AIESEC in BahrainReception Booklet

Welcome note………... 4 Country………... 6Climate and geography……... 7Money and exchange ………... 8Culture ……... 9Places to visit……….10 Phrasebook………11Things to Know………...12 About AIESEC in Bahrain………15Contacts………16

Welcome noteCongratulations with your decision to go on exchange with AIESEC to Bahrain!Now, all you have to do is to get to know the country well and to be a proactive learner.Enjoy diversity and have an incredible experience with us!

Best regards,ICX & Projects team AIESEC in Bahrain2012-2013

CountryBahrain or Bahrein, officially Kingdom of Bahrain, an archipelago in the Persian Gulf between the Qatar

Peninsula and Saudi Arabia. The two main islands are Bahrain (the largest) and Al Muharraq, which are linked to each other and Saudi Arabia by causeway. The capital and chief port

is Al Manamah.The economy has been based on oil, and oil revenues have financed modernization projects, particularly in health and education. Oil reserves are expected to be exhausted in the near future, however, and other industries such as shipyards and aluminum smelting have been established. Bahrain is an important financial center and the site of a major U.S. navy base. About 75% of the population are Shiite Muslims; most of the rest are Sunnis. Arabic is the official language, but English, Farsi, and Urdu are also spoken.

Kingdom of Bahrainالبحرين مملكة

[Mamlakat al-Baḥrayn]

Capital – ManamaOfficial language – ArabicGovernment – Constitutional monarchy

King – Hamad bin Isa Al KhalifaArea – 765.3 km2Currency – Bahraini dinarTime zone – GMT +3

Climate and geography

Bahrain consists of a low desert plain rising gently to a low central escarpment. As an archipelago of thirty-three islands, Bahrain does not share a land boundary with another country but does have a 161 km coastline. 92% of Bahrain is desert with periodic droughts and dust storms the main natural hazards for Bahrainis. 

Due to the Persian Gulf area's low moisture, summers are very hot and dry. The seas around Bahrain are very shallow, heating up quickly in the summer to produce high humidity, especially at night. Summer temperatures may reach up to 50 °C under the right conditions. Rainfall in Bahrain is minimal and irregular. 

Money and exchange

5 10 25 50  100

1 BD = 1 000 fills

The dinar is a fully convertible currency, and there are currently no restrictions on its import or export.

You can exchange dollars to BD in the airport or in every bank.

Culture Bahrain is sometimes described as "Middle East light" due to its combination of modern infrastructure with a Persian Gulf identity. While Islam is the main religion, Bahrainis are known for their tolerance towards the practice of other faiths.

Rules regarding female attire are generally relaxed compared to regional neighbors; western clothing is common in the country. In common with the rest of the Muslim world, though Bahrain has taken strong strides for women's rights, it does not recognize lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights.

Another facet of the new openness is Bahrain's status as the most prolific book publisher in the Arab world, with 132 books published in 2005 for a population of 700,000. In comparison, the 2005 average for the entire

Arab world was 7 books published per one million people, according to the United Nations Development Program.

Places to visit

Manama Souq

Bahrain fort

Tree of life

PhrasebookAl Fatih mosque

The BasicsYes / Ay-wa/naamNo / La’Thank you / Shu-kranNo thanks / La shu-kranPlease / Min fadlak / min fadliki (M/F)Let’s go / Ya-llahGod willing / In-sha-laSorry, excuse me / Af-wan, muta’assifHello / Salam alaykoomHello (in response) / Wa alaykoom salamHow are you? / Shlonek? / Shlonech? (M/F)Fine, thank you / Zayn, shu-kran / Zayna, shu-kran (M/F)What’s your name? / Shuw ismak?/Shuw ismik? (M/F)My name is / Is-mee [your name]Where are you from? / Inta min-ayn / Inti min-ayn? (M/F)I’m from / Anaa min [country]America / Ame-ri-kiBritain / Brai-ta-niEurope / O-ro-piIndia / Al hindIt’s a pleasure to have met you / Forsa sai-eedaI’m honored (in response) / Ana as-adGoodbye / Ma-salama

QuestionsWhat? / Shuno?Why? / Laysh?Who? / Meen?When? / Mata?Where? / Wayn?How? / Kayf?May I? / Mumkin?Could you please? / Mumkin min fadhlak?Where is / Wayn al [thing] the grocery store / ba’ala the gas station / mahattat betrolWhat does that mean? / Yanni eh?Where’s the nearest . . . ? / Wayn aghrab?How do I get to / Ana unzil [place] zay?

Directionsala yameen / to the rightala shi-mel / ala yassar / to the leftfo’ / up or abovewara’ / behindwara es-shams / middle of nowhereuddam al / in front of [thing]khush / goala tool / straighthenna / herekhush yameen min henna / go right here

Pronunciation

A: as in 'had'

E: as in 'bet'

I: as in 'hit'

O: as in 'hot'

U: as in 'put'

Numbers

0 - sifr

1 - waHed

2 - ethnein

3 - thelatha

4 - arba'a

5 - khamsa

6 - sitta

7 - seb'a

8 - thimania

9 - tess'a

10 - ashera

Things to Know Although it has a heavily petroleum-based economy, its more relaxed culture has also

made it a social and shopping mecca. Everybody speaks English here American culture (especially series and reality shows) are very popular here. Alcohol is legal here. Officially 220V 50Hz. Most outlets are the British standard BS-1363 type. Don’t forget

your adaptor. Official weekend is Friday and Saturday with Sunday-Thursday as a work week. The working hours can be different as well. They vary from 7-9 am to 2-6pm.

52% of population is foreigners. Not all women are wearing hijab (head scarf). There is no public transportation in Bahrain. Most of the people own a car or two. 1 liter of petrol is way cheaper than liter of water. There is Formula 1 track in Bahrain.

AIESEC in Bahrain 6 years of experience

2 Local chapters, 1 OE

143 Members

9 universities

100+ exchanges with: USA,

Switzerland, Jordan, Turkey,

Italy, India, Indonesia,

Colombia, Morocco etc

Contacts

Member CommitteeMCP Essa Esam Hadi essa.esam@aiesec.net +973 39080025MC VP ICX and Projects

Tatiana Pershina Tatiana.pershina@aiesec.net +973 39229803

LC ManamaLCP Shahad Al Zaki shahad.mohamed@aiesec.net +973 39200907LC VP Project Saud Al Hiddi saud.alhiddi@aiesec.net +973 39134113LC VP ICX bader.albalooshi@gmail.com  +973 33777389

LC SkheerLCP Adel Shafeeq adil.shafeeq@aiesec.net +973 39200058LC VP Project Latifa Abdulla latifa.mutaywea@aiesec.net  +973 39098160LC VP ICX Semreen N.

Ahmedsemreen.ahmed@aiesec.net +973 34197599 

OE AwalExpansion Manager

Najma Ghuloom najma.ghuloom@aiesec.net +973 66336869

Projects Ahmed Samara ahmedsamara92@gmail.com +973 33 146 246

coordinator