Okay. So it's been months since I've actually written a word on here. So much for my hopes of documenting my journey in a blog. But I do want to put my thoughts on what's happening here into words. It is almost unbelievable that we have lived here during a time of violent unrest in the Middle East. I remember back in December watching protests flare up in Tunisia and then move to Egypt. I feel almost as if I cursed Bahrain by saying: That will never happen here. I thought that Bahrain was too small of a country for something of that nature to happen. I was wrong.
The protests here started in February. I actually don't even remember how it started or exactly where on the island the first protest was, but I do remember just brushing it off. It was just a one time deal in my head; this would blow over in a week and it would be business as usual. It didn't. Nick left to go to Afghanistan right before the protests hit a boiling point. Not only did I have to worry about him being in a war zone, I had to worry about what potentially might happen here. I was by myself when I woke up one weekend to videos of people peacefully marching down the highway in Manama, only to be gunned down. I stood mesmerized in front of the television while they showed the video. Then I sat down and cried. Unrest had come to the tiny nation of Bahrain and I was officially scared.
It was a relief to have Nick home, but once the protests kicked into high gear, I was still worried. It's kind of funny when you are living in the states watching this news. You think: Those poor people...it's so horrible. But then you go back to your daily lives and forget about it. You can't do that when it's happening in your backyard. The Bahraini government portrayed the situation one way, while CNN another, and Al Jazeer news showed a behind the scenes look at what was really going on. The truth is, the Shiite population is oppressed here. They are the majority party, yet they are ruled by the minority Sunni Muslims...a royal family that has been in power for over 200 years. In my mind they don't have it as bad here as Libya or Egypt, but there are two sides to every story. I'm sure that I would want ample representation in the government as well. I've seen how some of the Shiites live...in run down apartments with grimy looking children hanging out the doors. I can't speak for them or understand completely, but I at least try to understand where they are coming from. They just want to be heard.
Unfortunately, their cries for help were answered with bullets. It's funny that we're supposed to be reassured that the police will do no harm, as they have rubber bullets. Rubber bullets can still kill...look at all those people who died or were seriously wounded at the Pearl Roundabout. It's sad that it degenerated to this level. Now the protesters are seeking justice for those killed. I don't like it, but it is retaliation towards the security forces that so violently killed peacefully protesters. Watching videos of police officers being run over or protesters being shot for no reason is traumatic. I never in my life thought I would be caught in the middle of something like this.
I didn't think things could get worse, but they did. With the arrival of Saudi Arabian and UAE military forces came an onslaught of violence. Many Bahrainis saw this as an act of war and took to the streets to defend themselves. Outside our community was a locally manned checkpoint. Young men armed themselves with baseball bats with knifes taped to the ends and checked every car coming in and out. Luckily they would just wave us through. In other areas, young men burned tires and attacked people....it was like a nightmare come true. Tanks lined the bridges and the main city was cut off from traffic...I believe they didn't want people to see what the military and security forces were actually doing to protesters, but I have no proof of that. One morning we could see smoke coming from downtown Manama. Only when we got to work did we find out what was happening. Security forces dropped tear gas from helicopters onto protesters at the famous Pearl Roundabout. As the people fled they threw molotov cocktails into the tent city that had developed there over the past few weeks. People were living in that area....make shifts restaurants were set up, doctors' stations, it was its own little city. But as these people fled, they were fired upon by foreign military and by Bahraini security forces. I was devastated to hear the news. There were talks of everyone evacuating, so we all made plans for just in case. Dependents were allowed to voluntarily evacuate. Everyone seemed a little on edge.
Just when we thought it couldn't get worse, there came the stories of doctors and nurses being beaten for treating protesters. Even though the Bahraini government said that security forces never did such things, there were eyewitness accounts of that happening. The wounded would be turned away from hospitals and would have to seek treatment in homes or in mosques. There were even videos of security forces beating protesters' cars for no reason. Now they are rounding up opposition leads and snatching them from their homes at night. There are no real words to describe this. The closest I can get is: surreal. You never in your life think that you'll witness something like this first hand, you'll just watch it unfold on tv.
Right now we are less than five months away from moving out of Bahrain. I sincerely hope that we are not forced out before then. This post doesn't even touch on the tip of the iceberg of feelings that I have about this situation, but it was a start. I have so many emotions floating around: disbelief, shock, anger, fear, disgust. The list could go on. It's not to say that I am not grateful for my time here in Bahrain, I actually am. It has opened my eyes to a new culture and a new way of life, but I am truly ready to go home.
The protests here started in February. I actually don't even remember how it started or exactly where on the island the first protest was, but I do remember just brushing it off. It was just a one time deal in my head; this would blow over in a week and it would be business as usual. It didn't. Nick left to go to Afghanistan right before the protests hit a boiling point. Not only did I have to worry about him being in a war zone, I had to worry about what potentially might happen here. I was by myself when I woke up one weekend to videos of people peacefully marching down the highway in Manama, only to be gunned down. I stood mesmerized in front of the television while they showed the video. Then I sat down and cried. Unrest had come to the tiny nation of Bahrain and I was officially scared.
It was a relief to have Nick home, but once the protests kicked into high gear, I was still worried. It's kind of funny when you are living in the states watching this news. You think: Those poor people...it's so horrible. But then you go back to your daily lives and forget about it. You can't do that when it's happening in your backyard. The Bahraini government portrayed the situation one way, while CNN another, and Al Jazeer news showed a behind the scenes look at what was really going on. The truth is, the Shiite population is oppressed here. They are the majority party, yet they are ruled by the minority Sunni Muslims...a royal family that has been in power for over 200 years. In my mind they don't have it as bad here as Libya or Egypt, but there are two sides to every story. I'm sure that I would want ample representation in the government as well. I've seen how some of the Shiites live...in run down apartments with grimy looking children hanging out the doors. I can't speak for them or understand completely, but I at least try to understand where they are coming from. They just want to be heard.
Unfortunately, their cries for help were answered with bullets. It's funny that we're supposed to be reassured that the police will do no harm, as they have rubber bullets. Rubber bullets can still kill...look at all those people who died or were seriously wounded at the Pearl Roundabout. It's sad that it degenerated to this level. Now the protesters are seeking justice for those killed. I don't like it, but it is retaliation towards the security forces that so violently killed peacefully protesters. Watching videos of police officers being run over or protesters being shot for no reason is traumatic. I never in my life thought I would be caught in the middle of something like this.
I didn't think things could get worse, but they did. With the arrival of Saudi Arabian and UAE military forces came an onslaught of violence. Many Bahrainis saw this as an act of war and took to the streets to defend themselves. Outside our community was a locally manned checkpoint. Young men armed themselves with baseball bats with knifes taped to the ends and checked every car coming in and out. Luckily they would just wave us through. In other areas, young men burned tires and attacked people....it was like a nightmare come true. Tanks lined the bridges and the main city was cut off from traffic...I believe they didn't want people to see what the military and security forces were actually doing to protesters, but I have no proof of that. One morning we could see smoke coming from downtown Manama. Only when we got to work did we find out what was happening. Security forces dropped tear gas from helicopters onto protesters at the famous Pearl Roundabout. As the people fled they threw molotov cocktails into the tent city that had developed there over the past few weeks. People were living in that area....make shifts restaurants were set up, doctors' stations, it was its own little city. But as these people fled, they were fired upon by foreign military and by Bahraini security forces. I was devastated to hear the news. There were talks of everyone evacuating, so we all made plans for just in case. Dependents were allowed to voluntarily evacuate. Everyone seemed a little on edge.
Just when we thought it couldn't get worse, there came the stories of doctors and nurses being beaten for treating protesters. Even though the Bahraini government said that security forces never did such things, there were eyewitness accounts of that happening. The wounded would be turned away from hospitals and would have to seek treatment in homes or in mosques. There were even videos of security forces beating protesters' cars for no reason. Now they are rounding up opposition leads and snatching them from their homes at night. There are no real words to describe this. The closest I can get is: surreal. You never in your life think that you'll witness something like this first hand, you'll just watch it unfold on tv.
Right now we are less than five months away from moving out of Bahrain. I sincerely hope that we are not forced out before then. This post doesn't even touch on the tip of the iceberg of feelings that I have about this situation, but it was a start. I have so many emotions floating around: disbelief, shock, anger, fear, disgust. The list could go on. It's not to say that I am not grateful for my time here in Bahrain, I actually am. It has opened my eyes to a new culture and a new way of life, but I am truly ready to go home.
