Last week we spent eight days traveling all around southern Tunisia. We learned about water in the desert, rode camels, and visited Star Wars sets. We left Monday morning and headed to Kairawan where we visited the Grand Mosque. It was a beautiful structure. Next we headed to Sidi Bouzid. I have been waiting to …
Tag Archives: Serbia
An Introduction to the ISP
These past few weeks have flown by. I can’t believe it is already time for a second excursion! We will be leaving Monday morning and returning next Monday. This time we will be heading South and hitting many different towns and visiting parts of the Star Wars set! We are all very much looking forward …
Hiking in Hammam Lift
I have only been to downtown Tunis twice during my time in Tunisia and have been wanting to return. The two times I visited downtown were to visit some NGOs as part of one of my SIT courses. So last weekend two of my friends and I decided to explore Tunisia a little bit. We left …
Northern Excursion: Part 2
After leaving Le Kef we started on our way towards Tabarka. The surrounding scenery was beautiful. I kept wanting to close my eyes and nap, but I was afraid of missing something. For such a small country, Tunisia is very geographically diverse. We drove through plains, mountains and rolling hills. On our way to Takarba …
Northern Excursion: Part 1
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 …
Eid Mabrouk
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 …
Ancient Ruins, a Turkish Bath and Some Sheep
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. 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 …
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Chile in Tunisia?
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 …
Host Family Life
It had now been a week since I have moved in with my host family. I am living in La Marsa, which is a suburb of Tunis and about a five minute taxi ride from the SIT study center where I take classes. My family consists of my mother whom I call “mama,” one of …
Orientation
“You are studying in a giant political science lab.” That’s what my academic director said to us a few nights ago as we were sitting down eating dinner. Tunisia underwent a revolution in 2011 to become a democracy. Changes are happening all over the country, but change is also slow and democracy takes time. Throughout …
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