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