Le Rentrée et La Goulette

Today was our second day of school and our first day of actual classes for the students in the program taking French. Yesterday consisted of a series of placement tests. First we had an oral test where I read a short passage so that my professor could see how my accent and reading skills were. Next I had to talk about a cell phone. I could say anything I wanted about it. I think most kids had more questions but this was pretty much all that my teacher needed to know. I will focus having conversations and giving presentations. He really just wants me to keep talking and push myself out of my comfort zone. Then I took a very easy written test. I got two questions wrong but the teacher still understands that my French is a lot better than the other students and is going to give me more advanced work to do. Today we had class with Prof. Leila, the professor that works with us on grammar and written French. The other five girls worked together with Prof. Leila as I worked alone on a bunch of higher level exercises. She says that tomorrow she’ll work with me and the other girls will do exercises. These exercises only served to remind me how much I HATE French grammar and that I never got great grades in it. How could I forget that? Although I find it easy to understand and to speak, I have holes in my understanding of grammar that have never been filled and I believe will never be filled. I really enjoyed the last French literature class I took and I don’t mind reading and writing papers in French but I can’t stand sitting around doing exercises. However frustrating it may be I need to take advantage of having some of the best French teachers in Tunisia at my disposal.


The school is dirty and falling apart. It’s downright disgusting really. I had to wipe my seat off with my hand in order to not get dirt on my white shorts. The floor looks filthy, there are cobwebs everywhere, and the huge florescent light fixture in the back of our classroom is hanging down on its electrical cord, just asking to fall on someone’s head. Our whiteboard was no longer white. Prof. Leila was really not happy with the condition of the room. I suppose she was even less pleased when the chair she was sitting on broke underneath her. She’s not a large woman either. She went and talked to the administration and apparently it’ll be better tomorrow. In addition, the bathrooms on the third and fourth floor are simply gutted out cement pits. I don’t know what happened there. I think (hope) they are installing new ones. I was really surprised at the condition of the school. This is the best language school in Tunisia and they can’t afford to hire janitors? I’m kind of confused about the economic situation here. New neighborhoods are springing up all over; I see buildings being built and cranes dotting the landscape. There seems to be a huge focus on expansion. I have yet to see a homeless person. Yes, in general incomes are lower than in the US and there are people begging every now and then… but really, not much of that at all. So explain to me why there isn't enough funding to fix the light in my classroom?

Today after class Alissa and Megan, the two girls studying Arabic that are living with me, and Victoria, another girl in our program, headed to the beach. Last week I went to the beach at La Marsa. I took plenty of pictures, which I would definitely put up if my internet connection was stronger. Today we went to La Goulette, a beach town much closer to Tunis. We lazed around on the beach for a while talking and then Megan and I hit the waves for a while. Although it was sunny after school, by the time we got to the beach it was cool out with a layer of clouds covering the sun. Even though it wasn’t that warm, Megan and I thought the water felt great and had a hard time getting out. Also at the beach we saw two young boys selling jasmine. Jasmine is the national flower of Tunisia, while it is in bloom it is sold everywhere by vendors. They bundle a bunch of blossoms together and they attach them to a stick. They tie a string around the blossoms. When the string is removed the blossoms bloom outwards. They smell delicious. We bought a few from these vendors. They gave one free to Megan but we thought nothing of it at the time. My host brother drove to the beach, but to return we took the cheap and convenient TGM train that connects Tunis to the coastal suburbs back into Tunis. On our walk to the train station we noticed that the jasmine vendors from the beach were walking down the same road as we were. We paused to take some pictures of an old archway when one of them ran up to Megan and pushed a folded napkin into her hand saying “This is for you.” He disappeared as quickly as he had arrived. There was a moment of startled confusion. We had no idea what he had given her. Should she open it? Should she just throw it away? Alissa thought it was drugs. Our curiosity got the best of us and she opened it. On the inside of the napkin he had written “In my life I am looking for something, can you guess?” Inside he had put a photo of him and a photo of the other boy, with their names, numbers, and addresses on the back. Tunisian boys are persistent. Her boyfriend should worry.

It seems that pretty much every night at dinner our host brothers and their wives discuss what brand of bottled water has better quality. Some prefer Safia, some prefer Sabrine, still others prefer Marwa. I picked up the bottle of Marwa water and read the fine print in French on the back of the label: “Marwa mineral water facilitates renal function, it is recommended against obesity and constipation.” Alissa, Megan, and I burst out laughing. We thought that it was hilarious that a bottle of water would claim that it was better at fighting against obesity and constipation than any other bottle of water. Our host family was only slightly amused.

The fast is about to break and I haven’t had that much to eat today so the smells coming from Souad’s kitchen are making my stomach rumble. The big family meals we’ve been having during Ramadan are fun but I can’t wait for it to be over so I can start frequenting cafes and other restaurants during the day. I really am excited to be able to sit back, drink a glass of tea (the Tunisian specialty is a sweet green mint tea with pine nuts floating in it) and watch the people pass by.