Tonery RogersHi! I’m Tonery, a recent Bard College graduate who has found her way to the beautiful North African country of Tunisia. I am currently working as the Coordinator for a U.S. Department of State funded cultural space and lending library called the American Corner in Tunis, Tunisia’s capital. My job is as exciting as it is hectic. From managing cultural events, running English language conversation hours, to corresponding with the US embassy, this job definitely keeps me on my toes.
Apart from work, my life in Tunisia is nothing short of exciting. I find myself spending endless hours at cafes with friends (indulging in Shisha from time to time) usually until past midnight, enjoying my weekends on the beautiful sands of the Mediterranean, or trying my luck at cooking new dinner recipes. (A skill I’ve vowed to refine now that I am truly living on my own. Although, I must say, my homemade hummus gets tastier and tasiter with each new batch.)
Yet, with each passing day I fall deeper in love with my new home. Since arriving in North Africa just about two months ago, I have settled down in an old french style apartment, mastered the art of taking a cab independently around Tunis, and kissed a lot of strangers. Cheek kisses that is, a traditional Tunisian greeting initiated by an excited “Asalema” (hello) followed by a quick little kiss on each cheek. This little hello perfectly encapsulates the Tunisia I am coming to know. A Tunisia that is both welcoming and warm.
While Tunisia is best known for its iconic Mediterrean beaches, its ruins in the ancient Roman City of Carthage, and as the birthplace of the Arab Spring, the Tunisia I am discovering, and falling in love with is a Tunisia iconic for the warmth of its people. Not only do I encounter the kind hearted nature of Tunisians everyday at the American Corner Tunis, but also in the more inconspicuous instances of my everyday life here. For example, in the back of a taxi when my cab driver gleefully shared with me in Arabic that he is excited to get married in the coming week, but anxious and nervous for the new responsibility it will bring. Or when a friend’s family opened up their home to me for the Eid celebration. Or when my friend’s car was towed and a kind Tunisian man graciously offered to drive us to the tow lot, and even helped us pay to retrieve our vehicle when we found out that neither of us had enough money in our wallets.
Any outsider that finds themselves here will come to know that Tunisia is filled with a unique type of warmth, not only emanating from the intense North African sun, but from its people, a people willing to welcome a stranger into their home (of course greet them with a little kiss on each cheek) like their nomadic ancestors before them or help a foreigner in their time of need. But also a people not too different from my own. Worried about the future, embracing the values of family, and contemplating how they are going to best provide for themselves, their loved ones, and their country.
Sidi Bou Said, my favorite place in Tunis.
