First week in Tunis

SUMMARY [for those of you who are busy]:

* Ramadan - I fasted. Various Tunisians explained their philosophy of the meaning of Ramadan: the fundamental equality of humankind, as all men & women, rich and poor, are equal before God. Not drinking water was the most difficult part. I saw a man in a mouse costume, a fire eater, & celebrated Eid.

* Apartment searching - ... [..]

So I have arrived in Tunis & settled in. I celebrated Ramadan, apartment searched, and had an unusually difficult time readjusting to a new sleep pattern.

I am currently living in Khereddine, which is a town north of downtown Tunis along the train (the TGM line). When I first arrived, Thomas, a fellow Fulbrighter also staying in the apartment (which was being rented by *another* Fulbrighter) accidentally locked us out. We still lugged all of my 60+ pound suitcases up to the 4th floor. In a spiderman-like move he jumped from the top of another building onto our apartment building and then down onto the balcony to let us back in.

So for now I’m living in a tall apartment building from which you can see the Mediterranean, the hills outside of the city across the water, and lots of white houses with blue shutters. The streets are dirty, but certainly cleaner than downtown.
A mosque behind the apartment building rises up tall above the other buildings and from the minaret the call to prayer is broadcast several times a day. During Ramadan (this year in September), evening services were also played over the loudspeaker. Burning incense in the evenings covered the smell of early autumn moldiness (which seems to be typical along the coast when it’s not summer) & of the trash bags lining the sidewalks, thrown in a way that seems haphazard (but probably is not).

FASTING--
I fasted for three days during Ramadan. The first day was certainly the hardest. Ramadan works around the rising and setting of the sun: celebrants rise early to eat a hearty breakfast before daybreak and abstain from eating, drinking, smoking, etc. until sundown. From my experience, Catholics fast similarly except that I have always thought that drinking water was allowed. I told the Ghorbels (the family I lived with during my internship & research last year) that I would fast with them but that I might have to drink water, especially since it was still kind of hot - they laughed good naturedly. Apparently fasting during Ramadan while drinking water is pretty much a contradiction in terms. So, I abstained each day from food and drink for what amounted to about 18 hours.

The first day was particularly hard, since I woke up at 9:30 AM - and not at 5 AM to eat the “s-hour” (morning breakfast) [people rise before daybreak to eat and then go back to sleep]. I went downtown to go curtain shopping with the Ghorbels, and I was thirsty, especially walking around the hot and dusty streets. Since they had all been doing Ramadan for almost a month (and have been fasting every year since they were 12 years old or so), they said they felt their bodies had learned to adjust more easily. 

When we got home from curtain shopping, we turned on the TV. Fasting really does sensitize you to the luxuries to which you have normally become desensitized: a commercial in which a can of soda was loudly and dramatically poured was torture. Yet in the Ghorbel house at least there was no groveling or pampering. In an effort to give me perspective, Essia Ghorbel, who is in her mid-60s, reminded me of the millions of children south of the Sahara for whom water is actually a luxury - where lack of water supplies along with inadequate sanitation  are major causes of child mortality.

RAMADAN, CHARITY, PERSPECTIVE--

Ramadan is certainly a time that emphasizes social cohesion, introspection, recognition of social ills… Packages of sweets and even meals are offered to the poor– when I asked the Ghorbels who the ‘poor’ were they told me that they gave sweets to the man from the municipality who cleaned the streets. More beggars than usual could be seen in downtown Tunis, but I was surprised to see that some of them seemed to be largely ignored by the swarms of passers-by. The Ghorbels explained that they know all of the beggars, since until about 8 years ago they lived downtown and they still spend much of their time out of the house at the markets in central Tunis. They said that many of the beggars who come out during Ramadan are ‘opportunists’ who make their living by begging during the holy month.

As a more serious student of religion, I have found the goal of Ramadan to be noble & nobly enacted. Various Muslims here - from taxi drivers to accountants - have thus explained to me Ramadan's objective: to render all people equal, despite social class, age, gender….& to remind those of us with other concerns of the suffering of those whose struggle still includes the ability to fulfill basic needs. 

Another thought on the festivities: Ramadan seems to be one of those peculiar holidays like Christmas in which even those who are less or even non-practicing participate. The Tunisians whom I have met traveling or living abroad still do Ramadan, and even Shedly, the 69 year-old father in the Ghorbel family, fasts during much of Ramadan, despite the fact that he is diabetic, arthritic, and suffering from a number of other illnesses. [Several Muslims in Tunis have explained to me that is in fact against the instructions of the Muslim Holy book, the Qur’an, to fast when one is ill or otherwise weakened…]

RAMADAN NIGHT LIFE--

At night the cafés, especially in downtown Tunis & in the most northern suburbs, were filled with people: men, women, children, listening to live music, strolling the sidewalks, eating and drinking specialties offered just during Ramadan. I took some pictures that I will try to post here. I had coffee one afternoon with a Tunisian woman who is also an artist and she critiqued Ramadan – as I have heard other Muslims – because the post-dusk feasting, she said, defeats the metaphysical purpose of Ramadan.

One night, I did walk around downtown Tunis with Karim. We walked through the working-class neighborhoods that a generation before were populated by the very people who have since moved out into the suburbs. In Bab Sourka, I witnessed an interesting sequence of events. First, a man dressed in a mouse suit (like Mickey Mouse) was promoting a brand – I think the cell phone company Tunisiana. He was standing on a small stage and dancing as families and young people walked by. Suddenly, a man dressed in a black tank and dark jeans pushed him and the mouse man whipped off his hat and jumped off the stage in indignation. I wanted to take a picture of the man in the mouse suit but he looked so humiliated that I couldn’t (but Karim did). I guess no one wants to wear a mouse suit in a downtown square during the most festive month of the year & in front of potential neighbors. The man in the mouse suit eventually got back up on the stage and started dancing again, but his performance ended pretty quickly and then the aggressor in the black tank and dark jeans jumped up on the stage with a wooden torch. He was a fire blower. Holding alcohol in his mouth, he spit large streams of alcohol against the flame which flared in enormous bursts. He then stuck the burning stick into his mouth, and the alcohol (I guess) extinguished the flame. I asked Karim if that hurt and he said no. I’m not really sure he has ever done that though :p.

APARTMENT SEARCHING--

Aside from celebrating Ramadan, most of my time has been spent searching for apartments. I think I will be living on my own – it seems like it will just be easier. A few teachers will be arriving at Amideast (the American language school in Tunis) in the coming weeks, but I would rather find housing for the first 6th months (of language study) on my own and see how things unwind for my second grant period of 9 months (when I will do research). Recently, I saw a beautiful apartment in Sidi Bou Saïd (way out in the northern suburbs) with the help of my Tunisian professor Noureddine’s sister & her husband. They were both really helpful and got me an excellent price for the apartment – 600 TD/month (about 480 USD) but the apartment did not have central heating and the suburbs along the coast are freezing in the winter… My responsibility including electricity probably would have been around 800 TD/month, or 640 USD, which seems like just too much. I need to save some money for traveling, furnishings, transportation, food, etc. So I am still looking, in the slightly less ritzy parts of the city. I am hoping for an apartment that is semi-furnished with a decently sized kitchen, 1-2 bedrooms, decent bathroom, and living room/dining room. The apartment also has to be near transportation centers, since I will not have a car until I have my carte de séjour, and I cannot get a carte de séjour until I have an apartment. Catch 22.

OTHER NEWS--

I am making slow headway on the other fronts. I contacted a woman to tutor me in Arabic and am meeting her Monday, though she lives in the northern suburbs and may not be able to tutor me if I don’t live near her. I also met a great American woman who directs a language institute for foreign service officers here. She has two adopted children – twins – from Ethiopia who are really adorable. I ate dinner at their house and it was really enjoyable; she also offered me a bed if I might need one.

I am also recording some Tunisian recipes. I’d love to put one for a great dish called “Mlekhouia” here but I can’t because you can’t buy the powder outside of Tunisia. I’ll bring some home and make it for Christmas.

That is all for now. I am going to watch the first episode of True Blood. Hopefully it is good. I am back in Khereddine and needing some down time.

Eid mabrouk to everyone who just celebrated Ramadan & happy autumn (my favorite season)….