Where Europe, Africa and the Mideast meet in Tunisia

"Tunis, just inland from the Mediterranean, is known quite well by Europeans — particularly the British and the French, who take cheap flights south so they can be on the nearby beaches in just a few hours. But for most Americans, it is off the beaten path, as Morocco is the much more conventional destination for those who venture to North Africa.

"But the Tunis area has an extraordinary amount to offer — and in a way it features more variety and even history, you could argue, than Fez or Marrakesh. The list includes its unrivaled medina, whose alleys and covered passageways go on for miles, filled with markets, mosques and cafes; the nearby ruins of the ancient Phoenician port city of Carthage; the bustling beach town of La Marsa; and the charming hillside village of Sidi Bou Said, where the blue-and-white painted homes have views reaching out for miles over the gentle waters of the Gulf of Tunis." (IHT)

I have to admit I miss this country. I had as much good times as I had challenging ones. It is a beautiful country with an extraordinary level of warmth. I will definitely be coming back to Tunisia one day.

And obviously this article was so much better written than the one I did, published by the Jakarta Post in October last year about the medina of Tunis. :D

Siz

Some random road signs

I found these pictures on Gettyimages. One is from Tunisia, another from Australia. I think they look cute together... Hehehe...






Siz

This is great!

Have you ever watched a travel show and screamed "I know that place...I've been there!!"

Sometime last week, I watched my favourite travel show Globe Trekker (aka. Lonely Planet, aka. Pilot Trek) featuring Ian Wright and followed him as he travelled around...Tunisia (and Libya). So yeah, I was just screaming... "That's the medina!! That's Sidi Driss Hotel!"




Here is the snapshot of that episode that I found on youtube. Unfortunately, the youtube's clip doesn't have the bit when he tried leblebi... The look on his face as he tried it...PRICELESS!!! :D

Siz

Today, 365 days ago

I never thought I’d say this, but perhaps I’ve gone mad, I miss Tunisia…heaps!

I’ve just realised that it’s been a year… On 5 March, precisely last year, was my first day in Tunisia. I remembered arriving, sleeping and waking up at Yosra’s in Manouba, everyone was there for TuLDS meeting, brushed my teeth and had a shower. Had breakfast of almond croissant, and the first question of the day was from Monaem (hi, Monaem!), “so Siska, do you have a boyfriend?” You know what I thought precisely on that moment, Monaem? “That was quick!”

These days, as I have a full time job, I been developing daily routine for the past 2 months, I remembered my daily routine when I was in Tunis. In the morning, the atmosphere between my house and office reminds me of the atmosphere on the Avenue de Carthage during the “rush hour”. I would usually stop at this patisserie on the corner of Rue Ibn Khaldoun and…can’t remember – it’s either Rue Ali Dargout or Rue Ben Ghedhahem – to get pain au chocolat (and if I was in the mood for it, I’d get jus de fraise, as well). After a brisk seven minutes walk (which can sometimes be intimidating because of those glances from the men on the street) I’d arrive on Rue Sidi el Khaddar, where the AIESEC Tunisia’s MC office is located.

In the corner of that street, there is a small kiosk selling candies, newspaper, and Tunisiana recharge cards. Not far behind that kiosk, there is a “taxi phone” kiosk, which has similar concept to “wartel” in Indonesia. The difference between taxiphone and wartel is that, taxiphones usually consist of 2 or more public phone booths, while in wartel you pay after you use the phone. And sometimes, there’d be this guy whose looks reminds me a lot of Zine (hi, Zine!) who would often say, “Asslema” to me. I’d never respond to his asslemas just to avoid the hassle (poor guy! :D)

I’d then entered the building and climbed the stairs. AIESEC’s office is on the second floor (or, using the Australian system, the third). I’d put my office key (which took me 6 weeks to get a copy of) to the hole and open the door. The office would usually be empty…I’d be the first to arrive. The windows were usually closed and the room would usually stink of cigarettes. I’m all against smoking and all the smells that come out of it. Thus, I’d usually open the windows to get rid of those unpleasant odors (AIESECers in Tunisia: seriously, guys, you need to get cold turkey on smoking!). I’d then plug the cable onto the power point, and connect to the LAN and then switch my laptop on.

First thing first: I’d check my yahoo and AIESEC.net e-mail simultaneously while signing myself to MSN messenger (ah! AIESEC…it really teaches you how to multitask). Usually there’d be some Australian AIESECers online (if it’s 9am summer time in Tunis, it’d be 5pm in Australia). Often I’d start the conversation just to get the latest news and goss from Australia.

I’d usually do whatever needs to be done, depending on the priorities: whether it is proposal-making, responding or composing emails, or strengthening my business plan with researching for more info on Tunisia-UK relationship and business environment… I’d usually skip lunch just because I was just too lazy to get it (no wonder I had lost 3 kilos...).

The office was a freezer in winter, and a barbeque in summer. In winter, I had the strength to stay until 5 or 5.30, but in summer…don’t expect me to still be in the office after 3. Too frickin’ hot, man! When I got home, my housemates would usually come home at around these hours. If we “decided” that we’re hungry and too lazy to cook, we’d go to “Sweet House”, “Champs-Elysses”, or the pink place on Avenue Habib Bourguiba for chocolate crepe, shawarma, ice-cream, or pizza. If we were bored, we’d stay out, if not, or if we were too tired, we’d go home. Then we had an option of talking about the most random things (from Tunisian cultures with which we had encountered that day to anticities of the people we met in Tunisia) or watch some DVDs which we bought from the shop at the Place Barcelone (Gare de Tunis).

Then we’d go to bed, and tomorrow, there’d be another day just too similar to that.

I remembered my first louage experience…going to Hamammet beach with Jon and Gogo. And they teased me to lay the towel near “Italian men” (no, not the sexy ones…the dodgy ones…). That louage trip only costs me 8 Tunisian dinar return. Classic!

I’ll never forget Sidi Bou Said with its indulging bambalounis (YUM!!) - the shop where they sell it usually played the song "Dragontea Din Tei" (one of AIESEC's 'theme song') - and that café on the cliff in overlooking the blue Mediterranean Sea fusing to the clear, cloudless sky. And I’ll obviously never forget being surrounded by the fine desert sand while watching the enchanting sunset in the Sahara.

Of course, I’ll never forget all the people I met on my journey: AIESECers, students from the Bourguiba school (Gogo’s crazy antics, in particular), even both of the tour guides for my Saharan journey (from Jerba and Tozeur).

Often, I still feel like my time in Tunisia was like a dream. I can remember the night I arrived in the Carthage International Airport and met Tunisian AIESECers for the first time. I remembered saying to myself, “Here you are, Siz. You’re alone in a foreign land. There’s no turning back now.” There, in the car, I could see a snapshot of Tunisia for the first time: the houses, the buildings, the empty streets… (it was 2 am). Then I went to Manouba to stay at Yosra’s for the night. Yosra’s apartment reminds me of descriptions of apartments in a novel I read, “Ayat-ayat Cinta”, which is in Bahasa and is written by an Indonesian, but it’s based in Egypt. The following night, they took me to the trainees’ apartment where I’d stay for the rest 5 months journey in Tunisia.

My stay in Tunisia, despite its hassles and challenges, felt – it still does, actually – like a dream. I miss being in a foreign country and learning something new everyday. I wish I would be able to come back to Tunisia. Again. One day.

Insha Allah…

Siz

PS: dedicated to everyone I met in Tunisia. I miss you!