Before retiring to California in 2022, I lived in Bahrain. When we went there we took nine suitcases. When we came back eight years later, we had nine boxes and suitcases again. I’m guessing the contents of the suitcases had changed by about 80%. We brought home the painted map of Bahrain in the photo below. It hung in my dining room in Bahrain, and it graces our dining room in California now.
Learning to love tea in Bahrain was another joy I brought back to California, along with two tea pots and a dozen small tea cups–some of them gifts from friends. Every Sunday before church, I make myself a pot of tea (Something I used to do every Friday before church in Bahrain.)
Affaf had given me a set of crystal tea cups and saucers, so I told her I was thinking of her. Affaf wished peace to me and my family, thanked me for writing, told me she thought of me and our good friendship. (Of course, Google Translate had to help me read that note.)
Another thing I grew to love in Bahrain was wearing perfume. I had never been much of a perfume wearer, except when I first got married and received a bottle of Lauren, which I wore daily. But living in the Middle East, perfume is a big deal. At the mall, workers stand outside perfume shops and spray samples generously. For Teacher Appreciation Week, I didn’t get coffee mugs but often would receive gifts of perfume and flowers. While I was there, I learned to spray perfume on every day. I left my Bahrain perfume behind, so when I got to California I didn’t have any perfume.
This past December, I added perfume to my Christmas wish list, and Katie and Thomas got me a fun gift from Sephora–a perfume sampler. There are 16 tiny bottles. I’ve been wearing perfume since Christmas.
The best part, though. I get to choose a large bottle of the one I like best.
After awhile, I decided to do a proper tournament. The first round was easy because I had already separated the perfumes into ones I liked and ones that were so-so. I paired them up against each other.
Here is my March Madness, Perfume Edition.
Here are my final four:
I’m having a hard time choosing between the final four. I like them all, so it doesn’t really matter which one I choose! I’ll go to Sephora soon and commit to one.
Denise,
I love your version of March Madness. Very clever. I’ve always loved colognes and perfumes, and I wore them for many years. I pretty much stopped when I retired. I’ve never been able to buy the same scent more than once because I build up a chemical resistance to every scent. I managed to make it through a second bottle of Cinabar years ago, but that’s it. I was sad when I ran out of Light Blue. It’s such a pleasant scent. My favorites have been those I bought in France. I bought a scent in England when we were in the Lake District, and I’d just visited William Wordsworth’s grave. I could not resist the scent’s name, Poetry.
I love how your slice wove a richly scented fabric of memories from Bahrain into your current version of March Madness. I had no idea that scent was a big deal in the Middle East. It sounds like the thoughtful fragrance gift you received has yielded some lasting pleasure!
Denise, I love your map – what a great idea to remember the places and the time you spent there! And the tea pot looks so much more committed to tea than my microwave. I have an electric kettle we take camping but your teapot is a tea lover’s dream! I also like the perfume sampler idea. When sampling in stores it’s not the same because it all blends together. My favorite is Inis – it is a light fragrance and is said to carry the Irish energy of the sea. I use the soap sometimes, and the fragrance only on weekends because someone in my office is allergic to all perfumes and cinnamon oil and spices. No one can bring anything with cinnamon baked in or any teas with spice other than black or green tea so I look forward to weekends when I can enjoy those things!
What an extraordinarily fun way to make a decision about perfume, Denise! A tournament! I love the post from beginning to end – the story of how you came to love perfume, its importance to people in the Middle East, the image of markets with people testing generously. And tea, a daily reminder of those you love and miss. This tugs hard n the heart…yet it’s a lovely celebration of friendship. Back to your “final four”: I love Light Blue, wore it faithfully years ago. I have switched to Kate Spade’s “New York” in the last couple of years. I was so curious about the Nest perfume you mentioned yesterday…wondering which was your favorite. I feel compelled to try a sampler myself. Thank you for such a delightful, fragrant infusion today!
What a lovely bunch of memories woven into your life now! I bet you had some many amazing memories from your time in Bahrain. I’ve never been, but I’ve heard good things about it. I’m sad my favorite perfume didn’t make the cut…haha…Burberry Her is my signature scent. 🙂
Your tea ritual is absolutely beautiful. I love that you take the opportunity to reconnect with dear ones from Bahrain. Those tea cups are very special, filled to the brim with memories. Your perfume March madness was fun, a great way to decide your favorites. I used to wear perfume but there are too many allergies in my family, and that is a custom that has fallen to the wayside. Great post!
I’m skipping tea and the lovely note and going straight to the perfume “March Madness. You’ve made me want to write about the ubiquitous signs I encounter in public places here to refrain from wearing scent. I have fallen in love with different fragrances throughout my life and use scent as aromatherapy. (Light Blue and Lauren were both in my rotation!) Now I find myself using my current favorite, Angel by Thierry Mugler, despite the admonitions that surround me. When I get ready to go to school, I need a scent boost. I love your “Final Four,” and that you have olfactory memories of your time in Bahrain and shared them with us!
I can just imagine the joy I would experience going to an open air market where perfume was being generously shared. I’ve been lacking on perfume lately so I’m going to check out your final four. Thanks for sharing such a lovely experience today!
I agree entirely about the perfume and never wearing it much. That’s great that Bahrain persuaded you to start using it again. I’m sure you had a lot of fun going through your selection and I love the way you did it!