Where is Blazer?

Hi Kids!

I hope you had a great first day of school! I sure wish I was there to see all of your smiling faces.

Right now I am in the country of Bahrain which is in the Middle East. It looks like just a tiny dot on your map. If you are having a hard time finding it, look between Saudi Arabia and Iran. It is actually just a little island that is not very well known around the world!

The official language spoken here is Arabic. The people are very friendly, and most of them can speak with me in English too. They have lots of questions for me about life in America! Lots of people I meet tell me they have only seen America in the movies. And when I tell them I am from Texas, they ask me where my cowboy hat is! Click the link below to hear the Arabic alphabet!

http://youtu.be/0xYy3D6zYgY

Most citizens of Bahrain are Muslim. I got here during the month of Ramadan, where the Muslim families fast from dawn to sunset. Fasting means they do not eat or drink anything at all during sunlight hours. It was very hard for me to get used to not eating or even drinking water in public during the day! As a visitor, I was allowed to eat in the comfort of my home, but not out where others could see me. Even restaurants were closed during the day. It was very neat for me to see and understand the Muslim traditions and I know there are many Muslim families at Bolin, too. The families I have met here are very dedicated to their religion and were very excited to teach me about their lifestyle.

Bahrain has what is called a constitutional monarchy, which means they have a King. Their current king is Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. Below is a picture of him.

In the United States, we have a president. Can you find the differences between a king and a president?

The first kiddo to respond with an answer will get a special shout out from me, Blazer, on my next blog!

Thanks for reading!
Love,
Blazer