Excited to go!

There's something about actually making the reservations that makes the conceptual actual. You can actually feel the adrenalin rush because you've now taken that concrete, non-refundable step. We now have six people going -- two Board Certified Art Therapists, three students and one educator. We've partnered with Lumiere Medical Ministries, who have made the arrangements for us, Emporia State University, and CHART (Communities Healing through Art). There will also be two art therapists from France who are going to be working through Haitian Ministries at the same time, and our hope is to meet during our time in Port au Prince to share experiences and learn from each other. We've been very fortunate to have the support of Converse, Emporia and CHART to help make this happen.

Art for Haiti

Converse College art therapy students will be traveling to Port au Prince, Haiti in March 2011 to provide art therapy services and education for the medical staff and partners of Kings Hospital. We are looking forward to this wonderful service learning experience. Current fundraising opportunities are in progress, so watch for more information. We will be traveling with a group from the Emporia State University art therapy program. Watch for more updates, and, if you are planning to attend the upcoming AATA Conference in Washington DC, we will be reporting on our trip at that time.

Humanitarian Efforts in Jamaica

Much has happened in the past year. One of our students, Alexis Decosimo, who finished her studies at Converse and Brevard, spearheaded an art therapy trip to Jamaica, and was accompanied by Converse student Eleanor Johnson. They offered art therapy services to orphanages and the homeless. Please look at her video trailer from December 2010.

http://vimeo.com/19234150

This remarkable young woman is now in Florence, Italy, studying art and enjoying the good life.

Tunisian recipe for Harissa

Harissa

When the harissa paste is passed around, use this traditional Tunisian blend with extreme caution, the key ingredient being an abundance of chili. Harissa is made with dried chilies as their complexity of flavor is more appropriate than fresh ones. To make harissa paste, blend the following ingredients then crush in a pestle and mortar until a thick paste is formed:

3-1/3 tbsp (50 mL) dried chili flakes, soaked in the same amount of hot water
1-2/3 tbsp (25 mL) crushed garlic
1-2/3 tbsp (25 mL) sweet paprika
2 tsp (10 mL) each of caraway seed and coriander seed
1 tsp (5 mL) of cumin seeds, dry roasted then ground
1 tsp (5 mL) of salt
6 spearmint leaves finely chopped

Another Tunisian blend, tabil is made in the same way except it contains no paprika or cumin, making it relatively hotter.

Traditionally harissa is used with cooked meats such as kebabs and appears on the table as a ubiquitous sauce in a small dish often with olive oil and olives. Harissa is delicious on crusty bread but can also be used on sandwiches or meats.

Home Again

I woke up this morning to the radio alarm. I had been dreaming of Tunisia, and must have been dreaming in French because the English speaking radio voice sounded unfamiliar and foreign to me. It took me a few minutes to remember where I was. Yes, I'm home again. There is a sense of melancholy because the past several days have been so stimulating, yet there is also a sense of relief at being home, having my own shower and being in my own bed.

We left Tunisia after having had a lovely farewell dinner with our guide and driver. The Tunisian students joined our students for one last get-together, which I know was sad for them as well.

If I can say anything at all about this experience, it would be that everyone should make a trip like this at least once in their lifetime. We learned so much from our knowledgable mentors and guides about the development of the culture with its influences from Christian, Jewish, Muslim traditions -- not to mention the impact of the Italian, Spanish, French, Greek, Turkish and Arabic cultures. The stigma of what we, as Americans, think of as North African Arabic cultures is so far off the mark. When we arrived we were advised not to make eye contact, or any physical contact (for example, when speaking to someone not to touch their shoulder or hand to emphasize a point). These were all untrue. I have never met a more generous, welcoming group of people. They are so eager to let the world know about who they are and their contributions to the world. For a small country, they embody many aspects of life from the cosmopolitan and industrial in Tunis, the seaside tourism of Sousse, the richness of agricultural areas resemblant of Tuscany, and, of course, the desert towns and their people. The ancient ruins of Carthage, Sbeitla, Roman aquaducts, mosaics and art cause one to pause and reflect on the rich heritage of the people. All of these things converge into a wonderful melting pot that really must be experienced. Words cannot convey this experience adequately.

We spent one last afternoon and evening in Paris before our flight home yesterday. Despite an unfortunate incident on the train, we found ourselves at St. Michel and happened on a lovely concert of Vivaldi at St. Severnin. We paused to refresh our spirits and then enjoyed a delightful meal topped off with a wonderful chocolate fondant cake that defies description.

Home again, I look forward to sharing pictures and video clips with you, so watch for them in the next day or two. We have such a vast collection of photos it will be hard to decide which ones to share, but each one tells a story.

For a first travel study trip this has been extremely successful. I've watched the students grow in understanding, language skills, and maturity. I feel honored to have been a part of this adventure. I appreciate everyone's support and responsiveness to the program, and embrace each and everyone of you!

The Final Night Abroad

Well, this is my last night abroad and I have mixed feelings. Today, I left Tunis and I was very sad to leave. I already miss ALL of the Tunisian students, including Nabiha who organized a great program that helped me understand the Tunisian culture, both Hammadis, Fousi, who was our sweet bus driver, and everyone else who made this trip amazing for me. I am blessed to have had this opportunity and it has helped me grow a lot in such a short time. Thanks so much to Geri Hurlbut and Cathy West for making this all possible for me and keeping me safe. Also, thanks to my group who has supported me through this experience; I hope that I did the same for you as well. The trip would not have been the same without you all.

In just a few hours, it is back to reality in America. I cannot wait to see my family and friends back home. I cannot wait to share this great experience with you with great pictures and videos that were taken along the way.

See you soon and love you all,

Erin Holland

Berber Tents Camel Rides and so much more...

We are currently in the city of Sousse. Let me paint a picture of the last couple of days for you. We left Tozeur and headed for Douz which is the gateway to the Sahara. We passed many small villages and saw many shepherds with their small herds. We stopped at the monument just outside of Tozeur where the movie The English Patient was filmed. We learned songs and shared stories and our guide Hammadi gave us a colorful history of the people and different tribes that we would encounter. Most of the people would be of the Berber origin. We stopped at a museum where we learned about the customs and habitat of the Berber people. Family ties are strong and many that have houses still prefer to live in their Berber tents rather than in a more modern home. They are patriarchal so we did not see many women in the streets or in the market. Douz was the one place where we actually saw a procession of men heading towards the mosque when the call to prayer came. We visited the market and were introduced to the Taurique people. I think these must be the most handsom people I have seen thus far. Their turbans are black and wrapped differently. Each family wears a pendant of a cross specific to their group which identifies their family on sight. They also sport a small tattoo. When a woman marries she takes on the identity of the new family and wears the belt, tattoo and cross of her husbands family.

I was fortunate to be able to sit with our guide and some local people to talk about many things. A woman alone would not be able to do this.

Douz is also the sight for the International Sahara festival which is usually held the end of December. It is supposed to be quite the event and demonstrates camel racing, fine horsemanship and many other desert skills.

We also had our camel rides which was great fun. All across the country we have seen that litter has been a problem. Plastic bags and bottles are strewn across so much of the area. Fortunately the Sahara has been spared. We all got dressed in robes and turbans and headed out to meet our guides and camels. One thing that I learned is that the turban is not my best look, but it was part of the fun. Getting on the camel is not so hard, but when the camel gets up you lunge forward as it gets up on the hind legs first. We all rode out as a group with our guides. Everyone had a great time and one of the guides sat us down to watch the sunset over the dunes and began to sing. He wrapped his headscarf/turban or shieba around one of the students wrist and the wrist of her guide. He sprinkled sand on their hands and sang. He then pronounced them married. Apparently she is worth 1000 camels.

After a good night of rest we left for Sousse, a modern seaside town. We made one significant stop at the home of a Berber family in a region where they literally dig their homes out of the sandstone. It was very interesting because we had seen several along the road. They showed us how they grind grain and served us fresh tangine bread and mint tea. We then went a little further down the road to the place where Star Wars was filmed. The hotel and bar are, like the Berber home, carved out of the sandstone. If you have ever been to Cappadoccia you may have seen something similar in that region.

Sousse is a modern seaside town and when I saw that I had a view of the ocean from my room I was quite pleased. I went immediately to take a walk along the shore. It did seem odd to go from such a remote area where the sheep and goats outnumber the cars on the road to a place where traffic is crazy and modern city life includes discos and all the amenities of the twenty first century.

Today we backtracked to see the Roman amphitheater we missed yesterday. It is third in size and could accommodate 30,000 people. Now of course it is used for concerts and festivals. It is the best preserved amphitheater. We also visited the musem that housed the most remarkable mosaics I have ever seen. The detail and color was exquisite.

Back in Sousse it is dinner time. Tomorrow we return to Tunis for one last evening. Then back home through Paris. Capucine and I have a date at LaFontane for the most incredible gateau on our last evening. It is hard to believe that our time here is nearing an end. It seems we have seen and experienced so much and we are still struggling to process it all. I know that we are looking forward to sharing as much as we can on our return.