6. We Love Holidays

We just had the day off on Wednesday to mark the Prophet’s Birthday right? Well, it was stretched to Saturday and people turned out en masse at work on Sunday! Of course there were those missing, who have decided to take the day off and turn up at work on Monday. But if you have already missed two days of the five day week already, why shouldn’t you stretch it a bit and take Tuesday off too. Life at work continued with or without you and while you are at it, there are only two more days left of the working week. If I were you, I would call in and say I had an emergency and take the whole week off. After all, holidays are our natural right as Bahrainis. See you at work next Sunday – if you feel like it, I mean! No pressure. It is only work. Nothing personal!

5. Playing Host to Freaks

Bahrainis are hospitable in nature – too hospitable indeed. Being a transit centre over the ages, freaks of all sorts have visited the country, with the most recent being the King of Pop Michael Jackson, whose stay was marred with embarrassing episodes like that in the picture above. The freak wore an Arab women’s abaya and went shopping, with his veiled children. His flashy men’s shoes blew his cover, so to speak.

4. Chilling out at Starbucks

Bahrainis love to chill at Starbucks. Girls wear their finest clothes, spray a bottle full of perfume and wear all their make up, caked one layer on the next, to act cool at Starbucks. They are not there for the boys, who also pretend they are cool, and bring their laptops, all their mobile phones and the remote controls of their Wiis with them. And I too, love sitting there, not for the coffee, which tastes like it has some camel milk infused in it, but to watch those cool people, roll my eyes and count my blessings.

3. Wearing Fake Bags

Moving to lighter topics, another top favorite is wearing fake bags. Even though I focus my attention on the booty more than the bag, my wife acts as a fashion policewoman in Seef Mall and points out the real from the fake.

2. Organizing protests and sit-ins

The next favourite pass time in Bahrain is organising small protests and sit-ins for anything and everything under the sun. Like in demonstrations, such activities are banned in Bahrain. When things get nasty, riot police attack the protesters with rubber bullets and expired tear gas canisters. The fog seen in the picture above isn’t a climatic phenomena and the boys aren’t cowering because they are afraid of the boogie man who will rise from the swamp and gobble them up for dinner. Such events are also usually organised on weekends and holidays.

1. Organizing rallies over weekends and holidays

Bahrainis love to organize rallies, be it to protest against Danish cartoons, the war in Iraq, the increasing cost of living, unemployment or to call for the Prime Minister to resign. And they turn out in thousands. Those who have a cause and those who don’t, make it a point not to miss out. News about the location and cause of the rally are spread through massive SMS, on online forums and word of mouth. Many show up without even knowing what the rally is for. Considering that rallies and gatherings of more than (four?) people in Bahrain are illegal, police block roads, sometimes using excessive force to disperse crowds. When things get out of hand, demonstrators are arrested, paving the way for more rallies, this time to demand the release of those arrested … and the cycle continues.