Triumph of Freedom and Friendship

As I sit in the hotel the night before we leave Tunisia, I honestly can't believe how fast this week has gone! But that's how it always goes. Reflecting on the past few (jam-packed) days I just wanted to share a video and some photos to show what I have been privileged to see in my last few days in Tunisia. 

Yesterday, Sunday, I went with my host sister Azza and her family to Sousse to attend a cousin's wedding. A few observations about Tunisian weddings: they are extremely loud, the dancing never stops, the bride's dress is gorgeous but huge, and they are SO much fun! Here is a picture of Azza, my host sister, and I with the new happy couple :) 

Today, after our morning panel discussion at AMIDEAST, the group visited TunisiaLive, which is a nascent English news source for Tunisian news. It currently functions out of an apartment in downtown Tunis. The efforts of the young but vibrant staff at TunisiaLive testify to the concrete attempts that Tunisia is making toward implementing more democratic social structures. Here is one of the signs the TunisiaLive staff members used during the revolution:

Following our tour of TunisiaLive, our delegation visited the North Africa American Cemetery and Memorial in Carthage. The cemetery is home to 2, 833 headstones of Americans who died in North Africa during Operation TORCH of World War II. I was overwhelmed and proud to see the number of Americans who died for the freedom of not just the U.S. but of the world. 

Sitting in the hotel, I am sad to leave this beautiful country, but I am so thankful for the opportunity to visit. The world has a lot to learn from this country - one that is actively pursuing freedom - and I would encourage all to keep an eye on its efforts to redefine itself. Furthermore, I encourage everyone to visit Tunisia so that its tourist industry will return haha! I know that if I have the opportunity, at some point I will return to this country where freedom and friendship truly do triumph. 

Democratic Debate

This blog is going to be pretty short because I am very sleepy, but I want to provide an update on the past two days amazing days! Yesterday, we all participated in debates with the Tunis Business School and, again, made great friends! I met my new host family and have migrated to their home. (We each moved to new host families so as not to overstay our welcome in the other families' homes). The debates went extremely well, and I was very impressed with the new public university facility. 

Now that the debates are finished, today our delegation attended a panel discussion of the topics "Should the Tunisian revolution be used as a model for the rest of the world?" and "Women's rights in the new Tunisia." The panel has been one of my favorite parts of the trip so far. We had the opportunity to hear varying opinions from different political party members of Tunisia regarding the future of the country. The panelists ranged in their views from an advocate of the Islamic party in power, Ennahda, to Tunisian female activists. As you might guess, the discussion got a little heated! At the end of the debate, however, the panelists shook hands and agreed that they all stand for a better Tunisia. Their free expression of the difference of their opinions and the willingness to still discuss these differences with each other represented the larger democratic process that is taking place in the country. Needless to say, this was a very unique opportunity for which I am extremely thankful!

As somewhat of a post script, I wanted to include the picture below. This is Hela, a former Marshall graduate! She approached me at TBS yesterday and asked if I had gone to Marshall! For all of you Herd fans out there, you know that this is typical Herd behavior. (If you hear someone went to Marshall, it is absolutely necessary to talk to them!) I was thankful to meet this fellow Herd member, but more importantly, I was thankful to make a new Tunisian friend!

Team New York

I spent my birthday today debating the future of Tunisia :) Beat that. While it certainly does not sound like a typical 23rd birthday, it truly was a privilege to spend my day at the Mediterranean School of Business in Tunis. I had an amazing day, and I am thankful for such a wonderful birthday experience!

Today the USA Youth Debate Delegation continued its debate schedule with four more debates about the future of the Maghreb. I was on Team New York (pictured above), and even if we hadn't had such a great record (3-1), I would have been thankful for my teammates!

Perhaps the most interesting and well-rounded debate was the first one: Should the countries of the Maghreb form an economic union modeled after the EU? As determined by the flip of a coin, our side argued the con position. I felt that this debate captured a realistic issue that the Maghreb is facing - one worth discussing further.

As the con side, my team argued that, while an economic union sounds like a great idea, in reality, such a union is premature for the Maghreb. With the recent instability in the region, we argued that adding the complications of creating and enforcing an economic union would only destabilize countries further, rather than strengthen them. We also argued that the EU is not necessarily in the best economic position to be serving as a model for other countries, and we pointed to the fact that the Union Maghreb d'Arabe was already attempted in 1989, but has since failed.

Although our side won (and we might have had the easier position), the pro side argued for an idea that is not far from the minds of many. Of course many security and instability issues exist within the Maghreb and these problems would have to be addressed before economic union was considered seriously, but the idea that these countries could or should unite in the future to strengthen their position in the global economy reflects the growing importance of regionalism. Globalization is obviously a hot topic in political science, international relations theory, and current events, but the subsequent importance of regionalism is an issue not to be overlooked. As some states try to protect their sovereignty in a globalizing world that renders them uncompetitive, regionalism seems to be a practical answer. The countries of the European Union have demonstrated this as of now. The functionalism and spill over effects of the gradual unification of European countries testifies to the practicality of regionalism. Perhaps regionalism will emerge in the future as a functional response to globalization - a means to remain competitive within the world. Once the countries of the Maghreb stabilize their internal issues, the idea of an economic union will not be an unrealistic idea to improve competitiveness in the global market. Perhaps when this time arrives, an economic union will not only be a good idea, it will be the only option.

Time will tell, but according to Team New York, that time is not now. Perhaps tomorrow, however, we will debate the other side!

La Tunisie

Not knowing the date or time, I arrived in Tunisia yesterday, (or maybe it was two days ago...I really can't distinguish between them), and have been in awe. The scenery and excitement have managed to fight the jet lag for me, and I have been loving every second of my time here so far. In the past day (or two) we have been so busy, and have had so many great experiences already! In this post, I will just provide a little update of the trip and will describe my experience of the country so far. 

Fresh off the plane - fresh being used very loosely in this circumstance - I was greeted by my host sister Zeineb. She is a high school student and is probably smarter than most American college students as she speaks Arabic, Tunisian Arabic (yes they are quite different), French, English, Spanish and more! She and her family were extremely hospitable and cooked me a traditional Tunisian couscous and brique (sp?) meal, followed by Tunisian tea. After this delicious meal, Zeineb and I went to Sidi Bou Said, which is a beautiful cafe that overlooks the Mediterranean sea, and met up with some of the other students to get to know each other better.  I know, what a tough trip. This is where the picture-taking began, and being proud of some of them, I think I will use them to help tell my experience so far. 

To begin, here is the view from the cafe. Oh, and, close your mouth; you're catching flies.

And here is a picture of my hair :)

Clearly, some of us were very tired...zzzzz...zzzz...

But, I managed to stay awake because Zeineb is an absolute joy to talk to.

Catherine, this one is for you! It captures perfectly the culture of Tunisia: French coffee culture mixed with Mediterranean/coastal living. Take the smell of coffee and mint tea, add a touch of sunlight and 70 degree weather, multiply the effect with the value of the beach front property, and note the gasp of a view and you have the formula for a perfect afternoon in Tunis. 

With a beautiful country and the recent triumph of a peaceful, ground-breaking revolution, it is no wonder the Tunisians are proud. This is not a rare sight in Tunis: 

Tunisians are also great dancers! As kind as they are, they frequently take pity on sad cases - such as the girl on the right in this picture - and offer free dance lessons at parties they throw for their American friends. 

After a long day of debating, our Tunisian friends took us a to a karaoke cafe. They usually know more of the words of our American songs than we do, but for this song "la la la's" sufficed!

After the first day, the goal of USA Youth Debates has already materialized. As Director John Tredway said, "friendship triumphed."

More debates tomorrow! If they are going to be anything like today's then I think I need to get some rest! :)

5 Hours and Counting...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTeLRHdiaTs

With only 5 hours to go until the USA Youth Debates Delegation departs for Tunisia, I wanted to provide an update of what we have been doing in the past few days to prepare for the debates and provide a little information about what we plan to do (for all of you who keep asking..."so what exactly are you going to be doing over there?")! The video I have posted provides an overview of the USA Youth Debates process and the theory behind using debate as a tool for fostering cross-cultural relations.

To begin, last night the members of the debate delegation all met in person for the first time. We ate a delicious dinner at Neyla's in Georgetown (to wet our appetites for Middle Eastern/Mediterranean food), and we familiarized ourselves with our soon-to-be debate partners. Following dinner, we had an orientation to go over the day-to-day schedule, and answer any last minute questions like, Where is Tunisia again? What language do they speak? What's this about a revolution? Just kidding; we knew those answers, or most of them ;)

Going over the schedule made me think it might be helpful to provide a little overview of what our days will look like while in Tunisia. When we arrive in Tunisia at 10:05am Tuesday morning, we will meet our host families (smelling lovely of course), and then will get to spend the rest of the day with them in Tunis. The debates will begin Wednesday at the Lycee Pierre Mendes France and will last all day. Thursday we will debate all day at the Mediterranean School of Business, and Friday we will be at the Tunisian Business School. During each day of debates we will be paired with American and Tunisian students on debate teams and will debate a variety of topics ranging from "Globalization is an opportunity not a threat" to "The Tunisian Revolution should be a model for the rest of the world" to "The countries of the Maghreb should form an economic union modeled after the EU." After three intense days of debates we will enjoy our Saturday listening to a panel of individuals who were integral in the Tunisian Revolution, and Sunday we will spend the day with our host families. On Monday we will conclude our trip with a tour Tunisia Live and the North Africa American Military Cemetery. So, if you are following this blog, be prepared for a jam-packed week!

To start the trip off appropriately, this morning our delegation met with Tunisian Ambassador to the U.S. Tekaya and Special Advisor for Youth Engagement in the Near Eastern Affairs Bureau, Andy Rabens. Both were extremely helpful in offering us a platform of ideas to carry with us as we travel to Tunisia. One question in particular that Mr. Rabens encouraged us to ask was, What explains the dearth in youth involvement in the Tunisian political system when youth played such a large role in the revolutionary process? Similarly, Ambassador Tekaya encouraged us to speak one-on-one with the Tunisian students we will meet to hear from them how they perceive the future of their country and the potential roles they will play in the democratic process.

By the time I post this, the count down to take off will have dropped beneath 5 hours! I am thankful for the informative discussion this morning with the Ambassador and with Mr. Rabens, but now, I want to experience Tunisia myself. 

My word is free/ Ma parole est libre

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6a77s097Qvw

Thank you so much for your interest in this blog! My name is Elizabeth, and I am one of the students participating in the 2012 USA Youth Debates in Tunisia. This Monday March 19, a group of about 20 students, including myself, and leaders will travel to Tunisia for a 10-day debate experience. We will discuss various topics about the recent events in the MENA region and will seek to generate meaningful cross-cultural discussion about the future of Tunisia and the Maghreb. I am very passionate about the recent events and future of this country and hope to be able to share my experiences with anyone who is willing to listen/read! Please feel free to share this blog with others, and if you have input, you can reach me at fleminge55@gmail.com. 

With less than a week to go before I and the other USA Youth Debate delegates depart for Tunisia, I find my excitement growing by the minute. As I prepare for the debates, I am increasingly impressed with what Tunisia, as a country, has been able to achieve and cannot wait to talk to Tunisian students about their country's groundbreaking revolution. 

I recently met with my statistics professor to explain to him my upcoming absence from his class and, as understanding as he was, he was even more excited to show me this video of Amel Mathlouthi, the "voice of the revolution." More than a year ago now, in January 2011, Mathlouthi sang this song, My Word is Free,  a capella, in front of the entire protest crowd. Her haunting voice has become a symbol not just for the Tunisian people, but  for freedom-seekers throughout the world. As an American, I am proud of the freedom upon which my country was founded and for which my country continues to fight. I must admit, though, that I often take this easily-enjoyed freedom for granted. Especially as a female, I do not always consider the fact that my freedom to speak as I wish is a sacred guarantee of my country, and that the words of females elsewhere are NOT always free. So, although I am blessed to be in a free country, Mathlouthi's song should not just be a symbol of freedom to oppressed people; it should just as easily be a reminder of the sanctity of freedom to those of us who currently enjoy it. The funny thing about freedom is that the moment free people forget they are free is the moment they cease to be as such. So, I encourage you to watch this mesmerizing video of a young girl whose words are free. May it be a symbol to those who are currently pursuing freedom and a reminder to those who do not wish to lose it. 

I am already moved by courage of the people of Tunisia, and I haven't even met them! Come on Monday...can you get here already?