Richard has always been interested in how something is represented visually.

Luckily for him, he has been able to apply this interest to his work in landscape design and in his hobby as a photographer.

Originally from Manila, Philippines, Richard moved to Bahrain in 2005, and considers the island to be his second home. He has been equally embraced by Bahrain, recently being awarded the third place in the Best of Bahrain talent competition for photography.

Ricardo Karam is a recognized TV personality in the Arab world. Additionally, he is the founder of the Takreem Arab Achievement Awards, which honors Arab excellence in various fields such as entrepreneurship, education, and philanthropy. In its third year after Beirut and Doha the ceremony was successfully held in Bahrain.

Glenn doesn't consider himself a professional photographer, but his work says otherwise.

Working for an interior design company, photography has always been a hobby for Glenn. He first got started with photography when his father gave him a camera. He enjoyed photography so much that, as soon as he had saved up enough money, he bought himself a digital camera so that he could continue pursuing this passion.

Glenn’s dedication to photography has paid off. He recently won the Best of Bahrain talent competition’s photography portion.

Chandan is a civil engineer who has a way with words.

Chandan, the recent winner of the Best of Bahrain talent competition’s creative writing portion, writes poems in his spare time.

He didn’t always know that poetry was something that came naturally to him. In fact, the first time he wrote a poem it was to help his daughter with her schoolwork.

“When my daughter was four years old, she had to recite a poem for school,” Chandan said. “I wrote her the poem because I didn’t have any material to share with her.”

Music has the ability to evoke emotion in people, and when Silverlake plays, the emotion they generate in people is excitement.

Silverlake is a six-person local band which includes; Hameed Al Saeed on vocals/guitar, Ammar Mohammed on guitar, Ali Al-Qaseer on drums, Ali Milad on bass and backing vocals, Hamad Dashti on keyboard and backing vocals and Abdulla Al-Qaseer, a temporary bassist.

The band’s adventure started in 2008 when Silverlake was just a duo, said Hameed. As the band grew to include more members, so did their repertoire.

Dalia has always enjoyed sports and fitness, and now, as the first Bahraini Female to be certified by the American Council on Exercise, Dalia is hoping to share her passion with other Bahraini women.

Growing up in Bahrain, Dalia was always athletic and active in team sports. To her, working out meant time spent on the track or the volleyball court, not in the gym. However, when she went away to university, that mentality began to change.

Two years ago, Ahmed was a banker who enjoyed playing video games like Call of Duty and FIFA for fun. In his spare time he would record voice-overs and provide commentary on video games and post them to YouTube. Today, this extracurricular hobby has turned into his full-time job.

“I would do walkthroughs where I help the player navigate through the game, explain the nuances, and offer suggestions on the best way to finish the game,” he said.

Mohammad works as a parking security guard at Bahrain’s City Centre, and his best accessory is his smile.

Mohammad, who is a former officer in the Pakistani army, moved to Bahrain in 2008. The City Centre had opened its doors earlier that fall, and Mohammad decided to join the security team there.

Mohammad believes that it is his role to be welcoming, and his smile is so catching that people can’t help but give him one in return.

While the Games of the XXX Olympiad might have concluded, it is too soon to turn one’s attention away from London just yet.

Take it from Fatema Nedhal, the Bahraini athlete who is in the British capital to compete in the 2012 Paralympic games.

“The atmosphere in London is electric,” Fatema said.

Jenny was born and raised in Bahrain, and after leaving to study in India, returned to the country she calls home. Below Jenny shares with Bahrain Stories in her own words what Bahrain means to her and why she came back.

"Little did I know that a tiny dot on the map would grow on me so much. The memories that Bahrain has given me would last a lifetime. The first steps I took, the first word I spoke, the school where I spent my entire childhood, the people I have met, the friendships I treasure – it all happened here!