Photo of the Day

Just because I am feeling rather nostalgic today I give you a photo of me, in the old Colosseum in El Jem, in Tunisia... where it was warmer than it is in Calgary right now.

Man, I am not ready for winter

My new fav pastime... posting pics

I'm off to a bar-b-que of sorts.... margaritas, steaks, garlic bread, and perhaps some wicked awesome arabic music sent to me by the lovely scorpio husband.... (as Eleni is currently in possesion of the Isreali Techno....) Anyhoo without further delay, I give you... more Tunisia....

Me, Anjum and Martin at the Museum / Café

Serge and I at the Coliseum (with Guide, Julian and Martin in the background)

Julie, Virginia, Carlos, Martin, Me and Serge in the Salt Deset Chott El Jerid
Me on a Camel!!!!!!

Pictures !!!!

Julie and I chez le medecin.... fun dinner (they served lapin)

Sticky Stylos at the clinic (Patrice, me and France)

Patrice, me and Shainul Calèche #29


Walking to lunch under the Palms

After a long walk in the desert...Patrice and I are cold and quite tired! (in Sticky Calèche)

Julie watching the sun set over the Sahara

Sticky Calèche

Shainul with some lovely lunettes

Day 1 of Clinic

Serge, walking to Clinic

Audrey, walking to Clinic

An update of sorts

Quite the week I've had.... For monday and tuesday I've been feeling the post vacation blues, not to impressed with life in general, but it could of had something to do with the whole crappy weather gray skies phenomenon that swept through Calgary.... In any case, today is about a billion times better, and yesterday for that matter as well.

Monday was nothing too crazy, I was not pleased to be at work, it being easter monday and all. Tuesday was much better. I got a phone call around 11:45 from my darling Ronnalie requesting my presence at lunch... needless to say I leaped at the offer and away I went to the Whitespot.... awesome...... the food itself wasn't my fav, but the company was devine.... After work I had a new Land class to attend (yes, I decided to take the plunge and go for it ) - not too impressed with it though, despite KQ and my best intentions to have positive attitudes about our classes. As it turns out, we learned about legal descriptions - again - and of course learned about parts of a title.... This quite honestly is a bit of a slap in the face. We have seen this in 3 other courses thus far, and working all day on land titles I think that I could have taught that course.... but I digress..... After class I got home, saw that my 6000 pictures arrived from Martin - and therefore proceeded to spend the next 3 hours a) talkign on the phone to Carlos (2 horus) and b) watching all the videos from Tunisia and looking through all the pictures..... AWESOME times.....

PS - Carlos, you rule, I miss you lots and lots!!!

After my marathon phone call I thought it was high time I stop being a deadbeat student (as KQ likes to point out to me every so often) and get to studying (I had a quiz on wednesday for my last LAND 212 class)... So I pulled out the books around midnight and did a quick review session. Boring stuff, but I persevered.

Wednesday brought more lunch plans.... this time it was Denise and Eleni at Broken Plate... the food was amazing.... calamari salad and wicked pits w/ dips - plus of course the obligatory crème brûlée..... ahhhhhh. D and Eleni also laughed hysterically at all my funny tunisian stories, so I was quite pleased..... After work it was off to class for KQ and I.... as it turns out my prof was late, then decided not to teach the last module - because she didn't know the material !!!! and give us our quiz... I did it inrecord time (3 mintues) and took off.... KQ I hear had ot suffer through a full class..... brutal stuff!

Last night I was in full tilt showing off the tunisia photos, more to come tonight I think..... that and of course the FLAMES game....

Oh and PS - I am currently writing this whilst sitting at my desk in my beloved Freddy Brathwaite Jersey surrounded my an office full of people also decked out in their finest Flames garb....

Anyhoo, I shall sign off for now....

GO FLAMES GO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This just in

THE BFF gang again, but still no Virgina..... I need to find a "hand" picture with her.... let's wait until my 6000 pictures arrive on wednesday shall we.....

Virgin?!?!

Not much to write about these days... I am back housesitting, one less cat here (RIP Cas)- kinda sad, but it makes my life a whole lot easier. But living out of a suitcase for another 2 weeks really doesn't interest me that much, although I can even walk to work I am so close.... Perhaps I shall, get more active and all that jazz you hear about so often.

Tonight KQ and I had our second to last LAND 212 class. I left when we started doing our in class activity - the boredom was killing me.

Work is work. We finally got caught up to the huge backlog of files, thank god! I have started to question the whole Land thing.... I can't see myself doing it, not a good thing seeing how I have already taken 3 courses..... I should really analyze that situation a bit more, the next class is set to start next week I think.

Easter is this weekend, I almost had wicked fun plans, sadly they got the kybosh......but just think only 44 more days till Montreal! YEAH! I am missing so many of my new friends there, and my husband of course! Plus the new H & M will have opened already in Calgary so I can go on my trip looking like a super star! Awesome!

Oh, driving home today I thought of another funny Tunsian story to tell you......

Martin, Julie and I were all shopping in the souk in some random city (I can't quite recall the name just now) and we wondered into a jewellry shop. Me being me, I asked to look at all the pretty rings (as I was continuing our silly marriage joke with my hubbby).

Whilst trying a few on I was also modelling them for my shopping partners and we got to chatting about birthstones (I must have been trying on something with a blue stone in it....) and I mentioned mine was sapphire... blah blah blah... next thing we started talking about horoscopes - I asked Julie and Martin what there signs were - Julie is a Leo and Martin is a scorpio.

Now keep in mind this whole conversation is going on in french and the french speaking shop keeper is standing right next to me... therefore Julie is a "lion" and Martin is a "Scorpion"... and as I divulged my sign, I instantly regretted it.... I said " Je suis vierge" which could translate into... you guessed it - Virgin.... to which the shop keeper immediatley perked up - "Ah, oui.... BON!" aka - "Wow, great!"

Damn it! Although I meant it more in the way of Virgo, the damage was already done.

Lucy, you got some splainin' to do....

Dear reader;
I owe you an apology. Last friday I negligently failed to fulfill my posting duties. I cannot imagine the grief and hardship this must have caused; it won't happen again. Yours Sincerely,
Linda

So it seems that I should be explaining how it came to be that I acquired 2 husbands on my travels.... funny story I tell ya.....

We had various diners at various locales in Nefta, restaurants, people's homes etc... this evening just so happen to be at this "restaurant type place" in the palm oasis... they organized some kind of entertainment before dinner....however, after the entertainment we had to split up into smaller groups to sit at tables of 4.... my table had Virginia and Anjum plus one extra free place - it was taken by my new tunisian father in law...

During our conversation he asked if I was married, not thinking (silly Linda) I said "nope......." then under my breath "damn it...." as his face lit up.....He then decided that I should meet his youngest son (he's 23), in fact he will send him to the clinic the next day so I can give him some glasses.... uh oh, not good I thought myself - baaaaad situation......but I tried to smile nicely and through my clenched teeth.... oh, yeah good idea...Anyhoo the night went on, I tried to get away from this guy, he tried to chat with me... in the end we left and I said bye bye to this guy (I thought)

The next day during our clinic one of the doctors found me with the message that I had a visitor - wonderful, what the hell am I to do now.... so I went,just to say Hi... after beign pulled through a maze of corridors I was greeted by the smiling face of a 23 year old Tunisian guy. So I did the only thing that a nice polite canadian girl would do - shook his hand and said "nice to meet you". After that, it was a bit awkward as I waited for the doctor to escort me back but instead me asked..."are you going to give him an exam?" Shit, I wasn't rid of him yet.... so I took him back to our clinic and left him (after everyonewe passed laughed at my unfortunate stuation) in the line up to see the doctors and returned to my duties. A while later he showed up in the line up for glasses and I shoved Serge towards him as I explained - "he's yours, there's no way in hell I'm helping him...." What a great guy Serge is, he did it...however my next patient was seated next to him and was then subject to the grining and nodding of his aunt, one of our nurses..... not good at all.....As he was leaving I said a nice polite goodbye and showed him the door - story over, I thought...

I was feeling rather ill so I didn't go to lunch, but went back to the hotel and went to bed... my roomy Patrice showed up a while later and as we chatted about the day I had several visitors banging on my door.... Carlos and Martin..... who then informed me that I was not to leave my room, as my new father in law and this 23 year old kid were stationed near the pool quizzing everyone that passed where I was ..... hmmmmm, really not good - it seems I had a small problem. In any case I appointed the two aforementioned (for you KQ) guys as my personal bodyguards.... Time for dinner, I got ready and met the gang in the hotel lobby - however I was greeted with a room full of snickering people, the reason for the laughter was my father in law was sitting at the back of the lobby waiting for me... and for dinner - he was invited to our soiree by someone.... he then got up and greeted me with presents - presents that after I refused a few times I had to accept, and that I am currently wearing.....

Dinner that night was without incident but the next day I think my father in law showed up at the clinic, I was too busy to see him, but I was told he was there -

don't go just yet, the story gets worse.....

That day after clinic we had to switch to the hotel across the street, but we still had use of the other hotel pool - which we all did as it was gorgeous... so we were all basking in the tunisian sun and a group of us decided to go move our stuff over to the next hotel. Upon our return to the pool I was greeted with a message from Joanne and a few people sitting poolside....


After everyone stopped laughing hysterically at me, Patrice pipes up..."I'll trade you for a white camel" - more laughter, I'm almost in tears, and very displeased with everyone....but Carlos and Virginia at least feel my pain... and after getting out of the pool and seeing my note Martin says to me... "Hm, well do you want to marry me - then you don't have to marry him!" then he yells over to Pierre (a catholic priest) "Hey Pierre, can you marry us?" Perfect, problem solved! After my "poolside wedding" and beautiful black henna sesison we had a tea reception at a local cafe where Carlos gave an inspiring speech to the bride and groom.... more laughter with fake "refresh tears" running down our faces.

We return to the hotel for dinner, and interesting conversation with a professor (where I learned a women's place is here, her husband is here (higher up on the chain) followed by God (the highest)....). To this enlightening tidbit of knowledge I glare across the table at my new husband, who returns with a huge smile... and which turns into a joke all week long.. he reminding me of my "place" and me reminding him that there was a mistake and that he was the lowest and I was the highest..hahaha, it was really quite funny, but I guess you had to be there.

Next day we had to move to the Auberge (a disgusting little hole where we slept for one nasty night) and as I was running down the stairs to get into a caleche, I passed
Mohammed (my stalker / Tunisian husband) going up the stairs into the hotel...luckily for me he didn't see me and I ran as fast as I could to find someone to latch onto to protect me... I got away and back to the Auberge where Patrice, Julie, Virginia and I were then kidnapped and deformed (see the picture below with my "beautiful traditional henna design"). After a harrowing escape and Uupon our triumphant return to the auberge, Joanne intercepts me again... I have another message for you Linda... Mohamed found me at the hotel, and her words I swear "he begged me to find you, and get you to call him...and he even asked me to ask your friends to get you to call..." oh shit..... this is getting dangerous.....

In the end I had no more confrontations, but I refused to go into town that night and as I was in an out of the way hole in the wall I was sure that he couldn't find me.... now let's all hope that no one I gave my actual contact details to at the hospital feels is necessary to furnish the said details to my "tunisian husband / father in law"

In any case Martin and I jokingly spent the next week calling each other "chéri", hilarious......

Okay, that's enough writing for now... I'll try to think of other funny stories to share.... in the meantime we can all laugh about my misfortunes......

And yet some more....

Me, Virginia, Anjum (and if you look just to the left you can see the nose of My Tunisian Father in Law - very very long story......stay tuned for the shortened version....)

Walking to lunch under the palms - Martin, Audre, Patrice, Shainul, Me, Serge, Julian

Sylvain, Melanie, Sylvie, Claude

Luc, France, Lucie

Shainul, Nameera, Anjum, Sylvain, Melanie

Pierre, Hector

Julian, Annie, Audre

BFF club - Patrice, Me, Julie - after being kidnapped and decorated with "traditional / beautiful" henna.....ahem - don't I seem happy!

Much nicer, and cooler, black henna (aka ink) done poolside on my wedding day (hahaha)


Spot the "tunisian" copy

Another Happy Customer! (Ps - I look exhausted, I think this was our last clinic day - patient #3000)

More Pics

My tent in the desert (it was -3 degrees that night!)

In Chebika

Our Patient's at the hospital

Our Glasses - still packed


Searching for glasses in the clinic (15000 pairs)

Visual Acuities - Julie and Luc

Me adjusting a pair for my patient

Julie

Lunch under the Palms

A group photo after a great dinner

Our last dinner in Tunis

Virginia, Maryse, Patrice, Me, Carlos and Shainul at dinner

Coliseum in El Jem

Our names written in the salt desert

Julie, Me, Patrice and Shainul on our Calèche (#29)

Patrice's Camel

I'm baaaack

Well Heeeeelllllooooooo, la la la!!!!!!!


I'm back, it seems like just yesterday I left, but it also seems that I haven't been home in ages... weird, but I guess if you come back from vacation and are barely able to remember the stresses of everyday life - it was good.


So many patients, so many glasses, I'm telling you, I have never worked so hard, or so fast in my life - but I am so happy I went. It was honestly the best experience I have ever had - I highly recommend it to everyone, and I do think I am going a return trip to Morroco in 2009!


In any case, I stopped taking pictures because my new hubby (long story) takes such lovely pictures I thought to get copies of his......sooooo, my pics suck - the ones I do have, and for the time being until I get some more these will have to do!

Nameera, Shainul & Martin

In Chebika

Serge & I in El Jem

Patrice & Shainul - El Jem




Anjum & Nameera - El Jem

Martin & Julie - El Jem

Amir - my camel (on the right)

Julie & I - El Jem

Carlos - Driving in a Calèche through the desert in Nefta

In front of the Bourgiba Mausoleum - Monastir