Postcript If Life hands You a Lemon, Looking Back

 "Envy is the most honest kind of admiration." Wilhelm Busch  "If you do harm to a child or animal, one can surely say that you are an idiot and a bastard" Sean Connery.               Tunisians living abroad in 2022 transferred 8,5 Billion Dinar to Tunisia. This is 2 times as high as the income from tourists, thus a vital source of foreign exchange revenue. For several poor countries the situation is more or less simular. Anyhow, returning after several years in Europe (or from other continents) and not just for a holiday, is not very easy. Tunisia has changed, even the mentality of many citizens seems to have changed, or is it mainly viewed like that because expats compare their experiences so much and the past possibly wasn't as bright as appears to be in memories? Living under a dictatorship does effect a society. The freedom enjoyed after the revolution several less educated families misunderstood as a chance to let their children run wild, no respect for anyone. "They are children", thus not responsible for any of their actions, (nor of course are their parents) protected by big families, besides, victims usually can't effort to employ a lawyer. Some expat families came and left again, feeling like a stranger here, sadly even the children didn't want to settle in Tunisia. Stone throwing, abuse of cats and dogs, their poisoning or shooting, environmental negligence, etc. such behaviour they don't understand. I heard of expats' kids that refused to speak Arabic as a kind of protest. It makes a lot of difference whether you grow up with books and good-night stories read by your parent or are just handed a ball and being allowed to spend most of the day out on the street, perhaps even with more or less neglected other kids. In Kairouan children took a big hammer and started to knock down the bricked protection circle around the tree I planted a few years ago. "Just for fun." Parent's comment: "They are kids." Is it considered to be normal for children to damage/destroy what doesn't belong to them? Must they not be taught how far they can go? It is normal for children to test where the line is that they must not overstep and it is their parent's duty to explain this. - Following the threat to boycott joghurt as there is no milk on sale, it now re-appeared on the shelvings. Rumour has it that only supermarkets will be allowed to sell it in future, not those numerous little shops. To avoid blackmarket sales? Originally milk was only mend to feed calves, humans didn't need it, babies had their mother's milk. In our so-called civilization animals get brutally exploited, cows are forced to have calves  and not allowed to care for their babies (which all too often are quickly slaughtered) so that we can steal the calves' milk. I must admit I like dairy product and for many years wasn't aware of the above. What you grow up with you often don't question, it seems to be so normal. In Kairouan various bakers started to sell the popular baguette for 350 Milliem, previously 250 Milliem. A big increase for the poor, Instead of being able to buy 4 baguettes for 1 Dinar, they now have to pay 1, 050 Dinar for only 3 (1 Euro is approx. 3,240 Dinar). In some shops butter is available again, but 250g for more than 7 Dinar. Coffee is still rar, but plenty of Nescafé at a high price. Sugar one can sometimes find on the blackmarket at a corresponding price. Bakeries still receive sugar, plenty of it judging from their (for my taste) extreme usage in cakes. - I informed my husband that several neighbors arrived at our front door indicating that they are hungry. So he asked: "Which neighbors?" I replied: "They are gentle, beautiful and modest. Oh and they have 4 legs." What is the difference between the kids here and the cats? The children ask for chocolate or "Bonbon" while the cats are happy with a bit of croquettes or so-called

"salami" (sausage for cats). The usual food that Tunisians feed to stray cats is either couscous/left overs from their meals or noodles with a bit of sardines. By the way, cats shouldn't eat onins, garlic, beans, pepers, cake, chocolate, avoid spices in particular salt, etc. I wish I were rich and could help all animals that need help. Living in an Arabic style house (yard/terrace in the middle) is great in summer, spring, autumn, but not much fun in winter (pretty cold, wet and windy).