Skyping+with+Tunisia

Today we had a wonderful opportunity to Skype with Joshua's dad. He is currently in Tunisia helping them set up their new Democracy. Our class came up with several questions to ask Mr. K. He was so kind to answer them and added some new fun facts about Tunisia too.

Our call began at 2:00 PM Central time. It was 9:00 PM in Tunisia. Mr. K was in the hotel lobby where he had Internet access. We could hear a piano playing in the background. He said that he has heard a lot of American music while in Tunisia.

Here are our questions.

What is the weather like? Mr. K is in the capital city of Tunis and it is currently 45 degrees and it is raining.

Have you eaten any native Tunisian food? What is it like? Tunisia has a long history with France, so many of the foods are French based. They eat goat, beef, chicken, veal and vegetables. A dish Mr. K has tried is called Harrissa. It is a spicy sauce put on their food.

What type of clothing do people wear? The younger people wear clothing just like us. You might find the older people wearing a robe or wrap type clothing.

Are the streets busy? What type of transportation do you see? The streets are very busy with a lot of people. You will find many people walking or biking. You will not see any SUVs here. You will see smaller French cars like a Peugeot or a Renault. For public transportation, people use street cars instead of the buses we use.

How does the city of Tunis compare to our city? Tunis has about 1 million people. The country of Tunisia has between 9 and 10 million people. The buildings are different than the ones we are use to. There are not many tall buildings and the homes are built in an open Mediterranean style.

What language do the people speak? Many people speak Arabic like many of the people in Northern Africa and the Middle East. French is also spoken in Tunisia.

What is the economy like? About 80% of the people in Tunisia are middle class.

Did you see any food markets in the street? Food markets line the streets. The owners are very good businessmen and invite the people walking by to "Come into my store" and "Please come into my store"

Do you see any mosques in the city? Do you hear the Muslim call to prayer? Mr. K said that about 99% of the people in Tunisia are Muslim. The country is considered a moderate country when it comes to practicing their religion in the Middle East. It is against the law to practice your religion in a public building. Mr. K said you may hear the call to prayer on a Friday.

Are refugees coming to Tunisia from other countries? Mr. K explained that a refugee is a person fleeing a country that is not safe and is seeking a place to be safe. He said that he heard that there were 10,000 refugees at the border of Tunisia and Libya on Friday. He said today that there were 75,000! He said there are people from Egypt, and even Bangladesh and Serbia. The people of Tunisia are having a hard time supplying food, shelter and blankets for all of the refugees.

Mr. K also shared that people who are followers of the Muslim faith do not eat pork. He can not eat pork chops, sausage or bacon in Tunisia.

The best fun fact was that part of the movie //Star Wars// was filmed in Tunisia. The scenes that showed the planet Tatooine were filmed here.

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