Bored in Bahrain

I'm in Bahrain for a few days attending a literacy coach training program. We finish at 4:30 each afternoon. Yesterday, we went to the front desk of the hotel for tips on something to do. There's a great mosque, but it closes at 11am. The old fortress also was closed by 5. Anything else? The mall was suggested, along with the Marina Club. We opted for the marina club, since my companions hit the mall the night before and were not impressed (except for it's people-watching potential).

So, we grab a taxi and head to the Marina Club. Well, turns out it was a private yacht club. We sweet-talk our way in without having to pay the guest fee, find the bar, and order cosmos. No go, they're out of cranberry juice. So we opt for vodka and soda and are convinced it's just 7-up. At least we can see out over the water, although it's already dark outside at 5pm and we only can see a few boats with lights on.

So, we call a taxi, and then we head off to an area that supposedly has good restaurants. We end up at a dive that serves just about everything, but mostly Chinese and Indian. We order quite a bit, and the total bill comes to less that $15.

Of course, it's only about 8pm, but it appears there is nothing left to do, so we go back and use free internet at a cafe.

Life in Bahrain is just so exciting. So makes me want to come here to teach...

Note: It's also really flat here. Lots of tall buildings, but flatter than a pancake.

Puppy Love

Howie is on the left, Phyllis is on the right.

My life is a bit pitiful. My dog, Howie, has twice weekly playdates with my friend's dog, Phyllis. They spend between nine and ten hours together while I'm at school. The two of them are so cute together. They run around, chase each other, fight over toys, chase each other some more, bark at the door, and then collapse before starting the fun all over again. By the end of the day, they're both exhausted. Howie usually spends the next day passed out on the couch.

The flipside to these fun-filled days is that they are now learning each other's bad behaviors. Howie has started nipping at my hand when I try to put on his leash. Phyllis has started roughhousing with her owner and barking at hallway noises. They emptied my bathroom trash one day and chewed the contents to bits all over the living room.

Too bad they won't be making cute little hairy tan puppies anytime soon!

As I post this, they are both lying down next to each other on the couch. They just finished a round of WWF wrestling and some bite contest. Now, they're just panting and falling asleep.

Another Year Older...

Isn't there some quote along the lines of "With age, comes wisdom"? Well, another year has gone by and I sometimes feel that I still do the same stupid things. When will I learn? Oh well, but not always acting my age, people generally think I am quite a bit younger. Of course, the jokes over the weekend of turning 22 were definitely in jest!

Not to sound too sappy, but I must say that I have a fantastic life. I live in a great place, I've seen so much of the world, I have a fantastic job with some little lovies, my friends and family support me, and I'm fairly healthy.

What were the high points since my last birthday? Well, I was probably one of the youngest patients in the back ward last December at Emory's Spine Hospital when I had my back fused. I returned to Poland to volunteer and met some great new people. I visited Polad, Ireland, Taba, Dahab, Fayoum, and Bahariyya. I got back into the dating scene after a dry spell called "Japan", but that was a bit of a roller coaster (still is, but I'm loving the ride). I became Grand Mattress of the Cairo hash (aka social coordinator). I started running and scuba diving (not at the same time). I organized a ball for the hash (and won Harriette of the Year). My sister became a mom (who saw that coming?!?) and I got to meet my nephew last summer. I babysat my niece a few times and continued to fuel her coffee and shopping addictions, despite her cries of "I don't like my Carolyn". But best of all, I was given an orphaned little monster named Howie the Horrible, and adorable little Peke with teeth like razors and a personality of a trained killer pit bull. But he loves me!

So today, I'll wish myself a happy birthday and look forward to what the next year will bring!

Belle of the Ball

Last night was the 29th Anniversary Ball for the Cairo Hash House Harriers. As the Grand Mattress of the hash, it was my duty to organize the event. Well, it went off quite well, once the DJ got set up and started playing some music. My dress was a hit...it incorporated old hash t-shirts as patches all over it. We danced, we laughed, we had a great time...perhaps too good of a time! Best of all, I was named "Harriette of the Year" for being the girl that contributed the most for the benefit of the hash. Good to see that all my efforts towards the hash did not go unnoticed!

We Could Have Seen The Pyramids...

We could have seen the Sphinx,
Instead we all saw smog,
Not the best field trip, I think!

(Apologies to the Cairo Hash for mutilating their song.)

Our field trip to the pyramids was yesterday. This is at least the fourth time I have been there (yes, I've already lost count!) and I do believe visibility was at an all time low. On the drive there, there was no blue sky, only grey. We didn't even see the pyramids until we were practically on top of them.

However, our lunch location did allow for the best view of the Sphinx and the pyramids...if you ever go, this place does have a/c and the best views around! Conveniently located as well!

And So It Ends...

I finally got home from Dahab yesterday (finally referring to the massive amounts of traffic once we hit the outskirts of Cairo...and the stop at the canal for bags to be checked...and the long stops at the other bus stops...). What a weekend! I ended up doing four dives on Monday: Moray Garden, Golden Blocks, and Um Sid during the day, then back to the Canyon for a night dive...all the way back down into it as well (we maxed out at 30.3m). All amazing dives with lots of coral, fish, and the thought of what could be out in the blue depths.

Howie was not too happy to see me when I got home. Now he's sound asleep on the couch. He doesn't seem to ready to start his day, and I must say the same for myself. Today is the first day with students in over two weeks. Luckily, it's just a two day workweek, and I have lots of assessments to do. I need to see what the kids did during their two weeks of homeschooling.

Now, when is the next diving escape? Probably not until late November. We'll see!

Carolyn Jeziorski, Advanced Diver

We were joking this weekend about some guy who signed a letter with his name, Divemaster. All weekend we have been making jokes about diving certifications versus college degrees, and whether it's pretentious to call yourself a doctor if it's just a PhD, and how funny it would be to have Name, B.A., PhD., Divemaster.

But back to the diving. Yesterday, I did two dives towards my Advanced Open Water: Underwater Navigation and Peak Performance Buoyancy. The Underwater Navigator challenged my multi-tasking. When diving, I find I could my inhales (i.e. "inhale, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6"--used to do this during yoga as well). During this dive, I had to count fin kicks, watch a compass, try not to crash into the bottom, and still was counting my breaths. Needless to say, although my orientation on my square was impeccable (my instructor was above me watching the compass--she saw that I was right on target), I didn't get to the starting point (I think I way undercounted the first side). Oh well, I did ok with the natural navigation and swimming in a straight line. I don't plan on diving without a guide at any time soon or in unbelievable murky water, so I should be ok.

Yesterday's second dive was the Peak Performancy Buoyancy. I hovered underwater, having to rise and fall based on the air in my lungs. Then, I did it upside-down, which was interesting, since I was used to bubbles hitting my face while diving...upside-down, they hit your belly. Then, we swam through some triangles that were set up underwater. We went sideways, upside-down, and regularly. It was a fun dive, and I think my buoyancy is better now that I'm at a good weight for me. Not too much to see on either dive yesterday, though.

Today was my day to go deep...30 m. We started with the Deep dive at a site called The Canyon. We swam out into a reef, then descended down into a canyon to 30 m. Before the dive, we had to take a quiz and time ourselves, so that at the bottom, we could do a similar quiz and see if it took longer (it should, due to the nitrogen in your body--makes you seem a bit drunk). Well, I rocked the quiz underwater! I finished in less time than on the surface. While at the bottom of the canyon, Catherine (my buddy--she's a divemaster in training) and I looked around a bit. Then, we swam out and saw lots of fish and coral. During our safety stop, I did my first underwater somersault and danced around with Catherine. We then drove further down the coast to our second dive site, where we relaxed for a bit and ate some lunch. I had a full glass of karkade spilled on me by the waiter, which caused Catherine and I both to exclaim that a vampire exploded on me! Let's just say we've watched too much True Blood lately.

Our second dive, the Multilevel/Computer dive, was incredible. We started at a site called The Bells. You descend down a narrow passage, then swim out through an arch. We swam along a coral wall and saw incredible amounts of fish and eels. The best one was a huge lionfish (and yes, I know things appear bigger underwater, and this guy was bigger than any others I've seen). To the left, all you could see was blue (I watched for sharks, but didn't see any). We stayed at 28m for a bit, then went up to 18m, then up to 12m. The site was beautiful, and the wall extended beyond visibility (no idea how deep it goes, don't think many people do, but apparently lots of folks have died there trying to go as deep as 80m). Then, we swam into the Blue Hole and saw some skin divers...not my cup of tea. While on our safety stop, I performed two more somersaults and did some rolls. It's amazing being so far below the surface, look up, and see fish and sunlight overhead. It almost looks like the surface is much closer than it appears. It was a great dive...lots to see, challenging environment, and the thrill of wondering if a shark might swoop in from the left to have me for lunch!

Anyways, upon return to the dive center, I filled out the paperwork that certifies I am an Advanced Open Water Diver...and promptly signed up for four dives tomorrow, including a night dive at The Canyon. I will return to Cairo on Tuesday exhausted, but exhilarated.

Night Swimming

Imagine being in a dark, quiet, mysterious area. A flashlight guides you, but it is not enough to really see far in front of you. You turn to your left and see a wall of coral. You turn the light to the right and see a wall of fish, but beyond that…nothing. You see some movement along the bottom, and look to identify the fish.

I just returned from the first dive of my Advanced Open Water PADI training, a night dive. There were six of us on the dive. I was the only student, along with my buddy Catherine (who’s working on her divemaster, so she was assisting), and Tracy, the instructor. But then three more of the dive shop employees decided to tag along.

We entered at the shore with a nearly full moon overhead. After some struggling to get on my new fins (good thing the BC keeps you floating), we went under and began swimming. We went to 18 m along a coral reef. I saw my first turtle…he appeared to be sleeping, until we kept shining the light in his face, at which point he swam to the surface for air, then returned to the safety of the bottom. I saw an octopus pulling itself along the bottom. I saw puffer fish, opened corals, an eel, and huge schools of fish. I stayed pretty close to my buddy, Catherine, though at one point I lost her and thought one of the guys was her (hey, swim trunks can look like a shorty!). Luckily, she was right in our group, but it’s hard to see clearly in the dark.

It was an amazing experience; although I must say it did challenge some of my fears. It’s hard to see what’s beyond the reach of the light. Who knows? There might have been a giant shark there watching, thinking, “Gee, what’s that light source over there and does it taste good?”

I’m interested in returning to the site for another dive tomorrow. It’ll be interesting to see what’s there in the daylight.

Another Weekend of Diving

After two weeks of online distance learning, I am so tired of sitting at a computer all day! I miss my students, I miss being active during the day in the classroom, and I miss being challenged by my job. Since Sunday, I have been working on a Language Arts order for my team, which drove me crazy (especially once I realized that the book I was using to select books by level was outdated in comparison to the website...had to recheck over 100 titles).

Luckily, the forced school closure did not impact our five day weekend! Tonight I am off to Dahab, which I am sure will be an adventure. Dahab has been described to me as a "hippie beach town". It's on the eastern side of the Sinai. Almost everyone I know who's been there loves the place. I am going to get my advanced open water PADI certification, which means I'll be able to dive to 30m. I'm interested in seeing how the Dahab diving compares to the Taba reef.

I have yet to pack, but that's ok, since I leave tonight on a bus at 7:30pm. That will be an adventure as well, since it's the public bus that we're taking down. I think it takes eight or nine hours to get there. Good thing our room will be ready and waiting!