November in Tunis: Marine Corps Ball and Rain

Hello all!

I'm sitting in my apartment waiting for the blue sky that I can see in the distance to reach my apartment so I can walk to get a taxi. It's been raining on and off for the whole week, which makes getting around a little bit harder…

The past few weeks have been very packed, so I haven't had time to write. Between traveling to the U.S. to see Grandpa and getting epically sick, it seems like the past weeks are a little bit of a blur.

It's unbelievable to me that I got back from the U.S. about two weeks ago. Amara and I (read: Amara) managed to pull off "Operation Applebutter," where we both surprised Dad for Applebutter day in Batesville. I don't think I've ever seen Dad speechless before, so that alone was worth the 23+ hour trip. I'm sorry I missed a lot of you while I was home. It was a last minute trip that was more family oriented, so I didn't get a chance to see everyone I wanted to! At least we finally got a picture of the 4 of us. I don't remember the last time that happened. Both of these are good, though the second one reflects our family better. For those who don't know, Dad and I had been up most of the night stirring applebutter, which is why we're all looking a little rough… And it was 7 am.

I also got to see the most amazing double rainbow over the farm:

I was really glad to get home for fall and it was good to see Grandpa. The fall colors were not really in full swing, but I got to eat good apples and brought some apple butter back with me to Tunis. I ended up working the whole week I was at home, but at least I had a dog on my lap for a lot of that time.

When I got back to Tunis, work got a little crazy. As most of you have heard, the director of my office left at the end of October, so we're now in a holding pattern until we get a new director. We have plenty to do, but its been frustrating not being able to make a lot of progress, because so much depends on the new director… If you want more info on the work situation, email me:)

Other than work though, life in Tunis hasn't been that stressful.

On November 2, some friends of mine and I went to the Marine Corps Ball at the American Embassy in Tunis. It was a very fancy affair (thanks to Amara for helping me get ready via skype) and a lot of fun. We didn't get that many pictures, but a few are below.

Apparently, it is a thing at the Marine Corps Ball for the Marines to gather and have their picture taken with anyone who wants it. We thought this was a supremely awkward situation, but it was part of the experience. The camera we used was not the creates, so we got a "demon marines" photo instead of something more dignified. It was fun to see everyone dressed up and we got to meet a lot of the embassy staff. We were at the DCM's table, so we had a good view of the ceremony and were right next to the cake-cutting part, where the cake is cut with a Marine sword.

Overall, a very interesting experience.

Other than these two events, life here has been pretty calm. The political situation is much the same as it has been for the past few months. The ruling party makes promises that it does not keep. Security has tightened since two weeks ago, when a suicide bomber tried to get into a hotel in Sousse (in the south, far from me). Naturally people were shaken by this, since this is one of the first recorded suicide bombings recorded in Tunis, but things have returned to somewhat normal over the past weeks. There may be protests in the next few weeks, because the road map for transition is not being followed and the ruling party has not stepped down. This article is from last week, but it gives a basic overview of what is supposed to be happening:

http://www.tunisia-live.net/2013/10/28/progress-of-political-talks/

Notice that the government is supposed to resign today and that most definitely is not happening. It will be interesting to see what happens today. The weather is not really conducive for mass protests, however.

It's been raining almost constantly for the past week. Commuting has been a pain, because I have to wait for the rain to be light enough so there aren't waterfalls and rivers on the roads before I can get a taxi. These are pictures of what it has looked like from my office window the past few days.

The rain is a sign that winter has finally come to Tunis, though thankfully it is no where near as cold as you all are dealing with. I finally figured out how to turn on my heat, though it appears to be slightly broken. While its only in the 50s outside, my house is built to keep cool air in, which is great in the summer, but makes it pretty cold in the winter. The rain is supposed to end soon, which I am definitely looking forward to.

I will be coming home for Christmas, so I'm hoping to catch up with a lot of people then! Until then, I am very much behind on my Skype dates and will try to fix that.

Since day light savings happened in the US, I am now 6 hours ahead of east coast time, instead of 5, so the best time to skype is on the weekends. Keep the letters and emails coming. I love hearing what is going on in your lives!