Exciting Announcement

 
This will be old news to some, but in September I accepted a job at Robert College, Istanbul. RC is a top tier university prep school on 65 wooded acres overlooking the Bosphorus, just 15 minutes from the heart of Taksim, the old heart of Istanbul. The school, with a population of about 1,000 day and boarding students, accepts only Turkey's top achievers. I will be taking over as Head Librarian in mid-August, and living on campus as does most of the staff. Although I have been happy in Tunisia,  I am very excited about taking on this new challenge and exploring a new culture. Hear the food's great, too!

Hallowe'en Tunisian Style

Sunday it rained again - if anything, harder than last week. (See pictures and movie below.) The water running down my street was level with the sidewalk and the storm drains we bubbling up like fountains. At about 7 pm, I heard a rousing, repeated rendition of something that sounded very much like Trick or Treat. I opened the door to find this intrepid band of youngsters merrily going door to door. Never mind that it was the 30th. Never mind that no one had any candy. It was fun! I ran in and got the a chocolate bar - I keep them for such emergencies - and they happily divided it up. No fear of pins or poison.

Libby greets her favourite boy, Yusef

The Living Dead at my gate

Proud voters

To prevent repeat voting, people had to dip their middle fingers into ink when they cast their ballots. Here are some pictures of Tunisian staff members "showing their colours" the day after the election.

Election Day - Oct. 23, 2011

This video is the best "get out the vote"campaign I have ever seen. For those, like Paige, who witnessed the fall of Ben Ali, it is goose-bump making stuff.

Election day was very calm. It's was beautiful, warm sunny day, and there was a large voter turnout. Ennadha, the Islamic party, is predicting a win, and we can only hope that that is not the case. We must also hope that should they not win, they will be exemplary losers. Rumours are flying, but they are just that - rumours.

I went out with my camera this afternoon to catch a bit of the action. Earlier in the day, people had lined up for two hours and more to cast their ballots, but Sunday lunch is sacrosanct family time in Tunisia, so I didn't witness that.

To prevent anyone from voting twice, every person had to dip their index fingertip in semi-permanent ink before leaving the polling place. It will be a badge of honour tomorrow, I am sure.

Rym with Papito's drawing, titled "For my children."

Short lunch hour lineup in La Marsa.

Proud group of friends

Proud couple - she wearing her "Dégage" - Get out! - t-shirt

Three handsome types on their way to vote.

Hedy our head guard proudly giving me the finger!

On this evening's news, a BBC reporter asked a man standing in line who he thought would win. "We all win," he said. "We win because we're here voting, and because we don't already know who is going to win." Perfect answer.

Rain!

OK so it's nothing compared to Bangkok, but when it rains in Tunis, it rains hard!

My road, or my river?

 There is a wall at the end of my street separating my neighbourhood from the next. During heavy rains, it used to fall down, so now there's escape drainage. I've seen it worse, but this was bad!

Notice the level of the water on that car's tires. This is a highway!

Eid is coming again!

Today this week's flyer announces the big moment. Yes, sheep are once again on sale in the parking lot of our biggest shopping mall! Hooray! Now I can buy my sacrifice when I finish picking up that Gucci bag I've been eying.

Oh look! Here comes one now!

Day trip to Kelibia

The Fortress of Kelibia

Three hours' drive to the south, on the tip of the Cap Bon, lies the town of Kelibia. Towering over its clear turquoise and indigo waters, looms a Punic fort built  in the 4th century and later used by the Romans, Arabs, and French and Germans as one after the other, they tried to control this country.  Now The fortress is now the property of the Tunisian National Guard.

Phillipe, Suren and Mouna

Our Mediterranean playground

Ah, if only he were 20 years older...

My colleagues Phillipe, Suren and Mouna just popped in for lunch at a delightful seaside restaurant appropriately named "Les Pieds dans l'Eau", feet in the water. We swam between each course. Magnifique!