On the road again...

Though I have just been here long enough to get adjusted to the time zone, I am heading back to the states this Thursday to celebrate the marriage of my sister Emily and her husband-to-be John. Photos of the happy occasion will be coming soon.

Shopping in the Medina

This fountain marks the entrance to the medina. The medina hosts several dozen colorful shops and colorful characters selling their goods. Their favorite game to play with the foreigners is to guess our nationality. As I walk by each shop, the workers call out, "Francaise? Italienne? Anglaise? Suisse?" So far, only one person has guessed correctly! The Berber pottery is brought up from the southern parts of Tunisia, where Berber populations live in the Sahara Desert.

The Classroom

For those of you who are starting to wonder whether I do any teaching at all, here is a photo of my classroom. It looks bare, but the kids have filled it up since this photo was taken. (The first photo is the courtyard outside my classroom door).

I am currently teaching two sections of 6th grade Language Arts, and preparing to add two Drama classes next quarter. The teaching has been quite enjoyable. I have two groups with 22 students in each, and that enables me to see every student for 70 minutes, every day. It's been fun to hear about the diverse experiences of this bunch. They have kept me on my toes, and I truly love it.

Pretty in Pink

One of the benefits of living alone is that you truly can paint your living room hot pink! This wasn't supposed to be quite so shocking, but I have come to love the splash of color on these two walls.

Rooftop-warming

Here's a downtown view of Tunis, taken from the roof of a new friend's home this past Friday night.

La Mer (The Sea)

About a mile from my house is the neighborhood of Sidi Bou Said, famous for its great views of the sea and the classic "white-house, blue door" look of every home. Shops all along this hill lure tourists off the cruise ships, which port right here in the Bay of Tunis.

Parasailing on the Med

Picture number one: Pre-parasailing: Relaxing on the beach with Sandy, my friend and fellow ACST teacher

Picture number two: This is me pretending to understand all the directions being given in rapid French. How's my acting?


Picture number three: Liftoff!
Picture number four: "Is it too late to ask them to repeat the directions?" (That little dot near the center of the photo is my parachute).

Honestly, this was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. From the air I could see miles of the white sand beach and the blue-green sea. The palm trees were waving in the breeze, and it was as breathtaking as you would imagine it to be.

Finally, I got my stage!

My mom always said I needed a stage...or did she say that I thought the world was my stage? Either way, check out this one! This is the amphitheater of my school. I will use this stage for drama productions (and for dreaming about my future career). The only problem is the direct sunlight and the temperatures of 104 degrees. Good thing I don't teach drama until winter!

Chez moi (My house)

Here is my new home, located on the edge of the La Marsa neighborhood in Tunis, Tunisia. My apartment is the second story. I'd like to say the balcony overlooks the Mediterranean, but the truth is that it overlooks the identical apartments across the street.

My new blog!

Though I never thought it would come to this, I'm going to try out this new-fangled blogging and see how it works. I'd love to be able to keep you updated through personal mail, but I think this may be a more feasible option. Bookmark this site and check in with me to say hi every once in a while!