"When are you leaving for Tanzania?"

One of the first things I had to deal with when I applied for a job in Tunisia was recognition by other people. Not surprisingly, Tunisia is not one of those countries that many people know a lot about. I got a lot of "when are you leaving for Tanzania?" and the occasional "Tazmania" (thanks Matt). Recently, a buddy from high school, let's just call him "Dan G." posted on my facebook wall wishing me the best of luck in Tanzania - despite the fact that I have listed, in three separate places on my profile, that I am in Tunisia.


If anyone's interested in learning more about Tunisia - there's a few good resources online - the Wikipedia site isn't bad, if a little contentious. Also, looking at Tunisia geographically is an interesting exercise- it puts a lot of Tunisia's shifting international rulers in perspective, from the Phoenicians (and the strategic location of Carthage), to the Romans, Arabs, Ottomans, Spanish, Italians, French, etc... ( a great book that includes a lot on the geography of the region is Fernand Braudel's two-volume masterpiece on the Mediterranean in the age of Philip II of Spain.)
Tunisia's current situation - as being so close to Europe - is evident in the ferries you see leaving for Sicily and Marseilles, as well as in the general culture. Also, without this blog degenerating into a "Pet Blog" ( I promise that won't happen), Jihad needed a bath today - some stomach troubles, which have been resolved.