Talkin' 'bout Tunisians

I opened my eyes a crack and squinted at my husband, bummed that my lovely nap was over. Prepping for a colonoscopy is no fun, but the actual procedure is done under a glorious propofol-induced sleep.

"Did I say anything weird?" I ask.

"You were talking about Tunisians," he informs me.

"Figures," I reply.

I am such a workaholic that even under heavy sedation I was thinking about work. Supervising international students was the most important part of my job, even though it was only one piece of my job. When I was an exchange student in Colombia in the '80s, the only support I got from the Dean of Foreign Students was the toilet paper I stole from her office and carried around in my purse. I was determined to be different, even though some of the students would have preferred an uninterested supervisor who didn't nag them continually about paperwork, homework, and internship work.

Thomas Jefferson Scholars

Only a handful of international students attended our rural NC community college each year. Virtually all came through sponsored scholarship programs on J1 visas. Starting in 2015, we were selected to host Tunisian students through the Thomas Jefferson Scholarship Program. Created following the Jasmine Revolution in 2011, which brought democracy to Tunisia and kicked off the Arab Spring, the program was intended to strengthen relations between our countries and train young Tunisians to become leaders in the workforce.

It came as no shock to me that virtually no one at the college had the slightest idea where Tunisia is. Occasionally, a student would tentatively raise a hand and suggest "North Africa?" in a quavering voice. I wanted to jump up and hug that young person, my faith in the future of humanity momentarily restored. Sadly, that was rare. Others regularly confused the country with Tanzania, while some thought Tunisia was a Caribbean island.

More than once, the students were asked: "If you're from Africa, why aren't you Black?" A faculty member in the automotive program told a female student that she could write an essay about the digestive system of a camel since she didn't own a car. I was incensed, but the student didn't want to cause trouble. I constantly quoted Eleanor Roosevelt to my international students: "You can curse the darkness or you can light a candle." They were cultural ambassadors, sharing their culture with people who had never even heard of them. They were there to educate as much as they were there to gain an education.

Their program required that in addition to being full-time students, they engage in campus presentations, volunteer in the community, and work an unpaid internship during the spring semester. They promoted international education, joined clubs, and participated in on-campus 'passport events.' Each year they hosted a Tunisia table at International Night, which was always awesome, but also miraculously pulled off at the last minute.

T4, Harissa, and Cinnamon

Every year except one we hosted four Tunisian students. Our short hand for them became T4, as in "Have you seen T4 today?" A gateway between Europe (Tunisia is just south of Italy) and the Arab world, some of the students were more 'Western' and others were more conservative. For example, one student would wear a hijab; another didn't. One student would keep halal (a challenge in the rural South); another tried bacon.

I learned about harissa (hot chili paste); they learned about biscuits and grits. Our cultures blended beautifully in a Bojangles' Cajun Fillet chicken biscuit. The students tended to like Mexican food (spicy, of course), but disliked Chinese food because they disliked any sweetness in a main dish. Conversely, they didn't like desserts with cinnamon because it's a spice they're accustomed to tasting in savory dishes. Pecan pie was always a hit at Thanksgiving; pumpkin pie was a big no.

I learned that St. Augustine went to college in Tunisia (Carthage) in the 4th century, that in 1956 President Bourguiba passed progressive women's rights laws, and that Luke Skywalker's home planet of Tatooine was filmed in southern Tunisia. I learned to recognize photos of the beautiful island of Djerba, the blue and white buildings of Sidi Bou Said, and the well-preserved Roman ruins at Carthage.

Lasting Impact

All of the students were super smart; all were trilingual at a minimum (Arabic, French, English). One of my fondest memories is of one of our Tunisian students practicing his Irish language skills with our fabulous Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant from Ireland. There's nothing new under the sun, but a Tunisian speaking Irish at a rural North Carolina community college has got to be pretty rare.

Over the years, our Tunisian students changed the campus culture. People grew accustomed to hearing Arabic spoken and attitudes about Muslims changed once people actually knew a Muslim. The Tunisians did such a good job sharing their lives and culture with the campus community. As Margaret Mead said, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."

I miss having Tunisians in my life. Admittedly, I don't miss the trips to Wal-Mart that stretched into endless hours. I was so busy, busy, busy in those days. Much of my attention was focused on ensuring that the students met the requirements of the program. We definitely had fun times, but I wish I had found more time to just hang out and enjoy their company. It just might be time to visit Tunisia.