And So It Began, and So My Computer Broke

Hello Everyone!

It's hard to believe that I've been in Tunisia for almost 3 weeks now! The time has really flown by. I've been extremely busy, and top it off, my computer won't charge, so I've only had very limited access to the internet, and have been unable to post until now. Once my new computer charger comes in the mail, I will be able to update my blog more regularly, and write a lot more to get you all caught up on my trip so far.

Tunisia is wonderful! It's a beautiful country, and I'vee taken lots of pictures for you all to see. It seems like every day I see a scene worthy of a postcard, and I'm constantly stumbling upon places to look out over the sea or the city. Just the other day we found a cafe that hase balconies at the edge of a cliff overlooking a forested hill and our end of the Tunis area. I was also recently walking through Carthage (it's a suburb now, but you can see ruins and museums everywhere), and I found an inlet from the bay. It circled around an island, which was covered in ruins, and led to a sandy beach with some rocks near it. It was almost overwhelming to stand on the rocksand look out over the bay. The mountain, called Bou Qurnine, looked huge from there, and the clouds were gorgeous.

The food here is some of the best I've ever had, and they feed me like a king! They have extremely fresh fish, fresh bread every day, harissa, a spicy red paste made from peppers, chicken, pasta, and couscous. In salads we eat a lot of lentils, corn, and tomatoes, and they always have a fresh supply of oranges on hand. The most interesting dish so far is Lablaby. When you order it in a restaurant, they give you a bowl with bread in it, which you tear into little pieces. When you give it back, they add chick pea soup, harissa, spices, a softboiled egg, and olive oil. Then, you stir it into mush and eat it with a spoon. They only make it in the winter time, because it's hot, and it keeps you warm for the rest of the day.

My host family is great. My host mom, Mounira, is a doctor, but right now is the mayor of the La Kram municipality outside of Tunis. She knows the least English, but is still very good, so I help her with it sometimes. My host dad, Fathi, is a pilot with Tunis Air, and he owns a farm about 45 kilometers away, so when he's not flying he's out there. Right now they're in Paris visiting their daughter, whom I've only met on Skype, and her husband and son. One of my host brothers, Sami, studies Pharmacy in Monastir, but he's been home for a few days because he's been sick. My other host brother, Maher, is studying to be a pilot in Tunis, so he lives at home. They're 21 and 23, so I've gone to hang out with them andtheir friends a few times. It's a lot of fun. I practice my Tunisian Arabic with them (they teach me swear words) and they practice English with me. We also have a housekeeper/cook, named Jamila, who lives here 5 days a week. She barely speaks any English, so it's tough for me to communicate with her, but it's actually pretty fun. She's pushing me the most to learn Tunisian Arabic, and I'm helping her with English.

My group is great, too. There are 15 other people besides me, from all over: LA, Minnesota, Alabama, Massachusetts. I get along with all very well, and have no problems just wandering around the city with any of them. Yesterday I walked around the Medina, or the old part of the city, with two of me friends, and we ended up walking for almost 4 hours, just exploring the old city and a neighborhood we had never seen. Strange things always happen we we do that. For example, we ended up in a field between the highway and the Lake of Tunis, where we saw a shepherd with a flock of sheep and goats. We also almost got in trouble with the police for taking pictures of the municipal buildings. Hanging out with the whole group is great too. In honor of our trip to the south, which starts Monday, we're going to have a Star Wars marathon and couscous tomorrow at the SIT building.

Our trip south is going to be awesome. We're going southwest first, seeing Touzer and Khairawan, as well as the sets of Star Wars and riding camels to an encampment. By the end of the week we'll be in Djerba, an island in the southeast, and we'll come back on Sunday. We're taking a bus most of the way, and going to see a salt lake bed and the sunset in the desert as well. I'll write a little bit about the trip once I get back, but I still won't have my charger for a few weeks, so there will be sparse updates.

I hope all of you are well, and having good semesters/winters, wherever you are. Don't hesitate to write to me if you want to! I'll get it eventually and write back. I miss you all, and I hope to hear from you all soon!

Ryan

A few observations before I go:

• Tunisians all firmly believe that if you go out with wet hair or walk around on tile floors without slippers you'll get sick. Cold floors give you gas, and going out with wet hair will actually just kill you on the spot.
• All the buildings here are stucco. They buid them with bricks and stucco them. On the inside, many of the walls are tiled very beautifully to stop the humidity from ruining people's homes.
• Food here is extremely cheap. I can get a chicken sandwich (round bread stuffed with meat, lettuce, tomato, 3 different kinds of salad, harissa, and french fries) and a Boga (a soda like Sprite) for 2.5 Dinars, which is about 2 Dollars.
• Tunisians are very friendly, and don't hesitate to greet me, ask about why I'm here, and welcome me to the country.
• However, if shop owners in the Medina think you're foreign, they harass you like it's nobody's business. They always yell at you in whichever language they think you speak, and if you make eye contact, they try to get you to come in even more. Of course, they want to make you pay a high price for cheap junk, so if you do decide to buy something, you have to haggle and even threaten to leave to get a fair price.