This is not a joke.

I'm going to live in Tunisia for three months!

(And that, my friends, is how you lead with the big news.)

I'm actually serious. You don't even know where Tunisia is, do you. Don't feel bad about this. No one does.

Here, let me help:



I threw in Europe to give you a reference. I'll give you another reference: Star Wars was filmed there. Well, the Tatooine bits. I won't be in that part though. I'll be in Tunis on the Mediterranean. Rumor has it there is a private beach club where the wait staff will bring me beverages and watermelon.

Did I mention that I'm not kidding? Because I'm not.

Here's how it's going down. My friend Bronwyn and her husband and two little boys live there. Her husband works at the embassy and their time there is almost up. With the wee small children they haven't been able to go around and see some of the sights so they asked me if I would like to come out and stay with them and help out with the boys. Um, would I!

They asked about three weeks ago and oh, the mental turmoil and decision making I have had to endure. I do not make large decisions very well. In fact, I leave most major decisions up to my Magic 8 Ball. So when it told me "Signs point to Yes!" I said, "Duh, Magic 8 Ball. I know they do. But HOW?" Because there was the whole part about being away for 3 months. What about the Primary? What about Kramerica and the Pod? What about bills and responsibilities and being a grown-up? Who flits off to foreign lands for 3 months!?!

So I fretted and talked to people and worried and prayed and waffled between yes and no and did pro/con lists and made Excel spread sheets and suddenly things started to line up and then it was just a matter of convincing myself that even though everything had been worked out in theory that it would actually all work out in real life. That took a few more days but I'm all on board now.

So I'm going. I leave Sept. 1 and will be back around Thanksgiving. And I'm thrilled about the whole thing.

And now let's just for a second imagine the blog posts that will come out of this adventure. I speak neither Arabic nor French. I am foreseeing A LOT of awkward cultural exchanges. I've made Bronwyn promise me that if, through the combination of my friendly and trusting personality and my inability to properly communicate, I somehow end up as a slave in a Bedouin tribe she will come and rescue me. And now I promise you that if that does happen I will write all about it. It's a win-win for both of us.