Day 1 - Tunis

So there I was.... sprinting like a star running back (more like a sweaty stumbling shuffle jogger) with a 40 lb. backpack and a cat crate in each hand from the ticket counter, through security, to the end of the terminal, onto a bus, and onto the Tunis Air shuttle across the Mediterranean Sea. This was one of the more fantastic feats of athleticism since my Army days. Seriously. We are talking several hundred yards of this insanity punctuated with a FRANTIC guided search at customs that you simply would not believe.  So how did I get myself in this position? I knew I had a tight layover as I landed in Rome at 9:25am, pick up cats from American baggage pickup, go through customs, back into the airport, to the ticket counter at Tunis Air, back through customs, searched again, frisked the cats, and onto the the airplane to Tunis leaving at 11:20am. That departure time came and went as some guys at the ticket counter in front of me with no tickets were seemingly trying to bribe the counter agent into doing something unorthodox to get them on. By the time I got to the counter, it was already 11:00. I was not happy. Did I mention I had already gone through a fiasco just to find where Rome baggage claim had taken the cats? For some reason, after my demented scamper through the airport, I reached the STILL WAITING plane after 12:00pm. That's right. They held a full plane with about a hundred passengers for over 40 minutes - for me. Unbelievable! I was at the door of the plane and told to halt. The captain came out personally to inspect my precious cargo. There was a pained look on his face as I asked him in breathless rusty French, "Permission to board, Captain?" He waived me and the boys in with a look of bemused contempt. Interesting. I THEN brought in each crate ONE by ONE through the length of the plane over everyone's heads, sweating, dying and simply amazed that no one tried to trip me for delaying them all so long. As I settled into the back I was immediately befriended by the Tunisian flight crew. To be honest, more people in Rome were interested and concerned for my cats by far than anywhere else I have been. As the plane took off into a beautiful sunny sky I had my first crossing of the Mediterranean as I made my first Tunisian friend - Amine. By the time the 50 minute flight was over he had given me his phone number and promised to do anything he could to help get me settled in to the city. What a wonderful introduction to my new temporary home. I must say the linguistic abilities of most Tunisians is fantastic. Most speak Arabic and French fluently. Many others speak Italian, and English as well. Impressive.
After touching down we made the short trip through the Tunis airport where I was told to put the cats through the x-ray machine. I should have protested. But I didn't. I was just too tired. I would have put myself through the thing if they had asked. Another 30 minutes went by while I picked up some Tunisian Dinars and caught a cab to my hotel. I spent the afternoon getting the boys settled into the new room and reporting in for duty at AMIDEAST. Leila is my supervisor. Her French is Parisian's finest (Her mother was French, father Tunisian) and the manner in which she slips fluidly from Arabic, to English, to French is stupefying. Most of her star Tunisian pupils do likewise. We discussed her plans for me -- which include three weeks in Tunis and most of the rest of my time in Sousse arranging the upstart program there after the model in Tunis. At 4:30 pm, I left and wandered around the city like a lost child. It was quite warm and sunny, but not too hot. The traffic has the feel of New York streets but with no lines anywhere. It will take a little getting used to this continuous near death sensation of crossing the street. I walked past parks, down dirty streets, past local women in hijabs, and others in high heels and tight clothing. Men dominated the cafes and public areas while women appear to arrange themselves into the background scenery somehow. This creates an interesting contrast to the highly female dominated atmosphere at AMIDEAST. Several of the women I met today there told me they were excited at the prospect of having another man on staff. While stalled at an incomprehensible street intersection, I was "befriended" by a stout and irresolutely friendly man by the name of Aziz who spoke three or four different languages. This makes it difficult to appear not to understand someone if you wish to avoid contact. He essentially took me on a two hour walking tour as his "fellow brother" and it only cost me $10 or $15 as I paid his "fee" by being overcharged for the various items we bought. I knew what was happening but he was transparent enough to me and not bad as a source of information. This appears to be de rigour for lost souls such as myself.  The faces of the men on the street and the masculine vibes are extraordinary. The women look defiant in contrast. The endless supply of street cats have haunting desperate eyes. I saw one tearing some sinew off of some indescribable hunk of meat. I suspect it might have been a goat's head. I reflected on the rare curiosity my cats must have been to all the Tunisians who watched me actually carting mine around like some priceless exotic treasures.
I am intrigued already with the people here and with my new job. This is like nowhere I have been in Asia, the States, Central America, or Europe. Tunis has its own rhythm. Hopefully I can match it.


DD