Tough Day (this one is way long)

Tough Day--this is freakin' long...so feel free to skip....

Woke up this morning and finally found a good place for a fast food breakfast...Dairy Queen. Its my ritual in the morning that i do my Bible reading over hashbrowns and Diet Coke. Speaking of Bible reading since i don't have a lot friends here yet, i take my Bible everywhere i go so i never have to eat alone. Fortunately Im in 1 Samuel right now...the story and David and Saul reads more like a novel...im just glad i made it through Leviticus unscathed lol....

Today (Friday) is the weekend in Bahrain..at least Fri-Sat. Most of the Middle East observes the weekend-Days off on Thu-Fri. That is weird to get adjusted to. Bahrain recently switched because it is such an international banking country, Thu-Fri only gives you 3 working days with the rest of the business world so the extra day helps. I wanted to go with the crew to cover an event today. I wanted to see them in action so i could evaluate their talent. There was a huge relay marathon at the Formula 1 track. Bahrain has the nicest Formula one track in the world. There must have been 10,000 people there runners/teams and observers. For Bahrain...that is pretty big. I was really impressed with the mass of people. Before the race I stumbled across a team of four skinny ethiopians. I thought to myself...wait you guys are running? that's not fair. Call the race off right now. Sure enough...the ethiopians pulled through. i was really impressed with the way Manoj and Saji, our main cameramen, conducted themselves. They were aggressive and bold. I didn't have to direct them hardly at all. The more i observe the company the more im impressed with the level of talent we have at our disposal. Im going to be able to do some really effective work with these guys.

After the race I went to the office to get ahead on a video project. It sucks when you have the day off and you have nothing better to do than to go into the office. Now i love what i do...so im fortunate in that aspect. This isolation can get a little taxing. I know its only a matter of time before I get into the social scene and begin building even more friendships, but the growing pains to get there are going to be a challenge. Like i said over and over again, I hate being divorced and i miss the intimate companionship of a life partner. So if any of you are going through a stale period in your marriage and are fantasizing the "What if..." for the greener grass on the other side...please tell me so i can fly back to the U.S. and personally kick your butt. I used to be so judgmental about divorced people as if their divorce was a flaw in their character as it takes two to tango. I was so wrong for being quick to judge. From what ive learned...it takes two to marry one to end it. I was really surprised by sharing my pain and experience...people have come out of the woodwork and have said...yeah i relate to that too rick...i went through something similar. The stories are essentially the exact same, only the names are different. The one good thing about pain is sometimes its God's only way of getting your attention. I can honestly say that because of the horror of the last three years, my intimacy with God has never been stronger. God puts us in a dark tunnel sometimes where we can't see our way out. He does that so we have to feel our way out and listen for his voice. His voice will guide you out of the void. I can honestly say that God and I have conversations now. He tells me some incredibly specific things that always come to pass. Its kind of cool. What God wants most from us is relationship. Too often we just pray/talk and never stop to listen. Well now i've learned to become a very good listener. God just has to wait for me to shut up before He talks for a bit. OK lets get back to my complaint about being a little bit lonely today. You might be thinking...well Duh...you moved to the Middle East, What did you expect? Very true. But maybe if i give you a few details on how I came to this point it would provide a little insight.

Growing up, i always felt as if i had a special calling in life. I had this feeling in my gut that I was going to do great things for the Kingdom. That feeling grew and grew as i got older. Once i got married and got to Hollywood, i was ready to take the world by storm. So I said God...use me. The problem was my heart wasn't what God wanted it to be. I grew up a Christian but I had periods of compromise where i became and amateur/lukewarm Christian. If I would have success early in my career it most likely would have gone to my head and I wouldn't have a great need for God. When I left Hollywood in 2001 I felt like an absolute failure. I thought God had abandoned me. I wondered if God really had great things in store...what happened? But throughout that whole time...God continuously told me...everything is going to ok...this is all part of My plan. I went through a great deal of spiritual maturity from 2002 onwards with my missionary stints in Taiwan and later Saudi Arabia. But then my marriage fell apart while i was serving God as a missionary. I thought what's up with that God? Im serving you...yet my family, what i held most precious and dear to me, disintegrated. I searched for God and did not get bitter. I ran to Him like i had never before. He was there and he spoke to me through the dark days of the desert literally and figuratively. I had peace and joy...i wasn't happy or content...but i had peace and joy and i found that to be more powerful and sustaining than happiness. So i could tell you lots of examples of how God specifically spoke to me to encourage me along the way...they are cool..whoa types of stories. There are too many examples to mention right now. But i'll tell you if you write to me and ask. Well ok...ill give you one...i was praying one day when i was out of work...in Jan. 2007....God said everything was going to be ok...i thought God you have been telling me it was going to be ok for the last three years...im out of money, out of a job, and have two weeks til child support and rent is due. God said...ok...just to make sure you are hearing my voice, you are going to hear a song later in the day, "Hold Fast" by Mercy Me...then you'll know you are hearing my voice. i thought to myself...cool...we'll see. I had heard that song once maybe twice...so it wasn't getting a lot of airplay. Then about an hour later, i was on the phone with my friend Wayne in the car. Didn't know the radio was on...didn't know what station it was tuned to. Then whamo...there was the song. I almost crashed...but then i figured...nah...its just a coincidence. A day later, i dropped my resume off at an ad agency on Friday, the owner called me on a Sunday, went in for an interview on Monday, got the job offer one hour later, Started Tuesday, first paycheck on Wed. God sometimes delays his answers so we learn a principle that he feels its important for us to learn. Once we learn it...He sometimes moves amazingly fast. I enjoyed my time at the ad agency, but God spoke to me early on, that it would only be a temporary gig. I was praying a few weeks later in Feb. God...how much longer will this pain last? He spoke to me specifically," 6 months." Cool...i wrote in my calendar end of August was 6 months. I thought 6 months meant i was going to be reconciled with my ex-wife something i had fervently prayed about daily almost hourly for years. When August rolled around...i anticipated something happening. But God spoke..."The last week of August is going to be very difficult. You have one week to fast and pray...get ready for a tough week." So i did...the last week...was a doozy...ex was difficult and I went in on a Tuesday and got fired. I knew it was coming...I wasn't surprised...wasn't even upset. God had prepared me. How many people can say the day they got fired was a pretty good day? I felt confident and comfortable that God was taking care of me. Driving home from work, i made two calls. One was to an old friend/colleague in San Francisco. Thad Coberg picked up the phone and the first thing he said was "Brother...when you coming back to California?" I had a job offer the next day and was back in CA the next week.

Two weeks after my return to CA I was just ecstatic at God's faithfulness...full of peace joy, and yes happiness. God spoke to me...He said..."now that you are the Man that I always destined you to be...things are going to start happening for you now! You are going to change the world." God had always had that plan for me...but i slowed up the process with my own sin. I realized that maybe its God's will for me not to reconcile (she's married now so its a moot point) and God has another plan. John Osteen used to say, you can't unscramble eggs but God can make a beautiful omelette out of it. So again God spoke to me in a way i didn't really anticipate. I thought God would start working immediately so i could change the world in CA. It didn't happen that way. But I can say being back home in CA, living with my parents (as a 39 year old) I was starting over. The healing from my divorce was complete. There are scars and there always will be...but I was as complete as Im going to get.

Work at the CA company went from Great to good...to ok...to sucky to non-existent. It was August 15, when i woke up and had a talk with God in the mirror (that's how God and I have most of our conversations with me looking in the mirror) and he told me..."This is going to be a life changing day for you." A few hours later, i noticed my old position in Saudi Arabia had opened up. I never considered moving back to Saudi before but i thought...why not? Im single. I talked to my friends still at Aramco and a seed was planted in my heart. Whenever someone mentioned Saudi Arabia/Middle East my heart lept inside of me. In fact, I told my pastor Chuck Fleming of Cornerstone Church in Livermore, in late August, I said Chuck, I don't understand it, but I think Im going back to the Middle East. I also told him, I have a feeling that September is going to be a big month for me. About a week later, my company stopped the Acting School i had been teaching, which had became my primary source of income. But still i had a peace because i knew God had a plan. Two days later, I get a strange series of numbers on my caller ID. It was this guy with an English accent calling from Bahrain. We spoke for an hour, four days later I was on a plane headed across the world. God spoke to me in the lavatory (while i was looking in the mirror again) somewhere over the Persian Gulf that I was going to get the job and move to Bahrain. I spent a week with Nader and his family. I fell in love with them, they fell in love with me. Three days after I had returned...i had an official job offer. With a start date in one month later in late October.

So I know that I know that I know that Im supposed to be here. If God has a plan for me...he's also going to take care of my children. He's also going to take care of my moments of loneliness. Right now...im on an Island literally and figuratively. That's why the prayers of my friends are so vital to me right now. The Enemy only takes people on that are threat to him and his schemes. i think im a major threat now, so I've been under constant spiritual attack for sometime. Im keeping the faith...and am going to weather this storm. God will see me through...He has before...he'll do it again. I have so many blessings i can count so i hope this doesn't come across as whining. How many times do you ask someone how they are doing...and they say Great...and how many times to do they say pretty darn lousy. I've always prided myself on being an open book. This is who i am and sometimes i hurt. Sometimes...you get knocked down, as long as you get up before the 10 count you'll be ok. God is faithful.

Rick

Dinner with an Iraqi

Dinner with an Iraqi

When I lived in Saudi Arabia previously in 2005, one of my best friends was an Iraqi...named Barraq. Great guy, he considered himself a non-practicing muslim. He grew up in the faith but saw so many inconsistencies in the religion he just couldn't follow. We had many late nights over coffee discussing Islam, Christianity, and true faith. It was quite enlightening. i learned so much about Islam what is right and what is wrong about it. Islam funny thing is very very similar to Judaism. The funny thing is so much of history and modern day conflict is the struggle between Jews and Arabs...when essentially they are the same religion. I think it all comes down to the biggest sibling rivalry in world history...Dad liked me best (Ishmael and Isaac). So the conflict is so hard to understand since the religions are so similar to each other. They both believe in the Garden of Eden, Noah, Abraham, they even believe in Christ. They also agree that Christ was merely a great prophet...not the son of God (Thus the obvious and main difference from Christianity). Plus they both believe the coming of Christ. So if you think about it...Christianity, Judaism, and Islam came from the same Old Testament roots. Why is there so much conflict in the world when our faiths are so similar? Im convinced its because of lack of understanding with each other and our cultures. I remember talking to a Saudi, Muslim friend a few years back. He told me..."I hate the Jews...I just hate the Jews..." I asked why... he said: "I don't know, I just do..." Our parents teach us our prejudices...when one is taught hate...one embraces hate when they are older. Its easier to blame our problems on others...especially if we are taught to hate them. We don't have to be accountable that way. By having long talks with my Muslim friends...i asked questions of them and their faith. By genuinely being interested in their point of view...they began to be more interested in my faith/p.o.v. Muslims in general had a hard time grasping the concept of the Trinity among other things. Im not really sure what my calling as a "missionary" is right now. Its all about relationships. St. Francis of Assissi said "preach the gospel always when necessary use words." So I let my lifestyle be my testimony. When the relationship starts I share my faith in Christ at the appropriate time. I don't try to be aggressive and tell them all the inaccuracies within Islam. That's not my calling. Call me the Joel Osteen of the Middle East if you will. I don't know too many people that have been debated in the kingdom. i believe I am here to plant seeds and let God water them into bloom. When appropriate, I will share my faith more completely...like with my friend Barraq. Barraq said one of the nicest things anyone ever said about me. While my marriage was falling apart (while i was in Saudi in 2005) and I was rushing to fly back to the States to try to save it. I overheard Barraq tell a mutual friend..."I do not believe in prayer...but for Rick...I will pray." Maybe I came back to lead Barraq back to the true God. Im not sure. I know that God displaced an entire family when we (while i was still married in 2003) moved to Taiwan. For that we saved one man...His name is Kidd (who subsquently led his entire family to Christ). God loves us so much that he moved 5 people across the world to save one. Its a little like the shepherd looking for the one lost sheep. If Im here to just save one...it will be enough. But the thing about ministry. The more you try to help others...the more that God blesses you. Its an amazing concept. I hope you didn't get too bored with my Religious theory. But i had a wonderful meal with Barraq and his wife Mayada. I think he will quickly become my best friend here again. We will play squash together later in the week.

Its interesting, as i was sitting down and writing in this blog...the gracious Bahraini,Adnan, that invited me into the Arabic strip club sat down and we started talking. Adnan is a member of the security force for the Royal Family. The Bahraini Secret Service. Its hard to understand him with his thick Arabic accent but we are communicating. He told me he has a 16 month old son and showed me his picture. i also showed him a picture of my son, Spencer. He just can't envision himself being away from his son even one week....he couldn't understand how I could be away from my children. I miss my kids very very much. But the fact of the matter is I am divorced. I can't be the type of daily influence in their life like I would like to be. I don't mean this to be a cop-out...but I know that Im called to be here for this season in my life. One of the people that read this blog, Ralph, told me..."how wonderful it is for you to be doing what God created you to do." That meant a lot to me. I am doing what God created me to do. i believe that now...more than ever. Everyday several times a day I have the opportunity to share my faith and connect with people. I am truly blessed. If God is truly directing my steps...He's going to take care of my kids. As you might have noticed...my children are having a hard time with me being over here and writing about them in this blog. So I'll try to minimize that. But my past does impact the direction of my future and the layers in this story. But I'll try to be sensitive to their desires. I love the encouraging words. It really adds fuel to my fire. I may be alone...but Im rarely lonely. I think Im addicted to writing in this blog.

Thanks for reading.

Rick

Lunch with a South African

Lunch with a South African

We have a shoot in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. Its a big client and should be loads of fun. But getting the crew over there turned out to be quite a headache. The Sales manager, whose name is Ahmad is a great guy. He's Jordanian, young, and very very bright. I enjoy working with him a lot. His wife recently got homesick and returned to Jordan. He had only been married for two months, but his wife left her family and couldn't find work readily available in the banking industry so she sat home and got lonely. She's scheduled to come back at the end of the month enshala (God Willing) That is the a little window into some of the Arab culture. The children are somewhat sheltered, yet when they get married they are thrust into a new lifestyle. Dating in the Middle East is a lot different than dating in U.S. In fact, one of my Saudi friends, when he got married had never seen (via in person, photo or video) nor spoken to his bride. Can you imagine the wedding night? Hello my name is ..... and now we're going to.... OK i know it happens in Bars all the time but still with marriage it seems a little bit strange.

So Ahmad's wife went home for a bit and he is struggling to put on a good face. He's a quality guy and I like him a lot. I offered to create a position within the company for his wife so she won't feel so isolated...Im still waiting on the word if he wants to take me up on the offer. OK...back to the shoot (if you know me, you'll know I go off on tangents, so you should be able to keep up with me.) Trying to arrange a Jordanian, Sri Lankan, and Indian to fly into Dubai, just 45 min. flight away, was a bit of hassle. It's sounds like the opening to a joke...but its my reality. They all needed special visas from the Government. Since Khalifa is so well known in the Country he was able to expedite the process with "Wasta" (Good Favor)...still for a foreign worker it was difficult. My American Passport gets me in most countries no questions asked with little red tape. That's another thing as Americans that we should be grateful for. Then again only 10% of Americans hold passports so we really have no idea how the rest of the world actually lives. So I have no problem getting in and out of places. Which segues nicely into my lunch with Armand, the South African. This is weird coming from a guy...but the dude is uncommonly handsome. Then again, im a director, im supposed to notice these things. He could be a model in the U.S. if he chose to do so. Armand is young, ambitious and bright. Im going to enjoy working with him. Being from South Africa, he also has his problems with Visa issues. A few years back, there was a problem with his visa. It wasn't renewed in time or something and he got stuck in the Bahrain Airport...for Four Days!!!! His company sent him money so he could buy clothes and food, but still he was stranded and couldn't fly back to South Africa, or the U.A.E. It was a real-life "Terminal" Armand's big concern was concerning his Visa. As a GM Im trying to gauge what the employees value, and then give that to them. Some value money, respect, growth, vacation, acclaim, everyone is a little different. So you find out what they value and pay them if you can. Armand valued security that his Visa was taken care of. Most foreign workers are here illegally as the process to file the paperwork can get quite cumbersome. Fortunately, Armand's situation was resolved quickly. He got his CPR (which is a type of ID/DL #) and now he takes his Medical Exam on Sunday and he is officially legally here in the country. It was a great relief to him, and I didn't have to change the company's bottom line. It was a great lunch meeting and he is properly motivated now. It wasn't hard to light a fire under him, as he shares my same ideals and goals. We're going to change the world together. His dream is to be a photographer for National Geographic and I think the way our company will grow...he'll have those same dreams fulfilled through us.

I should apologize to all of you faithful readers. Sometimes, I let my past make me a little bitter and I complain just a bit. I don't want to be like that. Bitterness/Anger is like poison you take hoping the other person will die. It just tends to eat you away inside. So I let a little slip out yesterday and it hurt my son, Max's, feelings yesterday. I didn't realize he was reading this blog. There are always two sides to the story, and I'll refrain from telling my side from here on out...if i can for the most part. With the distance and lack of communication, so many things can get mis-interpreted and proper communication can usually resolve these things. Its just another hurdle that divorced couples must overcome for the sake of their children. When they can't the children suffer. I'll say it again, like I've said a thousand times. Divorce Sucks. i know why God hates it so much now. It destroys you and your family. So I make it a point to advice any married couple going through a rough patch (every couple goes through this) that no matter how bad it is...its probably not worth divorce. God is finally allowing the healing to be complete in my life, but still there will always be a part of me out there...that's lost.

Thanks for all your encouraging emails guys. It really adds fuel to my journey. I added some pictures at the bottom of the blog if you want to check them out.

Salaam Out, (Peace Out)
Rick

More whining from the rich (relatively speaking) American Guy

More whining from the Rich (realtively speaking) American guy.

What an interesting day. I think I'm beginning to like sitting behind a big desk. Im so used to being project oriented. I was the worker bee, got consumed on a project and didn't rest til it was finished. Now, I have others that I can throw deadlines on. Its really different. We were going to do a Demo Reel for KSDI and I was about to get started on it and I thought wait!!! I have an editing staff that can do that. i can be a supervisor...woo-hoo for that. I feel like Im not really working, just delegating to others to have them work. Maybe that is what management is all about. I could get used to this.

Its late in the office right now. We just had a late night meeting. We are going to do a shoot on Sunday in Abu Dhabi, which is one hour from Dubai. Its a pretty prestigious party at the Royal Palace. Its going to have, flame throwers, Fireworks, Cirque De Soleil type acrobats. I'm going to go with the crew to direct and shmooze. We should get a lot more business out of this.

I went apartment hunting with a realtor today and got depressed. I just have such a hard time justifying spending $2500/month on an apartment, two bedrooms at that.  What makes this even more sobering is that I was able to give our office boy a raise today.  He was thrilled about it.  He got an increase of 25%, what that means is that his salary rose from $200 to $250 per month.  Can you believe that?  How can someone live like that...but he does and hes' quite happy and content.  i just compare myself to him and it just makes me feel so unworthy.  I am blessed, but why me and not him.  Sometimes life isn't meant to be fair.  Priyesh's salary and attitiude help me keep everything in perspective.  I've very very very spoiled compared with the rest of the world.  i heard it said once, that if you woke up in the U.S. this morning, you are 85% richer than the rest of the world.  After seeing it first hand...i believe it.  OK back to the real estate (along with extremely poor...there are the extremely rich, thus the real estate prices are so exorbitant).   I saw one, one bedroom apartment in high rise that had a spectacular view of the Gulf. Nice furniture, luxurious...but still it was one bedroom and $2000. I think I'll need the extra bedroom when the kids come out to visit in the Summer. Hmmmm the kids coming to visit. Unfortunately my ex is really fighting me on that one. She is adamant about them not coming over here.   We tried to go to mediation before we left, but she wasn't willing to negotiate. So I have to spend thousands in order to protect my right to visit my kids.  Bahrain is an incredibly safe place to live.  For comparison sake, 250 people were murdered in Houston last year, compared to 0 in Bahrain.  Violent crime is also rampant in the U.S. and is virtually non-existent here.  There has never been a terrorist attack on the island.  So despite the media's perception, Bahrain is much safer than the U.S.  My ex even visited when we lived Saudi, still she's not convinced.   With all the deadbeat dads in the world, you'd think that me making such an effort to preserve my relationship with them would be looked on favorably. But unfortunately in her mind, I haven't done one thing right in five years. So thus she feels justified in fighting me. The sucky thing about it, is the kids are caught in the middle. Im not partipating in the poisoning of their minds, and im also not defending myself. If I defend myself from wrongful accusations, I only serve to undermine her authority/opinions in a back handed way.  If i defend myself i would essentially be calling her a liar.  I refuse to say anything that might damage them.  I think a lot of bad things though....   I can't do anything to make her stop. i can just love my kids and pray that they will see it. My daughter hasn't seen me since July, before that its was back to March. It breaks my heart but she is a teenager. Everyone tells me she'll come around when she's in her 20's. I hate to wait that long, But i guess I don't have a choice in the matter.

Im so tired...The jetlag is really kicking my butt the last couple days. I can't sleep until 12 a, then i wake up at 4 or 5. In the day time in late afternoon, i get incredibly drowsy like I am now. So i'll cut this short. Im still looking for a place that serves breakfast here. I'm a little addicted to my routine of fast food breakfast, big diet coke (my coffee/caffiene) and a morning bible reading. Not even McDonalds or Burger Kind serve breakfast....Ahhhhhh the culture shock.

If you want to write or ask any questions, please feel free to post.

Rick

Day 4.5 An Arabic Strip Bar

Let me preface this that in my motel the only place i can get internet access is the lobby. So i write these blogs in there. The night before I noticed quite a few Saudi's going into what looked like a club. You can tell they were Saudi's because their gutra (headpiece) was red checkered, which is distinctive in only Saudi Arabia. All others wear white...with the exception of maybe Palestine where they are black checked (think Yasser Arafat).

So I was curious. So tonight when I was writing in the Blog, there was a Bahranian also in the lobby smoking, drinking, and talking loudly on his cell phone. Arabs are standoffish at first, but once you make the first move in terms of communication they are extremely friendly and hospitable. But again, you have to initiate the conversation. So asked what was the deal with all the Saudi's. He went onto explain that the Saudi's come to the club and drink and drink and drink. He said they drink beer and whisky like water. Perhaps its because they can't get alcohol in Saudi that when they come over to Bahrain where alcohol is readily available, they binge drink. So I explained i was a little intimidated because the front desk clerk (Indian) told me the night before that it was a club for Arabs only. Adnan invited me in the club as his guest. So I went inside and it was empty. It was still just 9:00 and apparently the nightlife (even on a work day) doesn't get started until 12:00 A or 1:00 A. That tradition goes way back in culture. Because it is so hot here (upwards of 130 degrees in the Summer) everyone stayed inside during the day and only came out at night when it was cooler.

So i wasn't really sure what to expect. i was enjoying the conversation with my new friend. There was a singer on the stage with a three keyboards and guy looking like he was playing some sort of bass. They were rocking out with Arabic music. It was all quite enjoyable. Suddenly five girls emerged from the back stage. The stage was in the center of the club. They formed an X with one girl dancing in the middle and started dancing. Could this be? I was at my first Arabic strip bar. i had no idea what i had gotten myself into, but i didn't want to be a rude guest. Adnan had to leave as he had a 6:00 am appointment the next day. Before he left, he instructed the Maitre D or bouncer....im not sure which, to make sure that I ordered anything I wanted and to send the bill to him. i was quite touched by his generosity to a stranger he just met. But that is Arab hospitality for you. They are famous for it.

So back to the girls. Remember this is an Arabic strip bar. Where "showing some skin" usually means showing some ankle. So the girls were dressed up in the equivalent of prom dresses. I had also met Adnan's friend, a Jordanian...he was very friendly and apparently he was the headline singer of the evening. So the girls danced and slowly more and more Saudi's trickled into the club. Now when i say danced, i mean they lifted their heels off the ground and shifted on their toes a bit. It was all stationary. Absolutely no clothes came off...not even a hint of it. Then the some Filipina waitresses came out with Flowered lays. The patrons would order the lays, and the waitresses would put the large body sized lay on the girl's neck. This is the equivalent of a lap dance. Sometimes the girls would hold hands and dance (shift on their toes) in front of the guy that bought the lays, sometimes they wouldn't.

OK...i wanted to take a picture of my Jordanian singer friend so i could send it all of you. Apparently that is a big no-no. The bouncer/Maitre'D got really upset. Suddenly i was a bit uncomfortable. He demanded i delete the pictures immediately. So I took him outside and said ma salaama Habibi. Which means Im sorry friend. Fortunately Adnan was outside. i think he might have owned the club. i deleted the pictures and all was well. So i went back inside to listen to a few more tunes. They brought out the piece pipe...which is a type of giant bong where they smoked cherry tobacco. Many of the Saudi's were on their way to getting blitzed. But it was just amazing to see their reactions to the girls. They were really getting worked up. Im thinking...the girls aren't that pretty (in my eyes) and they are in prom dresses...how could you get worked up over that? Than I thought...wow...Im such a desensitized American. It just shows you we all have different levels of arousal/lust points/sin. As more and more Saudi's made their way into the club, i thought it would best that I leave sooner rather than later. Keep in mind I feel completely safe in Bahrain, but with Saudi's its a little different. They are much more conservative and hardlined than the rest of the Middle East. (9 of the 12 terrorists on 9/11 were Saudi's). i hope im not perpetuating a stereotype because that is what im trying to dispel by being here. But with Saudi's they are different than all the other Arabs. If they were going to get drunk and worked up, it probably wasn't the wisest place for a westerner to be. Consider it like being a Denver Bronco fan sitting in the Black Hole at the Oakland Coliseum during a Raider game. Legal yes...smart no... Still...i feel safer in a room full of Saudi's than i ever would as a Bronco in the black hole.

Day 4--American Gladiator

Day 4 but let me start a little bit of the end of Day 3. I was eating room service, and trying to entertain myself. The options on TV...not an exaggeration were 300+ Arabic channels which can best be likened to Cable Access for Muslims or 3 english speaking channels. One was a re-run of Oprah, the other Spiderman and the third American Gladiators. The depressing part about it...i watched the entire Gladiator episode once i got into it...I had to see it to the finish to see who prevailed. I finally forced myself to sleep around 1a and woke up about 3 hours later completely awake on a hard bed. I guess i hadn't gotten over my jet lag yet. Then a curious thing happened as I woke up. I had a dream that I had reconciled with my former spouse. What made this strange is that since my divorce i had only dreamt about her 3 maybe 4 times in four years. Then last night it was two consecutive nights of dreaming about her. Reconciliation is an impossibility since she remarried so the dreams were very strange. Perhaps i dreamt those dreams because im a little bit lonely over here. I hate being divorced and I don't like being alone...but that said...im rarely lonely. Though i do look forward to meeting another mate someday. I should mention...many of my friends (mainly this divorced moms) question how i could possible leave my children and come over and consider myself doing God's work. That is a tricky situation. Short answer, my steps are being directed by God so I know im supposed to be here. That's why these moments of loneliness will dissipate because if Im under God's hand, everything will be taken care of...all of emotions, physicality, spiritual life, and safety. I just have to adhere to God's word. I do miss my children, very very very much. But the truth of the matter, there was bickering that happens with any divorced couple and once again the children were the victims. I didn't want to enflame the situation by defending myself nor attacking their mother. But the bi=weekly visits i was having with them it became quite clear their hearts were becoming torn apart. So if it takes two to tango...if I removed myself then the arguments and the accusations had to stop eventually...right??? Time will tell. Right now...im stuck having to go forward with a legal battle (I don't want to fight) to allow the kids to come visit and stay with me during the summer. I feel that its important that I fight with everything I have to preserve my relationship with them. I think longer extended visitations, I'll have more of a positive influence on them rather than 48 hours every other weekend.

Wait...this was supposed to be about Bahrain...not about me whining about the world's suckiest divorce. I got to the office early for Day #2 and it went more smoothly. Im starting to feel comfortable there. Its weird when you are the boss and people come to you to make important decisions. It feels kind of good...but as I heard in Spiderman last night...With much power comes much responsibility. I treated to the staff to a pizza lunch. It was absolutely amazing how grateful they were and how excited. I only spent about $25 but for the amount of goodwill I created, it could have been $250 bucks. They had never had anyone do that for them before. It was nice being able to break down cultural barriers and just share a meal. I think they like me and the energy I bring to the office. There are lots of smiles. As we were eating, I felt my joy return. The enemy just doesn't prance around seeking whom he will devour...he hops around and tries to steal our joy. That is the big thing i learned since my divorce. The difference between joy and happiness. Joy is like when you are standing on a the beach and wave is headed towards you. Because you can see the wave in the distance you're able to prepare for it. By leaning in, and setting your feet, you are able to withstand the wave and stay upright. Happiness is when your back is to the wave and when it hits you're sent tumbling, end over end...out of control. The last few years have taught me how to maintain my peace and joy no matter what my circumstances may look like. Even if im in the middle of desert seemingly with no friends (yet) around. There are happy moments sure...but if you think about they last about as long as a vapor. They are temporary and designed to be so. If we were happy all the time...would we really need a savior? Ive seen so many people get into trouble (present) company included when they run around and search for happiness. It is so elusive, and the cost to obtain it...is usually more than what its worth. So for a momentary thrill...many people that seek happiness...find themselves "upside down" emotionally speaking.

Hey thanks for reading...feel free to comment and tell me what you like or dislike and ill be sure to adjust the writing to fit those areas. If not...I'll just go back to my original plan of writing about the Alaskan beach volleyball team.

Rick

A little teensie, tiny bit of culture shock

Ok..Went in for my first day of work and it certainly was a mixed experience.  All the employees, mainly a mix of Filipinos, Indiansm Sri Lankans and a South African thrown into round out the group seemed genuinely excited to have me aboard.  There is just a lot to do, and I have to learn a whole new medium (digital still photography).  Photography is the bread and butter of the company so i just need to learn how to be a project manager.  i guess you could say...im a officially a "suit" although i will cling to my creative roots.  Ultimately we will produce more video, I just need to learn how to manage the financial base so we can flourish into other higher risk/reward projects.  

Ok here's where the culture shock comes in.  They moved my hotel to another longer term facility.  I think they are trying to encourage me to find housing more quickly...and believe me...im certainly motivated now.  The new place im staying at resembles something out of 1940.  But the crazy part is, its only 17 years old...it just looks like its 170 years old.  Look at me the spoiled American complaining.  Most other non-westerners would consider this a 5 star hotel where westerners would consider it barely a 1 star.  But this is just a temporary housing situation.  I go tomorrow with a realtor to find an apartment.  Surprisingly enough housing is very expensive here...at least it compares with California.  For a 1-2 bedroom furnished apartment Im looking to spend around $1500-2000 per month.  But maybe staying in this hotel for a couple nights is God's way of saying...spend the bucks its worth it.  I have seen how the migrant workers (Filipino, SRi Lankan, Pakistani) live and calling their housing situation deplorable would be a fair assessment.  So I need to watch myself if i complain at all about anything.  The roaches aren't big enough to warrant a saddle...so i guess i'll count my blessings from here on out.  Whew...thanks for letting me vent.  

Tomorrow is a new day.  I decided to buy the staff pizza for lunch tomorrow...They are thrilled.  I had another long talk with another employee.  Julie is a Filipina in her early 60's I think.  She is a part-time receptionist, videographer, and photoshop artist.  She is a grandmother of four with a daughter and husband back at home in the Philippines.  Once she was a seamstress in the Philippines, now she has been gone from her family for the last 20 years.  She returns home for vacation for two months every two years.  She just had her vacation and now she is heading back in 2010.  She misses her family very much, but she feels as if she has to keep working in order to support her daughter, four grandchildren, and husband (who is sick/disabled).  The money she makes here ($750/month) is worth 3-4 months of salary in the Philippines.  Please do not think my company KSDI is treating these people unfairly because of the low almost insulting salary.  Rather, we are one of the better companies in this region for paying and taking care of their employees.  Its hard to imagine but most Filipinos make much less here.  The employees are all glad and proud to be a part of the company.  They enjoy their work very very much. Once i make the company more financially solvent you better believe my first efforts will be to take care of the little guy.  But i have to make some money in order for me to put it where my mouth is.  Still the employees are glad to see a change of management.  This family run company has been in the black but it hasn't been flourishing, that is why they wanted me to come aboard.  They believe in me...and i don't want to let them down.  Suddenly,  a little thing like buying pizzas for the employees, doesn't seem like that much of an endeavor.  

Day 2 or is it a continuation of Day 1

It's 12:30 AM on Sunday morning i think...and i have tons of energy...go figure.  This is actually the first day of the work week so i start at the company today.  They do the weekends over herein the Middle East on Thursday and Friday, but Bahrain is more progressive they do their weekends on Friday and Saturday.   A little about Bahrain..its much more progressive than Saudi Arabia.  In Saudi women can't drive, (some might argue if that is a good or bad thing) you can't drink alcohol (again see aforementioned reference) you can't have any pork product, no movies, if you talk to a woman that is not your wife you could get arrested and/or deported and they have calls to prayer 5 times a day where everything stops, stores and restaurants close and life comes to a halt for the 30-45 min. that prayer lasts.  The difficult thing is that its hard to plan your day around the prayer schedule as each day its a little different...the prayers are scheduled on the lunar cycle.  In Bahrain you have none of those restrictions and quite frankly everyone seems to like Westerners here.  Unlike the stereotypes of the media...Arabs are gracious and friendly people...at least the ones i've encountered.  In fact one of the reasons why im here is to help change the perceptions that Arabs have with the west.   Im certain that most of the global conflicts that we have can be averted with more open and honest communication and understanding.  We need to communicate and respect our differences.  I might be a dreamer...but I believe God put us on the world to help make it a better place then when we've found it...and me being here is my way of doing it.

I went to a birthday party of Tanya's 5 year old.  Tanya is the daughter of the owner of my company.  They really do the parties up here.  They love kids in this culture and they spend a lot on them.  The kids seemed to have a great time.  Oh..you should know...That Khalifa, the founder of the company had four children with his first wife, who was from England.  So the entire family is very westernized.  I love them all...already.  They are kind and gracious people...Nadeer, is the oldest and taking control of his father's business, then Tanya, who also works full time for KSDI, but she's hoping my involvment will lessen her responsibilities there.  Nadiya, who isn't really involved, but still a lovely girl...and Omar, the youngest, 32.  Omar was the GM but im taking over for him as he is pursuing a career in banking.  Omar just flew up to England to be with his wife during the birth of his first child.  They want the child born in England so it will be a English citizen which carries more global weight.  

They had the video staff photograph and video tape the party today.  Talk about your fancy home movies.   Our video crew presently is made up of Filipino women.  I rode home with Jerilynn.  We talked a bit.  She has a husband in the Phillipines and a son, age 12.  She hasn't seen them for 2.5 years as she has been working.  She hopes to go home to the Phillipines in March Enshala (God Willing...or that would probably be Allah willing in this case...her words not mine.) to see her family.  It just blows me away that she left her family for so long to give them a better life.  What she makes here is worth 4-5 times what she makes in the Phillipines where work is simply very hard to come by.  She told me how much she made (Hey...im the GM im going to find out eventually) and she said $200 dinars a month.  That equates to $800 USD a month.  Its mind boggling to think that is 4-5 times as much as she'd make in the Phillipines.  We are truly a blessed country in the U.S. despite the current recession.  I heard it said...that if you woke up in the U.S. this morning, you are richer than 85% of the world...I  believe it...because i can see it with my very own eyes.

We are truly blessed.

What a trip...

Friday..or is Saturday??? Oct. 23

I got on the plane at 10 am leaving from SFO.  Had to go to Houston, said my goodbyes to the children, well at least the boys...my daughter (14) has a hard time finding reasons to talk to me...but that is for a later post.  I haven't seen her since July, even though I have pleaded with her to do so.  Wait...that is a painful tangent...i'll talk about that later.

I get to Houston and the computers were down...they had to manually check everyone in by hand...all 500 or so of us.  It was like the dark ages.  Finally I get my seat.  They flew me out Business class.  The plane was delayed for 3 hours leaving because all the manual check in...they had to manually match the baggage as well.  It could have been a 12 hour delay...i didn't care...In business class on a flight like that...its so luxurious.  I certainly felt pampered and spoiled.  The plane finally took off and I felt like i was on vacation.  I had hundreds of movies and television shows to choose from in a very comfortable and luxurious chair.  The 14 hour flight seemed to just fly by.  

I arrived in Dubai, and the plane was three hours late.  I had to rush through the Dubai airport to make my connection.  I got stopped at security, because of all my insulin and hypodermic needles.  I really need to learn the word for Arabic for Diabetes.  Finally they let me through.  I found my gate but because the computers went down in Houston, Gulf Air had no record of me and the flight was about to leave in 30 min...and it was fully booked.  Its 10:30 pm local time at this point and i had been traveling for about 23 hours at this point.  But I didn't panic.  They explained that there was no way my bags would make it...because i had flown in on another Airline.  But there might be another seat if someone doesn't show up.  The plane was supposed to leave at 11:06 pm.  They closed the boarding process at 11:00 but still they let people board.   I was sitting off to the side, just observing.  One guy rushed up to the gate...i think he must have been Pakistani or Indian....tried to plead his way aboard.  But they refused.  Disgusted that he missed his flight...he sulked away.   The unfair part is that a few minutes after he left, they let about 8 more people board.  It was total discrimination and completely unfair.  A few minutes after this...they handwrote a boarding pass and let me board.  I was in the last seat...they delayed the plane for me...for about an hour.  I must have been in the Indian's/Pakistani's seat.  I wasn't too proud of that...but i didn't realize what was going on at the time otherwise i would have refused.  

I sat next to this young Muslim woman from Dubai...she was 17.  We had an amazing talk of cultures, religion, and faith.  She was very interested in America, our religious beliefs, and culture.  She lived in London and Dubai (her parents were divorced) and she was about to enter University to study Psychology.  Im sure we raised a few eyebrows from the people sitting around us.  It just isn't proper for a man to speaking to a woman in most conservative Arab cultures, but Dubai and Bahrain for that matter are very progressive.  She understood a little bit more about Christianity and I learned just a tad bit more of Islam.  It was/is not my job to convert Muslims to Christianity.  Instead, im am here to let my life for Christ by Testimony.  Like St. Francis of Assisi said..."Preach the Gospel always...when necessary use words."  I can't think of too many Christians that were debated into the Kingdom.  I believe it is our job as people of faith is to live it out...and let the Holy Spirit draw people in.  Be ready to answer the questions...just don't force your answers down their throat...but that is just me.  Other people have their forms of Evangelism that works well for them. 

I got to Bahrain, and my bags weren't there.  I was met by Khalifa, the father.  He's 67 and a beautiful man.  I really enjoy him.  His kids run the company now but he is there as an advisor and friend.  We have these great conversations about Bahrain and the history and culture.  Khalifa was the star and produced a film in the 70's called Hammad and the Pirates which aired on the old Wonderful World of Disney on Sunday nights.  Khalifa and his children wanted to bring me aboard as GM of KSDI (Khalifa Shaheen Digital Images) ksdibahrain.com to shepherd it into the 21st century.  Right now they do wedding videos and digital photography.  With me on board they want to delve into television and feature film.  This really is a dream job and great cultural opportunity.  Im very lucky...very fortunate and very blessed.  

As many of you know me...know that the last three years have been amazingly difficult for me.  I went through a very unwanted divorce (I tried everything i could to save it...but she just wasn't interested).  So Im viewing this trip to Bahrain...my 40th Birthday as a brand new start in life.  Im pretty excited...not just because im in a new culture but because God is directing my steps.  True peace and joy (not necessarily happiness) are found when you walk according to Gods ways.  

My bags arrived the following day....Take 2 is well underway....