9/10 SAT

DON’T WORRY BE HAPPY! [written across pages for 9/9 & 9/10]


Again, written on the 11th.

We broke up into 4 groups & did a session on global awareness. Our group did PEACE & ARMAMENT. The other groups did: The Middle East, Starvation, & Apartheid.

After lunch, J & I collected 2 D from everybody & got Scott (to help carry) & Marian (’cause she didn’t go yesterday). We got to Bizerte at 3:30, finding out the market didn’t open until 4.

W got a bunch of cheese, fruit, crackers & cookies; and 15 bottles of wine (plus 2 – one for J & one for me – private reserve).

We got back & had an Arabic session, then dinner. Marian, Ali, Garthar, the chef’s assistant (he’s cool) & I set up the food.

10) While we did that stuff, Robin had another game for the group. I only heard about it, but this is how it goes: get some volunteers (3 or 4) to leave the room. Bring in the equipment – a spoon, a fork, a knife, an egg & a bucket of water with a sponge in it.

Go and get one of the volunteers, blindfold him/her before entering the room. Sit the victim down in a chair, and had him/her the spoon. Ask them what it is, and when they tell you, say “are you sure you can’t see?” The fork. “Really, you can’t see at all? You’re not lying, are you?” The knife. “Come on, you can see – I know you can! You’re lying! Ok, OK.. one last chance. You’re really good at this, aren’t you?”

The egg. “That’s it – you’re lying!” Have the sponge ready in one hand, soaked with water. Grab the egg out of the person’s hands & smash the sponge across their face. Good for a laugh or 2.

After we finished with the food, we got the stuff up to the meeting hall/dance place. 5 min before we were going to make the sangria (with the wine & fruit), a volunteer named Semi & Mohammed (Robin’s bro) pulled me (literally) to the side and said “You know it is forbidden to drink.”

I thought they meant at the Youth Hostel, so I said yeah, I know and we’d keep it to a minimum.

He said “This is a Muslim country, AFS rules say no drinking {a like, by the way}, and we’d better not do it at all.”

Then those 2 and a couple of cronies went to sit in front of the room we had the wine stashed in and played cards. With my decks, no less.

This got me pissed, so I told Ali, Scott & J. Ali got really down at this point and said he was leaving AFS Tunisia on Sept 16 for good, and not to worry about the alcohol. We’d drink it tomorrow so that there wouldn’t be any fighting among the volunteers.

Semi has been around 2 years, Mohammed only 5 months; while Ali has been around for 4 years and was getting paid. They were only the volunteers.

So the dance started; Ali was down but wasn’t talking, and Garthar was down, also. He & I went for a long walk and had a long talk about fears, emotions, expectations, etc. I think it helped both of us.

Speaking of talking, I talked with Annika for about 45 mins, right after dinner, telling her how I felt about seeming more like a counselor than a friend. She gave me a real boost and brought me out of the depression I was in, and it really helped. Thanks a lot Annika!

I don’t really like that Semi character. He could’ve gone about what he did in a completely different way; I wouldn’t have been so angry, and I would have cooperated with more free will.