I arrived in Tunisia after a brief stop in Milan, Italy, on the 28th of June. (Believe me that I wish I had my camera out while we were flying over the Italian side of the Alps.) My travel companion Shoraya and I, through a series of strange cancellations, coincidences and mistakes, happened to be on the same flight and were met by her father, aunt, and younger brother at the airport in the Tunisian capital of Tunis. Considering I bought my tickets 2 months after her, this was certainly lucky!
Shoraya grew up in France, but her father's family lives in Kairouan, a city 162 kilometers away from the capital, just a two hour drive by car.The plan was to get lunch and tour Sidi Bou Saïd, a beautiful coastal village popular with French tourists.
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| Residents of Sidi Bou Saïd have traditionally painted their buildings white and blue |
When we arrived it was 39 C in Tunis, or 102 F. I was wearing a full pair of pants, tank top, and thin knitted sweater, no headscarf, for although Tunisia observes Muslin traditions, women are not required to don the veil. In fact if you work in the public domain, say as a mail clerk or for airport security, wearing a veil is prohibited.
It is common, however, for married women who do not work to wear a veil when outside of their homes or if non-family guests come to call. If it had been required, I would, of course, have obliged.
Anywhere I went with a man was open to me. No one but the vendors would haggle with me then. If I was with a group of just women or by myself, young men took the chance to blow kisses or comment, not unlike here in Paris. The only city this was not the case was Sousse. If you are a western woman who wants to lay on the beach with a bucket of beers, head to Sousse...but stop by Sid Bou Saïd...if you know French ;)
An important factor to consider when traveling with me is that I tend to over-prepare and arrive extraordinarily early. I was at the airport at 3:30 in the morning for my 7:45 flight. I was literally the first person through security and I brought my sleeping bag and a pair of wool socks...just in case. Tunisians are fond of their carpets. You can't wear shoes on them. This makes flip flops indispensable.
Breakfast was typically French: hot chocolate and pastries were our regular fair. However, folks who like spicy food are in for a treat.
They don't eat pork, so my Aloha pizza totally had chicken "ham" on it, but one learns to live with it.
Some of my favorite dishes were chorba, chakchouka, and brick.
Round puffy bread wheels are served with lunch and dinner. Watermelon is typical during meals as well. Often 3 or 4 spoons would be placed around a dish and they would be shared by all who eat at that time. Water from a glass or a jug is treated the same way. Foreigners must drink bottled water. I got a little sick because I didn't brush with it and may have had a glass of it, by mistake here or there. Nothing debilitating, and of course I had the necessary meds close at hand.
Bathrooms are different. For hot water use, one must boil enough to fill a pail. They don't use toilet paper. We brought tissues, but there was a hose in each bathroom stall. I didn't have the exact procedure explained to me but I do know that no one eats with their left hand.
Cats and dogs are not well liked, though cats are better tolerated. They eat garbage and food scraps. Chickens can live indoors.
Painted lines on the roads, when they're finished at all, are virtually meaningless. You may pass at almost any time on the
autoroute.
I never brought up the revolution, but everyone I was around did that for me. The sentiment was that things were better organized before the revolution but much more corrupt. The sense I got is that bribes were as standard for parking spaces as they were for phony traffic charges.
Prayer happens at regular intervals throughout the day. I became well versed at sleeping through the 4 am one late in my stay. As for sleeping arrangements, beds are obviously an option, but all family rooms and parlors are fitted with sleeping mats, all so comfortable and inviting, I'm considering bringing the concept home to my future lodging. How many times has your mom had to tell you, get your feet off the couch? Well, take your shoes off at the carpet, flop on a mat and forget it ever happened.
The wedding itself was in Sfax, and while I was there I was lucky enough to be right in the heart of the old walled city in a home owned by Shorya's grandma that everyone called
La Masion Bleu.
We also had two solid beach days and a chance to see an old Roman amphitheater. Not to mention camels...lots and lots of camels...
If you asked me today if I'd do it again, I would of course say yes. But there were aspects of the culture I did not like.
- Over eating. I really wanted to be polite as possible and my mom is one of those pushy feeder types so I knew what I was getting into, but you have to draw a line somewhere. Espeically when the adult population is uniformly overweight in Tunisia.
- The treatment of animals. Your cat at home wouldn't last a day in Tunisia. That fat ol' thing would be eaten by a gang of mean little flee-bitten mew monsters (in a mean way.)
- Men's attitude to western garb. Go to a mall and you see rows and rows of men's stores flaunting tee-shirts and shorts. But go to most beaches and see women in the water in long sleeves. Sousse was the only city I saw Tunisian women unescorted and with tan lines.
I don't particularly understand how people have productive and fulfilling sex lives in that heat, but then, I'm a fast learner. Truthfully, my visit made me question if Sebastien and I are a strong enough team to do two years with the Peace corps in Africa, but when I brought it back to him, we were totally on the same page. And not just because a week was a long time for us to be apart these days! He understands what we'd be up against, the two of us. And this is how I want to end this post: by telling you someone I read on my facebook feed:
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| Sometimes I want the Beatle's edition of Rockband so badly, I almost buy a tv. |
But if you'll excuse me I have a rendition of "Two of Us" that needs singing, atm...
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