All Moved In

And I have temporary (fairly slow) internet! But I just got that a few hours ago, so I wrote most of this post from a coffee shop downstairs from my apartment. I'm lucky it's so close, because I've been running there about 4-6 times a day since I discovered it on Sunday. I would prefer to stay for longer amounts of time and go less, but, keeping with my luck in apartments, the landlord has been fixing things all week. She keeps saying, "yes, yes, it will be done tomorrow," but that has not proved to be true. I wouldn't mind, but everytime she comes to the apartment, I have to leave my internet haven and hang out in the apartment trying to get everything done on a blackberry:).

I haven't taken pictures yet, because I would like to show the final product. Also I think pictures would just break my internet. This is not permanent, but I won't have my permanent line in until next week probably. Inshallah.

For those of you who know my housing luck over the past few years (with the exception of Mark and Pam's basement!) it won't surprise you to hear that there were some complications with the initial moving in process.

I got the keys Friday, and had intended to move most of my things in on Friday night. Right as I was leaving with the realtors, they suggested I try the keys, just in case. It's good they did, because the bottom key promptly bent and wouldn't open the lock. So then we got a locksmith to come on Saturday and open the door, which took 3 hours. Then the landlord hadn't cleaned and changed some of the furniture that she promised to, so there were phone calls to be made. Slowly the changes have been made, but everyday I have to call the landlord and use a confusing combination of French and Arabic to get her to fix something else:). But it's forcing my French and Arabic to come back. I really wish I had memorized apartment vocabulary a little better. One of the funnier breakages happened on my first night in the apartment. I had finally gotten settled, mostly unpacked, and I was happily getting into bed with a book. I slumped back against the backboard and it promptly broke, sending me flying. I just gave up at that point and didn't touch anything until the next day.

Those were the frustrating things about my apartment, but there are many good things! It has 3 balconies, 2 bedrooms and a kitchen! The stove doesn't' even burn the wall! It's been nice to cook, after the 2 weeks in the hotel. Yes, I'm cooking. Granted, it's just pasta fazoul, but still.

It is also in the middle of La Marsa, so I can walk to a grocery store, many stores, and more gelato places than I can count. And the beach. I haven't had time to fully explore the neighborhood, but I will this weekend.

As I went through the decorations in the apartment left from the former tenants, I found some interesting things but the weirdest was the parrot pictured here. It comes up to my waist and doesn't seem to serve any purpose, except for creeping me out a little...

On a cultural note, tomorrow is Labor Day here (here's an article on it: http://www.tunisia-live.net/2013/04/30/tunisia-celebrates-labor-day/) so everything will be closed. We'll see if anything interesting happens. Most of the celebrations are happening downtown, so I won't be able to see them.

As always, email, skype and IM me. I will eventually receive the messages. The most frustrating thing about limited internet is that I feel really disconnected with the world, but I have gotten caught up on reading. I just finished the Hobbit and now I am finally getting around to finishing "House of Stone," which is about a Lebanese American man returning to his family's home in Lebanon. Thanks to Meagan Nouhra for recommending it! I started reading it months ago, but never had the time to finish it. If anyone else has book suggestions, I welcome them!

Cheers from Tunis,

Ariel