

Picture of Sling Shot

Just wanted to let you all know that our phone service is still down. The Computer engineer was here two days ago and diagnosed the Vonage box as the problem. However, when J was on the line with Vonage they said that the problem could be the server. Vonage has emailed some instructions to again troubleshoot the problem. I'll take a deep breath and hope that J can figure this out.

It's amazing how much homework Cody has. After a long day of school he comes home has a snack and works on his homework for an hour and a half or longer. He's a good sport. I guess it's just me being a little selfish of his time.

When we were in Kingwood Devin would go to sleep around 10:30pm and wake up around 4am for a feeding. Now that we're in Bahrain he is in bed by 7:30 and wakes up twice for about 15 min. I guess I'm wearing him out during the day. He looks forward to going downstairs. We wait for Cody and visit with the Receptionist. They love and can't get enough of him. Devin is a big flirt. Once he sees Cody he forgets about us all. He truly is Cody's number 1 fan.

We've gone back and forth about leasing or buying a vehicle. Chevron offers a good package on purchasing a vehicle. So as of today we have decided to purchase a vehicle. The prices are comparable to the states. The parking here in Bahrain is structured for compact vehicles. Over the weekend we meet with Keith Fernandes (fleet sales consultant). We haven't decided on the type of vehicle but will have to make a decision within the next week or so. The drivers here in Bahrain are very aggressive. Bahrain doesn't have that many stop lights but they have what Jeremy and Cody call sling shots. The best way to describe this is a 4 way circular yield. Trust me you better not miss your turn. Otherwise, they will start honking. The stop lights go from red, to yellow and than green. When it turns yellow your vehicle better be moving. Driving here in Bahrain does not bother me I actually fit in. LOL.

Back in the Soccer groove.....

Cody had his second week of soccer this past Saturday and he again got off to a good start scoring the first goal of the game again as last week. Better results in the end too, his team (Spain) ended up winning 9-7. I (Jeremy) also didn't take long to be able to come out of the coaching ranks again. This group of boys did not have a coach so you know me, the window of opt. could not be denied. I am going to finish coaching them the final 2 games and they also have a 4v4 tournament early February that the boys were all excited about being in when I mentioned it to them so we will see how it goes. I guess with my first glimpse of indoor and international soccer in short I would say very high skill level and aggressiveness. Even though Cody is playing up against 4th (which he has before) and 5th graders in this league, it still appears to more physical which is good for him. Alex F. had already educated me some on indoor soccer and maybe this is standard all around regarding more physical play. Rules are a bit different also which takes some adjusting when it comes to strategy but overall concept is no different. I even used my strategy (as some of you have seen before) when we got our lead at the end putting the Codeman back into a defensive mode which worked great during the last 5 minutes. All of the boys in his team appear to be Arab decent (Bahraini) but they all have a great time playing together. I have to work now more than ever on remembering names. We will let you know how the next game goes. Jeremy

So what's for lunch/dinner.......

Bahrain has a rich history that dates back several thousand years. Some scholars have suggested that Bahrain may be the site of the biblical Garden of Eden.

The temperature this week in Bahrain has been around 70 and it drops to the 60's in the evening. Our villa will have a/c but no heat. So we will have to buy a portable heater at some point. Our move in date is scheduled for Feb 16.

I was invited to attend a luncheon with the other Saudi CP Chem wives. We went to a restaurant called Chin Li. I was telling Jeremy it seemed as though we had 15 different main course meals. It was very good. The picture above was part of our main course. It is called a climbing squirrel fish (Hamour). This was the first time I had ever tasted such thing. To my surprise it was fishy. (Ha ha). The ladies were so welcoming and helpful. Debbie Blessing use to live in Kingwood and attended KWCOC. They have been here for 2 years and plan to stay awhile. She was so kind to pick Devin & I up. For the most part the majority of the Ladies have been here between 3 to 10 years. So we're the newbees. They try to meet once a month so I am looking forward to the next time we meet. There is a picture of Devin sitting in a highchair for the first time. He is getting so big and has become so independent.

When Jeremy came home on Wednesday we went to La Chocolate, again. I had the same Penne with grilled chicken and pine nuts. Jeremy had pasta with grilled chicken and sundried tomatoes. Cody had a cheeseburger and Devin ate before we went.

On the way to dinner last night I turned to look at Devin and he was out. He had such a long day. For dinner we went to a place called Fire of Brazil Churrascaria. This restaurant is similar to a restaurant in Houston called Boco de chow??? They serve different types of meats and seafood fresh on a long skewer. The service was so good and the food was awesome. Cody gave it a nine. Devin sat in his stroller drinking his water from his bottle. We had a great time.

And today for lunch I made a pasta salad. It was good.....

Weekend Plans

I made it home (J) from work for the long weekend in Bahrain. I have completed all of my visa and work permit requirements in Saudi so it was good to get all of that completed. This weekend we plan to do some vehicle shopping (still have company rental car now), and furniture shopping for when we move into our new Villa on February 15th. I took Cody to school this morning and he is doing great. He is doing great in his classes and loves the after school golf and swimming. He is also getting interested in the music in music class. They all are learning about an instrument and he is learning the electric bass guitar. Must have gotten that from his Pa Paw! (Don L.). Cody also has 2 kids in his class from Houston with 1 of the girls (Hannah) being from Kingwood. It is a small world after all. We have Soccer on Saturday so maybe I can squeeze in as the Coach for the boys. We will see how it goes. Letti will update about her lunch with the Chevron ladies later. They all could not get enough of Devin. Letti has more pictures to load also. Later, Jeremy

Mediterranean Style..

Good Morning (Sabaah al khair),

In Bahrain, social hours are Mediterranean in style. People get up early, have an afternoon siesta, and stay up and eat late in the evening. We are still trying to adjust to this style. Our days do start early 5:30ish am however, the staying up late we have not mastered. During the week we have dinner at 7:30ish. Devin is usually in bed by than. This allows Cody & I to have "Mother & Son" time. This is something I look forward to.

Yesterday, as you all know Cody had his first indoor football game. He enjoyed it sooo much!! The field are much smaller and are surrounded by nets. They play four quarters of 15 minutes each. Each team has 6 active players in which one is the goalkeeper. When the ball strikes the nets (walls) this does not stop or penalize the team. You are allowed to play off the wall. As far as contact rules they are standard and there is no offsides. Cody did score the first goal of the game however, his team did lose 3 to 5. The team that he plays with does not have a Coach nor do they practice. Hopefully, Jeremy will volunteer his time during his time off. Cody had tons of fun and is looking forward to his next game. On the other hand Devin missed it all. He took his afternoon siesta during this time. He has mastered it and I'm not complaining.

After the game we went to Le Chocolate and had a wonderful lunch. Cody had cheese pizza and I had penne pasta with grilled chicken and pine nuts. While we were waiting for our lunch Devin had sweet potatoes.

The boys and I had a wonderful weekend and are looking forward to when Jeremy gets home. Pictures will follow. I am having trouble uploading them with my computer.

Bahrain View

Boys hanging out on the roof top of Apartment in Bahrain. What a beautiful view. You can click on photos and get even a better close-up of the view. Devin is his normal self focussed on something else in his own world while mom takes the picture.

Work in Saudi

I have completed my first week in Saudi (Al-Jubail) and overall it was very similiar to my previous international work......lot's of interesting challenges but obviously good people who are all trying to work towards a common cause. One challenge with working on international assignments is the different cultures and uniqueness of each. I have direct reports who are U.S., Saudi, Indian, Candadian, and Pakistane. Compound life here is pretty simple and pretty much have to stay in compound except going back and fourth to work and occasional trip to the grocery store which I did last night to get out. Quite an experience but they do have basic things that I would get at home. I will work through this weekend and hopefully have all of my Saudi Visa permit work completed where I can exit the country and go to Bahrain next Wed. All of our travel in country is in BPV (Bullet Proof Vehicles) which is extra precautionary measure by Chevron. More Later. Jeremy

And the adventure begins......

Bahrain's name is derived from the Arabic words "thnain Bahr' (two seas) and refers to the sweet water springs under the sea, which mix with the salt water. This is believed to be responsible for the beauty of Bahrain's natural pearls.

We arrived a week ago and to my surprise Bahrain is very westernized. At this time we are living at the Elite Towers located in the Seef District. As of yesterday, our Realtor has prepared a lease agreement for a villa located in the Saar District. The location of the villa is perfect it's near the Saudi causeway and Cody's school (Riffa Views International School). This particular villa is one story and has a garden area. It is in a very small community with a total of 8 or 9 villas. Homes in Bahrain come fully furnished, semi-furnished or unfurnished. This villa is Semi furnished which means that it is furnished with appliances, air conditioners and curtains. So needless to say I will be doing a little shopping.

The indoor football league is already in session. However, Jeremy was able to enroll Cody for the remaining of the season (5 games). His first game is Saturday. So between now and Saturday we will have to go buy him his indoor football shoes. Cody attends school from Sunday thru Thursday. A bus picks him up at 6:30 am and drops him off around 4:30 pm. After school on Sunday he has golf lessons. And on Wednesdays he is taking swimming lessons. On those two days he doesn't get home until 5:30ish. There are a total of 11 students in his 3rd grade class. Normally, we have dinner, he does his homework and is in bed by 8:30. He is adjusting very well.

Devin on the other hand is fighting a cold and is teething. Two of his bottom teeth broke skin yesterday. So before long he is going to be asking for a T-bone steak. Yum!

I guess the hardest part for me thus far is the time change. It took me a week to get use to it. I would wake up in the middle of the night ready to start the day...

Goodbye (Maa as-salaama)!!

Devin's new teeth

2 new teeth at once!

Countdown

The countdown has begun. It is early Sunday and we are still up trying to get packed for our big adventure (Bahrain). The movers were here two weeks ago moving the larger stuff; along with some of our summer clothes. That transition was smooth. Hopefully, we will receive all that was packed and in one piece. Our flight departs tomorrow at 3:50 pm and arrives in Amsterdam on Tuesday at 7:55 am (9hrs). We spend the night in Amsterdam and take a 6 hr flight to Bahrain. We will be in temporary housing for a month. Please logon to www.elitegroup4u.com to view our "home" for the month.