A revolution has begun...

It has been two years since me and my husband moved to Bahrain. Bahrain is a small island nation in the Middle East known for its oil refineries, US navy’s fleet and a thriving night life. No one knows this Arab nation so whenever I told anyone that I live in Bahrain, it was followed by ‘near Dubai’! And now that this nation is making its place in Google news, I think some curious looks will stop.

Anyway, it has been sad two days. And I don’t know for how long this ‘revolt' go on. As an expatriate, I have my bag ready with important documents and valuables so that we are not stranded in a worst case scenario. It disheartens me to be prepared for such a situation for I love this country and it really feels like home.

To give you a lowdown, Bahrain is a very small city-country with a population of about 1.3 million. Half of these are like us, from various parts of the world to work here. This country is one of the most cosmopolitan places I know of and Hindi is actually a second language after Arabic.

I’ve met all kinds of people here. From the simple Jain who wouldn’t even smell onions to hard core non-vegetarians who can’t differentiate their spinach from their fenugreek. I’ve partied with couples who wouldn’t touch a bottle of Rum and couples whose thirst doesn’t quench at even 5 a.m. in the morning! People here dance on the streets, at the pubs and on the beach defying all facts that Arab countries are conservative.

The main problem of this country has been the conflict between the Sunni and Shia population. The king who is a Sunni has supposedly given more privileges to his own sect. The Shia, who are in majority are angered every now and then because of this. The Egypt revolution has given a ray of hope to them and therefore a revolution has begun.

It really makes the future of this country bleak. The King has been moderate in his policies and so the country has been liberal in various aspects as well. If his regime is thrown out and the conservatives take charge, I’m not sure if I will be living here.

Bahrain has really been an ideal foreign location for us. It has the luxury of being abroad and the comfort of being at home. It’s just a 4 hour flight from Delhi and keeps us closer to our folks. But we are fair weather friends. I hope we don’t have to prove it.