This year has been hard for me to get into the spirit of the Season. Partially because, once again, Christmas has snuck up on me. How does that happen every year?? Some of this lack of spirit has to do with the country we are living in this year. Tunisia is approximately 98% Muslim and have many other holidays to celebrate and don't usually go nuts with the lights and tinsel for Christmas like we do. I have spent many Christmas' without snow and can completely feel "in The Spirit" in warm weather. However, without the lights on the houses and music in the malls it is just feeling like any other time of year. We decided not to bring any of our Christmas decorations from home (except our Stockings, of course!) and did find a couple trees and some lights for the house. So our upstairs living room looks festive. And you can see our little tree and lights from the street. I'm hoping it perks up some folks walking by our house (and doesn't offend anyone).
Tonight while putting Hunter to bed, I asked her what the most exciting this about Christmas is. She said opening presents and seeing Santa. "Maybe I'm going to wake up and see his reindeer!" Oh, how I forget sometimes how fun it is believing in Santa Claus and his elves and Mrs. Santa and the reindeer. We talked about his magic sleigh that can slide on snow at home in Canada or on sand in the desert. And luckily we have a flat roof that he can land on safely so he won't slide off! ;)
Yes, Hunter is VERY excited about getting presents. However, she has been just as excited about finding things to wrap for everyone else in the family as she is about inventorying who has the most gifts under the tree. We all have little wrapped gifts under the tree filled with stuff Hunter found in the house and thought we would like... again. It is such a sweet and selfless act and is the true meaning of Christmas all the way. She is thinking of giving and isn't worried about how big or expensive the gift is or what she will get in return. She only wants to give something the recipient will enjoy.
She was so intent on finding the right gift for Elliot. Yesterday as we walked toward the Souk in the Medina she whispered that she wanted to find a purple baby shirt for Elliot for Christmas. We looked and couldn't find one. Today, while we were in the Carrefour mall, she and I shopped alone to find gifts and she took me in to a toy store (usually one I avoid because of the overpriced, cheaply made toys) to find something for her little sister. As much as I really would rather not have another crappy toy with a million pieces in our house, I just couldn't stop Hunter as I saw how much love and caring and thought for Elli she put into finding just the right gift. She pulled toys out from the shelf thinking this was just the right one, and then put it back realizing that it might not be what Elliot wanted. Finally she decided on a set of hospital tools for dolls. The big decision then was the get the one in the blue or pink cardboard box (all the actual toys were exactly the same). She chose the blue because that is the one she figured Elliot would like the best (although Hunter would have preferred the pink box). She was so proud and looked so grown up paying for her lovingly chosen item. She will be beaming when Elliot unwraps her gift on Christmas morning. My heart is full. <3
Elliot on the other hand just wants to tell Hunter all about the gift she is giving every time Hunter walks in the room. She does understand it is supposed to be a secret but she is just too excited to surprise her big sister! It will be a fun Christmas!!! I just hope my girls sleep in more than I did. I think I was still waking up at 5am well into my teens.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all!!
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Hammam with Mom!
Sorry, folks. No photos from this adventure! Actually, you probably won't be sorry.
Today was the day. I finally took my mom to the hammam. I booked us an appointment at the same place where I had my first hammam thinking it was easy and the woman there was helpful and led me through it all. It worked a little differently today.
So, we got "ready" and went into the hammam. There really isn't much to it since, well, you don't wear much. Anyway, in we went in and hung out in the chilly hammam while the steam started to warm things up. We waited quite a while and just as we couldn't see anything in the steamy hammam, "la femme" came in to get us ready. No, we did not do all of this fun stuff on our own. We had someone else to do the dirty work. Fortunately, Mom has heard many of my stories from the Hammam so was ready for what she was getting into. I let her go first. And as I had prewarned her to PLEASE not groan or shriek, she was well behaved. It was funny looking over and seeing her lying facedown in the superman position getting the skin scrubbed of her. And also while she was being stretched and twisted, presumably to help her relax now that her muscles were warmed up. But really, I find it hard to completely relax when you don't know where that steel wool glove is going next.
After we had our "gommage" or peeling we had a clay mud or "algae" rubbed and left on us. It was minty so felt cool on the skin for a while and I actually felt chilly inside the finally hot steam room. As the hammam woman (I'm really not sure of her official title. How do you properly "name" the woman who scrubs the skin off your hoo hoos?) led us back and told us to shower off I felt a terrible stinging in my eye. For some reason I tried to ignore it so as not to draw attention to myself (silly if you have understood exactly what I look like at this point) but once it started feeling like a needle in my eye I tried to get it out, only to find I had had an ant biting my tear duct!!! What the hell kind of a pampered ant hangs out in a hammam waiting to bite eyes??? So once I got past that excitement, we showered off and relaxed for a bit before our massages. Luckily we were clothed this time... for a while.
I haven't mentioned that we left the girls home alone with my dad, who, on our way out the door said, "So you won't be more than 2 hours." Notice it wasn't a question. So we get out of the hammam and see that we have been in there for more than an hour. Only about 40 minutes until Dad expects us home and we haven't had our massages. As I said, we relaxed for a few minutes, trying to figure out if we had to go find the massage room or if someone would find us. Luckily someone found us and guided me first to the massage. Which turns out was a massage table set up in the hair salon. Strange since I had been there before and had actually been in a massage room. What if I had also wanted to get my hair done? How would they have gotten around that? So at first I was actually concerned that the hair dresser was just filling in for the masseuse but, if she was, she was pretty good. I'm not sure a hair dresser would have the hands 2 hour-long massages. Just another of the unexpected things today. I didn't specify (in my barely-French booking of the appointments) how long we wanted our massages, I just thought we would get half an hour. But after my leg massage took 15 minutes I figured I had been mistaken. So poor Mom hung out (and dozed I think) for an hour while I was in my massage. I couldn't really relax knowing Dad was home alone with the girls and wasn't expecting us to be gone for 4 hours. But, the massage was lovely! I rushed out of the massage as Mom went in, showered and drove home without Mom. It turns out that Dad and the girls were doing fine. Next time we know we can leave them for longer!! ;) Mom enjoyed her massage, I think. Her next adventure was riding the taxi home alone. Which is always an adventure. So interesting trusting someone you can't communicate with to take you somewhere neither of you really knows how to get to. But she made it home safe and sound.
So whether she goes again or not, at least Mom has experienced a real Tunisian hammam! I think she will be the last of my guests I escort into the hammam. The rest of you are on your own! ;) I thought I could do it like the Tunisian woman do, but, as it turns out, hanging out naked with women you know (even your Mom) is just a little awkward. Christopher had a teammate in Germany who met his girlfriend's parents for the 1st time at a Turkish Bath or Hammam. And they don't wear ANYTHING! Wow!
So, next adventure... taking Mom to the Centre-Ville Souk. Dad has been there so it will be fun to go with Mom, Dad and the girls. Let's see what we will find!
(Just kidding Mom. It was fun showing you my new found pampering place! <3 Thanks for being a good sport!)
Today was the day. I finally took my mom to the hammam. I booked us an appointment at the same place where I had my first hammam thinking it was easy and the woman there was helpful and led me through it all. It worked a little differently today.
So, we got "ready" and went into the hammam. There really isn't much to it since, well, you don't wear much. Anyway, in we went in and hung out in the chilly hammam while the steam started to warm things up. We waited quite a while and just as we couldn't see anything in the steamy hammam, "la femme" came in to get us ready. No, we did not do all of this fun stuff on our own. We had someone else to do the dirty work. Fortunately, Mom has heard many of my stories from the Hammam so was ready for what she was getting into. I let her go first. And as I had prewarned her to PLEASE not groan or shriek, she was well behaved. It was funny looking over and seeing her lying facedown in the superman position getting the skin scrubbed of her. And also while she was being stretched and twisted, presumably to help her relax now that her muscles were warmed up. But really, I find it hard to completely relax when you don't know where that steel wool glove is going next.
After we had our "gommage" or peeling we had a clay mud or "algae" rubbed and left on us. It was minty so felt cool on the skin for a while and I actually felt chilly inside the finally hot steam room. As the hammam woman (I'm really not sure of her official title. How do you properly "name" the woman who scrubs the skin off your hoo hoos?) led us back and told us to shower off I felt a terrible stinging in my eye. For some reason I tried to ignore it so as not to draw attention to myself (silly if you have understood exactly what I look like at this point) but once it started feeling like a needle in my eye I tried to get it out, only to find I had had an ant biting my tear duct!!! What the hell kind of a pampered ant hangs out in a hammam waiting to bite eyes??? So once I got past that excitement, we showered off and relaxed for a bit before our massages. Luckily we were clothed this time... for a while.
I haven't mentioned that we left the girls home alone with my dad, who, on our way out the door said, "So you won't be more than 2 hours." Notice it wasn't a question. So we get out of the hammam and see that we have been in there for more than an hour. Only about 40 minutes until Dad expects us home and we haven't had our massages. As I said, we relaxed for a few minutes, trying to figure out if we had to go find the massage room or if someone would find us. Luckily someone found us and guided me first to the massage. Which turns out was a massage table set up in the hair salon. Strange since I had been there before and had actually been in a massage room. What if I had also wanted to get my hair done? How would they have gotten around that? So at first I was actually concerned that the hair dresser was just filling in for the masseuse but, if she was, she was pretty good. I'm not sure a hair dresser would have the hands 2 hour-long massages. Just another of the unexpected things today. I didn't specify (in my barely-French booking of the appointments) how long we wanted our massages, I just thought we would get half an hour. But after my leg massage took 15 minutes I figured I had been mistaken. So poor Mom hung out (and dozed I think) for an hour while I was in my massage. I couldn't really relax knowing Dad was home alone with the girls and wasn't expecting us to be gone for 4 hours. But, the massage was lovely! I rushed out of the massage as Mom went in, showered and drove home without Mom. It turns out that Dad and the girls were doing fine. Next time we know we can leave them for longer!! ;) Mom enjoyed her massage, I think. Her next adventure was riding the taxi home alone. Which is always an adventure. So interesting trusting someone you can't communicate with to take you somewhere neither of you really knows how to get to. But she made it home safe and sound.
So whether she goes again or not, at least Mom has experienced a real Tunisian hammam! I think she will be the last of my guests I escort into the hammam. The rest of you are on your own! ;) I thought I could do it like the Tunisian woman do, but, as it turns out, hanging out naked with women you know (even your Mom) is just a little awkward. Christopher had a teammate in Germany who met his girlfriend's parents for the 1st time at a Turkish Bath or Hammam. And they don't wear ANYTHING! Wow!
So, next adventure... taking Mom to the Centre-Ville Souk. Dad has been there so it will be fun to go with Mom, Dad and the girls. Let's see what we will find!
(Just kidding Mom. It was fun showing you my new found pampering place! <3 Thanks for being a good sport!)
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