A Few New Doors

Yes, I’ve continued to take pictures of doors, but I’ve also gone through a few new “doors” recently. I started teaching English at a small language institute last week and this week I started volunteering at the local hospital in the cancer ward.

Both of these things pretty much fell into my lap. A friend of mine told the director at the language institute I might be interested in a job. The director called me early Monday morning.  I had an interview two hours after that. Then I started teaching the following day!

The volunteer position started because a friend of a friend heard that I used to volunteer at the autism center (volunteers are hard to come by here). That person used to oversee the play room at the children’s cancer ward but was no long able to, so they asked me if I could . I was hesitant at first but after meeting the hospital staff and some of the kids I knew it was a perfect fit.

     

Day in Mahdia

Mahdia (Arabic: المهدية‎ al-Mahdiya) is a quaint coastal town about two hours by train from Sousse. It’s known for it’s fish-processing industry and for weaving.  I had gone there roughly four years ago and really liked it, so I was excited when two of my friends from my knitting club invited me to go for a last minute trip there. The two sisters I traveled with had grown up in Mahdia and both took great joy walking through the fish market where they used to buy fish. I felt a little sick from the smell, but my friends walked through the market very slowly, marveling at how fresh and cheap the fish were. After the fish tour we walked through the old town, took lots of pictures of pretty much everything, went to a gallery where one of the girls had some artwork on display, got some tea, bought some weaved items, and sat by the sea. The sisters seemed to enjoy absolutely everything we did that day because each place and activity reminded them of their childhood. Once again, another fun day with friends!

       

A trip to the desert

I had a great trip to the desert just days after arriving here. The trip included lots of driving, lots of amazing views, a nice camel named Sab-r (patience), a night under the stars in the desert, more breathtaking scenery, some great local food, and a bit more driving. Being out in the desert feels a bit like being out in the middle of the ocean, breathtaking and intimidating at the same time. Here’s a few  of my favorite pictures from the trip.

                 

First few days back

I thought the giant cans of harissa (very spicy chilli paste) at the toll booths on the way to Sousse were a good reminder of how spicy Tunisians like their food. (And yes, almost all the canned foods here say “no conservatives”)

Lovely full moon on my first night back in Sousse.

On my first morning back I walked down to the sea and enjoyed getting cooled off by a lite sprinkling of rain.  


Back with my Knitting club friends!

Back in Sousse

After twenty-four hours of traveling I made it safe and sound to Sousse! I got a little nervous when the flight attendant in Toronto told me they didn’t have any record of me because their partner airline made a mistake. Fortunately she ran around talking to people at the partner airline and managed to print out my boarding passes, giving me thirty minutes to get through customs and get to my gate. All in all the flights were uneventful. I watched a few movies, slept for roughly two hours, and tried to study Arabic as much as possible (nothing like cramming at the last minute!). Once in Tunis I was greeted by a good friend of mine who drove me to Sousse. It felt a little strange to be back but it felt good at the same time.

Goodbye

Goodbye Sousse! I hope to be back in a few months!