BBQs & Baths

Tonight I finally went for the Hammam I've been waiting for since November. Although it is a bit of an awkward situation for me still, it is relaxing and lovely and I hope to get used to being naked and having a woman rub mud all over me while we live here. LOL... yes, I know how that sounds and that is pretty much exactly what it is like. WOW!!! When I first went to the Hammam in November I really had no idea what I was walking in to. I had no idea I would be almost completely naked or that I would lay on a hot marble slab while a woman I could not communicate with dumped buckets of warm water on me, scrubbed me with what felt like steel wool and then rubbed me down with "gommage" or some muddy scrubby stuff. And then after all that I would have my hair washed by this woman. It was all very strange to me, however when I came out of it I couldn't wait for it to be a part of my regular life, as it seems to be for most Tunisian women. So tonight I made it back there and the same woman was there and we still couldn't communicate very well but we made it through. The process wasn't as foreign to me this time but it was still a bit strange. I almost started giggling at one point so I was glad she was scrubbing my feet at that point. I'm not sure I could have explained why I was giggling with only hand gestures! It's an interesting experience that I hope to master by the time we get company as I plan to send all of our female visitors in for a bit of Tunisian culture! hee hee hee

This past weekend we got to experience another part of Tunisian culture... the BBQ. I really had no idea what to expect. Travis told me we were going with one of his coworkers, Chokri, and his family to a mountain for a BBQ. We love BBQs but I never know what other people's version of a BBQ is going to be. Not knowing how to dress I wore a long dress as it was a nice sunny day, forgetting that everyone here thinks it is still cold out so I got a few funny looks and questions throughout the day. Everyone else was in long sleeves and sweaters! But we had a wonderful time. We drove south through the town of Zaghouan to Le Temple des Eaux (The Temple of Water). Along the way we drove right beside aquaducs built by slaves over 2000 years ago.

The construction was AMAZING!! Hunter was even impressed and we talked about how hard it would be to built these structures and how strong you would have to be. She figured there were even very strong woman who probably helped in the building process. The as we got through Zaghouan we were able to water right to the source of the water for the aquaducs.

The technology and contruction for transporting water over 40 kms to a few different communities was incredible.

The spot chosen for the BBQ was beautiful. Others had obviously been to the spot before (we could tell from all the garbage laying around. Littering doesn't seem to be a big deal here... at ALL! Today Hunter figured it was great that we could just start dumping all our garbage on the ground too!) but it didn't seem to be a marked out spot, just a good one. It was almost at the base of a mountain in the bush, with a beautiful view. The kids had a wonderful time exploring and walking around in the bush. The BBQ was delicious! Chokri and Lamia grilled some hot peppers, tomatoes and garlic to make a quick and wonderful Salade Mechouia, a traditional Tunisian salad.

It is a spicy dish but it is a favorite. We also had 3 lbs of fresh lamb. Yum, I like lamb but there is nothing better than lamb grilled over olive wood with just a little lemon juice. Travis and I took turns making noises of satisfaction after each bit of this wonderful meal. I'm pretty sure we can handle trying all of this when we get some kind of a grill here. I forgot to take a picture of the lamb grilling but here it is all ready to be cooked.

It was a lovely day and I'm sure we will be out for many BBQs while we are here. Towards the end of the day the kids decided to build their own firepit and so collected many rocks and sticks until it was just perfect. They insisted it be lit and Hunter figured it would be great to cook over.

Unfortunately they have no idea what marshmallows are here... so we will have to get some over here and show them how to make s'mores!!

Tomorrow will be an exciting day as some of our furniture is being delivered to the new house. We have only ordered the beds and dining room table so far but that should be enough for a week or two until we see what else we really need. We won't move in right away but will have to be out of the company house by the 12th of April as that is when Travis' coworkers fill it up! I am looking forward to being able to start decorating a home to make it our own. We'll see what kinds of fun local decor I can find!! First things first, I need to get myself a beautiful tea set for the lovely traditional mint green tea they serve after dinner. Actually cereal bowls and spoons will probably be a priority.