Bittersweet Symphony

Yesterday was one of those days. Those perfect days that you lucidly walk through, yet feel as though you're dreaming. It wasn't the weather (it was rather hot) and it wasn't the sights (I didn't go anywhere special), it just was. It was in this normalcy, this almost mundane experience that I felt really and truly happy, at least for a little while. Spending time with Tunisian friends, with people who have been living their lives as usual here in Tunis... it made me realize that I've been able to create a life for myself here, my own.

It's something natural, common sensical even. Wherever you go you will find some way of adapting and settling into your surroundings, but it's very different when you begin to realize that you are doing so. But as happy as I was to realize that--well -- that I had a life (small woot!), I also realized just how short this particular life is going to last. This life here in Tunis has an expiration date. Sure, I could always choose to extend my stay longer and longer, but I know that's not something I ultimately want. I know my Dream continues elsewhere. But knowing when the good-byes will come, knowing when a chapter is going to end (especially a really really good one) can be heavy sometimes.

I hate to think about it, but it's like when someone tells you not to look down and all you can think about is how much you really want to look down. It just goes to show, you never know where life is going to lead you. Though looking back the connections may be clear, who you meet, where you meet them, and who you'll see again is a constant mystery. Perhaps their memory will be enough in years to come, but I've met so many amazing people, each with a growing place in my heart, that I can't fathom not knowing if and when I'll see them again.

So I'm thankful for the days like yesterday, and I look forward to more of them. Hopefully the shadow of good-bye will subside until that unfortunate day, and maybe, just maybe, I'll be ready for it then.

Sunshine makes everything better

Where to begin. Tunis is beginning to remind me of a crazier version of DC. I mean, I suppose that all cities are inherently the same (though each presents it's own vibe that distinguishes it from the rest), but on my commute to work the other day, I felt like I was going from Foggy Bottom to Bethesda or Tyson's Corner instead of from Bardo to La Marsa.

I think hanging out with my friend Meriam on Saturday helped with that perspective. It was the closest thing to a typical college night as I know it: go out to a nice cafe, dance a little, get some late-night pizza, and go back to your own apartment (well, Meriam's) and listen to music, talk, play some cards. This isn't exactly the norm here in Tunisia, but it made this place seem more familiar, it made the things that feel so very different more tolerable and less foreign. I really needed that time with Tunisians I can relate to both in language and in mentality.

After that I checked out my new digs, which I was quite pleased with. I'm really excited to nest, to make a place my own here. I'm not really sure why I haven't really done that in my homestay. I guess I never really felt like the room was really mine, but in a few weeks I'll have a second chance at creating a home for myself. I just have to resist the temptation to play interior designer since the place isn't furnished and just begging for a makeover...I just have to keep reminding myself that I'm only there for 3 or 4 months.

In other news, I started teaching english. I have to say it's a bit anticlimactic. I mean, I was really nervous about it, and I still don't feel like I really know what I'm doing, but it wasn't all that. It's nice cause I don't have any more than 3 students in one class which takes the pressure off a lot. I feel I do much better when the setting is more personal. But I don't think the book we're using is gonna last 14 more weeks and the classes are split between 2 teachers. I have 4 classes on Monday, someone else has them on Thursday. I feel like this will make it a little more difficult for me to come up with substantial lesson plans since I don't live close enough to the school to drop by and look at the book (of which there is only 1 copy) or see what the other teacher did until Monday morning since I only work 1 day a week. But again, I'm still not entirely sure I know what I'm doing. If anyone has any help/advice on how to effectively teach/make effective lesson plans, I'm all ears. (for serious)

I can't complain too much though. I get to see the sunrise over Tunis from our kitchen in Bardo (I have to wake up super early to get to work on time since it's about an hour and a half commute and I start at 8:30), I get to go to the beach on my 2 and a half hour long coffee break (it's a 10-15 minute walk from the school), and I get to see the sunset in La Marsa/on my ride home. Plus, one of the other girls on my program lives with a family nearby in Marsa, so I'll probably go over her house for lunches, too. (Her mom is a great cook, seriously, best brik I've ever had...)

Oh! Just one more fun fact: I learned the Tunisian version of "your mom" here. It's not as insulting as actually using "your mom" (ommik) but I don't think I could use this phrase willy-nilly, at least not outside of a group of good friends. It translates to "My dick in your mouth," so if a friend were to make some comment about how hot your mother is you would say "Yeah? Well my dick in your mouth is hot"... As a fan of "your mom" jokes, perhaps after last semester one could say scholar, I was quite pleased to learn this. Maybe after I find out more about its uses and abuses I'll put the phrase here in Tunisian for all to enjoy (though I think the translation is just as fun)