The personal and professional website of Douglas Van Bossuyt
Joey works on some homework in class.
Magrib (sunset) on one of the first few nights of Ramadan. After i took this photo, I ran inside to eat and drink.
Tina, one of the dogs of our house.
The laundry out to dry.
Giovanna and I visited Sidi Bou Said one afternoon and went down to the Gulf of Tunis to get our toes wet.
These are photos from the top of the hill in Carthage. Some of these ruins date back as far as 814 BCE but most everything was built after 46BCE. In 146BCE, the city was completely destroyed by the Romans after the third Phoenician war in which the Phoenicians, based in Carthage, were defeated. You might remember Carthage as being the place that the ground was sewn with salt so that people would never live there again. In reality, after about 100 years of laying in ruin, Julius Caesar decided to rebuild the place to be a symbol of the planned resurrection of the African province of Rome. Whatever the case, its a pretty cool place. Also, the newer buildings in the background were built by the french in 1890 on the supposed site of St Louis’s tomb. It’s an interesting structure in its own right.
A dinar bought Giovanna a picture with a falcon.
The World War II North African American War Cemetery is run by an interesting fellow named Mr. Green. We first saw him appear out of the middle of the cemetery as if he had emerged from the ground. He was dressed head to toe in a black suit with a dark, blood red shirt and black tie. He had on a black fedora and black sunglasses. He truly belongs in the cemetery. I hope to go back and get a picture of him one of these days, but he’s an elusive man and never seems to appear in photographs. The cemetery itself was a typical American war cemetery complete with chapel that has electronic recordings of taps, the national anthem, and a 21 gun salute. If it weren’t for all the graves, the place would make an excellent putting green.
Sidi Bou Said has been a tourist trap for over two and a half centuries but still manages to have a lot of charm. I returned many times to sit at one of the cafes and relax.
My luggage prior to departure.
On arrival in Tunis, I found a note inside one of my bags saying the TSA had searched it. Evidently they didn’t find anything because everything was still accounted for.
Lucas in a sidewalk cafe on Ave Bourgiba next to the clock tower.
Our first day of school.
Lucas’s and my studio apartment. It is one corner of the bottom of a large villa in Hayya Romanna, a neighborhood of Tunis. We have a kitchen, sitting area, two beds, a full bathroom, and three dogs.
Giovanna sampling a Tunisian delicacy. It’s called a “brique.”
Lucas and me studying by our swimming pool.
Our classroom. All of our classes happen in the same room to make things easier for everyone. In the mornings on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday we have Arabic from 830 to 1030am. then from 1030 to 1230 we have French. On Tuesdays and Thursdays we have woman’s studies and environmental case studies from 130 to 430pm. On Wednesdays we usually go on field trips around the country. Sometimes we also go on trips on Saturdays.