Tunisia - The last few days

I’ve just finished two months in Tunisia and I’m flying home on Air France. I’ve got a lot to say. More than I can possibly write. But I have a few things I’d like to talk about because they’ve been on my list for a while.

The first one is safety. I’ve been sort of pondering this because it is one of those big things that are so misunderstood by people at home. Of course moving to Tunisia (and traveling in Egypt earlier this summer) there were a lot of people who were worried about my safety. Let me just say this. I feel much safer in North Africa than I ever do in most large American cities. And I’m not alone. I know quite a few people who agree with me on this. Terrorism gets dragged into everything because of the nature of the world we live in today. But that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about walking down the street and being worried about getting mugged.

There is something cultural about Arab or Muslim countries that makes me feel much safer than I ever do at home. It’s hard to describe but I think it all goes back to the way the culture places such a high value on guests. I don’t feel threatened in the streets even at three in the morning because crime just doesn’t exist in the same way it does at home. Whereas in New York you have to worry about being mugged or stabbed or shot, there isn’t violent crime here. If anything, there’s a little robbery of tourists, but only in extreme cases. I don’t even think that it would occur to Tunisians as a possibility because it is such a foreign concept. It’s just something cultural.

Something else I’ve wanted to mention for a few days now is the food situation. I love the food. Tunisia has got to have the best food in the world besides Mexico. I love everything that we ate while we were there. There was only one exception to the food situation being great. Breakfast. My idea of breakfast is so Americanized at this point in my life that I just cannot be happy with anything else. I can make do, no doubt, but let me just say this, American’s know how to eat breakfast. I miss pancakes and waffles and sausage and bacon and eggs and cereal. I could go on but you get the point, I’m not satisfied with a little bread and yogurt. That doesn’t cut it. I miss a real breakfast once in awhile.

The second thing on this topic is sauce. America does sauces. I don’t understand the rest of the world’s disdain for ketchup and barbeque and ranch. I live on those three things and could put at least one of them on just about any meal I eat. The problem though, is that no one else in the world does this. I guess it’s less of an observation about Tunisia than it is about home. So let’s get back to Tunisia. Everything here can be eaten with bread. Which I love. I eat at least a baguette a day, sometimes two. I eat bread for every meal and in between. Tunisian food can either be eaten with a spoon or bread and I love it. It’s just the right amount of spicy, not too overpowering yet just enough to give it a bite. And the spices are always perfectly combined. I like the salads and light summer food. I like the sandwiches and tuna and harisa.

One thing I don’t like about Tunisian dining is the water situation. Whereas at home we are used to water being free everywhere, in Tunisia that is definitely a foreign concept. You can expect to pay for water everywhere you go. Which I’m a little bitter about. I’d like to live thank you very much. It doesn’t have to be bottled or anything, just give me a glass of tap water. That’d be sufficient. I’m not picky or anything, I just want to not dehydrate in the sun.

Okay, next couple things to mention. Washing the street. What is it with Tunisians watering their front steps and the street out front. They just soak it and then sweep the dirt away. So it can dry and blow right back in front of their shops. It’s a complete waste of time and water. The streets are full of dirt, pushing more into them and isn’t going to solve the problem caused by the wind and dust. Dust accumulates like crazy here because of the desert. We can sweep the steps one day, and within two or three they’re covered again and we have to go back and do it all over.

Taxis are also an interesting situation. Here, they are very sensitive about slamming the door. And I’m not talking about throwing it that hard. Just at all. They are very sure it’s going to destroy their entire car if you close the door with any force more than that of a five year old. Gotta be a cultural thing. They are however very polite and easy to deal with in comparison to taxis anywhere else in the world.

Which leads me into my final points. These are by no means the last thoughts that I’ll have on Tunisia, but they are some of the major ones that I think about everyday. I love Tunisia and would happily stay forever. I think it is one of the best countries in the world. The people are what really make it. They have a great attitude about life. They enjoy their lives and each other’s company. They’re optimistic and hard working. They know how to live life in a way that I think is admirable. I don’t think that I’ve been anywhere else besides Costa Rica or Barbados where the people have been this wonderful.

The next thing the country has going for it is the best geography anywhere besides Croatia (sorry Tunisia, I just love the mountains that drop into the water and lavender and olives that cover them all). What a beautiful and varied place. Deserts in the south, mountains in the north, and beaches all around. The weather is always perfect and the sun is always shining. How could you not be happy about that?

Along with the food those are my favorite parts about this place. I’m going to miss it and I’m sad I couldn’t stay longer. I will most definitely be back to visit because I am that jealous of the people that get to live here their whole lives.

Carthage through a lens.