Day 1 (Tunis): Asslema! (Hello in Arabic, one of the few words I picked up in Tunisia). We landed in Tunis, the capital of Tunisia and stayed there for 2 days. The plane ride to Tunisia was a hop and a skip from Rome, one hour actually. It was so bizarre realizing that after an hour plane ride I was in Africa. I was in a great place arriving to Tunisia. I had just finished my midterms, my monologue went great, and I was ready for a break. Tunisia instantly reminded me of Arizona. As we traveled to the southern part of the country, towards the Sahara, it continued to remind me of that desert I love back home. Right from the plane we headed to the American Embassy, where we met with the ambassador. He talked to us about America-Tunisia Relations and some basic facts about the country. Two things that were interesting to me were 1.) YouTube is blocked and 2.) Tunisia is the only Muslim country (98% of the population is Muslim) where polygamy is illegal. That night we went to a hookah bar, or hubbly bubbly as they call it, that was over 300 years old in Sidi Bou Said, a really cute town.
My first impression of Tunisia was that it was probably the most foreign place I have ever been to. They mostly speak Arabic and French here, and the Arabic was impossible to read. Apparently it is one of the hardest languages to learn and I believe it. The food was very foreign too. It was spicy and very meat and vegetable based. Couscous was very common and I ate it every day! I even dreamt about the Sahara Desert made of couscous and not sand. I think I may really like couscous!
At the hookah (Hubbly Bubbly as its called) place in Sidi Bou Said. 
Day 2 (Tunis): We started with meeting a Tunisian professor, who explained Tunisian politics and religion to us. They are a Muslim country with harsh authoritarian rule. Also, in terms of politics, Tunisia is considered the Middle East; however, it terms of geography they are considered North Africa. I found that very interesting and might have never known that unless I went to Tunisia. After the lecture we had lunch with Tunisian students. It was so fun to sit and talk about their country. I got some good recommendations for discotechas and we talked about politics and life in general. They are all very curious about America and Obama.
After lunch, they came to the local souk (market in Arabic). I have never seen a market like this before! So many things, so much bartering, and so much fun. The Tunisian vendors all tried to guess where I was from thinking England, America, or Holland. Once I said America, they instantly exclaimed with a huge smile “Welcome to Tunisia” or “I love Americans, they are so nice” or “Obama!” I definitely do not get that attitude in Italy. Don’t get me wrong, I feel welcomed in Italy, but I don’t get greetings like that. The people are so friendly and down to earth in Tunisia. It’s also interesting because they don’t see many Americans there so they were very curious about us. It was a lot of fun bartering and I got a necklace from 65 DINAR (Tunisian currency) down to 10 DINAR, which is about 7 U.S. dollars. I also held a chameleon randomly hanging out on a table of souvenirs.
Day 3 (Carthage): This day was full of sightseeing but it was unfortunately pouring rain all day, which made it difficult. We went to an overlook view of Carthage, some Roman ruins (baths and ancient sacrificial sites), and the American Cemetery, which was a highlight of the trip for me. The cemetery was very moving. There are over 3,000 graves of Americans, many of them unknown. It was surreal seeing the names of Americans and the states they were from on the grave stones in Tunisia. This experience, and being abroad in general, has made me so proud to be an American, and I have never felt it more than that day in the cemetery. I thought of my Grandpa Lucky and Pat because they would have appreciated that so much.
Day 4 (Matmata): On the way to Matmata (southern Tunisia) we stopped at El Jem to see the 3rd largest amphitheatre in the world (very similar to the Coliseum) and went to a couple museums. That afternoon we began our drive down South, where the terrain changed very quickly in Saharan dunes. This is when it finally hit me that I was in Africa and in the Sahara Desert. It was so beautiful at sunset and I kept thinking of Arizona how the colors are always changing at Sunset. I love the desert. That night we went to the Star Wars bar, where scenes from the movie were filmed. My professor bought us all 2 rounds of beers and we hung out there for awhile. We stayed in a hotel similar to what Luke Skywalker and his aunt and uncle lived in for the movie. They are called Troglodytes and they are basically caves underground in the Sahara.
Cave hotel!
Day 5 (Douz): Best day in Tunisia! We went camel riding in the desert. I had a white racing camel that was really tall, but sweet. Her name was Naeim. We wore traditional camel riding garb and turbans. My camel was married to my friend Emily’s and apparently they have 3 babies together. Cute! Riding a camel was just like riding a horse, a really tall and smelly horse that is. As soon as the camel riding was over the weather started to get iffy. A sand storm kicked up and it started raining. This was the night we were supposed to camp in the desert and it was being considered to cancel it. However our tour guide Magit said “You are Americans so you are strong. You can handle it.” So we hopped in four wheel jeeps, blared some Arabian techno, and drove about 15 kilometers into the middle of nowhere to Habibi Camp. Literally the middle of NOWHERE. Camp was set up, some Tunisians were cooking us dinner, and me and some friends sat on a dune and watched the sunset. It was amazing. I don’t think any us could comprehend what we were experiencing. I felt so lucky.
The night in the desert was a cold one. I ended up bundling up like it was a blizzard in Chicago. But I bet the temperature got down to 20 degrees or so. We danced around the fire with a Tunisian band and belly dancers, drank some beers, and watched the stars. Once again the sky in Tunisia reminded me of PortaI, AZ, which has the same view. I saw six shooting stars. I thought of my mom because in Arizona we are always stargazing and looking out for a shooting star. I have always found that stargazing and fires stimulate great conversations. I had some good talks with friends that night.
I feel asleep to Arabian music in the background and people talking around a fire. But sleeping was rough. I woke up about 5 or 6 times with cold limbs and a freezing nose. I already had about 3 blankets over me but it somehow just wasn’t enough. There were about 14 of us in our tent, all huddled together. We woke up at 6 am to see the sunrise and it was beautiful! That sunrise made the cold night worth it.
Da
y 6 (Tamerza): After a very sleepless night in the desert we had a busy day. We went in the jeeps again to a desert oasis called Chebika and a huge dry lake filled with salt. It was so beautiful! It was nice to hike around and get some exercise. After more jeep driving through the mountains, we arrived in Tamerza, about 2 km from the Algerian border. We stayed in a gorgeous hotel with a view of mountains and ruins from my balcony. Apparently the trip is scheduled to have the nicest hotel after the desert to pamper us a little bit. People spent the rest of the day at the spa, in the sun, and napping. I was happy to have a couple hours to myself and recoup after a jam packed six days. At this point we were about halfway through the Tunisia trip and I grew to love it more and more every day.
Above: My two contortionist friends Emily and Emma. Definitely not me in that picture!
View from my hotel room!
Day 7 (Tamerza and Sbeitla): Went four wheel jeep riding on dunes in the morning and saw some more great sights of the Sahara like wild camels, mirages, and mountains. The four wheeling was wild and an adrenaline rush to say the least. We drove up and down and on the sides of dunes to another Star Wars set. This one was better than the first one we saw because it was a whole town. I think it was Anikan grew up in the 1st movie.
That afternoon we headed to Sbeitla, where we were going to stay for the night. I loved driving through small towns on the way and watching little kids wave and run after our bus. People have a very hard life in the Southern part of Tunisia, mostly because of the poverty and conditions of desert life.
Day 8 (Kairouan): We saw some more ruins in Sbeitla, but the best part of the day was visiting the mosque in Kairouan. This is the 3rd most important city for Muslims in terms of pilgrimages. I think Islam is a beautiful religion and I am so happy this trip gave me a lot of new insight into the Muslim religion. We also hit up another market, where they were very aggressive (apparently because Kairouan is one of the poorest cities in Tunisia) and saw some traditional rug making. I saw one that sells for $15,000 and it took 4 years to make. If you ever need a rug…Kairouan is the place. They are all handmade and gorgeous. We drove to Hammamet that night, a city near Tunis that is right on the coast. We smoked some hookah in the hotel, danced in the bar for a bit, and then went to a Latin Dance Club. I absolutely loved the music in Tunisia. They are big on dance music, sometimes in Arabic and some American music. I bought a CD labeled “Arabic Club Dance Songs.” It’s so danceable and that’s why I love it!
Day 9 (Hammamet): Today was a complete free day in Tunisia. The only one too. Got a late start but then me, Lindsey, Emily, Kristen, and Rachel walked along the beach for about an hour and half to the Medina, or local downtown where there is a market. This was by far my favorite market. I don’t know how many times people commented on my blue eyes and asked me if they were fake! Some even said, “You’re blue eyes break my heart.” Here they loved Americans just as much as the first market and the vendors used their famous last words of “No problem, I give you good price.”
Our last night was a lot of fun. Our professor and SLA’s (Student Life Assistants) took us out to Havana Night Club and bought us 3 rounds of drinks. All 70 of us were tearing it up on the dance floor and made some new Tunisian friends. A couple friends and I decided to try Oasis (a dance club that my Tunisian friend Ameen recommended to me on that luncheon one of the first days). Picture a dance club in your head (fog, dance music, strobe lights, VIP section). That was Oasis. We met some Tunisians and I got to use some French, which I didn’t realize how much I missed until this trip. It makes me want to dedicate myself to re-learning it.
Day 10: (Baslema Tunisia) All around, Tunisia was such a unique and wonderful experience. I am happy I decided to go because there was a time when I considered not going. I don’t know how I could have ever thought that! It is such a friendly and down to earth country. I was happy to see that as we traveled from the north to south to east to back north. I feel as though I got an idea of the country as a whole rather than one town. I like to say I experienced some many diverse situations on this trip (roughing it in the desert, living in luxury at 5 star hotels, meeting people in markets, learning about a new culture, eating delicious and exotic food, and meeting new people). I have to say that this trip was a highlight of study abroad experience as a whole.
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