StoryInsightful

29-year-old American relocated from Atlanta to Bahrain — here's what it's like living on the island

CNBC Make It

A 29-year-old American shares their experience living in Bahrain, describing the extreme heat and comparing the island nation to Dubai in terms of development and culture.

Summary

The speaker describes their experience living in Bahrain, emphasizing the intense heat as a defining characteristic of life on the island. They note that summer temperatures can reach 113-115 degrees Fahrenheit, so extreme that residents can order ice for their pools. The speaker, who enjoys warm weather, suggests that people who don't appreciate hot climates would not be suitable for living there. They draw comparisons between Bahrain and Dubai, describing them as 'cousins' with very similar cultures, nature, and weather patterns. However, they position Bahrain as being approximately 20-25 years behind Dubai in terms of development. The speaker observes that Bahrain is actively working to catch up with Dubai's level of development, citing current construction projects including a new marina and various tourism-focused developments aimed at attracting more visitors to the island.

Key Insights

  • The speaker claims summer temperatures in Bahrain can reach 113-115 degrees Fahrenheit, so extreme that residents order ice for their pools
  • The speaker argues that Bahrain and Dubai are like 'cousins' with very similar cultures, nature, and weather patterns
  • The speaker positions Bahrain as being approximately 20-25 years behind Dubai in terms of development
  • The speaker observes that Bahrain is actively trying to catch up to Dubai by building tourism infrastructure including a marina
  • The speaker suggests that people who don't enjoy extremely hot weather would not be suitable for living in Bahrain

Topics

extreme weather conditionscultural comparisonsurban developmenttourism infrastructureexpatriate living experience

Transcript

One thing about Bahrain is it's hot. It's super hot here. If you're not a warm culture person, this probably wouldn't be the island for you, but I love warm weather. I would say probably the hottest day this summer was about 113, 114, maybe 115 Fahrenheit. Here you can order ice for your pool. That's how hot it gets. Bahrain and Dubai are like cousins, I would say. Bahrain is about maybe like 20, 25-ish years behind Dubai. Very similar in culture, very similar in nature, very similar in weather. Now Bahrain is trying to catch up. They're building a marina right now. They're building a bunch of things to draw in tourism.

Full transcript available for MurmurCast members

Sign Up to Access

More from CNBC Make It

Get AI summaries like this delivered to your inbox daily

Get AI summaries delivered to your inbox

MurmurCast summarizes your YouTube channels, podcasts, and newsletters into one daily email digest.