Although Bahrain has a number of universities, both government and private, many Bahrainis have
the opportunity to go abroad to pursue undergraduate and postgraduate studies, often by means of
scholarships. One of the first problems they face is that few people know where Bahrain is. In
this post we hear about the experiences of three bloggers who have just gone abroad for higher
studies, to Japan, Britain and the United States, and a fourth blogger who has been studying in
India for some time.
Cradle of Humanity has just gone to study in Cleveland, Ohio, and she is feeling a
little
frustrated:
I sometimes dread it when people ask where I come from. Not more than 10% of people who hear
“Bahrain” as answer have some sort of idea where that country might be, but
that’s not my cause of annoyance. For those who know that Bahrain is indeed in the Persian
Gulf, there is one thing that comes to mind – wealth. Some people might ask,
but it’s those who assume who annoy me the most. For the past two months I made a lot of
friends, mainly Indians given the demographics of the student body in my program. Despite the
fact that most of these are actually Indian elites, owners of chains of businesses and are
wealthy themselves – they love to point out that I must be wealthy. When at
some occasions I said just that, it appeared that some have the notion that we’re
unnecessarily wealthy, that is, it’s undeserved wealth; while theirs is hard worked for.
Oh, and they use Bahrain and Dubai interchangeably.
- Public transport here is not very good, but getting a car is very expensive. I would’ve
got one
- Used or new?
- Used, I’m only here for a short period of time.
- Get a new one it’s better
- It’ll be much more expensive
- But you come from Bahrain, you can buy a car!
- You mean you’re not rich?
- Actually, no.
- Everyone in Dubai was rich.
- I don’t know about that, but not everyone in Bahrain is rich.
Yagoob, who has just arrived in Nagoya, has to deal with something even more basic -
language:
To be honest, the culture shock has hit me very hard! Hardly anyone I’ve met so far had the
slightest knowledge of the English language. I feel like a 21st century caveman, trying to
communicate with the most primitive of ways, hand waving and speaking English in a very slow and
loud way. [...] My dorm room is quite Japanese, extremely tiny and everything is earthquake proof
so it’s like living in an aluminium sardine can. Many of the things I have around the room
seem to have instructions on it, but all in Japanese so I have no idea how they work so far!
[...] The subway is quite reminiscent to the London Tube except that it’s much cleaner and
a person like me sticks out like a sore thumb (as if a tall fat sweaty hairy Arab wouldn’t
stick out anywhere). [...] The people of Nagoya seem to have never met a Bahraini before, at
least that’s what the people at my dorm office say, although I am surprised that they know
where it is (maybe because of the many hard fought battles on the football pitch over the last
few years) and when I chatted with one of my Chinese neighbours, ‘Andy’,
he said, “Aah, you are from West Asia!” I guess I am...especially when I’m in
the Far East.
MuJtAbA AlMoAmEn studies in India, and tells us what he likes about being there:
ربما
يكون
البعد
عن
الوطن
له
سلبياته
، لكنه
بلا
أدنى شك
Ùله
إيجابياته
.
ØªØØ¯Ø«Øª
مراراً
عن
إيجابيات
الاغتراب
وسلبياته
ØŒ ولست ÙÙŠ
وارد
إعادة
تكرار
ما كتبت
، لكنني
اليوم
أكتب
بشكل
مغاير ،
ÙØ£Ø±ÙŠØ¯
الكتابة
عن
التأمل
، عن
الهدوء
، وعن
القدرة
على
الإطلاع
، وعن
وقت
Ø§Ù„ÙØ±Ø§Øº
الذي
أستطيع
استثماره
.
ÙÙŠ
Ø§Ù„Ø¨ØØ±ÙŠÙ†
، بين
أهلي
ÙˆØ£ØµØØ§Ø¨ÙŠ
، لا
أملك
الكثير
من
الوقت
لقراءة
الصØÙ
المØÙ„ية
والعربية
والعالمية
، ولا
أملك
الكثير
من
الوقت
لقراءة
الكتب
أكانت
سيرة
ذاتية
أم
Ùكرية
أم
رواية …
الخ .
هنا ÙˆÙÙŠ
الهند ،
ØØ§Ù„ات
التأمل
كثيرة ،
أشعر
غالباً
Ø¨ØµÙØ§Ø¡
ليس له
مثيل
على
مستوى
الذهن ،
أستطيع
التÙكير
كثيراً،
أجد
الØÙ„ول
غالباً
لأية
مشاكل
أو
عراقيل
تواجهني
، بل
الأØÙ„Ù‰
من ذلك
إنني
أجد
أكثر من
طريقة
للØÙ„ ØŒ
Ùلا
أعتمد
ØÙ„اً
ÙˆØ§ØØ¯Ø§Ù‹
، بل
أستعرض
الخيارات
التي
لدي ،
وهذا إن
دل على
شيء
ÙØ¥Ù†Ù‡ يدل
على
ØØ§Ù„Ø©
Ø§Ù„ØµÙØ§Ø¡
العقلي
والروØÙŠ
الذي
أعيشه . Perhaps being away
from home has its negative aspects, but there is no doubt that there are positive aspects to it
too. I have previously discussed the pros and cons of being away from home; I have no intention of
repeating myself, and will write about something different today. I want to write about
contemplation, calm, the ability to read, and the free time which I can spend usefully.
In Bahrain, among family and friends, I don't have much time to read newspapers, whether local,
Arab or international. I also don't have time to read books such as biographies, novels, or those
on intellectual topics.
Here in India, there is a lot of time for reflection. I feel mentally calm and I can think a lot -
I find solutions for any problems or obstacles I face and what is even sweeter is that I find more
than one solution. I don't depend on one only, and weigh my options, and if this proves anything,
it is a testimony to the mental and spiritual calmness I live in.
Bride Zone has just arrived in the UK to study, and she is missing home:
…لا
أستطيع
أن أنكر
كم هو
صعب
الشعور
بالاغتراب
والابتعاد
عن
الأرض..
الأرض
هي
الأرض..
ذلك
الكوكب
الثالث
ÙÙŠ
المجموعة
الشمسية
درسناه
جميعاً
وعلمنا
تعريÙÙ‡
علمياً..
ولكن ÙÙŠ
الواقع
أرضنا
تلك
ليست هي
ذاتها
عندما
تنتقل
من مكان
إلى آخر..
تلك
الأرض
التي
عشت بين
ظهرانيها
سنين
ØÙŠØ§ØªÙŠ
كلها
بØÙ„وها
ومرها..
تلك
التي
تØÙ…Ù„
أهلي
ÙˆØ£ØµØØ§Ø¨ÙŠ
أغلى
عندي من
كل
أراضي
العالم..
على
الرغم
من جمال
الأرض
التي
أعيش
عليها
الآن
إلا
أنها لا
تساوي
عندي
ذرة من
تراب
أرضي
الغالية..
هنا ÙÙŠ
بريطانيا
الجو
جميل..
رأيت
ÙØµÙ„
الخريÙ
كما لم
أره ÙÙŠ
ØÙŠØ§ØªÙŠ
قط.. كنا
ÙÙŠ
المدرسة
نتعلم
أنه ÙÙŠ
ÙØµÙ„
الخريÙ
تتساقط
أوراق
الأشجار
ولكنني
لم أر لك
بعيني
ÙÙŠ أرض
الواقع
سوى هنا..
وبينما
نعاني
من قلة
الأمطار
ÙÙŠ بلدي
ÙØ¥Ù†
المطر
هنا
يتساقط
بين
الÙينة
والآخرى
يجعلني
Ø£ØØ³
بالØÙŠØ§Ø©..
الØÙŠØ§Ø©
التي
تهبها
تلك
الأمطار
للأرض
لتغدو
روضة
غناء
كما هي
الآن..
هل أهذي
أنا أم
أهلوس؟لا
أجد
رابطاً
بين ما
كتبته ÙÙŠ
ØµÙØØ§ØªÙŠ
غير
أنها
كلمات
تزاØÙ…ت
ÙÙŠ عقلي
وترجمتها
ÙÙŠ
Ù…Ø³Ø§ØØªÙŠ
الصغيرة
ÙˆÙ†Ø§ÙØ°ØªÙŠ
التي
أطل بها
على
العالم..
عذراً
Ø£ØØ¨ØªÙŠ..
Ùليس
هناك
لدي أمر
آخر
Ù„Ø£ØªØØ¯Ø«
عنه
اليوم
سوى
شوقي
ÙˆØÙ†ÙŠÙ†ÙŠ
للأرض
والوطن.. I
cannot deny how difficult it is to be away from home. The Earth is the Earth, the third planet in
the solar system. We all studied that and know it scientifically. But the truth is that our Earth
isn't the same when you move from one place to the other. That land where I lived all my life, with
its share of good and bad, and which holds my family and friends is more dear to me than all the
world's lands. Despite the beauty of the land I live on now - it isn't worth a speck of sand from
my beloved country.
Here, in the UK, the weather is lovely. I have seen an autumn like nothing I have seen in my life
before. At school we used to study that there was an autumn in which leaves fall from the trees but
I have never seen that with my very own eyes except here. And while we suffer from the lack of rain
in my country, it regularly rains here and makes me eager for life, a life that is rejuvenated by
the rains, which make it the oasis it is now.
Am I hallucinating? I don't see any connection in what I have written on these pages except that
they are words that have congested my mind and which I have translated in this small space and this
window I look into the world from. Please forgive me my dear ones. There is nothing I want to talk
about today except for my love and longing for my land and nation.