Restaurant La Mer

So, it's past midnight here on a Friday night, and I've just gotten back from a great dinner/day out. I was just at a restaurant called "La Mer" which is in La Goulette, out just South of Carthage on the Meditteranean. It was me, plus the director of CEMAT - The Center for Maghreb Studies - and Lee, the director of AMIDEAST Tunisia. What a night. First off, I know I've already talked about Lee, but he really is an amazing boss. Larry also fits that mold quite nicely. He's a former Berkeley Professor who works out here on research projects and directs the institute. One of his jobs is coordinating the intensive State Dep't Arabic Language Program here during the summer. I got to meet about ten out of the thirty American students today, who were all off for the weekend to stay with a Tunisian family and delve a bit more into American life (ie: more than being in their hotel on the central road and being relatively consumed with studying).

Anyways, the dinner was another one of those amazing experiences, like going to the Amphitrite in Carthage on Tuesday. Being around two serious veterans of the academic/NGO world was quite an honor. We talked about my career (hypotheticals only...), and they gave me a lot of excellent advice. To top it off, the food was amazing. The best was squid in a cumin-tomato sauce, with very good mussels as well.

I'm beginning to adjust (maybe the meals are helping a bit), and I've been glad for the constant company of a bunch of people, both Tunisian and non-, who have shown me bits and pieces of what makes them happy here. Now that I've gotten over that initial hump of homesickness (although it's far from being *over*), I'm starting to feel more adventurous. Tomorrow is a big trip out to Sidi Bou Said, and hopefully (or not) a football game at night.