Training in Ain Draham, Tunisia

Training consisted of language and cultural classes that lasted for two months.
During this two month training we moved to three places around the country. At the end of the training we were assigned to a town.
Steve was assigned to a school for orphans who were learning trades.
We set out for our new home having visited our assigned town a few weeks before we were to move.
The major languages were Arabic and French.
Our home was cozy enough and we rented it furnished.
On our weekends we would travel to various destinations and back to visit friends in Tunis, the capitol.

~ Journal excerpt~
It was mid afternoon and the air around me was thick and sweltering. A stream of perspiration was carving a path on my skin, and the only thought I had was where could I go to get out of this heat and cool off a bit.
My arm was heavy and thickly sore from the immunization given to me earlier in the day.
Here we were in Tunis, the capitol of an Arab country, lost, and miles from anywhere remotely familiar to us. On the edge of the Medina, the ancient part of the city, thousands of years old, a literal labyrinth of ancient buildings built one upon another of homes and shops to thousands. One wrong turn and who knows when and where we would end up or come out.

We made our way through the maze of shops closing for the afternoon. The people retreat from the heat until early evening, when one can once again breathe.
We caught the bus to our hotel where we could retreat and cool off and rest. Here I found the true meaning of the siesta, no one can work or function in the stifling heat of mid afternoon .We were situated on the edge of the Sahara and it was mid- July.

Early evening , with cooler temperatures magically transpired into a busy metropolis of people out strolling down the boulevard. Shops were open and music was drifting into the air. The beat of bongo drum and the high pitched whine of a woman's voice singing unintelligible words, all foreign to my senses, drifted about.

We were on our honeymoon~ my husband had whisked me away to this foreign country, and here, we embraced the culture full on.
The fragrance of the night blooming jasmine filled my nostrils as I pulled the beautifully woven flowers up to my nose. The blossoms mysteriously open in the evening warmth releasing their beautiful fragrance.
Thus the beginning of our adventure of life together~