A potpourri

I made it back from Israel safe and sound (after Israel airport security spent a full hour going through every single article in my luggage, sending my belongings through 3 different x-ray machines, and patting me down). My friend from work (and her husband, the luggage sherpa) picked me up at the airport, and I didn't have any problems getting back into Bahrain. That probably has something to do with the fact that I told them I was coming from Jordan, which is technically true (and can I just say that I do NOT recommend the Jordan airport for an 8 hour layover each way--one reason being that their bathrooms do not have toilet seats, or toilet paper), and the fact that I convinced Israel customs not to stamp my passport. And it also probably has a lot to do with all of the people who were praying that I wouldn't get kidnapped, mugged, or blown up while I was gone--I am reminded every day of the wonderful friends and family I have been blessed with, so thanks for your prayers! I have not downloaded my pictures from the trip yet, but you can rest assured that there will be plenty of posts about it later. For now, a bit of catching up. I have been keeping a list of random, unrelated topics that I wanted to post about (and none of them have accompanying pictures), so I present to you a bulleted list:

• License plates. The number on your license plate is a HUGE deal around here. Your license plate is yet another status symbol, and people pay big bucks to have few digits (1 and 2-digit plates are reserved for the monarchy, but 3 and 4-digit plates can be bought for a hefty price) or numbers that are considered lucky or attractive (which would include repeating digits, palindromes, etc.). One of my coworkers paid several thousand dollars for a license plate for her new Porshe, and she said that people pay up to $250,000 for a "nice number." I find it a rather disgusting waste of money, but that's just me.
• A work crush. One day my coworker announced that one of the employees had a crush on me, and had been talking to her about it. Apparently he thinks I'm really nice, which is surprising considering the fact that I spend an awful lot of time telling people no. She said that it wouldn't be right for her to tell me who it was, but that she gave the said gentleman my extension. She told him that I had a boyfriend, and that I was leaving in February. The he asked her if he could ask me out. Obviously the fact that I have a boyfriend doesn't mean anything to him. And the fact that I work in HR and couldn't go out with him even if I had the inclination to do so doesn't matter either. I guess my habits of not wearing makeup, donning my limited wardrobe over and over, and pulling my hair back into a ponytail every single day are working for me.
• Jury duty. I realize that most people try to avoid jury duty at all costs, but I have a very strange desire to be called. I just want to see how things work, and get a better understanding of the system. That desire was only intensified when I lived in Manhattan, because I figured I could potentially hear a really interesting case. My friend Morgan (an attorney) even gave me the name and phone number of the person who could make it happen. Sadly, my mom told me that I got the summons paperwork in the mail a couple of weeks ago, but alas, I am here and unable to participate in my civic duty. Maybe next year.
• Road fire. I have laid low the past 5 months, and have felt pretty safe as a result. Last month, I was reminded of the virtues of being a hermit. I ventured out to meet some friends for dinner at a Lebanese restaurant about 10 minutes away. As I was driving back on the highway I could see a huge fire in the distance, and as I got closer, I realized that there was a gang of boys running back and forth throwing things in to feed the blaze. They had completely blocked all lanes of highway traffic going the opposite direction, and I was lucky that I was headed the other way. I am sure that they were protesting something, though I am not sure what, and I am glad that I have not run into too many problems of that sort during my stay here.
• An inspiration (of sorts). The week before I left for Israel, I got a call from the secretary of one of my Indian colleagues who I don't think particulary likes me. This is probably due to the fact that I usually disagree with him, and I usually tell him when I disagree with him. He's not used to that. Anyway, his secretary told me that he needed to speak with me urgently, and transferred the phone to him. He confirmed his need to see me right away, and said he would come right up to speak with me. I figured it had something to do with bonuses or layoffs, so you can imagine my surprise when he arrived to show me his outfit. In honor of Bahrain National Day, he had gone out an bought a thobe (the long white man dress) to wear to work. He told me that I had been an inspiration to him when he saw me wear an abayah during Ramadan, and had decided that he wanted to have a culturally appropriate outfit as well. I assured him that he looked smashing in his new getup, and now that we have bonded over clothes, I think we might be friends.
• An ode. While we are on the topic of cultural clothing, I have to say that I love my abayah more and more every day. When I was running Christmas errands, and didn't feel like showering, wearing a bra, or changing out of the child's T-shirt I was wearing that showed a good 6 inches of midriff, the abayah was the perfect solution. When I was doing laundry to get ready for my trip, and I wanted to wash all of my clothes, the abayah again came to the rescue. And when I went to visit my friend who keeps her house about 10 degrees cooler than I would like it to be, the abayah was the perfect extra layer to keep me from freezing. Oh abayah--what would I do without you?