Back in Tunisia - 3 weeks of settling in!

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Returning to Tunisia felt like coming home. Everything seemed so familiar, except the lack of long queues to get through immigration at Tunis Carthage Airport. Even the inevitable delays at Heathrow were shrugged off. We found out a few days before we left that one of our friends was going to be on the same flight so we met up with Najoua which helped to pass the time. It also turned out that the young couple we spoke with briefly during the delay were going to the British Council too!! We were met at the airport by a driver who was expecting us to have a large amount of luggage. That's a relief as we would never have squeezed our NINE bags into a small taxi! Then we were taken to the Hotel Ariha which is where we stayed last time we arrived in Tunisa to work!

Life at the British Council has been very good so far. All the new teachers have been subjected to two weeks of induction training which has been very useful, especially the two days dedicated to helping us deal with young learners. The first week also saw us all dashing around town trying to find somewhere to live. A lot of the other teachers live out at La Marsa, on the coast a 30 minute bus ride away from work. We hadn't intended on living that far out but having looked at some dreadful places we found one we really liked. It's a bit sparsely furnished as you can see by the photos but it will soon look and feel like home. It was quite a trial finding a place though. One landlord told us he couldn't get the keys until the following day but we could view the outside of the apartment. It was 9pm and dark, and we had travelled half an hour on the tram to get there. Needless to say we didn't pursue his apartment!!

We arrived in Tunisia during Ramadan which caused a few headaches. Eating and drinking in public during daylight hours is frowned upon but thankfully the hotel's breakfast room and the British Council's kitchen area were ok. Restaurants got very full after sunset when everyone goes out for their Iftar meal. The medina in the heart of Tunis was dangerously busy with crush injuries a real risk for the unwary traveller! We only had 10 days of this though as we knew the end of Ramadan was close and the Eid al Fitr holiday was due. Even the cafe in the Belvedere Park was deserted giving the place quite an odd feeling.

When the Grand Mufti in Tunis announced the end of Ramadan, the population moves en-masse back to their family homes. We decided to travel down to Sousse and visit friends from our previous stay there earlier in the year. It was great to see everyone again and we spent some time lounging by the pool at our friends' house as well as socialising quite a bit!! The journey back on the Sunday was a bit hectic though as the same popular migration was in reverse. Luckily we travelled around midday and were only slightly inconvenienced. Quite what the evening trains were like we don't want to even think about!!

Our apartment is only a 15 minute walk from the beach. Hopefully summer will hold on long enough for us to make the most of that. We are also more or less on the site of the Sunday market. It's a mecca for anyone wanting to stock up on fresh fruit and vegetables. It is hot, hectic and not without hassle, but a great experience. Any problems are soon soothed away by looking at the glorious sunset from our lounge window. The panoramic image has not been altered or enhanced. Not bad, is it?!!

And so the teaching season is now upon us and a daily routine of sorts will soon dictate our lives. We have a 15 minute walk up the the bus stop. On the way we pass a mysterious yellow gate before going past a wide range of shops - butchers, bakers, but no candle-stick makers that we know of! Outside La Marsa mosque a bus is usually waiting for us and we have been pleasantly surprised by their comfort and ease. At the other end it's just 5 minutes to work.

So that's our life for now. Hopefully we'll find enough adventure to warrant the occasional blog!

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Photos

Bab el Bahr
Everyone comes out to play once the sun has gone down

Tunis Theatre
Is that really a Tommy Cooper poster?

Mysterious Yellow Gate
What lies beyond??!!

Comments

[Karol]

im wanting to travel to tunisia,africa but travel agent is dicouraging me fro going.is there any thing you can tell me?please respond this is very important to me

[rrruss]

Come to Tunisia!
I can't imagine why anyone would advise you not to come to Tunisia.

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