LLC Spotlight on Tunisia

The two years I spent in Tunisia as a Peace Corps volunteer (at the risk of dating myself, from 1972-74) proved to be a significant experience, both in my personal development and in cementing professional interests that subsequently guided my academic and government career.  Having grown up in an Army family, I was accustomed to moving around and to living overseas, but Tunisia, where I worked as a secondary school English teacher, was clearly a different kind of place.

A significant part of Peace Corps training consisted of learning about cultural norms and differences in preparation for working directly in a new environment.  These norms, of course, were essential to remember, but a further part of adapting to the new environment was understanding that, out of respect for the country to which we was assigned, we weren’t there to “go native” but rather to perform a specific function that would hopefully be of some value to our hosts.  For a little known country about the size of Wisconsin, Tunisia proved to be a remarkable place to learn that lesson.

Few people are aware that it was events in Tunisia which, in 2011, sparked the series of popular uprisings that came to be known, albeit inappropriately, as the “Arab Spring.”  Moreover, going on four years after those events, Tunisia stands as the only member of the Arab Spring which, despite significant turmoil, appears after overthrowing a corrupt regime to be making tangible progress toward establishing a stable democratic government guided by a new constitution incorporating basic civil and political liberties.  For those subscribing to the impact of history and even geography on political culture and national character, Tunisia makes a model case study.

If you look at a map, you will see that Tunisia stands virtually in the center of the Mediterranean community, separated from Sicily by a narrow strait that effectively divides the Eastern and Western Med.  At least partly as a result, just about everybody seems to have been to Tunisia at some time in its history: Berbers, Phoenicians (who founded Carthage), Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Spanish (a few of my students bore the good Tunisian family name of “Ernez”); and more recently, French, Italians and for a few years even Germans.  The country is a trove of important Phoenician and Roman ruins, making it a significant place for archeologic research.  Many Tunisians like to think of themselves as a bit more sophisticated and cosmopolitan than their Arab neighbors as a result of this exposure to a heritage of European, Arab and African influences—a national self-image not always appreciated elsewhere in the Arab world.  But it may have something to do with Tunisians’ reputation—notwithstanding the appearance of some Tunisians among the current ranks of Arab and Muslim terrorist organizations--as being friendly to foreign visitors and receptive to new ways of thinking.

Within its borders, Tunisia also boasts significant diversity.  It is best known for its rich coastal plains and, above all else, for its beaches, which attract many European tourists.  But the landscape also ranges from the northern edge of the Sahara Desert in the south to the eastern edge of the Atlas Mountains in the northwest, which often receives significant snowfall in Winter.  One thing Tunisia isn’t known for is oil and gas, which probably makes many Tunisians envious as they contemplate their neighbors Libya and Algeria, which are practically floating on the stuff.  A bad break for Tunisia, though some maintain that this relative misfortune has helped to instill a sense that the country must learn self-reliance and avoid political and cultural extremes.  In any case, it was an interesting place to spend a couple years.

So what does this have to do with Loudoun Literacy Council?  Perhaps not much, but I was immediately reminded of my experience in Tunisia as soon as I encountered my first students.  I don’t know much about Loudoun demographics beyond awareness of Hispanic immigrants, but it was both surprising and enjoyable to discover that my first small batch of students included people with roots in four continents—and all within a short distance of my house in Ashburn.  Moreover, these students are all eager to improve their English, which, I must admit, wasn’t always the case among my Tunisian high school boys.  I have a feeling that an interest in peoples from the various corners of the globe—or for that matter the US—is a common trait among those who seek out an organization like LLC, not to mention a major reason for the success of the Peace Corps and its domestic counterpart, AmeriCorps.  So, LLC gives me an opportunity to reconnect a bit with my somewhat distant youth as well as to do something worthwhile as I ease my way into a welcome, more relaxed way of life in retirement.