Kairouran et El Jem- le 19 avril

Today we went to Kairouran and went shopping in the souks! It's a completely different culture from what I'm used to in the United States. At home, I don't even try to bargain with vendors. The vendor tells me how much something costs, and if I like the thing, I buy it at that price; however, in the souks, c'est différent! In fact, one would be crazy to pay the prices that the vendors ask. You must MUST play the game: you look, you inquire, you offer, you walk away, you come back, you make another offer, you pay- it's a really LONG process! It's also very fatiguing. I had to take this first day to learn how to bargain with the vendors. I made sure that I stuck with my New York friends, and tried to pick up on as many pointers as I could. What an experience! I learned a lot, but I still don't like the process- it takes too much time! Haha!

In Kairouran, I noticed how close men are to one another. I've seen many men who walk down the street arm-in-arm. At first, I thought that maybe these men were couples, but then I realized that there were so many of them- not that there's anything wrong with that at all-I don't think that homosexual men would be so open about there relationships in Tunisia. In one of the cafés, I saw two men sitting, one with his arm around the other, and then he began stroking the cheek of the other- interesting, n'est-ce pas? What's more, Kairouran is one of the holiest cities in Islam. 7 trips to the mosque there would be the equivalent of a pilgrimage to Mecca. So, yeah, I was expecting a little more discretion... I decided to ask our guide about it, and he told me that men are just a lot closer here in Tunisia. It's actually normal for men to walk down the street holding each others' arms. In any case, I thought that the amount of comfort the men felt around each other was a great thing... if only they could feel that comfortable around women, maybe they wouldn't have to treat them so badly.

After having gone shopping, we went to El Jem. There, we visited the coliseum which is the third biggest in the world and the second biggest outside of Italy. Our guide told us that, in fact, the coliseum was once two coliseums that were merged into one. It was also in El Jem that i met the most forceful merchants ever! I had to help one of my friends by actually pushing a merchant away from her! I don't think things like that would happen in Aix, and never in the States. At first, the entire situation disturbed me, but then I began to think about why people would try to sell something so aggressively. I then realized that in El Jem life isn't as nice as it in in Aix or at home, and that these people have to make a living selling little trinkets to feed their families. Let's be honest, I don't regret having pushed the merchant, but I understand a little better his aggression.

When we got back to the hotel, we talked to one of the staff members at the bar. He talked to us about politics, religion, the state of women, etc. which is illegal in Tunisia. He didn't say too much against Islam and the government, but I was happy that he would even take the time out to talk to us about these topics. I did notice, however, that he had been really conditioned by society. This man did not critique his life situation; he just accepted it the way it was, and he did not want to change it. When we talked about the president, he said that the Tunisians did not need to change to the president because another one would just do the same thing. That reminded me of a conversation I had with my aunt once. She likes to buy plastic cups, but then she washes them. I asked her why- the point of plastic cups is that you can throw them away. She said that sometimes she doesn't mind washing them, and sometimes she does, but she likes to have the option. I think that's the thing. In the States, we know that we can change the president, even if we don't want to- more importantly, the president knows we can take away his position. That's what's important... having the option.