Postscript Time to Celebrate?

Crowds of students in front of a school, teachers once more on strike. On the radio a mother complains, at another school only three students turned up and the teachers send them home, her son is fed up with no lessons and wants to give up school all together. So many strikes, so long holidays, many fear this will result in a lost generation, lacking too much education. Private schools an alternative that many can't afford. Who can take exams? Kids roaming the street, do they know values, respect? Can't be an easy job to teach them. Those with ignorant parents are especially misfortune. Frustration is a bad teacher. Maybe not surprising that most plants in front of a school are either broken or torn out all together. - We  have send a small Christmas present (105 Dinar =  30 Euro) to Germany, via express (29 Dinar) in order to get it there in time. Presents up to a total of 45 Euro (including postage) can be send free of charge for the receptor. We were therefore unpleasantly surprised to hear from our nephew that import tax and customer duty were claimed of him, approx. 35 Euro. What was that? Should his present be bought a second time, this time by he himself? Are we not allowed to make a present?  I found out that as no "bill of freight" (Frachtbrief) was attached, the transport fee was estimated to be double that what we actually paid. A bad joke. So if you want to send a tiny light present to Germany, don't forget to attach a bill of freight and make sure you don't exceed 45 Euro ..
By the way, at the post office in Tunisia customers authorities also have a counter and you have to show them your open parcel for checking. So every package states the correct contends. It is rather surprising (putting it mildly) that in this day and age Germany is not in a position to use a correct valid list of postage charges to work out whatever figures need to be added to the stated value of a parcel - should a "Frachtbrief" (sounds big) not be attached. I've got a fair idea now of what lies ahead for poor Great Britain with their Brexit. 

Time to Celebrate?

The so-called Jasmin Revolution started 8 years ago, on the 14th of January, while many regard the revolution as a reason to celebrate, even more feel that not enough has been achieved, or believe life was easier during Ben Ali's regime. Strange, lately some claim the street vendor who started it all off by burning himself ,was actually an alcoholic. As no such assertion was made at the time and for a long time there after, one can regard this as fake news spread by folks with very personal interests. In addition we have countries under a dictatorship rule where those in government would like to see a failed democracy in Tunisia, as they fear the people in their country would want democracy also. I frequently hear: we had more money, we could afford more, buy meat, etc and Ben Ali only took from the rich.... Well, what did he do for the country? Did he build waste disposal or water treatment plants? Did he develop the poor parts of the country, what did he do for the south? Why did he focus on the capital and the coastal areas? Doesn't the south also belong to Tunisia? - The purchasing power has fallen by 40 % since 2014, last year the prices of many products have gone up 3 or 4 times, thus for some of us no longer affordable. One can get by with very little money, but one still needs money. It helps to be flexible. One guy past retirement age e.g. carries out the flowing tasks: unblocking sewage pipes, gardening works, selling raw pastry, collecting plastic for recycling and old bred for animal consumption, beating the drums during Ramadan ("last meals").  Holidays for tourists are offered at unbeatable low prices. With tourists returning there is hope for more employment. The hotels are excellent, the service is good and tourists are really welcomed. Restaurants, small shops of various types, including several in the Basar, have closed and some are slowly opening up again. The beach has very fine sand, the weather is usually good. Unemployment is still high, not just among the uneducated but also among those with a university diploma, really depressing and no encouragement for kids to study. And they really need good raw models. I feel sorry for neglected children, often belonging to big families, the street is not a good teacher. A little boy, approx. 5 years old addressed me in vulgar English. I said: "Oh my god.". He repeated this several times. Shortly afterwards he had a fight with another boy of his age. When the other kid fell on the pavement (no real injury), he again said: "Oh my god." Maybe I ought to teach these children some different idioms. Teachers appear to be more or less constantly on strike and ignorant parents all too often don't understand their responsibility for the siblings' development. So sad, viewing kids damaging or destroying what doesn't belong to them. Usually noone will ask them to make good again, thus it appears to be okay. "They are children, you have to accept it." One of the most stupid sentences I hear and it is very rare to have anyone advising the kids to stop screaming, constant screaming. For them it is normal, what do they do when they genuine need help?

Postscript A Cat's Life Ain't easy

In paradise cats can talk like human beings and they will testify who treated them well and who abused them, a man told us. Many Muslims believe paradise is open for those (including Christians) who care for cats/animals. Mohamed advised: " Have sympathy with the animals on earth than Allah will also have sympathy with you. Christians say: God stated human beings should dominate the world. This gives a lot of scope and doesn't necessarily mean treating animals well, yet millions do (while others exploit shamelessly). I read baby cats that grow up without mummy cat, don't receive the necessary education and become difficult. From my experience I can not confirm this. Providing they are not too young when they are separated (in which case they may not even survive), if they are treated well, baby cats grow up to be lovely gentle cats. They instantly use the provided toilet, keep themselves neat and clean, love to cuddle and purr when they see their foster parents, favourite seat the lap. I often have 3 on my lap, 1 at my side, 1 at my feet and 1 above my head. My late Filou used to wait until I fall asleep and then lay down on my belly with his 5 kilos, which mend waking up with a lot of weight on me. He was very special, used to open doors, including my fridge,  knew in advance his vet's appointment and went hiding, (my friends joked: don't let him check your diary) quite a character, a great loss. Bijoux and Felicitas suffer from kidney problems. Luckily the vet has croquettes available, developed to help with this sickness, but the food is imported and not exactly cheap. The croquettes appears to be delicious and smell just right (for cats). All are interested and I have to insure that they remain for my sick ladies only. My "Kratzbaum" is a dead tree covered by rope and created to help cats with their claw care. From time to time I have to ask them not to confuse me with their tree. Several cats discovered that door curtains pushed to one side and fixed in a lope, make good hammocks. Whenever  I am a few minutes late with serving cats' breakfast, my lovely homeless guests call me, "singing": we are hungry, hungry.....", so I better not oversleep. My husband remarked that he has never before viewed so many very beautiful cats as in Sousse. In Germany they would be expensive and surely not homeless. Jewelry on the street. Baby Sina (the only surviving one of 4 cats that were one day left in front of my door) calls me and comes running. She's so sweet, adorable. My little treasure.

A Cat's Life isn't Easy

Looking for food, water and shelter young kitten Janina one day discovered my "cats' table". Most of my regular guests accepted her and she decided it's a good place to stay. She demonstrated this by remaining in front of my entrance door and trying to gain access. This I refused on account of my already big fury family who also don't seem to be willing to welcome more newcomers. Not an easy decision for me. One day I discovered Janina suffered from a gum infection. Time to take her to the vet's. It turned out that the little darling had real problems, 5 tooth had to be removed, good grief, she's only 5 months old, the vet estimated.  There is a virus among cats that badly effects the eyes or the teeth. Their immune system appears to be often weak, here more so than in Europe. Winter with rather cold nights takes its toll, coughing and running noses are common. Very sad!  Anyhow I just couldn't put the poor girl outside again and she's so amazing. While we would be in a bit of a state after such an experience at the dentist's, little Janina appeared to be just fine, purring happily. The vet noticed that Janina reacted to me (when I came to pick her up after the operation) with a different voice. "Not the voice we heard before, very unusual". I am proud of my little new treasure and enjoy her company. After 15 days she will need a second injection from the vet, luckily she'll allow me to put her inside the transport box without making much fuzz. I'd wish all cats would be like that. - A woman addressed me: " Have you seen my cat? His fur is yellow. Does he come here for food?" I took her number and said I'd phone her if he turns up. Actually I phoned her twice but she didn't show up. No longer interested? I presume she thinks by drawing my attention to her cat she's done enough and I would take him inside. I am neither rich nor have I got a garden, park or farm. I would love to save all cats and other animals, but this is well beyond my capacities. This woman's poor cat has to cope with cold winter nights and no shelter. I discovered him in the neighbourhood on the roof of an empty house, not knowing how to come down, spending 2 or 3 days and cold nights there. He "talks" to me and complains about his hardship, finding himself suddenly homeless, at least that is my impression. So sad and I can only offer him food and water.  If I would take him inside my house my other tomcats would hit him, even some of my girls might not like the competition and he could make them pregnant (the "family planning operation" for the males costs 50 Dinar at present, for the females 95 Dinar). In addition I regard my in-door cats as a kind of family members, which includes that all medical costs are my responsibility. I'd wish I could do much more for my little treasures and also my homeless friends. I can't reduce my cat food costs, when these little darlings come running to me and look at me with so much trust and expectations in their eyes, how can I disappoint them? By the way, having the tomcat operated is not only one way to reduce the number of unwanted kittens but it also stops your tomcat marking his area (with his urine) and makes him more interested in staying indoors and cuddle with you. A cat's purring can help you to relax and lower a too high blood pressure and last not least prolong your life. Let us appreciate cats as a great gift from heaven.

It Ain't Exactly a Paradise

The 8 year old girl surprised her family one day by saying: "Salt is missing". Enquired her father: "Well I never, you can actually speak?" "Of course I can." "Why didn't you say a word, all those years?" "Because there wasn't a reason, everything was always there......."
One can hear that we have equal rights for men and women, I sometimes joke, the girls yell just as loud as the boys, only with a high pitched voice.  The other day some women were pretty close to having a fight, boys appear to be always fighting, they call it fun.  But in the classic old  cafe you usually see only men. Women have to do the cooking and clean the house, I am told, while unemployed men look for a job sitting in a cafe? Whenever I go shopping with my husband and give the money to the person behind the counter, the change is handed to my husband. Is this solidarity among men? Well no, women act likewise (only a couple of exceptions). When my husband pays, no one tries to give me the change. Very strange in view of how many women work nowadays. Yesterday I asked a young man to explain his action. He was surprised, laughed and said I guess we do this without thinking. Sometimes I am asked: " How much do you want to pay?"  Whenever I answer that I actually don't want to pay, but I'll take the goods anyway, the reaction is not what one might expect, folks just laugh and say okay, no one gets annoyed, it never happened! Great country! It is not easy though for those with rather limited income and rising prices. As the exchange rate of the Dinar drops, imports are getting more and more expensive, some goods are no longer available but with a bit of luck there are alternatives on the market. End of the year approaching, time to buy a new diary. The saleswoman in the shop advised me that she hasn't got any calendars. Briefly looking around I discovered a good choice of calendars on display (near her counter!!!), very strange. Was this mend to be satire? Some small food shops are facing financial difficulties, several shelves are more or less empty. Allowing poor customers to buy on credit can provide you with more customers, but even when the sum remains small, with many such customers it may add up to a sum the shop owner can't well afford to do without in the long run. When he or she says: "you need to pay your debt before buying more, I have to stop your credit," some promise to pay soon, others get annoyed, a few don't return anymore, a girl, approx 10 years old throw some coins onto the floor, showing her disrespect for the elderly shop owner. I wonder what values her parents teach her. These not exactly well-off minor shop owners fulfil an important function in this country, yet they are not appreciated the way they should be. It is sad to see folks buying even bred on credit (this French bred costs approx 6 ct a loaf). With a price like that nobody ought to remain hungry. By the way, I call these little shops which appear to be
everywhere (too many to secure a good turnover)
 "Uncle Ali Shop" (in Germany they were nicknamed "Tante Emma Laden"). In Paris I once saw in a pub a notice saying: "If you ask me for a credit and I say no, you will be annoyed, if I ask you to settle your bill and you say no, I will be annoyed, better if you are annoyed.

My Lovely Fur Family and Fur Neighbours

Cats are a special present from heaven. They motivate me to get up very early in the morning. Tiger usually sleeps at my feet and is the first to start cuddling and purring, so relaxing. Being greeted by my big fur family on the terrace a great start into the morning. They are so lovely and dislike the winter as much as I do. At night after they decided where to sleep (some have their favourite place) I cover them with their small fleece blankets to keep my little darlings warm. Like children they may uncover themselves so before I go to bed I check whether they are okay. Strange, on some days all cats, those that live with us and those who come to the cats' table, appear to be very hungry, on other days they don't feel much like eating. The other day only 4 cats arrived for breakfast, usually 10 or more are coming. What happened? Knowing that animals are often not exactly appreciated I got worried. Slowly more cats arrived, thank heaven. I guess they slept a bit longer just like the sun does now. Adele and Adamo, two injured cats that I successfully nursed and gave shelter in my library as my cat family did not seem to be willing to accept further members, started to remove my books from the shelving. Though they look pretty on the shelf, my books on the floor don't. Maybe they heard that books are getting out of fashion? Anyhow, time to integrate my little darlings. Unfortunately this means taking Adamo to the vet so that we won't have unwanted pregnancies, prevent him from marking his area and causing less problems with the other tomcats. Following the operation I slowly introduced Adamo at first to those ladies that welcome all newcomers, Lilly, Felicitas, Eileen, Suzy, Amelie. It all worked well, I guess Adamo's gentle character was helpful. A few days later it was Adele' s turn. She was very nervous in view of the new surroundings, this changed when she saw her old companion, Adamo. He gave her a special welcome, showed her around. They still stick together a lot. Another new addition, little Janina, approx. 3 months old. One day she appeared in front of my entrance door and pretty much stayed there. She tried to gain entrance a few times, this I refused for a while. One day I discovered she suffers from a gum infection and has a small injury on her right ear. I treated her the way I learnt from our vet (I meanwhile have a little pharmacy for cats). Gentle sweet Janina allowed me to apply that blue liquid onto her gum, not very pleasant, other cats hate it. Even though we are already a big family, I decided Janina deserves to live with us, rather than spend these cold nights outside. Diana performed an acrobat exercise, she filled an ashtray on the floor, not one drop beneath it, I guess she doesn' like smoking? (My husband was not amused.) For our neighbourhood fur angels I leave a bowl of water and dry food ( Croquettes) outside, in the beginning in a pottery bowl, which repeatedly got either broken ( by football or on purpose) or stolen. For a while I have now been using the empty plastic ice-cream boxes instead. On various occasions these disappeared over night. Hopefully stolen to feed cats or dogs, (not "just for fun") but the croquettes are a special mixture for cats rather than dogs. Nonetheless I am not happy with stealing, we prefer to have honest neighbours. It is getting colder, though quite a bit warmer than in most parts of Europe, but it feels alike. Winter means a lot of coughing, sneezing, running noses. As cats can' t use handkerchiefs, nature has another, not very good solution: licking. Whenever possible I clean their nose, ears, face, they don't like it, but more or less tolerate this procedure,  some of my homeless darlings more than my in-house treasures. Not all are the same, several of the home-less angels are so gentle, it is unbelievable and unlike quite a few kids and youngsters here, they know respect!  When I am cold, I don't switch on the central heating (haven't got one), but whenever possible walk upstairs to my roof terrace and enjoy there in the middle of my great gorgeous fur family the free heating from heaven.

Postscript It ain't Easy

Mother: "Time to get up and get ready for school." Son: "I don't want to go, nobody likes me there. The students don't like me, the teachers don't like me, even the secretary doesn't like me." Mother: "But you must go, you are the director!" What do teachers and students have in common? Lack of motivation...... of course not all are like that. Holidays are long and there are many, classrooms are not very inviting, I am told due to lack of funds. Self-help could be a cheap solution and students interested in pleasant surroundings would be helpful. ( Several obviously aren't, as the areas in front of schools proves, so sad, even plants damaged, torn off on a small gardening strip, some appear to consider litter more attractive than flowers.) Often, all too often I would say, school finishes early, (I have seen kids returning from school between 9 and 10 a.m. maybe because the kids are too advanced?) or teachers are on strike yet again! Children get accustomed to being "free of school" and those with ignorant parents possibly also to being "not restricted" by respect and self-discipline. Not everybody can afford to send the children to private schools in order to enable them to get a good education. Quite a few children travel by taxi to and from school. (I recommend for comparison: "Al Jazeera English documentary: dangerous school routes) This remains me when I was young, walking 5 km to grammar school so that I can save the bus fare and buy myself paperback literature. I wonder how many children here still read books? How many non-academic parents encourage their siblings to do so? I noticed that the spelling in English of those folks who learnt this language as a foreign language, is often very bad. Interesting, for those who speak German, this pigeon English is easier to understand than for an average British or American person. The spelling could easily be improved by lots of dictating exercises. If you get the spelling wrong you might end up saying something you don't mean. One can find identical words in different languages, but with a different meaning. In Arabic the word "Fluss" means money, in German river, "Gift" in German means poison, in English present or talent. One way to get misunderstandings. Kids often ask me for sweets, "Bonbon" or chocolate. One little boy who received a muffin a couple of hours earlier, returned, requested chocolate and even named the brand, a medium-priced imported product. As I advised him that I have no chocolate in the house, he declared that bonbon would also be okay. I declined and suggested he returns the next day. So he enquired what he'll receive then. This proves he is educated (knows brands) and has good taste. While I've been advised by local women not to hand out sweets ("they'll be at your doorstep every day, tell them to go to the small shop near your house"), I now understand why these kids can't buy there, the shop-keeper only sells cheaper sweets. By the way, there is delicious, locally produced jam on the market, the tinned one costs less, is just as excellent and quite cheap. Winter has arrived, cold and damp, around where I live it presently takes place from approximately 16.00 hrs until 10 a.m. , nevertheless I am looking forward to spring and summer, and so do my cats, they just love the sun.