My personal experience as an Expat in Bahrain.
Written by Esther
This is my unique experience of moving as an Expat to Bahrain in 2018.
My name is Esther and I am a Dutch national, born and raised in a small village by the coast.
In February 2018 I moved to Bahrain with my husband and 2 daughters, 7 and 9 years old at that time and our 2 cats.
We moved for my husband’s business.
House Search
Prior to moving to Bahrain, I went on a trip together with my husband to look for a house and schools.
We came into contact with Green Gate Properties, a wonderful estate agent Lisa drove us around Bahrain for 2 full days and wouldn’t stop searching until I found the
house that felt right. She made us feel comfortable in the car and answered all the questions I had about our big move, the people, the culture, the do’s and don’ts.
The house had to be big, on a green compound with lots of kids. We found it eventually in Saar, a place filled with Expats.
Many compounds in Bahrain have a communual swimming pool, tennis court and a gym. All of them are gated with a guard, it feels safe to have your kids play with their friends on their own.
I met some lovely people on the compound, there is a true sense of community and therefore easy to connect with others.
School Search
After I found the right house, it was time to visit schools. I got a great big shock as the waiting lists for International British schools are long. We had the choice of Nadeen International School in Adliya, the British International School in Hamala
and St Christopher International School in Saar. In the end both girls ended up at Nadeen as the waiting lists for the other two schools were so long that we weren’t even offered a place on it.
At Nadeen, same as the other schools, the kids have to take an entry test to see what level they are at with their English and Maths. The girls had an average level of English before coming out but it was enough to get them a place at Nadeen.
It is a lovely small cozy school and the teachers are very kind to the kids. My daughters loved their teachers. This school has won awards for pastural care, it suited my kids very well.
After signing the papers for the house it was time to go back to the Netherlands to start preparations for our big adventure.
I felt so enthusiastic of moving but when the moving date came near I often got very emotional around my mum and dad. Suddenly you realize I can’t just pop over for a cup of coffee, we will have to do that virtually soon.
My parents have been very supportive of our move, they thought it was a great experience to have and it will only make you stronger and perhaps change your vision on life.
We packed our personal stuff and booked tickets for the cats. Moving cats to Bahrain takes a lot of preparation.
They need their vaccinations well in time, medical checks before the flight and they will be labeled as “Airfreight”, which means a specialized company needs to prepare the airway bill and all medical documents. We used Zoo Logistics in Hoofddorp.
They have done a great job. Ofcourse things didn’t go smoothly on the day the cats were supposed to fly.
We flew out two days before the cats, arriving in the weekend. If animals arrive in Bahrain in the weekend, they have to stay in quarantine until Sunday as that is the start of a work week in Bahrain. I didn’t want them to stay in quarantine and therefore they had to leave two days later.
On the day they were picked up by Zoo Logistics, one of the cats got really scared and ran out of the house through the closed cat flap and she wouldn’t come back any time soon, probably knowing something was off! My mum found her eventually and the next day both cats were on the six hours flight in IATA approved kennel. I made sure it was big enough for them to sleep and stand comfortably during the flight.
Because the flight had a stopover in Kuwait, with cargo and luggage taken on and off the airplane, they must have been so scared. I was so happy to see them arrive. Their blankets were filled with pee and so were they but that didn’t matter, I hugged and kissed them any way!
Our first new home in Bahrain
We stayed at the Seef Residence in a furnished apartment for the first 6 weeks. I chose this apartment because they allow animals there. It’s a very nice place to land. It has a good size pool, a gym and a nice breakfast area.
Although we tried to finalize the lease for our house before we came out, we had lots of bureaucratic difficulties. The landlord would not release the house without having a residence permit, which is called a CPR. You can only obtain your CPR when you are in Bahrain. We used a visa office which makes the process quicker. Once we overcame that hurdle, we could move into our new house.
As we left the Netherlands with 8 suitcases only, the move went smooth and quick, we just hired a taxi van!
Because I had chosen such a big house, which most houses in Bahrain are, we had to fill it with furniture as we rented it unfurnished. I got some furniture from Facebook forums and the rest we bought at HomeRUs. Very nice furniture shop, a one-stop place to get beds, a couch, dining set and kitchen utensils. We ordered everything while still living in the apartment and when we moved into the house, the next day it all arrived. Such good fun unpacking and deciding where everything needs to go and make the place look cozy.
The kids were in the pool non-stop for the first few weeks and after that, it was time to go to school.
Nadeen International School
Our oldest daughter was admitted a place in her class earlier than my youngest daughter. One more child had to leave her class and she would be offered that place. As Expats tend to come and go, after three months she was finally in.
During those three months at home with us, which I loved, we hired a private tutor. We didn’t want her to fall behind in her maths and also her English could be improved. The tutor was very experienced, she came four hours every week and her progress was amazing. I guess at the age of seven your brain is like a sponge, it absorbs a new language very quickly.
As Nadeen school is situated in Adliya, we had to drive her from Saar every morning. We never realized traffic is soo bad, roads are extremely congested in the morning. There is only one way out of Saar via Budaiya Highway. We arrived late at school the first day. We had to leave a bit earlier every day to find the right time to leave and be on time. We ended up leaving the house every morning at 6.45 am, arriving at school around 7.30 am. Every minute you would leave the house later would get you at school 5 minutes later.
If we had chosen a house in Hamala, which is just across the bridge, that would have seriously saved us a lot of time in the mornings.
At first, we rented a small car from Udrive, a decent rental company with good cars, they have an office in Seef. Since there are so many big SUV’s on the road, we decided later to upgrade and feel a bit more safe when you see the grill of a monstrous big truck behind you!
Our daughters loved the school. Because all their classmates are from Expat families, they know what it’s like to be a newbee in class. Each child has a mate assigned and that made it much easier to integrate. The teachers are very caring and aim to get the best out of your child, both in their well being as in their school results.
We did feel our oldest daughter was not offered enough challenges, the classrooms are small and we felt she would be better off in a bigger school. We applied at the British School in Hamala, she did the entry test and one month later she was in. We saw her grow, she loved being in that big school. Bigger classrooms, subjects like Chemistry were taught in specialized classrooms and their sport facilities are very good, they even have their own swimming pool and tennis courts.
The British school also offers school transport, we decided to book her in and she enjoyed her morning rides although the nanny in the bus was a bit strict she said. I think that was very necessary with all those kids in a big bus!
Both girls felt happy where they were which was a big relief for me.
Expat Clubs in Bahrain
There are 3 big Expat clubs in Bahrain. The Rugby club is situated in Saar. It’s mostly aimed at sports, rugby and football. They have a swimming pool where they give swimming lessons. You can order drinks and food while watching your kids do sports. Also in the evening, it gets crowded with after-work drinks and families enjoying themselves. The place gives a nice feel.
The Dilmun Club is also situated in Saar. This is more a family orientated Expat Club with tennis courts, a swimming pool and they offer horse riding lessons. It has 2 nice bars and 2 good restaurants. The Menu has something for everyone. They often have live music. You can spend the day by the pool or just go for dinner and drinks, whatever you feel like.
My most favorite Expat Club is the British Club in Adliya, next to Nadeen school. They have a nice pool which is heated in the ‘winter’, tennis courts and a gym. But what makes it for me is the real cozy feel the place has. It is truly a family orientated club. Many Expats come out at the weekend to spend the day by the pool with drinks and food. You are waited on hand and foot, nothing is too much trouble. The menu is extensive and the food is very good. I often ordered breakfast thereafter the school run. It made me feel very lucky to live in such a nice country as Bahrain and to have access to such a nice Club. The kids loved their library and the pool and there were always so many kids there, they made new friends quickly. Nadeen School uses their facilities for their sport lessons.
Read our page about all the other Expat clubs in Bahrain
Sofitel Zallaq and Art Rotana Amwaj
If you decide to go out for the day and spend it on the beach, Sofitel Zallaq and Art Rotana in Amwaj are a great choice.
The Sofitel Zallaq is absolutely stunning. Beautiful beach, nice pools and a very luxurious feel. A weekday day pass is 20 BD and when you go in the weekend it’s 30 BD per person.
The Art Rotana in Amwaj also has a very nice beach, 2 pools of which one is for adults only and a kids pool area with a big slide and things to jump off. The kids loved it and there is a guard all day watching them.
A weekday pass is 15 BD for adults and 10 BD for kids and when you go in the weekends it’s 25 BD for adults and 10 BD for kids. But check out their Facebook regularly, they promote offers for family (max 4) including lunch for 50 BD total price. Well worth checking.
We had a great time at both resorts, feels like a mini holiday. You can lay on the beach in your bikini or swimsuit and feel comfortable, hotel policy allows it.
If you want to go regularly to any of these hotels and make use of their fabulous gyms with personal trainers, ask for a yearly membership. Prices seem to vary a lot but worth checking out.
Weather
Coming from Europe our winters are cold and wet, I used to hate it but in Bahrain from October to March temperatures are in their low twenties with blue skies.
While everyone back home was complaining about the weather I enjoyed the best months in Bahrain. In April the temperatures go up, anywhere between 29 – 37 degrees Celsius and from this month on it gets hotter every day with temperatures of 40+ degrees Celsius most days.
When you rent a house in Bahrain, make sure to get one with individual air conditioning units. Energy prices for Expats are steep and you don’t want to waste money cooling a room that nobody uses. Our energy bills during June – July – August went up to 400 BHD per month, which is about 850 euros!
A new job
After six months we got settled in, I took our youngest daughter to school every morning, came home and started cleaning as there was not much to do besides shopping.
I actually felt bored and was thinking of taking a job. But would they hire a European woman? I wanted a challenge and get a feel for what it’s like working in a foreign country. I ended up scrolling through jobs on LinkedIn. I saw a vacancy for a Personal Assistant job at a Technology Company and before I knew it I hit the apply button. I felt very nervous funnily enough but soon realized I wouldn’t get invited for a job interview anyway. Little did I know as the next day I got a phone call from their Recruiter if I was interested to come to their offices for a job interview? The week after I had my job interview and a month later I started this new adventure, which brought a new dilemma, what do you wear? Do I need to cover up completely and are they even used to Europeans who have a different style of clothes? I ended up in a skirt, covering my knees and a shirt that covered my neck and elbows. All this fuss was not necessary, my colleagues were very welcoming and open-minded. Yes, my female coworkers covered their hair and wore traditional clothing, but they loved to see what I was wearing and I got compliments for it every day!
My boss was American, we soon connected and we worked very well together. Soon everyone in the office got to know me and I was able to take a lot of work out of his hands. My co-workers were mostly Bahraini nationals, but also co-workers from India, Pakistan, Russia, Lithuania and Bangladesh. A truly international company. People would often bring in homemade lunches and offered it to anyone who would like to try. Coming from the Netherlands the only traditional lunch I could bring in is a cheese sandwich, not very exciting!
In the office it was also a custom to order food via takeaway.com, so around lunchtime it would be a coming and going of delivery guys and the smells that filled the kitchen were amazing. I did gain a few pounds but I didn’t care, it was well worth it!
During Ramadan, most co-workers were fasting. They covered up the windows of a small office for the people who didn’t join them in their fasting. I had my coffee and lunch there, although they said it’s not necessary, I believe you have to show respect for their culture. The number of praying times went up, the toilets were often wet as you have to clean yourself before prayer. It was interesting to see the commitment they have and also to experience their holy month, you only truly experience it when you live in an Islamic country and to me it’s a very special memory.
I organized a Ramadan dinner for customers and I was invited to join them for the evening. I got a nice Arabic dress full of sparkles and enjoyed every moment of it. I didn’t always know what the appropriate way of greeting a man is. I usually put my right hand on my left chest and bowed as a way to say nice to meet you. Some ignored it and just shook my hand, others did the same back. In the end you learn and if you make a mistake by wanting to shake hands, it’s okay, nobody takes any offence.
Bahraini’s are very welcoming and they like you to experience their culture.
Two years later
Two years later it was time to leave beautiful Bahrain and its people. We had a very hard time to say goodbye to friends who we have met and spent many evenings with. The kids had to say goodbye to their friends, the lovely weather and the lifestyle we got used to so much and loved.
Back to a cold and rainy Netherlands but with the warmth of family and friends. It took a long time to get integrated again. I felt misplaced, strangely enough, getting used to the Dutch way of doing things didn’t make it any easier.
What a great experience, what a great country, we still miss Bahrain today.
If you ever get the opportunity to live and work abroad for a while, do it, it changes you as a person, enhances your resilience, adaptability and change is no longer a scary thing, it makes you want more!
Photos
Below a small collection of photos
