My first experience teaching English here was very enjoyable. I met a lot of great people, had a lot of laughs, and learned many interesting things about Tunisian culture and the business world here. I’m not sure what the upcoming months have in store for me but I hope to continue teaching English whenever and wherever possible.
I apologize for falling behind on posting photos and stories these past few weeks. I sometimes feel like I don’t have anything new to share. Yet actually, I do have quite a bit to share, but I sometimes forget to take pictures of the activity or just don’t feel comfortable taking pictures. However for the first post of today I thought I could show a few pictures of some of the things the girls in knitting club have made lately.
Lots of hats, lots of scarves and one shawl (with a matching crocheted ring). 
More scarves and other sorts of neck warmers. (I’ve only managed to make rectangular items so far, but have plans to make something else soon). 
I didn’t manage to take pictures of all the baby booties and baby hats, the crocheted bags, or pillow cases but I will soon. These girls are really fast learners and enthusiastic. They’re also good at getting their friends hooked on knitting as well. More pictures to come soon.
Volunteer work is going well. Kids rotate in and out as they come to get their medications, I often see the same kids every three weeks. I’ve also been meeting new kids together with their families almost every week. There is one nine year old boy, Edem, who has been there for over four months and I have watched him get progressively worse. He is a very bright and fun child and it’s very hard to watch him suffer.
English teaching has also been going well. The course I was teaching is coming to an end next week. I’m going to apply at another English school and am looking into a few different options for work.
Knitting club has been becoming more and more interesting. Two of the members talked to some government officials about our club and got permission to do a city-wide knitting activity and they were also given a free table at a few very popular art fair. Now all the girls in the club are busy making things they’d like to sell. (Also, after our fishing trip, one of the girls went out and bought her own fishing pole, so I think we’ll be having more fishing trips in our future!)
There are lots and lots of different clubs and associations in our city, most of which started after the revolution in 2011. A few of my expat friends and I are doing our best to visit as many of these different groups as possible. It’s been fun seeing what people in this city are getting involved in (polyglot group, photography group, drama groups, groups that support the needy, parent associations, etc.).
Also, I had a fun Thanks Giving celebration this weekend with a number of expat friends. Some of them had never been a part of a Thanks Giving gathering before and had never tried pumpkin pie, so it was fun to give them that experience. The food was excellent and so were the games!
