July 26 2005

Caravan Update

This is a quick update concerning Caravan for Palestine.

Israeli soldiers forcefully deported 120 supporters of the Caravan from the Allenby Bridge and forced them to return back to Jordan. Soldiers beat, dragged, and pushed many of the Caravaners and confiscated one of their cameras as they were forcing them onto the busses. Israel brought extra security forces onto the scene to carry out the forced evacuation.

Israeli soldiers have also stamped their passports with a mark that will prohibit them from entering Israel or the Palestinian Territories for the rest of their lives.

Here are all news updates concerning the Caravan and the Caravaners.

The caravan is a peaceful movement that aims at upholding human rights of Palestinians and supporting their struggle for freedom, as well as drawing international attention to the human rights violations and atrocities being perpetrated by the Israeli forces in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

What’s the point in treating the caravaners this awful way? Why prohibit them from enetring neither Israel nor Occupies Palestinian Territories?

The seek no harm, they want no violence, they just want to make a difference in the most peaceful and cooperative way, WHY DO THIS TO THEM?!

Category: General, Jordan, Media, International, Palestine, Tunisia | LEAVE A COMMENT
June 28 2005

3rd Tunisian Blogger Meetup

Ok, where do I start! The meetup was FANTASTIC! I loved it, loved it, loved it.
You know, it doesn’t feel like meeting bloggers, no, it’s more like meeting friends you’ve known for a long time, friends who blog 🙂 Even the new ones felt comfortable and we had great time and very interesting discussions.

So who was there?
The old faces 😉 Adib, Drako, Zizou, Karim, Chikipi, and of course MMM and moi 😉
And 5 new bloggers showed up: Tom, Yamen, Troubadour (another female blogger, FINALLY), Marouen, and Imed.

What did we talk about?
Many things; we started out by getting to know the new bloggers better, we asked them our traditional questions: how did you start blogging, and why did you choose that specific blog name.
Then Drako got really creative and started asking what the blog represents for each one of us.

Aside from that, we exchanged some technical information, talked about AIDS, language etiquette in blogging, topics most desireable to read in a blog, pre-marital relationships and their spread in the Arabic societies, who are for and against such relationships 😉

Also Adib suggested a very beautiful idea that’s kind of a cultural exchange in the blogosphere by introducing each other to bloggers we know from outside Tunisia. So I’ll do this very soon and will start by Jordan bloggers then other syrian and lebanese bloggers I know. I’ll also introduce the Tunisian bloggers I know to my readers, this way we’ll know more people from all around the globe, specially the Arab world.

The meetup started at 7 p.m., officially ended at 10 p.m., but MMM, Zizou, Yamen, Marwen, Adib and I stayed till 12:30 a.m. talking and talking 🙂 it was so interesting although I sounded as if I came from another world and another time with my weird opinions 🙂

Anyway, this meetup was the best so far, and I’m sure it’s only getting better in future. I only wished the expats -for whom we set that specific date- and the female Tunisian bloggers would have shown up.
Not to forget the other Tunisian bloggers who were present only in the 1st meetup.
YOU ARE ALL MISSING A LOT! Make sure to be there next time 😉

Category: Tunisia | LEAVE A COMMENT
May 24 2005

Driving In Jordan ;)

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Click Here for a larger version.

I found this hilarious 😀

Actually driving in Jordan isn’t that bad compared to other places. I mean from my personal experience I can say that it’s all a matter of getting used to the driving atmosphere.
For example, my German co-workers in Amman used to always complain about the way people drive in Amman, some even gave up driving, but others got used to Amman and are now driving normally.
Also when I came to Tunisia, I was like: no way I’d EVER drive a car in this country, but look at me now, I can drive, it took a while till I got familiar with the new place, streets, and manual gear, but finally I did it. Yet they tell me that in Libya driving is crazy! Just like I’ve always seen Cairo and Damascus as hopeless cases, but I know that if I spend more time in any place, with a little bit of courage, I’d get used to the driving norms there and things will be just fine.

Of course that doesn’t mean that we –in most of the Arab countries- suck big time in following the rules when it comes to driving, but things are always becoming better. New methods are being applied to improve the way we react to driving rules, to guarantee a safer, more enjoyable ride 🙂

Category: Arab Societies, Jordan, Just Personal, Tunisia | LEAVE A COMMENT
May 23 2005

2nd Tunisian Bloggers Meetup: Simply AWESOME!

So yesterday was the second Tunisian bloggers meetup. We were supposed to meet at 7, MMM and I made sure we go there earlier enough to get a good place and be the first to welcome others 🙂 It was 7:30 and still no body showed up, so we thought to ourselves: ok, looks like we’re the only ones who’d actually be present at the meetup 😛 We thought it was a sign for a big failure of this meetup, but then the bloggers started coming one by one, till we were 9 and a guest. It was GREAT!

We talked and talked and talked, it was just amazing. We had serious talks and funny talks, from blogging in general, to the Tunisian blogosphere in specific, to homosexuality, to personal limits and etiquettes, to sources of inspiration, to the rapid growth of the blogging phenomena in Tunisia, what we like the most in each others blogs and many other extremely interesting topics. There were times when I felt I couldn’t take the laughter, it was beautiful.

First we were gathered in the Sidi Bou Said port café, after a while a blogger and his guest left, leaving 8 bloggers in the meetup. When it got really cold we thought we’d go to a warmer place, so we moved to another café and the meetup went on till 11:30 p.m., if it wasn’t a work day the day after and wasn’t that cold, I’m sure we would’ve stayed even longer.
I just hoped others would show up, it was one hell of a meetup, I LOVED IT! I enjoyed every second of it.

There’s also a progress, another female Tunisian blogger was present: La Blogeuse, it was great knowing her, and I wish other lady bloggers will join in the coming meetups.

In short, I personally believe that the 2nd meetup was a BIG SUCCESS! And I thank MMM for organizing it, and thank all the bloggers who showed up even though many had a very busy day, and I thank all for making this meetup such a great chance for us to talk, discuss and know each other better, in an extremely respectful and friendly atmosphere.
And I also hope that others who didn’t show up, will be present at the coming meetups 🙂

Check out the pictures here!

Category: Tunisia | LEAVE A COMMENT
May 3 2005

Photos Of The Tunisian Blogger Meetup

Many of you asked about the meetup photos and I answered that many photos were taken but some bloggers did not wish to have their photos published, which meant most of the photos that were taken for the whole group could not be published.

But there are few pics that were ok to publish, you can check them out Here! Enjoy 😉

Category: Tunisia | LEAVE A COMMENT
April 25 2005

1st Tunisian Meetup Was A Success!

So we finally had the first Tunisian meetup, how was it? It was GREAT!
I must admit I was a bit afraid it’d turn out to be a disappointment, since we don’t all know each other, and I was worried not to understand anything in case they spoke nothing but French, and was afraid there would be no positive reaction and only few would show up. But I was so wrong. The meetup was awesome. We were 16 all in all, few preferred speaking French all the time but I understood most of it and was able to keep on track 😉 I usually speak my own dialect when I know the people around me would understand it, but when I get to a point where faces around me look really confused I’d immediately use the Tunisian synonyms to explain 😀 So there was no understanding problems.
Everyone was easy going, we talked about many topics, from pure technical stuff (something I have no idea about) to personal backgrounds, work, blogging motivations, favorite blogs, difficulties we face while blogging, funny experiences… etc.
We also talked about the popularity of blogging in Tunisia, and that -like many other Arab countries- the word blog is still a big question mark!
We discussed how non-bloggers think of blogging as a waste of time, and shared the ways blogging changed us in the way we think, we write, we pick topics, and many things.
We talked about the role of blogging in spreading awareness, clearing the picture of certain issues and how it helps shed a light on one’s country.

First when Subzero Blue and I got to the meetup place, we found many people, we kept staring at everyone hoping we’ll find a way to recognize the bloggers, we spotted a table with some bloggers (we knew them coz they were friends of Subzero Blue) and head straight there. We were 6 at first, 4 bloggers, my husband and I. Then the meetup started getting bigger and bigger till we reached 16!! We kept adding chairs and joining tables till we finally settled 🙂 It was great! We kept talking and talking, asking, replying, laughing, and the best part was: introducing our blogs all over again every time a new blogger joined 😉 that was amazing 😛

  • Bloggers I already know very well were: of course my one and only Subzero Blue, the meetup organizer, and Waleg.
  • Bloggers I somehow knew (friends of Subzero Blue): Evil Drako, Pensées Perdus, Phoenix Dev, Jaz In The City.
  • Bloggers I didn’t know at all: Adibs1, Zizou from Djerba, Infinity, Mouse Hunter, Chikipi, Whispers.

    • The only thing I wished would be different is the female participation! Other than me, there was my friend (a Jordanian) who’s married to a Tunisian too 🙂 They represented Waleg. But they couldn’t stay for long so I was the only female blogger almost all the time, until Infinity joined in 🙂 I was hoping others would show up specially Jihène, I don’t know her, but she seemed really interested and wanted to come. But well, maybe next time!

    The meetup continued for 3 hours, and we enjoyed every second of it. Plus the strawberry juice I ordered was out of this world 🙂

    I really wish to meet the rest of the Tunisian bloggers, and can’t wait to meet the Jordanian bloggers as well.
    I also hope one day I’ll get to meet all the ones on my bloglist 🙂

    Category: Tunisia | LEAVE A COMMENT
    April 22 2005

    Mawlid Nabawi Mubarak

    So yesterday was the Mawlid Nabawi (or the Mouled as it’s said in some dialects) which marks the birth of Prophet Mohammad (pbuh). I wish all Muslims of the world had a blessed Mawlid… 1 day late, but I had no time to blog yesterday 😉
    Like all Muslim occasions, the goal is to remember events, celebrate them by keeping in touch with families, getting closer to religion and helping others in any way possible. It was never about partying all night long, or spending big amounts of money or any selfish, or materialistic perspective.
    And like all occasions, Mawlid is celebrated in different ways across the Muslim world. One of the traditions that come along this occasion is preparing something sweet and sharing it with close ones and families. Each country chooses something specific to prepare, or simply prepare any kind of sweets, nothing special. Point is, celebrating in a close kind of way.

    Yet in Tunisia, there’s this kind of sweet that is specially prepared for the occasion of Mawlid, you hardly find it in other times of the year. It’s called: Assida. An extremely delicious Tunisian delicacy prepared with something called: Zgougou, a very cute name for the black seeds of a Pine-like tree. I think that tree is called: Sarw in Arabic (Sarwel in Tunisian). And what shocks me is the fact that these trees are available in the Middle East in big quantities, yet I’ve never seen Zgougou being eaten in any other country but Tunisia, and for that I love Tunisians 🙂 I think all countries that have these trees should start eating those little seeds!
    This is a picture of how Assida looks when it’s done:
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    Anyway, when I first came to Tunisia and Mawlid came, I knew they cook this Assida, but I didn’t know how should it taste in the end, should it be more of a liquid or a solid sweet! So I simply followed a book of Tunisian Cuisine and the result was somehow fine for a first time, it was a bit too sweet and a bit too dry. Anyway, on that day I tasted Assida prepared by Tunisians and knew how it should be. So next year I was determined to make it right, problem was Tunisia had a shortage in Zgougou because most of the trees were ruined by excess waters. So I couldn’t prepare Assida.
    But this year, I was determined more than ever, I mean being married to a Tunisian, living in Tunisia and loving this delicacy are enough reasons for me to feel ashamed of myself for not making it right. So when I left work, I went to buy the stuff I need, got back home and started the party 😉 I enjoyed every little bit of the preparation although I was alone and dead tired!
    First I grounded the seeds bit by bit with my coffee grounder 🙂 Then I started mixing and squeezing the seeds in water, added flour, cooked it, struggled to keep it smooth….etc. (Here are some illustrated steps(FR), but I used different ingredients and there are some differences in the method of cooking, so this is just to give a general idea).
    In short, it took me 4 hours to prepare it and cook it! After I was done I realized I forgot to bring the nuts and other ingredients used to decorate, so I went to Carrefour around 9:30 p.m. and got what I needed.
    I was so afraid that my efforts will go down the drain, but my husband (a big fan of Assida) gave me his quality-control certification, and I passed with honor 😉 Not only this, but my mother in law, of course a professional in Tunisian cooking, loved it 🙂
    So yes I’m so happy, so proud, and my efforts paid off. Now I made sure I can cook the hardest recipes of the Tunisian cuisine and they will taste really good 🙂
    I love cooking…

  • Related: Mouled & Assida
    • Category: Arab Societies, Religion, Tunisia | LEAVE A COMMENT
    April 15 2005

    1st Tunisian Blogger Meetup Set

    Yep, that’s true, the first Tunisian Blogger Meetup ever is finally set.

    • Time: Sunday, April 24th at 7PM.
    • Place: Biwa (Les Berges du Lac).

    For more details and to confirm you’ll be attending, go to the Tunisian Blogger Meetup event page.

    Hope all Bloggers in Tunisia will be able to make it, and for those who are not in Tunisia, hard luck for us. Inshallah we’ll meet in the coming meetups 🙂

    Can’t wait…

    Via: Subzero Blue

    Category: Tunisia | LEAVE A COMMENT
    April 4 2005

    Tunisian Blogger Meetup

    Yep, a Tunisian Blogger Meetup will take place really soon.
    Well, I’m not a Tunisian Blogger, but I’m a blogger in Tunisia and married to a Tunisian Blogger, so sure I’ll be there and benefit from this chance to meet other Tunisian Bloggers.
    I met few already, and I’m looking forward to meet the rest.
    It’s a shame though that other great Tunisian Bloggers wont be there because they reside outside Tunisia, but hopefully soon we’ll be able to gather and meet.

    So after Subzero Blue sent all members of the Tunisian Blogger Meetup Group an email informing them of a coming meetup this month and asking for suggestions, he finally announced the initial time and places suggested for this month’s meetup based on the replies he got.

  • Time: 7:30PM on April 22nd.
  • Places suggested:
    – Downtown Tunis (e.g. L’Etoile du nord).
    – Les Berges du Lac (e.g. Biwa)
    РSidi Bou Said (e.g. Sidi Chabaane Caf̩)

    • As said, these are initial suggestions he got from the members. If anyone has other suggestions, please leave a comment to MMM HERE!

    Also please keep in mind that the meetup is to gather a big number of bloggers, and it’s impossible to find a timing that will suit all members, therefore try to be as objective as possible and consider it a priority for which you are willing to change other personal plans.
    MMM posted the suggestions now so that all members will have the time to prepare themselves and have their plans organized accordingly.

    Finally, I’m so excited and believe this meetup will be a great chance to get to know each other more 🙂

    Category: Tunisia | LEAVE A COMMENT
    March 30 2005

    Collecting Plastic Waste



    This is an ad I found on Tunisia’s Daily Newspaper: “La Presse”. For those who can’t read Arabic, it says: now I can collect plastic bottles and win with “Net of Environment Friends”.
    “Net of Environment Friends” was first created in 2005 by the Ministry of Environment & Development to help minimize and prevent pollution caused by plastic waste in Tunisia. And this ad is a part of its campaign in collecting plastic bottles and containers from stores, buildings and homes.

    Studies showed that in Tunisia alone, the number of plastic containers used for milk, water and Coke, is around 700 million, which is about 21000 tons of plastic. The studies also showed that the usage of glass bottles dropped from 30% in the nineties into 10% currently. On the other hand shopping stores prefer using plastic bags rather than replacing them with environment-friendly bags.

    In efforts to minimize the fatal damages of pollution caused by plastic waste, local Tunisian associations and private organizations are doubling their efforts to launch more awareness campaigns and to come up with ideas that will urge citizens to help in collecting plastic waste for recycling purposes.
    Other than TV spots, recycling locations spread all over the country, and the huge recyclable-waste containers implanted in many locations in Tunisia, municipalities were given financial aid that should support collecting campaigns. As a result, some cities announced that they would be giving certain amounts of money in exchange for plastic waste and others decided to make some kind of competition for kids & adults, where winners get interesting prizes.

    I find this very impressive. This will sure help keep plastic waste under control, and later on, people will be prepared for reducing this kind of waste.

    Sources: pollution of plastic waste(AR), and campaigns to control plastic waste(AR).

    Category: Nature & Environment, Tunisia | LEAVE A COMMENT