Aslama fee Tunis

It has become a ritual for us, to arrive in a place undergoing the state of emergency measures. Still aware of the risks, but certainly more serene thanks to our Egyptian experience, it felt more worrying in terms of expectations. You may fool yourself in believing that coming from Egypt, it cannot get much worse, because our hearts also beat to a Beladi tune and it was playing loud and clear as the plane hit the ground in Tunis.

From the plane, the dark blue landscape is suddenly cut by a beige wriggly line, covered in colourful circles and the shapes of people, and behind it, a mixture of white and turquoise shapes emerging, with touches and patches of green in the distance.

A different palette from the Egyptian landscape for sure, reminding us a little of the old Constantinople.

Yet, once you enter the airport, it almost felt like home, Cairo, as the understanding of queuing and stamping a passport seems a tiresome and painstaking task for each officer to undertake swiftly.

Tunis is the destination but our new workplace and their welcome is paramount to how you will feel during the first minutes, as you touch the Tunisian soil.

One hour after, and hidden behind our life packed into 9 suitcases, we were welcomed and taken care of in such a human way, every need of ours anticipated, as people, teachers, and parents.

One unsettling feeling is the language. For the past decade, a new destination has also meant the learning of a new language, and sometimes, without even the ability to read the alphabet. In Tunis, due to the Francophone aspect, French is widely spoken by most people, which is a strange feeling to experience, outside of France.

Despite not being able to speak fluent Egyptian Arabic, it is obvious that the Tunisian Arabic is very different, in accent, pronunciation and vocabulary. I am told that Tunisians understand the Egyptian Arabic but it doesn’t work the other way around. It is a matter of preference, but to my French ears, meshi or 5alas sound sweeter than behi or oufe…

In terms of landscapes, as you stroll around in the humid heat, amongst the white houses with turquoise or yellow doors, the beautiful tiles that covers their ceilings or benches, there are very few red brick houses, with the welded wires sticking out, that remind me fondly of Cairo (as well as the police presence on the streets). 
One of the best aspects is the fact that the streets are significantly cleaner in most areas, despite but some trash on the ground in certain areas, as it was in Turkey.

And now, to the most important, the people.

A wonderful trait of North Africa are the smiles, and the more, the better. People easily smile, especially if you talk to them in a language they master. You feel welcomed, as a person but also as a parent, since family values are strongly respected, whether you are a local or not.

Obviously, in this old Roman land, besides the pillars represented by the people, the beauty of the landscape and the language aspect, we could paint an entire acropolis since women appear more Western in their dressing code, both in town and on the beach. Also the variety of daily fresh markets, filled with lovely smells and colours, and much more.

However, the artist in me is not willing to draw such an ambitious canvas yet. Leaving a place and its people entails a mourning period that is still at play.

I shall conclude by telling our friends and family that we have enough space to welcome you here, and we, the 28 degree water, as well as the beach (ten minutes from our place) are not going anywhere!