The Eight Week Challenge.

Oh crikey!

It's a bit under eight weeks until my birthday. I had planned to go to Egypt but I already have too many nice trips planned this year, and Egypt is a little bit too crazy at the moment. So she will wait... instead we have some other targets to hit.

1. Diplôme d'études en langue française (DELF) Exam B1

This is being held the week of my birthday. Having been originally wanting to sit this in January, I was disappointed when it was held before I arrived back in Tunis. So, this time I cannot miss it. This needs to happen. My teacher thinks I will pass, but every day is full of french victories and defeats and it's the defeats that I tend to remember. Today's victory: getting a replacement LED bulb for a light in my bathroom from a hardware store. Today's defeat: disjointed conversation with taxi-driver about beards and Islam.

I have a book of exercises, I have some determination and I have eight weeks.

2. La Marsa Half-Marathon

Even though I didn't want to do a half Marathon before the Big Daddy in September (as I wanted to be able to tell myself, during the run, that afterwards I would never have to run again) I think this is a must. 

A half marathon will allow me to practice race conditions, routine and most importantly, running nutrition. It's on 24th March. I have eight weeks.

I ran 10km this morning, hungover, for the first time this year. It really hurt. I have a blister on my toe. I think I'm gonna need a charity or something... I'm gonna need some external motivation.

So there it is. Two massive goals. And the big reward is that a week after the exam and the race, my Mummy and Daddy are coming to Tunisia, with a suitcase of Easter Eggs, all for me.

Oh, this looks so sad with no pictures, here are some unrelated ones, from the shopping centre near my house, that I took today.

Yep, still got the Christmas Decorations up... tsk tsk!

Maouled and Asida Zgougou

Today in Tunisia is (another!) Public Holiday. They always seem to come thick and fast at the beginning of the year, and then we are left to work the long hot summer with no respite.

Today is Maouled, the day on which the birthday of the Prophet Mohammed is celebrated. There is some debate in Tunisia this year about whether the holiday should be celebrated, as the marking of this day is an innovation developed since the Prophet's death, and does not appear in the holy texts. None the less, we all got a day off.

Now, this year, I have been trying to develop more of a rapport with my landlord as a means to further my cultural understanding and hopefully get an invitation to break-fast during Ramadan in July. He lives next-door to, and above, me with his big family and I have made a big effort to up the niceties, learn some more Arabic greetings and shower them with British chocolate (Terry's Chocolate Oranges in fact) at Christmas. Today was a big payoff. This morning my landlord's mother knocked on the door and I opened it with my bed-hair and in a onesie. She presented me with a giant bowl of Asida Zgougou.

Asida Zgougou is a Tunisian dessert made only at Maouled. It is layered like a trifle, but the way it is made is quite different.

"Zgougou" is the Tunisian word for the native Pine Nut tree. The bottom layer of the desert, which is dark, brown like chocolate, is made from the sieved paste of ground pine nuts mixed with water and cooked on a stove with flour and sugar. Above this is spread an orange-cream layer which is made from condensed milk and orange oil (which is used heavily here, to sweeten coffee and desserts) and on top, a decoration of ground and whole nuts. Here we have almonds, pistachios, pine nuts and a walnut.

 

And the taste test? The texture is like pudding and you get knocked sideways by the nuttiness. It's also really creamy, I suppose from the nut fats, and so reminds me a bit of a nut-flavoured ice cream, like pistachio, for example. I can't completely decide if I like it, so I'm finding that the best solution is to have another spoonful... just to make sure... 

 

Bon appetit et bonne fête!

The Revolution's 2nd Birthday

My sincerest apologies, I had an essay to write and I spent weeks, literally doing EVERYTHING but write it, until it was the very last moment, then I had a little freak-out. I never learn and ever nothing changes. I actually think that I quite enjoy the intense pressure.

Anyways kiddos, not too much to report from this end. Last Monday was the two year anniversary of the overthrowing of the government. Revolution Day! 

 

Naturally, we had a public holiday (any excuse, Tunisia, eh?). Rather than knuckle down with the essay, my friend Jasmin and I headed on over to the Roman Bath ruins, to celebrate quite a different period of oppression in Tunisia.

The Antoine Baths are in Carthage, about 15 minutes from Tunis and 10 from my house. Given that it was a public holiday, all of the historical sites were free - not that this incentive drew in the crowds or anything. Tunisia national heritage sites are the saddest things in the world. Incredible Roman ruins from the second century stand unseen and unappreciated, while direct flights fly from the UK and Germany straight into the all-inclusive resorts in Hammamet and Sousse. You can't blame the tourists, sight-seeing in Tunisia is a labour-intensive exercise, You need to come with your own books and your internet print-outs. There are no leaflets, no tour guides, audio tours, and the only plaques that have been put up are in French and the writing has washed off them anyway. I told Jasmin about the Somerset town of Bath, and how the remains their are about a tenth of the size and you pay a tenner (update: just looked it up £13.25!) to get herded around like sheep, whereas in Carthage, we didn't see another soul.

So while we rocked it out in the third largest bath complex in the Roman world and walked in the footsteps of civilisation as we know it, there was a little party on Habib Bourguiba, and they covered the clocktower with the Tunisian flag.

 

National celebrations were happy and peaceful, with most people choosing to stay at home and celebrate with their families. I'm no political commentator, but disenchantment remains in New Tunisia. People believe that the Government is still not working hard enough to increase employment, improve trade links and facilitate the economic growth that this country feels she deserves. And evidence of this frustration is everywhere...

The Christmas Knitwear Parade

Happy New Year, Ladies and Gentlemen. 

Did you miss me? Of course not! Because you were either too busy enjoying your own yuletide, or I was with you, live and direct, you lucky swines.

I had a brilliant Christmas, thanks to my beautiful family, fabulous friends and the odd strangers here and there, who helped me carry suitcases up and down stairs at tube stations and let me read their newspapers over their shoulders.

Did you think I hadn't been knitting? Ahh, silly, I tricked you. I was knitting up a storm of glorious Christmas gifts, and here they are:

Brooches for my Homegirls:

 Gloves for Nanny

 Tea Cosys for the Aunties

Slippers for Mama:

I predict that this will be a big knitting year. I'm at "that age" and so this year is already due to feature lots and lots of pregnant friends, whose offspring will be crying out for an Auntie Shell Original.

Wishing you all strength, love and kindness for 2013 xxx

Princess Dinners

The world over, the close of the Gregorian calendar brings an array of end-of-year parties, annual lunches and farewell dinners, and things are no different here in Tunis. In addition, I have recently moved teams at work and so I have had the added excitement of a leaving-lunch in my honour, which I had yesterday, and which will be the main content of today's story. But, before that, I must tell you about a few other restaurants which I've been lucky enough to visit in the last week:

1. Dar el Jeld

I had heard about this restaurant almost on arrival to Tunis and ever since then I have been hoping to pay a visit. Set in a renovated traditional Tunisian Villa right in the heart of the Tunis Medina, this restaurant boasts the highest quality Tunisian food (and the highest prices to match).

With a former classmate in town, my friend Jung set about getting a table with military-endurance and saint-like patience, and it certainly paid off. The restaurant is full to capacity every night and those tables are like gold dust.

With an enthusiastic music team and candles reflecting off of the floor to ceiling tiles, this place had ambience by the bucket load. Our waiter proudly gave us a tour of the house before dinner, which was a bit weird, as people were eating in the other rooms, but you couldn't blame him for wanting to show the place off. It was truly beautiful.

 Banging Decor

I had Couscous et Poisson (Sea Bass) which was completely divine, and was served with roasted apple (but controversial - perhaps Heston Blumenthal had paid them a visit?). Really beautiful food.

 Couscous et Poisson

For dessert, I had Crème Tunisienne, which was delicious.

2. Le Cap

Our Young Professional Christmas dinner was at Le Cap this year. Le Cap is a group of Restaurants and Bars in Gammarth which serve French/Lebanese/Libyan Fusion food. I had an incredible steak, but everything is superb there, even the little olive croissants that they serve with the starters.

I had been having wild chocolate cravings all day so I sated myself with a big fat Moelleux au Chocolat for puds... incroyable!

 The fruit was nothing to do with me

3. Circolo Italiano

My new team's Christmas lunch was held at the Italian Club, which is a strange little building close to the zoo, where, once you step inside, you are in Italy. The waiters only speak Italian, they serve real pork (be still my heart) and the TVs are somehow all showing Italian football. The food was exquisite, as always. I had Ravioli, as always. And they had darling Christmas Tree in the foyer, covered in gingerbread men and dried oranges.

Which brings me to yesterday's Princess Dinner:

4. Restaurant El Walima

So yesterday for lunch, my former team surprised me with lunch at Restaurant El Walima. Amazing. Let's take a break from all this food, for a history lesson:

When Tunisia was part of the Ottoman Empire in 1705, a royal family was installed, who ruled under the title of "Bey". The title was hereditary and was passed along the male line through the generations, even after Tunisia became a protectorate of France.

 

At the independence of Tunisia on 20th March (my birthday!) 1956, the Bey at that time, Muhammad VIII al-Amin, became King of Tunisia. A year later, the Prime Minister, Habib Bourguiba, declared Tunisia a Republic and the Bey dynasty came to an end. His daughter, the princess, opened a restaurant in downtown Tunis and now wears a traditional royal gown to serve diners a delicious Tunisian feast, Monday to Saturday

.

Little display for the Dey Dynasty on the wall - no, that is not the princess!

So while I didn't take a picture of the princess, here is the traditional Tunisian fare that we were served:

Starters: Clockwise from top left, 1. Lablabi, a spicy (with harissa) tomato soup with chickpeas, 2. Mloukhia, a bay leaf stew with okra and beef, 3. Noicer Pasta, which is little squares of pasta made from semolina, cooked in cinnamon  4. Mechouia Salad, salad made with boiled egg, tuna, sweet peppers and oil. And this, naturally was served with hot French bread.

Inbetweenies: Brik - which you have seen before, so I won't show you here.

Entree: There was lots of choice, but I had the prawns, which came with some mixed shell fish, salads and some chippies

Dessert: A fruit salad, which I won't show you here, because everyone knows what a fruit salad looks like - this one had lots of pineapple in.

Tea: The tea course was a mint tea with pinenuts and a Pistachio Tunisian Creme.

Afterwards I went back to my office and promptly fell into a coma.

Other things that are happening:

• I paid off my credit card bill, so my finances are finally looking healthy and lovely for the first time since buying my house. Promptly afterwards I sent a friend a long email about how we should go to Toulouse in January... so it seems that I may not have learnt my lesson...
• I ran 10km this morning. Very exciting - it was probably all that Princess Fuel. In less than an hour too, 59:05mins. Not all good though, as I did forget to bring my bra in my change of clothes - so I'm going to have to wear my sweaty sports bra all day... mmm...
• Anna Karenina... not happening....yet.

Tunisie doth protest too much, methinks

Oh Tunisia! 

A huge national strike that was planned for tomorrow (13th December), and that we had basically planned our whole lives around this week, has just been cancelled, but let me tell you, Tunisia loves to strike.

Friday afternoons are the favourite, just after the Friday prayers. There a huge Mosque behind my office and as the prayers end, the chanting often starts. I took the picture below from my office the other day. It's rarely violent, usually pre-advertised and always loud.
Of course Tunisia was at the epi-centre of the Arab spring in late 2010 and early 2011. The government here was overthrown on 14th January 2011, an event we now celebrate with a public holiday.

 View from my office window last Friday

I love protests. I love standing up for what you believe in. I hate violence. I hate mob culture.

 

Protest prep behind my office

Some may argue that this tendency to strike is a throwback to Tunisia's close history with France, but this has always been a country where people have stood up for what they believe in, a land where people confront opposition and fight oppression... and so, the story of Felicity and Perpetua.

Felicity and Perpetua

So, strangely, Jung and I somehow found ourselves on a tour of all the Christian sites of Carthage earlier this year, and part of this tour was to visit the supposed execution site of Felicity and Perpetua, the famous female, Tunisian, Christian martyrs, from the third century. Perpetua was a noble woman who was put to dead for being a Christian along with her slave, Felicity. We have a nice stained-glass window to commemorate them at my church.

Her father pleaded with her to denounce her faith many times before her eventual execution, but she stood fast, despite the assurance of certain death. According to surviving texts, which are written in the first person, they both seemed to want to martyred - Felicity, who was pregnant when arrested, was relieved to give birth before the execution, as she would have missed out - as pregnant women could not be executed at that time.

The accounts of their deaths are pretty brutal, first set upon by wild animals, then impaled with swords. At the Amphitheatre in Carthage, it's not difficult to imagine the jeering Romans and the bears and leopards being released from the holding areas (all of the underground tunnels remain and exploration is, naturally, essential).

With such a strong history of defiance, no matter what the consequences, Tunisians continue to stand up for their beliefs and their values, and it's unlikely that this society will ever allow itself to be suppressed again.

An Aside

Also this week, I was invited to the Ambassador's Residence - I guess he had heard about my great singing voice!

The house was completely beautiful - and they had a huge, real (?!?) Christmas tree. There was a very lively rendition of Good King Wenslaslas at the close, which I wasn't really expecting, but I guess it's a bit of a party piece for the Embassy! 

Here's a picture of the Queen and I, having a ball:

P.S. I swear, I have been staring at my advent calendar for the past half an hour, and there really is no number 12 door.

How to Run a Marathon...

Ladies and Gentlemen, it seems I may have bitten off more than I can chew. I may not be a runner.

So, since I have started working on achieving my 30before30 goals, on my 27.5th birthday, I have been running 7km every single Wednesday, without fail. Even if I have been travelling, or unwell, or tired, or grumpy. The first one was awful. I thought I was going to die. But since then they have gradually got better, and a little quicker - not much, but a little. I have now started doing a 5km on Mondays too and I always do cardio on Fridays, either my kick-boxing class, or if I'm travelling, another 5km.

But progress is slow... and maybe I should tell you my big secret. I don't really like running.

I remember watching Eddie Izzard, the British comedian, on the Jonathan Ross Show a few years ago, when he was doing Ultra-marathons and back-to-back marathons for Sports Relief. Jonathan Ross said to hims something like,
"So, you really must like running then?"
And his response was,
"Not at all, I actually hate it, I really like the stopping"

I do get this though, I feel the same. The stopping is great - the sense of achievement, all those endorphins, the "champion" feeling, the after-exercise glow that stays with you for the rest of the day... This is what makes it so hard to just keep running- the temptation to stop.

When I was in Mozambique, I was working with a new member of staff who had just joined our team and we were having a good bonding session over breakfast. I told her that I was planning to run a marathon and she became all excited and exclaimed that she had run three! Surprised does not even cover it, as this lady was no lean whippet. Nor had I seen her at the gym at all during our stay at the hotel. I think that my face must have betrayed my disbelief because she went on to tell me all about how she had just undergone chemotherapy and had gained 30kg. It all got a bit awkward, and I really began to focus on my bread and bananas.

This aside, she gave me loads of great tips. She told me all about the techniques she used to avoid injury, including the Fartlek technique, which is where you do a bit of gentle jogging with some mad sprints in between. Sounded like a lot of fun. I'm definitely gonna try it. She also told me that the original length of a marathon was defined by a Greek legend of a messenger called Pheidippides who ran that distance, keeled over, and died. Great. I looked it up, and it seems he had been running the day before (Note to self - no running on day before Marathon).

So the Marathon that I want is in September, and it will take about 6 months of heavy training (6 days per week). Before starting that I should get up to at least 4 runs per week and at least 20km per week... oh man! No one ever said that it would be easy.

The other thing is where to run?  I need to get out on the road, but the nights are drawing in and the gym is so warm and they have nice soft towels...