For starters, I live in the Medina, which translates to "old town." We're not talking "old" as in old Quebec founded in the 17th century, but we're talking about a city founded in the year 698, which is approximately 1500 years ago. For somebody who lives in Canada, a (settlor) country that recently celebrated its 200 years, that's a lot to wrap my head around. Tunisia has been colonized 7 times, by the Carthaginians, the Romans, a stint by the Vandals and the Byzantine Empire, then the Arabs, the Ottoman Empire, and the French. Amazingly, bits of each of these historical epochs can still be seen as you walk through Tunis, from Roman ruins, to European ceramics, to French pastry shops. I live between the Zitouna mosque - the second oldest mosque in the Maghreb region - and the Kasbah - which literally translates to fortress but in this case refers to the administrative capital of the country. Considering the Medina's streets are too narrow to be driven in, I have to walk about 5 minutes to get out and onto Beb Jedid road where I can hail a cab.

Living in the Medina means I live in a UNESCO world heritage site. There are some 700 historic monuments in the Medina, distributed in 7 areas, among which the most remarkable are the Zitouna Mosque, the Kasbah Mosque, the Youssef Dey Mosque, Bab Jedid Gate, Bab Bhar Gate, the Souq el-Attarine, the Dar el-Bey, Souqs ech-Chaouachia, the Tourbet el Bey, and noble houses such as Dar Hussein, Dar Ben Abdallah, Dar Lasram, the Medrasa Es-Slimanya and El-Mouradia, the El Attarine military barracks and the Zaouia of Sidi Mehrez. 

I live in one of the historical houses (scroll through the slideshow below) right near Tourbet el Bey. In Arabic, "Tourbet" means cemetary, and "Bey" means "king," so I live right near the tomb of the kings who once reigned here. The house is a treasure. The ceramic tiles in the house are hand painted and the doors are made of carved wood. Believe it or not, found the house I'm living on Facebook in a group for people searching for housemates. (Shoutout to Martin for commenting on my post!) My guess is that the king used to live here, but note that's not backed up by any kind of actual historical knowledge. I just want to believe I'm living in a royal palace. 

Each of my housemates is so lovely I could write a blog about all of them. Jeanne is a down-to-earth woman who lives in the moment with cool shoes and a laugh that just fills your heart because it comes from her soul. Martin somehow knows everyone in Tunis, has a phenomenal fashion sense, and takes the time to let people know he cares.  Matthieu has slick shades, witty humour, and makes Tunisia's best Omek Houria (spicy carrot salad) despite not being Tunisian at all. Chloe is an enthusiastic social butterfly who makes everyone in a group comfortable simply by being herself. Amani is a badass Tunisian activist who will one day publish her book that will change lives. Just briefly, I want to emphasize how grateful I am to them for including me in their social circles and inviting me to share moments of their lives. From eating dinner together to having deep chats over coffee, I don't need to explain myself to be understood, which doesn't happen so easily so often. My heart is full in this house.

It would be downright rude for me to write about my house without mentioning our pet, Batman. Batman is a cat whose name was decided before her sex was obvious. We love Batman, our gender-defying cat who is as social as a dog. (For a picture scroll to Week 3.)

The house is nestled between winding roads just wide enough for a donkey cart, with mosques and birds visible from the roof, and cats around every corner. In the afternoons after work, I've picked up the habit of taking a snack in the little courtyard before heading to the roof terrace to exercise, sometimes hearing the mosque prayers in the background of the cardio video on my phone. It's calming up there because hardly anyone goes onto their roofs, so I'm in the middle of the busy city but can't hear traffic (no traffic since cars don't fit in the Medina) and I feel alone, away from the hustle and bustle of the day despite being right above it. I'm lucky enough to catch the sunset most days with the birds circling in the dozens above my head.
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I'll name just a few culinary experiences so far. In the northern town of Bizerte about an hour from Tunis (see below for Bizerte adventures), apart from the beach, one of my highlights was drinking sweet hazelnut tea and eating freshly grilled fish I bought from a fish market. In the Medina of Tunis I ate at a fancy restaurant called Fondouk el Attarine complete with two appetizers, a salade and an entree (I chose cous cous), and dessert for $16 CAD (see below for pictures). Of course, going to the local market is also quite the experience, and cheap. As for desserts I've eaten way too many baklavas (layered pastry dessert made of filo pastry filled with chopped nut), a kaak warka (marzipan rosewater cookies that are white in color and shaped like rings), samsa (triangle pastries stuffed with roasted nuts​), bambalouni (fried dough ring doughnuts), ghraiba homs (chickpea cookies apparently dating from the Ottoman empire), makroudh (semolina dough with date filling inside doused with honey), Kaber ellouz (almond balls colored to look like sugary peaches), and assida boufriwa (hazelnut creme in a cup).
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Now that we've got the basics out of the way - housing and food, of course - let's dig into how I've spent my month so far. 
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The Marsa: On Saturday I hailed a cab and it took 30 minutes (for $4 CAD) to arrive at the Marsa, an upscale community located right on the coast of the Mediterranean, east of the city. Jeanne, a wonderful host, invited me to grab coffee and Italian food at Pizzeria COME Prima with her and her friends there. We walked through a plateau area with a nice view of the Mosque Al Ahmedi before walking right up to the beach. It was very exciting for me to go down the stairs because when I skyped the housemates when I was back in Montreal anxious about the trip, I saw this same view as Jeanne hopped down the stairs in the background of Matthieu's phone. It was crazy to be ther, in person, enjoying a sight I had seen from an ocean away.

Sidi Bou Said: Afterwards, I walked to Sidi Bou Said, the most picturesque Greek-like town you never knew existed. All the buildings are white with blue roofs, and the ceramic tiles makes it my paradise. 

There were two clear highlights of my afternoon in Sidi Bou Said. The first was sipping a coffee and eating various treats at Café des Délices with a badass Russian woman backpacker named Ulyana (impromptu encounters are great). The coffee was overpriced but I'd say it was definitely worth the view of the ocean on the tip of the peninsula overlooking the beach below. 

The second highlight was being invited by a local shopkeeper into a restaurant called Art Cafe located near Dar El Annabi, a heritage museum. I took the stairs upwards and saw groups of men smoking shisha (is my life a movie?). I climbed up the stairs to the roof with a view of the ocean. It was so unexpected, with its mixed Arab and Andalusian architecture. The music gave it the atmosphere I had come to Tunisia expecting to find. 

Perhaps the best part of the day, beyond the satisfaction from the view or the rooftop, was the inner peace I felt with being out on my own exploring at my pace. On the way to Sidi Bou Said I stopped for an ice cream, enjoying the increasingly blue-white scenery. I met Ulyana because my phone died and I didn't know the way to the coffeeshop, so I bumped into her, asked her for directions, and invited her to join me when she expressed her happiness at finally meeting somebody who spoke English. When I left the cafe, it started pouring and instead of being worried about my clothes, I couldn't wipe the grin off my face. I hopped into an art museum, browsed a book about the region, had a tabouna salad, and admired the little wooden imitation doors being sold left and right. The pottery on sale was colorful and happy. I was colorful and happy, too.

A few weeks later I was already back to "Sidi Bou," the shorthand locals use to refer to the town. 

Coffee: On Sunday I went to a coffeeshop called Little Sarrajine Coffee, which is a short walk from my house. It's a 3 story building with a view of the street below from the terrace. I read my book and journaled, enjoying the busy street from a perch. The coffee was quite tasty. 

Coffee in Tunisia functions as a social institution. There are hundreds of small coffeeshops where thousands of men sit outside at all hours of the day, either speaking together or enjoying the sidewalk view alone. There are different ways to call coffee depending on what you're looking for. My favorite is the cafe direct, or latte. 

• "Qahwa" = coffee
• "Espress" = espresso, but even more bitter than what I'm used to
• "Cafe filtre" = filter coffee

• "Cafe creme," "Qahwa bi halib" = filter coffee with lots of milk
• "Shtar" = without milk
• "Direct" = espresso with milk, ie a latte or cappuccino 
• "Capucin" = not cappuccino, but espresso with a little milk like a macchiato
• Turkish coffee, Qahwa arbi = grounds form a mud at the bottom

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Tourist Suggestion - Marche Centrale : The central market is the place to be on a Sunday morning. I went with Jeanne and Matthieu to buy vegetables for the week. There are three major sections: the first is a huge fish market, the second is where spices, olives, and cheese are sold, and the third is the giant vegetable/fruit section. One of the mainstays of Tunisian cuisine is spicy harissa Matthieu just adores, so naturally you can buy that in the second section. I met a goofy guy with an impressive lemon stand who gave me a business card I will forever keep in my wallet, considering it has a picture of him and all his lemons. It's worth taking a stroll in the flower section, which smells wonderful. 

​Pottery :  The second weekend I spent Saturday at Cera, a ceramic studio, thanks to my housemate Amani hooking me up with a friend of a friend, Daly, who owns the studio. I'm now spending my Saturdays working there in exchange for learning pottery tips and playing with clay for free. Daly gives classes on Saturday, and so far the people there have been kind and welcoming. I taught a few locals how to make coil pots. The music was warm and the ambiance felt like my Montreal pottery studio. What can I say? I'm happy when I'm playing with clay. 
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A useful traveller tip for language: By the second weekend I had already learned a few key Tunisian arabic phrases, namely thank you (aishek), please (b'lehi), hello (aslema) and bye (bislema). Note that the Tunisian dialect is quite unique, so some of the modern standard arabic I had come prepared with isn't practically used. One of the places most recommended to me for language classes is the Bourgiba Institute of Modern Languages, but I've also heard success stories about one-on-one private tutoring with local contacts.  
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Back to the Marsa: After my pottery class, I went to the Marsa to grab some lunch at a restaurant called La Dokkana House. There is an impressive view on the ocean from the terrace. I was invited by a lovely American-Russian couple my age to share lunch with them. We chatted about traveling, politics and language learning. They both work from home, so are able to travel for months at a time. While traveling with friends is fun, I find that traveling alone allows you to meet and connect with more people because you're drawn into conversations you might not otherwise be drawn into. That was the case here.

After lunch these two new friends showed me around the neighborhood. The Marsa is known for ice cream. As in, I quite literally saw 6 ice cream stores in a short 10 minute cab ride. Naturally, we grabbed ice cream. I love hazelnut, and I'm glad to announce that so do Tunisians. My hazelnut chocolate ice cream was perfect for the hot day. Eventually we wound up at a cafe called the Saf-Saf that occasionally hosts a lady camel. I saw the lady camel. It was a random, fun time. ​

We spent the day admiring the colorful buildings and fishing boats in Bizerte's old port, enjoyed visiting a busy fish market where we bought our lunch to be grilled, and ate it on the side of the water with tabouna bread and a spicy green sauce-like salad called mechouia salad. The nice thing about hanging out with locals is that they bring you to all the local hangouts. I would have never ventured into that busy fish market, bought a raw fish, and brought it to the grill. (You don't pay them for the fish, but for the grilling.) Amani was a star and somehow found us a nice table by the water despite the hundreds of people swarming around the area.

​We grabbed a coffee on the boardwalk before hopping in the car and heading to the beach, a local place called "Grotte 1." I drew in my journal soaking up the sun, watching Amani's little brother play in the waves. I don't know why, but when I ran on the sand it started squeaking! (My guess is there are air pockets in the sand? Any guesses as to why would be appreciated.) We ended the day with a sweet hazelnut tea before heading back to Tunis in the louage. ​

Coincidences of all coincidences: I know I said I wouldn't speak too much about work in this post, but the entirety of week 3 was fun and random - like traveling tends to be - precisely because of work-related shenanigans.

After a rapid change in plans concerning my prior internship, I emailed the Canadian embassy for guidance on legal organizations doing good work in and around Tunis with whom I could work with. I honestly wasn't expecting a response. Within 30 minutes, I got an email from who I now consider a friend, Lara, from the International Bureau for Children's Rights. Believe it or not, she was contacted by somebody from the embassy and happened to be sitting in a cab with my professor, Dr. Francois Crepeau, who taught me refugee and immigration law last semester. (Aside: Dr. Crepeau used to be the United Nations special rapporteur on migration, so he's kind of a big deal but also one of the most laid back profs I know). Turns out my prof from Montreal was here in Tunis to help lead a conference on the child rights of migrants. WHAAT?! Considering I just finished writing a 30-page research paper about Mediterranean migration routes and EU policy, and a few months ago wrote another 30-pager about child labour for my human rights class, Lara invited me to attend the conference. 

Sometimes when you least expect things to go smoothly, life defies your expectations and you oggle at the way things work out.

The two-day conference at the Hotel Berge du Lac was phenomenal both in terms of agenda but also in terms of getting me back on my feet. I met Lara's lovely co-workers including bubbly Marie-Soleil, a Québécoise woman whose accent made me feel right at home, and young Ivorian and Congolese friends passionate about refugee rights. I learned about unaccompanied child migrants in Tunisia and enjoyed a cocktail casually meeting the Canadian ambassador, representatives from the IOM (International Organization for Migration), UNICEF (UN agency for children's rights), and UNHCR (UN agency for refugees). Although normal people want to meet Lady Gaga, for me meeting people working at the UN was a *pinch me* day. With no time to waste, I bolstered my confidence and spoke to all these reps explaining my situation and proposing internships. Usually nailing down a UN internship is a year-long process. I don't know why or how, but by Monday, these three organizations had offered me internships. It was a serendipitous, confidence-boosting week as I started my time with the UNHCR.

Sometimes, the toughest thing to do is to make a decision for your mental health that you're unsure will end well. This is one of those examples where being courageous enough to put a quick end to a plan couldn't have had a better turn of events.

Morning Italian: May, my ride to work who I found on the CoVoiturage Facebook group, likes to sing on the 30 minute drive to work and honk angrily at cars that cut her off. She also picks me up at 7 AM from Bab Jedid, which means I'm at work at 7:30, an hour early. Lucky for me, there's a great coffee shop called Cosmitto right near the office safe enough to pull out my computer. Since I'm heading on exchange to Italy in September (where is the time going), my early ride is a blessing in disguise since it both allows me to not sit in traffic when it's blistering hot, and also forces me to get on that Italian studying game. 

Tourist Suggestion - Taxi Rides : Honestly I love taxi drivers. From practicing Spanish in Ecuador without embarrassment because I knew I wouldn't see the driver again, to a  Nairobi driver who just shrugged when I got my phone stolen from my lap due to a hand snatching it from the window on the open highway, taxi rides are perhaps the most underrated traveling companions. In Tunis, I've met over-educated taxi drivers who speak multiple languages and world geography. They've taught me where to take shared taxis to save money, shared local police numbers with me because they were "my uncle," stopped so that I could buy fruit on the side of the road, and shared useful phrases like "mush mushkool" which means "no problem." So don't spend your time on your phones in taxis. Talk to the drivers and you could learn a lot. 
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Paddleboard in Sidi Bou after work: On Fridays, we get off work at 3 PM. I don't know who thought of ending the day early on Friday, but I love the idea. After work this week I hailed a cab from the hot road until I got to the beach at Sidi Bou Said. Myriam, the pottery friend who invited me to the lunch mentioned above, comes here all the time to do paddleboarding. Well I was interested! For 30 dinars or $12.50 CAD, we had a half hour on the paddle boards with the Luckyy Boy Club rentals. Considering I had done paddleboarding before, I thought I'd have an easy time. The detail I forgot about was that I had only paddle boarded on lakes! Let me be clear that I fell quite a few times, but it was wonderful considering the water was perfectly warm to hang out in for hours. 

I think the day was so good precisely because Chloe and Jeanne feel like old friends who accept me for me, shenanigans and all, despite only knowing me a few weeks. We sang music, watched the olive groves pass by on the drive there, and even laughed at a man wearing a McGill University t-shirt he had probably bought from a local fripe. I had pangs of Kenya memories as we drove through little towns with fruit stands lining the dusty roads, wishing I could share all of my life experiences with the two sitting in the front seat talking about the differences between one French town and another. After glimpsing the ocean, turning left, and passing by vividly orange mounds of soil, we found a dusty parking lot and hopped out with our towels. It was sunny and hot - the kind of heat that makes you really glad you're hopping in the ocean soon.​

It was neat to go exploring up above our little paradise, where we found a really old building that we think was a mausoleum? The views from the top of the little hill were phenomenal. 

After our beautiful day, Chloe was a champ and drove back to Tunis under wild traffic conditions including erratic drivers and one-way streets that weren't one way streets.

We went back to the Yuka bar (I had gone there with the Canadian embassy people during the day, remember?) but this time at night. The vibe was neat and fun and different. The lights were on, the atmosphere was club-like and the people were all much more nicely dressed than us. We grabbed a table and chatted about life before heading home way too late but happy in our hearts. 

The first month in Tunisia has been a whirlwind of fun and beauty and unexpected encounters. From exploring the Medina, trying new foods, visiting blue-white towns, making new friends, going to the beaches, feeling diplomatic, drinking coffee, people watching, learning arabic, and generally living in the moment, I can say I've seen a lot and learned a ton. I can't wait to see what the second month has to offer.  

When you read a blog page about how to keep a blog page, the first tip is always "keep your posts consistent." I'll admit I haven't been consistent at all. This blog was never meant to earn readership but rather to express my thoughts in a semi-journal form. I've decided to take my blog from the backburner to the frontburner, but before I do, I want to give a quick overview of what's happened in the past 3 years. 

Maybe the most surprising thing is that I still live where I lived 3 years ago, which is surprising for me as much as it is for anyone else. I really really enjoy living in Montreal. It's a great home base, always has events going on, and is a safe space. Each new season marks a change in outdoor activities. I like that. In the past 3 years I've discovered every single cafe in Montreal within biking distance, and admittedly spent most of my savings on those coffees. (No regrets.) I've gone on bike rides, went to museums, organized outdoor barbeques, and made lots of pottery. I have a group of stable people who have made it worth staying. That, and I've stayed to study.

In 2019 I graduated from my MA in political science and decided to study law. I'm now 2 years into my law degree at McGill, and I'm psyched about having legal tools in my activist toolkit to throw a few more pebbles into the ocean of change veering in the direction of social equity. 

COVID happened, and is still happening. Doing my first year of law school online and away from my family was an enormous challenge. Since the borders were closed, I relied on my small bubble in Montreal to get me through. I can say with confidence that I've never worked so hard in school as I did during that year. The second year was better for multiple reasons, notably because the vaccines came out, the borders opened up, school returned in person, and I could take classes that genuinely interested me. I don't know about you, but I much prefer international environmental law, public international law, critical human rights, and international development law to contract and torts law, however useful the latter might be one day. 

I was lucky enough to go on some adventures. I dove into outdoor life in Quebec, complete with a 2-week road trip around the Gaspesie region (whales included), a full-day kayak trip down the Yamaska, a bike ride around Lac Brome, foliage hiking at Orford, a ski day at Sutton, a month living around Lac St. Jean eating blueberries, going to Saguenay Fjords Park, and camping on Ile d'Orleans. I went to Costa Rica to meet my partner's family, discovering my new favorite beach called "Dantita." I visited my little sister in Wyoming and was wow-ed by the Teton mountain range and Yellowstone National Park, climbing up to the incredibly blue Delta lake, seeing a bear, and going to Salt Lake City. Christmas in Cancun was a laid back family holiday filled with novels and my dad's cooking. Although perhaps less glamorous, dinners with my extended family in Laval and Quebec city were the most heartwarming weekends. Finally, the most recent adventure was a month in Ecuador, where my heart will always feel full because of the lifelong friends I've made and maintained since my first time abroad when I was 19. I'll get around to writing about each of these adventures in due time. 

Some things change, but other things stay the same. Even though my cousins had babies, my sisters moved states, and my parents retired, I know I can pick up the phone and call them all for a good chat. 

Now, I'm in Tunisia for 3 months and then I'm off to Italy for 4 months. Amazingly, both experiences are paid for with bursaries from my University because they are educational experiences. Considering I'm in school full time, I've been quite lucky to benefit from so much time exploring.
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