Interview with Robin Barratt: “My Beautiful Bahrain” - Online Platform for Bahrain Lovers

Robin Barratt

What inspired you to create “My Beautiful Bahrain”, and how does it serve as a tribute to your time in Bahrain?

Even though I only spent four years living in Bahrain, I enjoyed every minute there, and loved the Kingdom, its culture and its people. It is a tiny island in the Arabia Sea, (which many people have never even heard of!), and yet so powerful with regards to the positive impact it has on expats living and working there, tourists and visitors alike. It is a really special little place, and since leaving in 2012, I have longed to get back, but being now based back in the UK, never really had the opportunity. However, while I was living there I compiled and published the original paperback “My Beautiful Bahrain,” written by expats, for expats, as a tribute to the island. Over the subsequent 12 years, I have kept in close contact with the Kingdom, the Bahrain Writers' Circle (which I formed while I was there), and many of the contributors to the book, and so, out of the blue really, I decided to put the content of the book online for other people to read, anywhere in the world, so they too could get a flavour of what life is actually like for expats living in the Kingdom.

I didn't really plan to, it was impulsive really, but I just thought: 'why not? why not tell more people about the place I once loved living in'.

How does the digital platform of “My Beautiful Bahrain” complement the original print series? What unique features does it offer?

Aside from a few out-of-date pieces, most of the content of the book is now on the website, but more than that, I also now want to attract other people - either presently living and working there, or at some point in their past have once lived and worked there - to contribute to the website too. However, this isn't a platform for Bahraini's to promote their own country; that's not the point on “My Beautiful Bahrain”, but for non-Bahrainis to say what a great place it is! This has much more impact. We can tell other people how lovely our own garden is, but if someone else tells us how lovely it is, that means so much more. And so I want “My Beautiful Bahrain” to be a personal platform written by expats, for expats, covering a whole range of topics, subjects and features about living and life in the Kingdom.

Can you describe the process of curating content for the website? How do you select contributions from expats, and what criteria do you use?

I am completely open regarding contributions, and you certainly do not need to be a professional writer to submit! Also, English may not be a first language for many expats living in the Kingdom, so I am flexible on style and content, and can always edit submissions if needed. But I am looking for articles and stories about different aspects with living in the Kingdom. It could be a personal 'life' story, a tourist-type information and fact based article (for example food, or places to visit), it could even be a piece of fiction (set on, and with reference to the island). I also accept poetry about Bahrain too (in fact I have a lot of poets contributing to “My Beautiful Bahrain.”), as well as photography and art of the island. I don't want it to be a tourist website, but a 'living and life in the Kingdom' website. The only conditions for contributing is that there should be no political or religious criticism of any kind, and writers should always keep in mind the title: “My Beautiful Bahrain.” If you don't like Bahrain that's fine, but this is not the place for you!

How has the website been received by the expat community in Bahrain?

So far really well, but not just by the expat community in Bahrain, but by people around the world interested in the Kingdom. In August the website had an average of over 250 visitors a week, from 59 countries, and the average time spent on the website was 27 minutes, which means people actually stopped and read content. That's amazing for a new website. It isn't a quick-look platform, nor do I want it to be, but interest-specific platform, with some long reads, so people actually spend time online looking through and reading the content.

What impact do you hope “My Beautiful Bahrain” has on both current residents and those considering moving to Bahrain?

I hope “My Beautiful Bahrain” gives people a much more personal and individual glimpse into living in the Kingdom - directly from expats actually living there, or who have spent time there. There's lots and lots of tourist websites detailing 'things to do' on the island, which is great, but not much out there looking in detail at people's personal experiences while living on the island, so I hope, in a small way, this website fills that gap. Plus I hope it also looks at the little things about the country that are often overlooked by the big tourist websites, and how different people have experienced these things.

You mentioned that Bahrain has a special charm. Why you find Bahrain so captivating?

For me, one of the most fundamentally aspects I really find beautiful about Bahrain is the respect most of the population shows to each other, and their kindness and compassion. This stands out above almost everything else, and can be perceptibly compared to the way people treat and respect each other in the West. There is very little vandalism, very little crime, the streets are clean, strangers smile and greet you every single day, people are helpful and polite without any hidden agenda, and you can feel comfortable without ever feeling threatened or intimidated. In my four years living in the Kingdom, I have never once witnessed any street-type aggression or even heard any raised, angry voices. Not once! I have not witnessed any crime, or ever thought I would be a victim of crime. Not once! I feel safe, and I love this about Bahrain.

How has your perspective on Bahrain evolved since you first launched the book and now with the website?

It has remained exactly the same: a desire to one day return to the tiny island to live out the rest of my life in a calm, serene, friendly, crime-free, quiet (aside from rush-hour traffic on the highways, of course!!), gentle, peace-loving country.

What advice would you give to new expats in Bahrain?

If anyone, anywhere in the world get offered a job in Bahrain, I would say absolutely go for it! Whether you are British or American, Filipino or Indian, you can have a life, and a lifestyle in Bahrain that would be almost impossible for most people to have in their own country. And because Bahrain is a small country, you will be quickly welcomed into the community of the country, as well as into your own smaller cultural community. I believe, in my heart, that everyone should experience living in a Muslim country, and the warmth of its people. It is so very different to what many of us (certainly in the West) see on the TV. Bahrain isn't perfect - few places in the world are - but it is honest and open, and accepting of almost every other culture and country; so you will feel at home almost immediately. I have not met one person who has ever said they hated their life in Bahrain. Not once!

Photos: Robin Barratt