I’ve loved sharing with you all the adventures I’ve been having away from The Old Convent, but really, my favorite part about life in New Zealand is often the things that happen in my day-to-day life here. What separates CCSP from other study abroad programs is the concept of ‘doing life together’ that it embodies. Rather than students living in dormitories and staff driving in each day, we all live under one roof. Doing life together is about living in community with those around you. We eat meals together, do chores together, garden together, fellowship together. Doing life together involves so much more, though.
Some of us double dutch…Some of us don’t…
It involves Pictionary study breaks and late night conversations in the lounge and dance parties in the kitchen. It involves biking to town together and double dutching before class and homemaking sessions. (Homemaking sessions are great! Each week, we have a homemaking session in which we learn practical tools to help us in everyday life. So far we’ve had bike repair, gardening, and this weeks’ natural remedies.) It also involves epic birthday parties. CCSP loves to celebrate birthdays. This week, the twins had a birthday. We had a ninja themed birthday party in which we stole chocolate granola hidden around the convent, ate some of their favorite and least favorite foods (I got straight vegemite. Nasty.), bobbed for apples, and ate chocolate with goggles on while being sprayed by the garden hose. It was pretty grand. The people you meet the first day at the airport quickly become like family.
This is the “wait, do I actually have to lick this wasabi off this plate?!” face.. Yes, yes you do.Ninjas, chocolate, googles, and hoses. What is this community stuff?!We make some pretty epic salsaThe infamous salsa taste tester NathanExperimental tea making in the process. Drink at your own risk.Natural remedies homemaking session called for some pretty great face masks
As much as I could continue to rave about all the great things that come with living in community together, I want to share a little bit about how the class structure is unique too. CCSP flies in guest professors to teach each course, so classes run quite differently from the States. Each week, we only have one course. We attend class 3 hours in the morning and 2 hours at night Monday thru Friday. At the end of the week, a test or essay concludes the course. Each course is taken for a total of two weeks during the semester, so, for example, I’ve already taken 2 weeks of Sustainable Community Development, so I’m done with that course. This past week, I had took God and Nature I, and will conclude that 4-credit course later in the semester with God and Nature II. The workload is no heavier than that at home, but it is all in one course rather than 4 or 5. Best part: no homework on the weekends. But that aside, the courses I’ve taken thus far have challenged the way I think and the lifestyle I live and it has made me really consider what it means to be a good steward of God’s call on humanity.
I feel as though I’ve really found my place here at CCSP and I personally think I have made the best decision ever! CCSP is a really great opportunity to make the most of your experience abroad with its integration with the local community and “doing life together” mentality. If you have any questions about CCSP or life in New Zealand in general, I’d love to chat with you!
Beautiful view of the Kaikoura Mountain Range from the new hospital
The best part about living in a small town is the community. Everybody knows everybody and, undoubtedly, everybody knows about the American students living in The Old Convent. Kaikoura only has a population about the size of Hope’s, so throughout the last 6 weeks, we’ve had the opportunity to meet members of the community through BBQ’s, churches, and local shopping. This past weekend, though, we had the opportunity to live with some of these families and learn a little bit more about the New Zealand culture.
Spring is in the air in New ZealandMarion bought us all stick on lips…I think she pulls it off the best!
A Calvin student, Sadie, and I stayed at a widowed woman’s home who recently returned from 4 years teaching in Tanzania. She’s probably the coolest lady I’ve ever met. We spent our weekend going to all the best lookout points in Kaikoura, shopping the local market, eating ice cream, coloring, watching kiwi T.V., and putting temporary tattoo lips on just because.. so pretty much the greatest weekend ever.
Kaikoura Saturday Market
Sadie and I expanded our kiwi language learning new words like “wops,” “service stations,” “flannels,” “teatowels,” “stubbies,” “jersey,” “cuppa,” “tea,” and “gummies” (boonies, gas stations, handtowel, drying towel, shorts, sweatshirt/sweater, coffee/tea, dinner, and rubber boots). A couple common phrases you’ll hear include “no worries” instead of “it’s alright” and “ssssss okay” instead of “you’re welcome.”
Another capture of the mountain range on a sunny day!The town was packed with Seafesters!
It was also Seafest this weekend in which people from all over come dressed in crazy costumes to socialize at the marque in town. Seafest tends to mark the beginning of tourist season in Kaikoura. Around 6,000 people (2,000 more than the population) arrive for Seafest but over 1 million tourists come to Kaikoura each year as it is one of the most sought after tourist destinations for its whale watching. This quaint little town can pack a lot of people.
Little trip down to the seal colony!Here’s a sample of what some Maori carvings look like. This is Paikea the Whale RiderOne of Kaikoura’s oldest houses. The foundation is made of whale bonesA panoramic view of Kaikoura from the penninsula
We came to homestay with a backpack full of clothes and expectations for a great weekend but left with exceeded expectations, a new kiwi mum, and a key to her home so we can visit anytime. Plans for weekly dinners and coffee time are already in the works. There truly is something so special about Kaikoura and its people.
Coffee, wool jerseys, and coloring make for perfect Kaikoura spring Sundays
I have spent the past week traveling throughout Tunisia and have seen so many beautiful places. I have spent time in the mountains, at the sea, and almost everything in between.
Our journey began early Monday morning at 8am. We boarded the twenty passenger bus that was to become our means of transportation for the next six days. We stopped at Carrefour on our way to pick up some snacks in preparation for the length of our trip. Needless to say we ended up buying too much food, but what can I say? College students love shopping for snacks, especially when someone else is paying.
We started heading southwest towards Le Kef. On the way we stopped at the ancient Roman city of Dougga.
A view of the theater from the ground level.View of the theater from above.
Our academic director was eager to show us all around this site. I was amazed at how well preserved most of the city was. I guess that is one of the benefits of building a city on a giant hill near the mountains. I also couldn’t get enough of the mountain air. I love the sea, but every time I travel to the mountains I feel so refreshed. I’m still deciding which I like more.
After spending roughly an hour learning about the history of the ruins and exploring it, we ate lunch at a nearby restaurant and continued our journey to Le Kef.
Here are a few more pictures from Dougga:
Ancient temple dedicated to Jupiter.Prickly Pear: one of my new favorite fruits.This is believed to have been a hostel where passing travelers would spent the night.This is what restrooms looked like back in the day!
After spending a few more hours on the bus, snacking along the way and singing a few tunes we arrived in Le Kef. It was beautiful! I have been waiting to visit Le Kef ever since I applied to the SIT program in Tunisia and researched where we would be going on our excursions. It just looked so beautiful and it did not disappoint!
Isn’t it lovely?
As soon as we arrived we had free time to explore. We decided to head up towards the center of the city. We walked through winding streets and found some beautiful lookouts from which to snap some great pictures, such as the one above.
These stairs looked like they lead somewhere exciting..so we decided to climb them.
We also found some adorable kittens while walking around the city. Cats are everywhere in Tunisia and in order to have some fun my SIT cohorts and I created an Instagram called selfie Tunisian cats. The title is self-explanatory, but check it out if you’re looking to kill some time, or maybe you just love cats.
https://instagram.com/selfie_tunisian_cats/
The adorable little kittens we found in Le Kef.
After walking around a bit we had some free time. We all napped for a little and lounged around. I got to work on reading my first Kurt Vonnegut book. I know, I know, what as I thinking waiting this long?? Luckily Mounir has more Kurt Vonnegut books in his library at SIT so I plan to continue to add to my list of Kurt Vonnegut books. For those of you who are Vonnegut fans the book I read was God Bless You Mr. Rosewater, and if you haven’t read it I would highly recommend it.
We were told dinner would be at 7pm so we all gathered in the main room at that time. We soon discovered we would have to wait a bit for dinner. The reason being was that we needed to wait for the police. Yes, you read that correctly. Everywhere we went we were to escorted by policemen, be it the national guard or the local police. Although this may sound strange and scary, it is something that happens every year on the program.
Our AD has to submit our itinerary to the Ministry of Tourism and they need to approve our travels. We were lucky to walk around for a little in Le Kef because after that we were told by the police that that was no longer allowed. I want to make it clear that Le Kef is not a dangerous place and neither is Tunisia. I have never felt unsafe while I have been here. However, Tunisia cannot afford for something else to happen to another group of tourists. They were with us to ensure our safety and would have been with us even if the Bardo and Sousse attacks had not occurred.
If you were to travel to Tunisia as a tourist you would not need to submit an itinerary to the Ministry of Tourism and you would not have police escorting you places. We are given special protection because SIT wants to ensure our safety by cooperating with the Ministry of Tourism.
After our police escorts arrived we went to what is supposedly the best restaurant in town called “Restaurant Venus.” It wasn’t one of my favorite meals in Tunisia, but I enjoyed the company. After dinner we all watched a movie. It was called “Begin Again” and was a romantic comedy. It wasn’t the best movie and we were too tired to finish the whole thing, but it was fun bonding as a group.
On Tuesday morning we had to rearrange our schedules a bit. We had planned to meet with an NGO that deals with education, but they were not ready to meet since school has not yet started for the younger kids. Instead we visited some more ruins. It was very small and judging by how long it took the attendant to open the gate it seemed the place has not had many visitors recently.
There are always ruins to be explored in Tunisia.The surrounding landscape was beautiful.
After the ruins we headed back to Le Kef for lunch. Tunisians usually take a two hour lunch break. Not all of the break is for eating however, some of it is for napping and simply taking a break. School children are also sent home for a two hour break as well. In keeping with Tunisian culture, we also went back to the hotel for a little down time.
In the afternoon we had the chance to visit an organic farm located only 6km from Le Kef(that’s a little over 3.5 miles). One of the reasons we were visiting the farm is because one of the girls on my program will be graduating this semester an wants to stay in Tunisia to work on a farm. She was very excited about this opportunity.
The owner of the farm is named Moez and he is part of the “slow food movement,” as in the opposite of fast food. They grow various grains out of which they make traditional cakes and pastries. Part of the farm’s mission is to educate youth about eating natural healthy food. Many kids in Tunisia may eat processed goods, Moez and his team try to teach kids about alternatives.
They also sell their products to the local community. They have many grape trees and I know how delicious these grapes are because we were given about ten bunches by Moez. We pretty much all had a stomachache after we left the farm and we still had more grapes.
The grape trees.Delicious and 100% natural.A view of Le Kef from the farm.
Next we visited the Kasbah of Le Kef. The Kasbah is an old fortress that was used to protect the city. As such it sits on a giant hill and provides a great view of the surrounding areas.
I couldn’t get enough of all the mountains.
We continued exploring the city a bit with our escorts in tow. After Mounir gave us a brief tour we went back to the hotel before dinner. Ironically inner was served to us by Moe’s mother. His sister owns the little villa we were staying in and has arranged for her mother, who owns a restaurant in Le Kef to cook for us. The food was all delicious and very fresh. Much of the food cam from the farm we had visited earlier that day.
After spending two nights in Le Kef it was time to say goodbye. We enjoyed a delicious breakfast before leaving (the breakfast was delicious on the first morning as well, I just forgot to mention it). There was fresh honey along with some sort of date biscuit, fresh orange juice and many others things that tasted wonderful even if I’m not sure what they were.
I’ll have to leave you in suspense and end the first part of the excursion here. But don’t worry, I’ll be back soon!
Kia Ora! (Maori for many things, including “hello”)
Last week, CCSP ventured to the north island across the (extremely rough) waters to study sustainable community development from the perspective of several different people in society. Wellington (aka “Windy Welly”) is the capital city of New Zealand with a population about that of Grand Rapids, so a relatively small capital city.
Welcome to the city!
The first three nights were spent in a marae (“mar-eye”), a traditional Maori meeting house. In order to enter, we had to go through a powhiri (“po-furry”), or a greeting ceremony, where we gave speeches, sang a Maori song, gave a gift, and greeted everyone with a hongi (nose to nose, forehead to forehead greeting). The sleeping arrangements included mattresses lined down the room side by side, so it was quite a cozy three nights! Unfortunately, no photographs are allowed in the marae, but the carvings are impeccable!
While in Wellington, we visited Te Papa museum, including a very realistic World War I memorial. Later, we also visited parliament (“The Beehive”) to learn much about policy making in New Zealand followed by Naenae Boxing Academy where boxing champion Billy Graham talked to us about being in community and making a difference in the neighborhood. Our days included many other members of the community speaking on and doing various things to improve society. It was an eventful couple of days!
New Zealand’s parliament building, The BeehiveI couldn’t believe how realistic these sculptures in the WWI memorial were!
Fun Fact: the Takahe was thought to be extinct in 1898 until it was rediscovered in 1948 but they are still an endangered species
On our way out of the city, we stopped to visit a large, predator-proof reserve for some of New Zealand’s most endangered species. We spent a couple hours walking through the reserve, admiring the songs of the thousands of birds and the beauty in all the species present. New Zealand is quite a special place when it comes to its wildlife.
This little guy’s species, the was around during the time of dinosaurs and is the only left in its order!A female Hihi bird
After Zealandia, we drove to Ngatiawa to stay in a monastery for a few days. The premises of the monastery is a commitment to worship three times a day. It was so refreshing being tucked back in the hills and having intentional time in prayer and worship each day. Ngatiawa River Monastery is a place set up by Urban Vision for people to retreat to for relaxation, recuperation, or rehabilitation without the stress and pressures of city life. While in Ngatiawa, we also visited a man who takes a very strong opposition to war and has committed his life to living in voluntary poverty. I found the things he said very challenging, particularly because of the society we are raised in. I’m not sure I could ever use newspaper for toilet paper or build my home on a truck bed, but Adi’s challenge to society to live more simply and consume less definitely left us all with things to ponder.
With the state this world is in, things are going to need to change and soon…and consuming less and living a more simple life may be the answer. It goes against all that modern society teaches, but maybe that is just what we need.
Our last day on the north island (and finally a sunny one) started off with meeting with L’arche New Zealand. L’arche is about people both mentally disabled and not living in community together. Actually, a recent Hope grad is currently working with L’arche New Zealand, so it was a really great running into her! The rest of the day was a free day in Wellington city. A group of us enjoyed a day together walking the streets, wandering through the night market, and playing pool at a local pub.
Still can’t comprehend that this is my backyard.
The city has been great, but nothing can top the crisp mountain air and fresh ocean breeze that comes from our home in Kaikoura. And, I can’t wait to put into practice and study more some of the things learned this week in Wellington. North island, it’s been a real treat.
My alarm springs to life at 6:30 AM in our windowless cabin. Our modest cruise ship of sleep-ridden Americans has swept into the ancient harbor of Heraklion, Crete. Κρητη, as it’s known in Greek (Kree-tee). We have good butter and bad coffee at the little breakfast bar, and tumble into the waiting buses for the semester’s very first field trip.
The CYA has organized several five-day long field trips scouting the historical bits of Greece. Crete was first on the list. Of course, virtually every roadside village in Greece has an archaeological museum, a hidden Byzantine church, and a gift shop full of Parthenons, so finding ancient things is not hard. More difficult is the task of hoisting a hundred boorish Yanks of dubious sobriety up the slopes of Mount Ida –a task the CYA has performed admirably. They’ve done this for forty years, after all.
But a little background on Crete. If you google a map of Greece, you might see a long, flat french fry sticking out in the south Mediterranean. It’s a big island, as Greek isles go, and remains remarkably fertile and resource rich. Which is perhaps why the first European civilization sprang up on these shores: the Minoans. Isolated by lots of sea, it was still in sailing distance of mainland Greece, Egypt, and Canaan -ideal for trade. Which may also explain why the Minoans were evicted by the Mycenaean Greeks, who were succeeded by the Classical Greeks, then Pirates, then Romans, then Byzantine Romans, then Arabs, then more Byzantines, then Venetians, then Ottomans, then British, then Nazis, and then, of course, Syriza. This is an island where excavations have excavations under those excavations, where towns have towns under them, and yes, labyrinths are found under labyrinths.
You might dimly recall the Greek myth of the Minotaur. Born of a bull and a queen with rather feral tastes, the cow-headed, man-bodied Minotaur was locked away in a labyrinth under the Cretan king’s palace. The legend speaks of its notoriously treacherous corridors, incomprehensible to the symmetric Greek eye. Myth though it be, it’s not hard to see its resemblance in the mazelike complex of Knossos.
Rebuilt several times of the third and second centuries BCE, the palace of Knossos stands remarkably intact for a complex almost three thousand years old. Reconstructed in part by Sir Arthur Evans, we’re not quite sure if this was a palace… or a city court, or a temple, or a storage complex, or a bit of everything. All the same, this was one of the great reasons I came in the spring, and I’ll let the pictures of ancient things speak for themselves.
It’s so surreal standing in places you’ve spent your life reading about. To have your shoes communicating with stones that have known feet before the first letters of the Bible were scratched on parchment. Lord a’mercy.
Doors into more doors at Knossos.A reconstructed bit of Knossos. Pretty, all the same.This was from Phaistos, another palace, but I’ll trouble you with no more geekery.
Other highlights: the positively majestic mountains, cinnamon juice (canelada, in the Greek), wine tasting in central Crete, and a Venetian fort on an island with…cacti.
From the edge of the Venetian fort of Spina Longa, complete with cacti.
We took a hike down the splendiferous Imbros Gorge, a five-mile hike down massive rock formations, donkeys, and goats. We returned to our hotel at Chania that evening, and ate a lot of gelato by the sea. One more photo of the gorge and I’m done. Thanks for listening!
Happy Eid to everyone! Today is officially the last day of Eid al-Adha. Eid is a Muslim holiday that celebrates the 70 days after Ramadan and is considered the “Greater Eid.” There is also a celebration called Eid al-Fitr which is celebrated three days after Ramadan. During Eid al-Fitr many sweets are eaten and children dress up in nice clothes.
Eid al-Adha is a completely different story, it is a holiday meant to commemorate the story of Abraham sacrificing his son, Isaac. For this reason Eid al-Adha typically involves the slaughtering of a sheep which, my host family bought two of. They spent the last week living on our roof.
The sheep who lived on my roof last week.
Being a vegetarian I was nervous to watch a live animal be killed and skinned. It’s something I had never seen before and something I don’t feel the need to see again. That aside, I am glad I got to truly experience a Muslim holiday in a Muslim country.
Eid started on Thursday at around 7:30am. I awoke to the voices of my host nephew and his father. All of the men in the family had gathered at our house to help with the sheep. After a quick breakfast we all went to the roof to watch which wasn’t nearly as bad as I previously thought; although the entire process took over an hour. The sheep had to be skinned and all of its internal organs were removed. Tunisians use EVERY SINGLE PART of the sheep. Nothing goes to waste.
My host brothers skinning the sheep.
After the first sheep was killed I decided to go for an early morning run. I really enjoy being out in the mornings here because there are usually very few people out; but, on this particular morning though I did hear many sheep baa-ing.
When I returned from the run, the house was quiet. Only my host mother was awake. She said she had to go to the store before they all closed. My host brother and sister slept till noon and after everyone began to prepare the sheep to eat. We had a barbecue for lunch. I had never eaten sheep before so I told my host family I would try it. After a few bites I was done. The meat was very tough and since I’m not used to eating meat I didn’t want to get sick from eating too much of it.
My host sister preparing the barbecue for lunch.
After lunch there was more sleeping and then more preparing of the sheep. There was so much meat! It completely filled the kitchen. We still have meat left over. I’m really happy I will be away on an excursion with SIT this week because I have had my fair share of meat.
On Friday my host brother Iness and his family came over for dinner. My host mother spent most of the day in the kitchen preparing the food. I was glad to see my host dad helping in the kitchen as well.
The amount of meat my host family had to prepare seemed endless.
On Saturday my other host brother Amer and his family came over for a late lunch of haggis. I had never eaten haggis before but I actually really enjoyed the stuffing.
A bit after we ate I made my way to SIT to meet the other students for a barbecue with my program. We went to the house of Mounir’s brother(Mounir is my AD). We had a lovely evening full of delicious food and great conversation.
On Monday we all will leave for the Northern Excursion. SIT programs always include excursions so that students can explore multiple parts of the country. For our first excursion we will be heading first to Le Kef, after that we will head to Tabarka and then Bizerta. We will also be stopping along the way at some smaller villages along the way and visiting some ancient ruins as well. But I’ll leave you in anticipation for those until my next blog!
To celebrate the completion of our first course, two girls and I decided to take a road trip to Abel Tasman National Park. Rental car (aka The Jellybean) packed, leftovers for food, and no road map, we were in for an adventure. We eventually arrived after a wrong turn or two…or five, but nonetheless we made it. As we drove in, we were amazed at the number of boats just resting on sand with an anchor and buoy tied to them. We were even more amazed the next morning when we saw the boats floating in water. Come to find out, Abel Tasman has the greatest tidal variance in all of New Zealand. Within 6 hours, the tide changes a depth of 4 meters, about 13 feet!
Split Apple Rock…because it looks like a split apple, get it?
We decided we’d spend Saturday hiking the national park. A water taxi took us up to Torrent Bay and dropped us off where we were to hike 8.5 miles to Onetahuti where we would then be picked up and brought back to the hostel in Manahau. Everywhere you looked, it seemed like you were the Caribbean. Unfortunately, the cool air quickly reminded me I wasn’t.
Bark Bay, Abel Tasman National Park. Golden beaches and sparking blue water? Yes, please.Falls River Suspension Bridge
Okay, and so here’s the thing: New Zealand isn’t very good at marking trails with signs or arrows or anything that helps 3 directionally challenged girls figure out where they’re supposed to go. So, we walked about a mile the wrong way before we realized something wasn’t right and turned around. And so, our 8.5 mile tramp turned into a 10.5 mile tramp. I like to just think of it as taking a detour to enjoy some new scenery. No one has really bought that idea yet.. We stopped several times during the tramp, mostly for pictures but occasionally to catch our breath after a series of uphill switchbacks. It was so incredible how you could be walking in dense bush (forest) and then come to a clearing with an immaculate view of golden beaches and sparkling blue waters. New Zealand is just pretty rad like that, though.
Bottlenosed dolphin..is this real life?!Some dolphins thought they’d start showing off for us!
On our boat ride back, we stumbled upon a pod of 30-50 large bottlenose dolphins. Two weekends in a row! I feel like a dolphin whisperer or something. But seriously, it was another magical NZ experience. They were swimming alongside, underneath and all around the boat. I really wanted to reach out and touch one, but I didn’t think the captain would appreciate retrieving a soggy American from the icy waters. Some of the dolphins decided to put on a little show and started jumping for us. If this is New Zealand life, I don’t ever want to leave.
We packed up Sunday morning to head back to Kaikoura. Before we left though, the office manager, Lothar (aka The Grinch…office’s nickname, not mine), came up to the three of us and gave us postcards and a free t-shirt. He said he “didn’t normally like people, but for some reason he like us.” Good enough for me. On the way home, we stopped in Nelson (only got lost like 3 times this time) and hiked up to the “Centre of New Zealand” for panoramic views of the city.
Life is good.Sunsets in Kaikoura are pretty special.I still can’t believe this is my backyard.
We returned to the Old Convent with plenty of stories to share. I’m constantly reminded of the beauty in my backyard here. From beach sunrises to backyard sunsets, beauty abounds everywhere. New Zealand, you are treating me well.
On Friday we had an excursion to ancient Carthage, which is basically in my backyard. We rode the TGM on the way and we even passed some of the ruins.
The TGM station in Sidi Bou Said. TGM stands for Tunis, Gamarth, La Marsa as it runs between those neighborhoods.
Our first stop in Carthage was to visit some of the Phoenician ruins. According to legend, Carthage was founded by Didi in 814 B.C. Carthage has had more than a few conflicts in its history, starting with the Greeks of Sicily in 409 and lasting until 305. Conflict with Rome in what came to be known as the three Punic wars came later in 264 and in 146 the Romans destroyed Carthage. The Romans later rebuilt Carthage in 31 B.C.
Our Academic Adviser wanted to show us both Phoenician and Roman ruins. We started with Phoenician since they had first built Carthage.
Our AD and a fellow student demonstrating a sacrifice.Exploring an ancient Phoenician cave.
After exploring the Phoenician ruins we visited the Roman ruins. After taking control of Carthage, the Romans ruled until 698 A.D. when Carthage was destroyed by the Arabs. I definitely enjoyed the Roman ruins better. I could picture people visiting the baths and carriages being pulled by horses along the wide streets.
The Romans walked these streets!
After walking around and exploring the ruins some more we headed back to SIT for some delicious homemade lunch. We made lublabi, which is a delicious Tunisian dish. It consists of a fresh baguette which is broken into small pieces and placed in a bowl. Chickpeas are then added to the mixture, as well as olive oil, harissa, cumen, and salt and pepper. You can also add an egg if you wish. Traditionally this dish is eaten during the winter as it is a bit heavy, however, our AD didn’t want us to have to wait until winter to try it.
After lunch and Arabic class had ended, I was happy to head home. It had been a long week and I was looking forward to some rest. As luck would have it, when I got home my host mother and sister invited me to visit the hammam with them on Sunday.
It may not look very enticing, but it sure tastes good.
The hammam is similar to a Turkish bath. It is somewhat similar to a spa in the U.S. After lunch on Sunday my host sister packed an entire suitcase full of shampoo, clothes, and anything else we could possibly need at the hammam. It was only about a five minute walk from our house.
The hammam we went to had several different rooms. There is the “locker room,” which is where you leave your things before actually entering the bath. After putting your things in a locker and stripping down into nothing but your underwear, you pass through a door and enter the hammam. The first room is the coolest and the rooms get progressively hotter. The second and largest room is where most women were. There was also a third room which was smaller and felt like a sauna. I could only stay in there for a few minutes.
My feet felt so clean after the hammam!
We went about filling buckets with water and found a seat in the second room. We washed and scrubbed and scrubbed. I’ve never felt so clean! We spent about two hours there and it was certainly an experience. I’m sure i will be back as my host family goes almost every few weeks. I must say it was very relaxing and I’m looking forward to my next visit.
But what about the sheep I mentioned in the title…well there are currently two sheep on my roof in preparation of the celebration of eid al-adha. This is a festival celebrated in Tunisia a bit after Ramadan and involves the killing of a sheep. The sheep represents the story of when Abraham was told to sacrifice his son Isaac. I’m a bit nervous for eid since I have never seen an animal killed before. I just hope I don’t faint!
I’ll be blogging about eid next time so stay tuned! The celebration starts Thursday and I think people celebrate it throughout the weekend.
Sitting in class on Wednesday morning I was surprised to hear the name Pinochet mentioned. Pinochet was the dictator of Chile from 1973 until 1988 and was one of the most oppressive dictators in South America, but how does this relate to Tunisia? Apparently Ben Ali was given the nickname “Pinochet on the Mediterranean.”
After learning more about Ben Ali and his regime, this nickname seems accurate. Ben Ali was extremely repressive and freedom of speech was severely restricted while he was in power. Yet at the same time, Tunisia was a progressive country and still is compared to many other countries in the region.
The SIT program in Tunisia is devoted to dissecting the revolution and understanding what happened. An exciting topic, especially considering democracy is currently being established in Tunisia. That being said, this blog will be dedicated to a brief history of Tunisia, as well as what a typical day of class is like in Tunisia.
The SIT study center is located in Sidi Bou Said. All the doors in this town are painted blue.
The first week I took a taxi to class, along with a few other students. Taxis in Tunisia are super cheap and the ride to school is only about five minutes. However, this week my friend and I decided to walk. Since she lives right next door we met outside at 7:45. We walk slowly to avoid sweating profusely and usually arrive to class 50 minutes later. It sounds like a long walk, but it’s a nice way to wake up.
The hangout room at SIT. We have so many leisure books to choose from!
The SIT center has a series of rooms. There is a kitchen were we occasionally cook lunch, a hangout room, the main classroom, various smaller classrooms for language instruction and even a few bedrooms in case we want to take a nap in between class.
Class starts at 9:00am and lasts until around 11. Morning class usually consists of a lecture. We have had many interesting speakers so far. They have all talked about the different parts of the revolution.
One of my favorite speakers was the one we had last Wednesday, Larissa. She is the one who mentioned that Ben Ali was nicknamed the “Pinochet of the Mediterranean.” Her lecture focused on the cult of personality of Ben Ali. If I had come to Tunisia before the revolution, I would have noticed giant posters all over the country of Ben Ali. Although he was in his 70s, in every poster is hair is jet black, he is usually wearing a suit, and his hand is usually over his heart.
A poster of Ben Ali in La Goulette.
This particular poster of Ben Ali was actually put up after his fall. A group of activist wanted to see what would happen if they put up a poster of Ben Ali. As people walked around La Goulette and took notice of the poster they became very upset because they thought Ben Ali had come back. People began to tear the poster down. The activist who placed the poster there saw this as a success because it meant the people did not want Ben Ali back.
A picture of Bourguiba in his earlier years as president.
From the brief conversations I have had with my host family about politics, it seems they are happy the revolution took place. Although one of my host brothers told me that directly after Ben Ali fell the country was unstable and he was concerned, but now he is happy with how things are. I also spoke to my host dad a bit about the situation. His response was that he loved Bourguiba. This is understandable since Bourguiba did modernize Tunisia, although he was oppressive towards the end of his time in power and declared himself president for life. I was not able to ask my host dad about his thoughts on the revolution due to language barriers, but maybe we can have that conversation in a month or so.
After lecture finishes, we have about a two hours break until class in the afternoon. This gives us an ample amount of time to cook lunch or go somewhere to eat. we get a daily stipend from SIT for food and transportation so I haven’t had to spend any of my own money so far. The fruit here is amazing and super cheap! I tried prickly pear for the first time and really liked it. Although the first time I ate it I was a bit confused about what to do with all the seeds and kept picking them out. Now I’ve become a pro and I eat all the seeds!
A few afternoons a week we have Arabic class in the afternoon. I am in the intermediate level. The class is two hours long, but I wish it were longer! Arabic is such a challenging language and I want to learn so much. We also have Tunsi once a week as well. Tunsi is the Tunisian dialect of Arabic and the vocabulary is quite different from Modern Standard Arabic, which is what is taught in schools and what I have learned.
On the days we don’t have language classes in the afternoons we usually have excursions. Last week we visited the U.S. embassy and yesterday we visited a school for the handicapped where we will begin volunteering next week.
A view of the U.S. Embassy. The wire is not usually there, but the embassy was on extra alert since it was close to the anniversary of 9/11. This is not something unique to Tunisia as every American embassy increases security around the anniversary of 9/11 as an extra precaution.The school where we will be volunteering come next week.Enjoying some Turkish coffee after class.
After we are done with class for the afternoon we usually go to a cafe for coffee or tea. Cafe culture is very big in Tunisia and every drinks numerous cups of coffee or tea a day. The coffee is very strong, but I’m beginning to like it. The tea is mint tea and is very delicious, although it has more sugar than I would prefer.
After a nice coffee break I usually head home to spend some time with my host family. I’ll work on homework for a bit and watch Turkish and Egyptian soap operas. I can usually understand about half of what is happening. my family is pretty relaxed in the evenings but occasionally some family member will come over and we’ll all eat together.
So there you have it. A snapshot of my daily life in Tunisia. Stay tuned for a blog about Carthage which we’ll be visiting on Friday!
Once again I resurface like a beluga from beneath the arctic circle, and almost as graceful.
Athens has treated me well. The Greeks are, in truth, a remarkably kind and courteous people. Among the elderly there is the slightest suspicion of foreigners, but among the vast majority of folk on the street, I’ve been treated with uncommon charity. Bakeries offer you cookies on the house -particularly if you happen to be an American trying to speak Greek. Many, many folk speak English. People want to converse with you. I was a little apprehensive about what it was to be a rather queenly person of color in Athens, but so far it appears my premonitions are unfounded. Indeed, the only remarks of prejudice I’ve experienced here have bubbled out of American acquaintances. “Naturally!” As King Mongkut says.
There is, of course, a great pride in the long, long history of the city, and it helps to know bits of Greek myth and history to help you see where they’re coming from. Start talking about Venizelos or Byzantium, or maybe the Turkish Republic across the narrow sea.
The Greeks also seem a remarkably peaceable company -the Golden Dawn Fascists are a thing, but the vast majority of Greece is so unified in hating them that I think the balance of power remains, however tenuous. It’s election season, but no one has taken to the streets. Heavens, there weren’t even riots when the banks were choking the cash flow this summer. I can’t imagine that happening in Malaysia, or Michigan. I also can’t remotely foresee any nation that would host and sustain tens of thousands of Middle Eastern immigrants in the midst of an economic depression. The spirit of Xenia -that is, guest-love- remains strong in Hellas, and I respect that infinitely.
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I’ve also been touring the fair isle of Andros, in the north end of the Cyclades. ‘Tis a fair and marvelous place. It’s an island thrust straight of the sea -with massive cliffs and steep peaks, ankle deep in extremely clear water. Our guide and chaperon, a CYA professor named Lida, took us into incredibly remote beaches for swimming -often hidden behind the bumcracks of hills. It’s an island that remains sparsely populated, and well maintained by the wealth ship owners who’ve opened little stores on Highstreet. I even got into conversation with a few in a pidgin of English and Greek.
An elderly man we met in an ice cream parlor, surrounded by his friends, had spent his life in the merchant navy, incidentally. He turned to my Hispanic friend and began greeting her in what seemed very decent Spanish. He’d learned English in New York, Spanish in Venezuela, plus Italian, in well, Italia. He showed us pictures of his great-granddaughter. Another chap I’d met offered me coffee and explains how he met and married his bride in the Big Apple. Well traveled folk, as it were.
What else shall I say? I’ve been in Byzantine museum(s), down cliffs that plunge into the sea, and eaten a great deal of Mediterranean food -post forthcoming. I’ve met a great deal of interesting folk, and spent mornings under the bells of immaculate orthodox churches. I is happy. Very happy. Also, scroll down to the end for the Dog-headed Saint I met in the Byzantine Museum.
here towns have towns under them, and yes, labyrinths are found under labyrinths.
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