I love the northern part of Tunisia. It is green! What I love even more than the scenery are the friends we have there.
We have visited this small village up in the mountains (hills) several times with friends who come from the US every year. We have done volunteer work at a few schools in the area, including clowning, but today I want to share my love for the people in the village. They are so hospitable and delightful, how could I not get into costume and makeup for them! Clowns aren’t just for kids, right?
I am not sure, but Mimi was probably the first clown in their village. We started out in this open area where we usually spend time with the kids after school.
We were all laughing and having a good time when a man came and said we were disturbing the animals (sheep) with all the noise. He didn’t want us there. And here comes the wonderful Tunisian hospitality! A family with a house just up the road invited everyone to their home and we could continue clowning around there!
So we all wandered up the road to the house. Their chickens, sheep, and cows didn’t mind the laughter; they enjoyed the entertainment.
I really enjoy looking back at pictures for these stories. I remember the details. We had told everyone about Mimi the Clown coming in the afternoon. In the morning it was quite cloudy with a good chance of rain so we prayed for good weather. My clown shirt was very thin and it was pretty cold. A friend let me wear one of her long-sleeved shirts under the costume. I was comfortably warm and it didn’t rain! The weather was perfect!
I also remember the precious sound of laughter when Mimi practiced her Arabic! Mimi made everyone laugh when she said the wrong word in Arabic! Sometimes not knowing the language can be very funny, especially when words that sound similar have completely different meanings! Some of them are still wondering if I meant to make that mistake or not! Oh, so much love for these adorable people!
