Here are some more observations and photos about normal, daily life here during my stay.
The villa in which I am staying is pretty nice. It has about six bedrooms or so, though only 4 have people in them, and I think two of those people are moving out this weekend. I am in the ladies-only villa; next door is the verboten mens-only villa. Our side is pretty massive and includes a courtyard and separate building for the kitchen. The whole place is surrounded by a high wall, which seems to be the norm. Everybody’s got a wall.
The neighborhood is residential, though there are a few stores nearby, about a 7-10 minute walk, depending on where you want to go.
The language school is not to far away. They pick us up in a big van (or small bus, depending on your perspective) to take us to and from class. It is possible to walk to class, but no one wants to in this heat. You can pay 2 rial a day (about $5.20) to get lunch from the school. A local person makes it (or sometimes they order out; Tuesday is Pizza day) and it is usually delicious.
In other news, one thing I enjoy about visiting other countries is going to the supermarket and seeing all the different products and/or different packaging on familiar products. Here are two interesting ones: