Evening in Downtown Tunis (and at the Medina)!

Last Friday, I got a tour of downtown Tunis and through the Medina (shopping/market area) with Aouatef (who is the admissions director at ACST).  She invited a couple of us to come downtown (where she lives) and see the real Tunis!  It was great to leave the expat area and see how the rest of Tunis lives.  Aouatef is Tunisian and  I loved seeing how much she loves this place!

Loved this cat... reminded me of Mozart

 

LOTS of fish in the medina

Cactus fruit... not too bad as long as you don't bit down all the way

Laura working her way through it

View of the Medinas

Lots and lots of fabric (can't wait for my sewing machine to get here)

This window reminded you of me, Aunt Jeanne

These are called chaptis (what fun is that) but it is filled with eggs, tuna, spices

 Me, Laura, and Abbey with our chapti

Cool Light Store

 

Really cool stairs in this awesome old old house that is now a store

Rooftop view from the really old house

When brides get married, they have these baskets for henna

Cool archway outside of the medina

Auditorium in Tunis

The French  restaurant we ate at

 We got yummy steaks!  Aouatef didn't want her picture taken!

Abbey is so creative

Aouatef's friend was so sweet and simple

Laura's steak was the most yummy

I got...

Steak Tar-Tar!!! YUM!!

 
And every great meal, ends with ice cream!

Blessing Others

Today I had a Tunisian moment that I have been waiting to have since I got here!  My Tunisian friend told me of a single mom who needed money to pay for her rent for her and her 4 year old son.  So today we went to their home to give them the money.  The single mom was at work (she got a job today working at a daycare where her son can go too!) when we got there but we talked with the landlords and I gave the money to them to pay for the rest of the woman's rent.  This area was behind my school and it meant the WORLD to me to go there!  I drove on a dirt road to get their home.  Many people were out and about.  I got out of the car and thought "this is the Tunisia I have been wanting to see"!  People here were so kind, sweet, with loving hearts!  My friend chatted in Arabic with the landlords while I took it all in!  It was just so surreal to watch a school girl come home and sit in the corner to write on her notebook, a little girl cried when her parents went upstairs and she didn't want to, people came and went, and I just watched.  It was an amazing moment and the best I have had since I got here.  I am so grateful I was able to do this!  I used some of the money that you all gave on the money tree at my going away party.  Thank you, thank you, thank you for your generosity, kindness, and big hearts!  It meant the world to me to give to this woman but even more so, it meant the world to the single mom with her little boy.  Thank you for your generosity!  I look forward to sharing many more of these moments with you! 

My new car!

 On Friday, I finally got to drive my car!  It is a 2010 VW Polo.  It is like a VW Golf but smaller.  It feels so good to be driving again and what can I say... I love me some VWs!!!  Driving here is a bit more of a challenge than I am use to but I am taking it as a challenge and enjoying the adventure (Now it would just help if my GPS worked here and if I had a good sense of direction.  It would also help if there were street signs... oh well)!

Weekend in Hammamet!

This weekend, my school took all the newbies at ACST to to Hammamet, a beach in Tunisia about an hour from Tunis.  It was such a wonderful trip and so needed for all of us to get away and spend time together!  It was such a wonderful trip and so hard to leave!  I love all of the newbies and so glad we got to spend this time together!

Here is a truck of sheep that was in front of us as we were driving to Hammamet... poor guys!

Friend pictures on the bus:

Tamara

Katie and Laura

Abbey and me

At the beach and drinks in hand... what more could we want?

Abbey, Katie, me

My first swim in the Mediterranean Sea

The walkway down to the ocean

Late Sunrise over the Sea

My feet in the Mediterranean Sea

Cool stairway I saw as I was walking Saturday morning

Loved these balls that were washed up on the shore

Abbey and me with my Nutella crepe!!!!  (Please pay NO attention to my fatty arm)

Drinks and swimsuits... now ready for the pool!

Tamara, Laura, and me by the pool

My closest friends here in Tunis: Angie, Laura, Abbey, Nadia, Katie

Market Morning

On Saturday, we headed to the market bright and early.  Laura is an early riser and really wanted to go earlier than noon.  So I thought I would brave it and go too.  We met the music teacher and her husband (also a newbie).  We shopped and had breakfast together.  It was a fun simple morning in the rain!

Yellow Fin Tune (see the yellow fins on the tail... crazy right?)

 

Chopping up the fish

Look closely (see the eye balls and the mouth... creepy!)

Showing off their breakfast crepes

Today all 3 of us brought these straw bags.  Everyone who goes to the market shops with it so it is exciting to finally feel official! 

Saw this pretty building as we were walking to get a taxi