The Next Episode

So, this morning I wake up to more pet problems. This time the same puppy threw up worms. They were still alive. It was disgusting.

I called the vet, and took the poor little guy in to her. One injection plus 1/4 of a pill later, the puppy was back at home. I guess it's somewhat normal here for any dog that spends time outside. In any case, I just recently got into work (it's around 11:00 AM here right now), and I'm taking a breather... The puppy will get sicker before he gets better.

On a more positive and less stomach-churning note, I had a really great iftar, or Ramadan dinner, at my friend Hichem's last night out in Ibn Khaldoum. His mother is Algerian, so we got to talk a lot about Algeria, and she made Algerian food for dinner. The soup that we had was similar to the Tunisian tomato-based shurba, but it had cinnamon and some mint in it - very nice and refreshing. The couscous is also whiter, more like Moroccan. Tunisian couscous is noticeably red in appearance from the tomato paste (right?). There was also a dish with cow's intestines and white beans, and some great chicken. She made brik as well, and I went through two of them, which was probably one too many. Also, since Hichem's dad is part Syrian, we had some fresh tahina.

She loved to talk about Algeria, and I loved to listen. I got to see some photos of Algiers and of the countryside, which was absolutely beautiful. Algiers retains a very strong French look in the new quarter - it practically seems like you're in Nice. She is going to try and get me an Algerian visa, but I don't think it'll work out. Plus, Algeria is not exactly safe for Westerners.

Hichem's mom is one of quite a few people that I have met who has no desire in living in Europe or America. I think often the stereotype of people in the developing world is that they all want to go and live in America, and I've met a lot of North Africans who don't feel that way. They have their families here, and it's part of who they are. I remember even the first week, I was talking to Cherifa, and I asked her where she wanted to go and work with her business degree, and she responded, "Tunisia, of course!"