"A Monday in Tunis" by Kayley Ronnkvist

7h00: Wake up, put on house slippers (mandatory in Tunisian households), and get dressed for day.

7h30: Go to kitchen and eat the breakfast my host mom prepared for me. Today it’s a toasted baguette, egg, and coffee.

8h00: Carpool with host family to Amideast and get stuck in morning traffic. Get out of car early and walk the remaining 15 minutes to avoid even more traffic.

8h45: Arrive at Amideast. Greet the security guards and practice Tounsi with them.

9h00: Modern Standard Arabic class.

10h00: Tounsi class.

11h00: Study at the American Corner, an English language library and cultural center in the Amideast building. See friends and get distracted from studying.

12h30: Go to T-Box, the café next door to Amideast. Practice Tounsi with owners who are eager to see me improve every day. Eat omelet with salad and soup on terrace. Realize I forgot to order water and go back inside to buy a bottle and a café allongé. Drink coffee and admire cats wandering around in search of food.

13h30: Return to Amideast classroom to take online Women, Gender, and Politics course.

15h00: Walk to centre ville to meet up with friend.

15h30: Spontaneously decide to take TGM (Tunis-Goulette-Marsa) train to the beach with friend.

17h00: Beach is colder than expected. Grab coffee at a new coffee shop. Decide this coffee shop is now a favorite. Make mental note to return.

17h45: Walk to TGM station and take train back to centre ville. Attempt to find taxi.

18h15: Taxi home. Note that taxi driver is listening to American 80s love ballads. Hope he’s okay.

18h35: Arrive home. Talk with host sister and study Modern Standard Arabic.

19h30: Be called to dinner. Eat soup, bread, mussels and ojja, a common Tunisian dish made with tomatoes and eggs. Host dad arrives home with fresh oranges for dessert.

20h00: Watch Lebanese drama television series with host mom.

20h30: Study Tounsi.

21h00: Get restless and ask host sister if she wants to go out. Walk to coffee shop and have mint tea together. Tounsi is best studied with native speakers anyhow.

22h00: Return home and call friend.

23h00: Wind down for day and fall asleep.