Shakbarat!

by Dawoud (Bahrain/Japan)

Hello! This is my first post with the group, and I just wanted to say thanks to Esra’a for putting up a profile on MySpace. Without the profile “Mideast Youth”, I may have never found it. I am a believer in fate and that things are pre-destined to an extent. I realized this was a destined point in my life when I looked at the common people/profiles I and Esra’a's share, and it so happens that Sara Rahbar, a good friend of mine currently in Long Island, NY, as well as “Nobody’s Enemy” and Iranian hip-hop/rap artist Yas are also part of Esra’a's friends list. I wrote to Sara and had to mention it.

Who am I? I am just another face in the crowd, albeit, I do not blend in well with the demographics of Bahrain, and that’s plenty fine with me. I just recently retired from the US Navy after 25 years of being in it and around it. I worked at the base in Juffair, Bahrain for almost three years. I was a pilot for over 12 years of that, having come up through the ranks earlier in my career and being sent off to college and then commissioning and then off to flight school and eventually to my first operational tour as an FA-18C pilot. I served most of my time in the Far East, and was stationed in Japan. My time here in Bahrain on behalf of the US Navy was served as a staff member for the FIFTH Fleet and Central Command. I feel like I am writing a resume here! Hahaha! Actually, I think it’s best to know the personal experiences and where a person has been and what he or she thinks. How else can one ever get to know a person? Anyway, I spent most of my off time immersed in the local affairs and goings on. I wanted to know, as I do now, what the issues that everyday Bahraini are concerned with. I wanted to experience life, as I still do now, with a circle of friends who have nothing in common with me.

Unlike the 99.99% of American military people here in Bahrain, and a lot of the ex-pats from other countries, I chose not to be dependent on the familiarity of my own countrypersons for friendship, solace, identity and lifeline. This has been my way for as far back as I can remember. Everyplace I have ever been to, I have always struck out on my own to walk on the paths unfamiliar. Dangerous? Maybe… but I have the street intuition and the sense to never ramble to places where one is just asking for trouble. That being said, I am perfectly fine with talking to people and approaching them and I have not succumbed to the stupid brain-washing that occurs within most ex-pat groups. Classic case here is that most ex-pats will only shop at places that cater to ex-pats and higher income locals. Me? I’m perfectly ok with putting on my flip-flops, hopping in my car and going to the cold store near my villa and spending my money there. What I convey to my neighbors is that I am approachable, I am proud to be in the neighborhood I live in, I am not afraid of them and they have no reason to be afraid of me and that most importantly, I do not think I am better than them. I am them. I used to have discussions with the guys I used to work with about the stuff I do and where I go and stuff like that. I got labeled as having “gone native”. That sounds so height of the British Empire talk to me! Hahaha! My response was that at least, I was not a slave to the system and that if I needed help, my neighbors and my local friends were always there. That pushed me even further away and into the world that is my own. I live across the street near an ancient temple ruin that dates back to the times of Gilgamesh. That’s a long time ago, and so much history and so many people have walked on the earth where I live. There’s a certain peace that I have by being here.

Some will say it is because I am in the land of Islam, and yes, that is true, but it’s the history and the people and the calmness here. It is synergistic. As my time to walk away from my former life became a reality, I was always asked was I excited to be going back to America. My answer was “Why do I have to go back to America?” That would always throw them off. I suppose it was the expected thing to do. I could have done that or I could have returned to Japan, my mother country, but where was my heart in all of this? It’s here in Bahrain. I have had enough time spent in both places, and the fact is I am not driven to be at either. Not at this point of my life, at least. Yes, I will visit, but that’s all I can say about it, for now. My children and grandchildren are located in North Carolina, Florida and my newest baby, Elham, is in Thailand. I keep in regular contact with them all and I support them and make sure that they have what they need. Yeah, some people would look at me as irresponsible (jimmy hats were invented for a reason), but that’s another stereotype, for my kids know me, can contact me at any time of the day and I love them all equally and am proud to be a parent and I thank Allah for giving me the responsibility and accountability that comes with being a parent. I am truly civil and friends with the mothers of my children, and they know I can be counted on. What else do I need? Hmmmm…

Ok… firstly, I am not an activist. I am a patriot, but I do not love the current government of the United States. It has become a government “by the people, but not for the people…” If I were to identify with any US state motto, it would be New Hampshire “Live Free or Die”. I still have hopes for America, and I do hope that the chain will be broken and that some sense of ownership returns to the government. As a warrior freed from the leige of any government, I can now immerse myself in causes I believe in. Don’t get me wrong, as a former military officer, I did have a mind of my own and I did question the policies and orders passed down. That was expected of us. I was not blind to what was happening around me, and even my superiors voiced their own opinions. Anyway, this is a discussion best served at another setting.

What I believe in- free healthcare for children, increased teachers’ salaries, learning the art of debate, religious tolerance, college credits for languages learned, foreign travel, residency and fluency of cultures associated with those places, women’s equality and education in places where it has been suppressed, cultural and ancient arts preservation (did you know that the tiles found on ancient Japanese buildings, especially temples, were all constructed by hand using tools and techniques that have now been lost; last man who knew how to do it passed away in the 1990′s; lack of interest by current generation), alternative energy, reduced dependency on foreign labor and promoting local job talent pool and some others.

I think I better close this one for now. I hope that I will be able to meet with you all, and if you are in Bahrain, please feel free to contact me and we can share a meal or have a coffee.

Ma’asalama!