Post-Revolution Travel

As many of you may already know, the Tunisian economy has suffered immensely since the Jasmin Revolution. Tourism makes up more than 10% of Tunisia's GDP and as a result, cities and villages that rely on tourism are taking a big hit and suffering from unemployment. When I walked the same streets in picturesque Sidi Bou Said three years ago, it was packed with tourists who had come to see the illustrious white washed city on the glimmering Mediterranean Sea. These days, you see few western tourists if any at all. Too many are concerned about violence and post-revolutionary unrest. Although, the reality is quite different. While Tunisians are largely concerned with the upcoming elections and the shape their future government will take, the country is quite safe. A Tunisian friend of mine who generally works as a tour guide recently posted this article on Facebook. He, like 400,000 other Tunisians, has been searching for another job in the wake of the tourism downturn the country has faced since the revolution. In attempt to break down the image of Tunisia as a dangerous Tunisia, Tunisia's Tourism Board has taken on a bold new strategy in its advertisements bound for European countries.







Ravi (the current American Corner Coordinator) held a conversation hour about this topic with Tunisian students and most of them saw the ads as targeting the wrong audience. They say that wealthy Europeans who come to Tunisia simply to stay on resorts often times come on a European travel company trip which exploits Tunisian companies and retains most of the profit. The kind of tourists the students would like to see are young people who are interested in culture, history, architecture and politics. They want people like them to come and visit their country, people that they can interact with and talk. Tunisians are working hard to build their country up now that its fate is in their hands but the fact of the matter is that Tunisians need people like you and me to visit and support their transition from dictatorship to democracy.

So, help me in making Tunisia 700 million tourists strong this year!

House Hunters International: Tunis

Nothing empowers you more in a society than truly interacting with it. The search for housing in this complex city made me feel both helpless and strong at the same time. It allowed me to understand how great I can be in language and in adapting to cultural differences in daily interactions and it also opened a window into the hospitality and helpfulness of the Tunisian people even under the most uncertain and stressful of times.

When I arrived in Tunis a week ago, I visited my host family from 2008 with high hopes that they would take me into their house again. A hassle-free and comfortable option I thought. However, to my surprise, I arrived at their home to find a family of Libyans from Tripoli fleeing from the mass murder that Colonel Qaddafi has inflicted on his people. As protests broke out in Libya, the father of the family bravely spoke out about atrocities such as murder and rape on the internet, informing the world of what is really going on. Two months ago, as Qaddafi’s violence and search for dissidents persisted, the man had no choice but to flee the country with his wife and two small children for neighboring Tunisia. His family made their way to Tunis, the capital, where they were taken in by the kindness of my host mother and brothers. As my search for housing continued, I came to find out that this family’s story is not unique today.

So, I decided to find an apartment for the summer with Vanessa, a girl who I studied abroad with in Tangier, Morocco last summer. The plan was to find an apartment for a couple months and then either move into my host family’s home if the war is over and safe for Libyans to return or move into an Italian convent that houses many other foreigners. I began scouring the pages of La Presse, a French language newspaper in Tunis as well as Tunisie Announce (Tunisia’s Craigslist). This led to the challenge of an impromptu French lesson. I found many places but the prices were far above what I was told I could find in Tunis. Nevertheless, I came across an apartment, two bedrooms, spacious and located just 3 blocks from work! It was at the higher end of my budget but I thought it was worth a shot. I called Vanessa and with the help of a Tunisian friend, Rasha, we found the place. It was beautiful, clean, huge, well furnished… Come to find out, a Libyan family had arrived just before us and scooped it up. This pattern continued. My host mother informed me that an apartment across the street was now running 75 TND/night (more than the hotel I was staying in) due to the influx of Libyan refugees searching for homes. It is for this reason that the price of housing has skyrocketed. Tunisia is dealing with a major refugee crisis. Those who can afford it come to Tunis where they find decent apartments and live comfortably. The majority, who can not afford it, are left in refugee camps on the borders. On any given day there is a line of people from Libya waiting outside their embassy here in Tunis (which is guarded by barbed wire and soldiers) seeking asylum in the country that inspired them to fight for a better Libya. There are also tents lined up along a major road in Tunis with medical services for the wounded fleeing from Libya. It will be interesting to see how this problem unfolds in the coming months with Tunisia still in political limbo and the situation in Libya continuously worsening.

Due to the high price of housing, we began finding announcements for apartments that used to be 300 TND for 600 TND; prices have doubled. One place we looked at was smaller than the size of my bedroom at home that had one small sleeping room, a tiny bathroom and an even smaller kitchen area. To top it off, the place was filthy and there was a man laying on one of the beds in his underwear when the woman showed us the place. There were more like this and we ultimately realized we would have to pay a higher price. Eventually, we found a decent place about a 10-15 minute walk from work at the higher end of out budget. Without the tireless hours spent searching and the generous help of my host brother and students from the American Corner (AC) it would have never been possible. The kindness I have been shown throughout this first week tells me that I am going to have a great year here. Tunisia is a land of hospitality. This is demonstrated both through their interactions with Americans who are simply here to work and Libyans who have nowhere else to go.

My Room



My Kitchen



My Bathroom



My Sitting Room

I'm Baaaack!

Well, here I am back in Tunis! I had a safe but long journey here and have spent the past couple days readjusting the the time change and Tunisian life. I visited the American Corner (AC), where I will be working, after my arrival on Friday. There I met with the current AC coordinator, Ravi. I also met a number of AC members and spent some time chatting with them. Yesterday, I met up with some of the members I had met the previous day at the cafe next to the theater where we sipped on mint tea before wandering around the city the rest of the day. Today my host mother and host brother from 2008 came to meet me at the hotel I am staying at. They whisked me away to their home where I met a Libyan family that is staying with them after fleeing Tripoli and ate couscous with tuna filet, hot peppers, potatoes and chickpeas. It feels great to be back in Tunis and I am looking forward to a great first day of work tomorrow!