Things I've Learned in Bahrain

I've been in Bahrain for four days now, and even in just those days, I have learned a lot. Here are some things  you all should know about this country. 1. It is hot, and pretty humid all the time (indoors is the only way to escape it. 2. Even when you are indoors, you can't escape the heat completely, because in manifests itself in the water. In Bahrain, there is no such thing as cold water coming out of the faucet, it's either warm or boiling hot. It's is not advisable to take a shower during the day because you will roast. Early morning or night is best. 3. The water is not drinkable. Everything has bottled water or water coolers. Drinking it is a very bad idea, one that I don't want to try. 4. You can't avoid dust. I spent time cleaning and sweeping and mopping my apartment because the floor seemed a little dusty. Well, you better believe that the moment the floor dried (about 2 minutes later due to the heat), my floor was dusty again. Because of all the sand, there's no stopping it. 5. The people here are by far the friendliest, most helpful, and honest people I have ever met in my life. People constantly go out of there was to help you and make you feel comfortable and welcome. My awesome roommate Rachel, has introduced me to so many people and taken me shopping and out for outings, so I feel like I'm a part of the group already. Also, the honestly of people is unbelievable. A group of us went shopping at a local store called Ramez (kind of like a giant Walmart). At Ramez, you put a coin into a slot in the shopping cart, and it unlocks it for you to use. When finished shopping, I put the cart back, grabbed my bags, and went back to the van. Moments later, a gentleman from the store came running out after me because I had left the coin in the cart (apparently the coin comes back out when you return in). He wanted to return the coin to me, even though it's only worth 1/10 of a Bahraini Dinar. It was so sweet. 6. Bahrain is very safe. There is virtually no crime here, people leave car and home doors unlocked and never have a problem. You don't have to live in fear of walking outside at night. It's really nice. 7. The people here seem to really like the King. His picture is everywhere. It's on the sides of buildings, on the backs of peoples cars, on booths at the malls, and everywhere else imaginable. You can't forget his face. 8. The gas here is ridiculously cheap. To fill up the car, it cost about 3-4BD. which is the equivalent to about $8-11! Definitely a good place for driving. So these are just some of the things I have learned about this place so far. I love learning new things, so it has certainly been great for me. I hope I can have a list of 100 things before I leave.