Top 10 Favorite Sights

Top 10 Favorite Sights:

 

10.  Oasis in Sahara

            Pit stop during the 4 x 4 drive. I always had trouble picturing what an actual oasis looked like, as the only reference I had was this tiny cardboard book about Joseph and Mary finding an oasis on their way to Bethlehem.

9. Dunes in the Sahara via 4 x 4s

            They were massive! We were told at the campsite not to wander in the Sahara because the dunes can change in a half hour. Picture the moving staircases in Harry Potter and you’ll understand.

8.  View from hotel room in the Tamerza Palace

            This was definitely the best hotel room, by far. I claimed the best bed, the one that looked out on the mountains. In the morning, I got some great shots of the sun right above the mountain tops.

7. Top of a mountain in Matmata

            Self-explanatory. We stopped for a photo-op and after I picked my jaw up from off the ground, I climbed this small mountain (a glorified hill, really) and was amazed. This was the area where the desert homes in Star Wars were filmed, to give you an idea of what it looked like.

6. View from hookah bar in Sidi Bou Said

We were up above the hill town, a suburb of the capital of Tunis, at night. It was gorgeous. Millions of lights lit up in the huge city below us. (Sigh)

5. Brook on the way to Tamerza

            Another pit stop that turned out to be amazing. This is now officially my happy place. It just came out of nowhere and was so clear!

4. Mediterranean

            Isn’t it insane that the Mediterranean is fourth? If a normal person saw the Mediterranean, they would be in awe, but I saw so many gorgeous things, that it ranks fourth!

3.  Sahara at night/ stars

            Any stars I see now will be a huge disappointment. Dad, remember when I used to get sick when we camped and we looked at the stars while we went for a walk? This made those stars look like those twinkle lights Mom and Kate love so much. I could just stare at them forever if it wasn’t for the sand getting into places it shouldn’t get into…

2. Great Salt Lake

            The Great Salt Lake just came from nowhere. Seriously. We saw it the morning after the night in the desert and I was just passed out on the bus. We stopped and I was so confused why. Then I looked outside and thought, “Oh… I get it.” The lake itself was all dried up, but the salt remains, which makes for my favorite pics from the trip.

1.   Sahara at sunset

All I can say about the Sahara at sunset is that it puts words to shame. Sadly, I have no pictures. It was like this huge ball of fire was just melting into the sand. They told us that the sand just ruins cameras in a heartbeat, so I don’t have any pictures of the desert. If you’d like proof I was there, I’m sure I can shake my head and some sand could come out.

 

Top 10 Sayings from Tunisia

I've been trying to think of a fun way of blogging about my trip without having to do the whole day by day play by play, which lets face it, you will all gloss over and pick one thing to comment on. So, on that note, I've decided to change it up and do it Letterman-style, and by that I don't mean having an affair with someone a fraction of my age.

Top Ten sayings from Tunisia:

10. “Look! George Bush!”

            Tunisians think it’s really funny to tell you you look like someone famous, i.e. they told my friend Matt he looked like Bush. We had fun with that one.

9. “Chicago! Obama!”

            With all due respect to Green Bay, I’ve given up trying to explain to people where I’m from. I’ve taken to just saying Chicago; however, when I do that, the immediate reaction is Obama!”

8. “Santa lives in Tunis!”

            When we went to the US Embassy, we were given a speech by a number of higher-ups, including a stout older man with a white beard. He tried explained what he did, which includes giving people temporary passports. He said he was Santa, not us, for the record.

7.  “I hope we have a new ambassador. This one’s just so stupid.”

The owner of this quote remains anonymous. I promise it’s not me. The person would like to add that he doesn’t care for the ambassador because the ambassador considers Tunisia the Middle East.

6. “You guys? Who’s Tony Danza?”

We learned a new card game that we called Tony Danza, which involves yelling Tony Danza at the top of your lungs. While playing, my friend Matt made the huge mistake of admitting to not knowing who Tony Danza was. Shunning was involved.

5. “Let’s take him home!” “Okay!”

            Yes. We were talking about a dog. I did not initiate any dog-napping this spring break. Sadly, the guy who suggested it turned out to be joking. I was not amused. The puppy was adorable.

4. “Your camel has gas issues. It sounds like bubbling nuclear waste.”

            You know what? Not all camels are like the ones in Aladdin. On that note, neither are Arabian Knights, but that’s a different story. My camel, I have to admit, did have some serious issues in the gastro-intestinal area…

3. “Fish and Chips!”

            Perhaps my favorite name to be called. When I tell them I’m not American, i.e. when I like messing with people by talking in a British accent, they start yelling “fish and chips!” I’m glad to know British people have their own stereotypes…

2. “I think I bruised my boob!”

            While I know I will get lectured from my parents for being inappropriate, I couldn’t not mention this one. Let’s just say the seatbelts were very effective. I had no idea the 4 x 4s were so fun and intense! Truth be told, I wasn’t even going to put on my seatbelt until it was strongly suggested by the driver. We bounced so much that I actually hit my head on the top of the jeep.

1. “For you? Good price!”

BEST QUOTE OF THE TRIP! We heard it every time we went to a market, or walked by a random vendor, or out of a museum, or really anytime. Part of the “Tunisian market experience” is haggling with vendors. They are actually really smart and can switch from one language to another in a blink of an eye. They can also screw you over majorly. They start out with an absurd price, but tell you it’s a special price because they like you, or they like Obama or you have nice eyes. They tell you you won’t get a better price. The trick is, I’m 99% sure they all work together. Case and point: if they don’t have change, they go to the stall next to them and get it from them.

'Twas the night before Tunisia...

... and all the through the school
not a person was quiet
no, it wasn't cool.

I leave for Tunisia in 7 hours!!! YAY!!! I'm so incredibly excited!!! Tunisia, by the way, is just a hop, skip, and a jump, or in this case, a bus, a plane, and a bus, away from Italy. It's in Northern Africa, just across the Mediterranean.

We leave from the J-Force at 7, NO EXCEPTIONS...so we'll pull out around 7:30. I swear it's worse than Alpha Chi time. First we're going to the embassy and then hopefully check in to the hotel in Tunis, the capital.

But I'll talk more about the day-by-day stuff when I get back.

What you'll find entertaining is the meeting we had a few days ago. Being my father's daughter, I took notes. If nothing else, they will be funny to look back on later. I wrote normal things like "don't drink the water" and "wear a scarf at the Mosque" but then also wrote things like "don't wander too far in the desert or a sandstorm might come and I'll never be seen again" and "hold on to the camel tight so arabian knights can't pull me off and sell me into slavery in Algeria." Why Algeria, you ask? Because a month after the J-Force went last year, just that happened to an American tourist. But don't worry, my friends Danielle and Erin back at Marquette are already hatching a plan to save me from slavery. Seriously. Danielle gave my dad her cell number.

On a positive note, we'll get to see where they filmed the desert scenes in Star Wars!

What else is new.... I had class yesterday at the Vatican again. This time we went to the Vatican Museum, which, of course, was amazing. I wasn't feeling too well, darn pasta is getting to me, but still managed to appreciate all the wonderful art. I've also come to an important realization: modern art stinks. In case you don't know the story, my mom and I raced through Art Street in 10 minutes flat and through Andy Warhol in 20 minutes. The only reason Warhol took that long is because we couldn't stop laughing at Kathleen and my little joke... Love you sister!!!

No, modern art is horrible. Michelangelo made art. Raphael created art. Bernini made art. Warhol made Last Supper drawings with soup cans in the background.

Speaking of Michelangelo: I saw the Sistine Chapel!!! It was so impressive, although a lot smaller than I thought. Darn Ron Howard and Tom Hanks made it seem bigger in Angels and Demons. What really through me off was the Last Judgment. It's horrible. People being cast into hell and eternal damnation wasn't really enjoyable. Then I realized the next time I'd see it, I'd be a part of the real thing, which was very unsettling.

Signing off now! I don't know what Internet I'll have in Tunisia-- have they even heard of computers there?--but I'll try to update when I can! And I'm just kidding about the computer situation there, I hope...