Day 11 January 14

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Today we returned to the medina, this time with our history professor. Must say I didn't absorb much, until we entered some of the buildings and old houses. Those were brilliant. Lunch was strange. I was seated with a few others right next to the kitchen, where the cooks shouted to each other and to the waiters. We felt rushed. Kittens begged us for food. After lunch we were ushered into an all male cafe, or at least that was what it seemed like. I quickly finished my tea and left with Samia and Asja. We found a small shop where we had bracelets engraved with names in Arabic script as gifts. The man was friendly. I also got a hand of Fatima necklace, or as they say in Tunisia, a hamza. We also sought out the post office, which wasn't close, and which was very weird. We had no idea which window we needed, until a nice man pointed us in the right direction. Asja commented that everyone there looked like they were at a funeral. On the way back to the medina to meet up with Samia's Tunisian friend (later they will start dating, even after we return to the states), a weird man with a red hat stood really close to us and just stared (we had stopped to talk to Justin, Nick, and Dan). He must've been crazy. Samia told him to get lost. He yelled at us. It was odd. We got out of there. After wandering around the souk with Samia's friend for a little while, Asja and I took a taxi back to La Marsa, where we had hummus at Fayrouz. I headed home by myself. I showed the family what I had purchased in the souk. Besma asked us if we wanted to go out. Jenn stayed in, but I went with her. Upon exiting the gate, we were met by two of her friends, and got in their car. We ended up back in Carthage, at the same cafe I'd been at the first time I was there. We ordered coffee. I liked her friends but at the same time it was difficult to communicate. I don't feel guilty, though, those guys have studied English for 8 years! Out of the whole evening, the phrases they spoke to me in English were "you have beautiful eyes," "you have a boyfriend?," and "do you like Bush?" THey dropped us at home and that ended the day.

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