friday find: films & books at L’Agora

small update: you can now find sandals in winter on Instagram!

Sometimes a good book and a some fresh coffee are all it takes to make your day. You can find both and much more at L’Agora – cinema, café and cultural space in La Marsa.

With walls full of books & magazines, hot coffee and tempting cakes, L’Agora is a place that instantly makes you feel comfortable. You can dive into a story in one of the little corners or catch up with some friends over a brownie at one of the inviting tables outdoors.

In addition to simply being a great place to spend a relaxed, yet inspiring afternoon (I stumbled upon a late 1990s magazine on Moroccan fashion & interior design that captured my attention for a good hour), the cinema at L’Agora is also the best address when you’re up for either the latest Hollywood blockbuster or a journey into Arab cinema, with screenings of the original versions in English or Arabic (with French subtitles) as well as of the respective French versions.

If you are always up for a good cultural night, L’Agora is definitely a space to keep your eye on. They also host various events – one of them being the Urban Session, which will take place on August 4th, 2016 as part of the Festival International de Carthage and celebrates anything Urban Arts – hip hop, rap, break dance and much more!

Last but not least, special shoutout to whoever bakes the chocolate chip cookies at L’Agora – the only truly chewy and delicious cookie I found in Tunisia so far.

Follow L’Agora on Facebook and don’t forget to join sandals in winter on Facebook and Instagram!

tunisian temptations…

One thing that I do find a bit hard in Tunisia, where the next sweet or savoury sin awaits you just around the corner, is to maintain a healthy diet. 

Loads of baguette and chips with every meal, the smell of freshly fried bambalouni* covered in sugar, crêpes, the uncountable number of pizza places and ice cream shops… The list of temptations in Tunisia is endless!

I am not someone to restrict myself from enjoying life to its fullest and I want the same for my tastebuds (plus, I also happen to be born with the biggest sweet tooth you can imagine). At the same time, I like to make sure I feed my body good things because as they say: what you eat, you become. And I have no aspirations to become a bambalouni.

So here are my top tips for finding a balance between sins and salads

1. Crazy carbs
Tunisian food often includes lots of carbs that can make you feel bloated and let your blood sugar levels shoot up, especially as they tend to come from white flour. The easiest thing to do is to cut out that baguette that they serve you before every meal. Ordering a bottle of water whilst waiting for your food can be a good idea, as it makes sure you are well-hydrated and it also keeps your hands busy, so you don’t reach for the bread basket as often as you normally would.

2. Dessert decisions
As mentioned before, I have a thing for anything sweet and I could never advise anyone to completely delete desserts from their diet. However, we should define what actually counts as a dessert and make some smart choices.

For example, fruit juices that you can order at most restaurants often come with lots of sugar added and are definitely more a dessert than a drink. Ordering a strawberry juice after your lunch instead of a classic dessert can satisfy your sugar craving just as much as a piece of chocolate cake would.

When it comes to ice cream, fruit sorbets are usually the better choice in terms of fat & calories. And: Extra point for keeping you active, as it can be combined with a long after-dinner walk.

3. Sharing is caring
Tunisians are very generous with their portions, so it’s a good idea to share a main course or several starters with a group of friends. It keeps you from over-eating (because you feel that the plate should be empty), makes your meal instantly more fun and sociable and allows you try different or new things.

4. Pizza passion
If you live in Tunisia, you can’t avoid pizza. It’s everywhere. Everywhere! On a 20-minutes-walk around my town, I easily pass by no less than 8 pizza places. And don’t get me wrong – pizza is a great thing! But it’s not exactly the healthiest option in town. So here come 3 ways to follow your pizza passion without ruining your health plan:

1. see point 3: Sharing is caring! Pizzas are often pretty big here in Tunisia. So why not share one with a friend and order a side salad with it to get your greens in.
2. Cheeeeese! Just as with their portion sizes, Tunisians are very generous when it comes to completely covering your pizza in cheese. Unfortunately, most of the times it is not even real cheese, but more of a industrial mix of milk protein, vegetable fats and additives. Doesn’t sound too appealing, does it? So, either ask the kitchen to lower the amount of cheese on your pizza or to leave it away completely. Trust me – cheese-free pizzas are just as delicious.
3. Go green – greasy ham, bacon or salami can really add to the calories, fat and sodium levels of your pizza. My tip: go green! Lots of places offer a great vegetarian variation that comes with lots of veggies like courgette, eggplant, mushrooms and tomatoes.

* a bambalouni can best be described as a sort of deep-fried doughnut completely covered in sugar. You can buy it at various takeaway places and it costs around 600 millimes, which equals 0,24€.

moving abroad 101 – part iii

In this part of my moving abroad 101, you learn about how knowledge and information can save you a lot of trouble when moving abroad. Read part i and ii and follow the fun on Facebook.

Gather information
I have met people who unfortunately had to face setbacks because they moved abroad without gathering enough information about their new home. Enchanted by the endless sunshine and exotic vibes, they moved to a place hoping they would find work in a local shop or café and then take it from there. What they didn’t bear in mind were the employment laws concerning foreigners that made it basically impossible for them to follow their plan.

Hard facts about the social, economic and political situation as well as the history and culture of a place will help you avoid such disappointments.

How you can find out about those things? Ask. Luckily, the internet provides amazing opportunities: connect with people who already live in your desired country, read local news online, join the Couchsurfing community or find relevant groups on Facebook, order books and find interesting reads online (don’t forget to follow sandals in winter!) .

You would love to spend a year in Italy? Maybe there even is a community of true Romans living in your city that meets up regularly and can’t wait to tell you everything about their home country!

Learn the language
When I started learning Arabic, I loved it from the first minute – I sure was very lucky and it can take a bit longer to find out whether you like a language/find it easy to learn/etc. or not, but taking some lessons and speaking to locals (e. g. during your first longer stay – as suggested in part i of this series) should give you a good general feeling for whether you will feel comfortable in a place and also help you to get an idea about the culture and traditions of your new home.

– stay tuned for part iv, in which I will speak about building a network and the beauty of having two homes – 

friday find: Carpe Diem’s summer space

I have never been a fan of overly fancy nightclubs that require putting on heels, booking a table and ordering endless bottles of vodka and Red Bull. To me, a great night out needs not more than a bunch of good people, a large dance floor and great music.

Which is why Carpe Diem bar/restaurant/club, one of the most popular places to enjoy a friday night here in the northern suburbs of Tunis, quickly became my second living room when I moved to Tunisia the first time around.

Last night, its amazing outdoor space (and the base coming from their sound system) made my heart beat faster.

Carpe Diem states that it is only for good people, and that includes everyone who is up for a good time – at Carpe Diem you will find busy bees in suits with laptops as well as students, brides-to-be celebrating their last night out before their big day or tourists – it’s really just a bunch of happy people having fun and enjoying good vibes.

The outdoor space comes with enough places to sit (and in case all the benches and poufs are taken, you can always find a spot on the grass for the ultimate festival vibe), a menu that offers not only a wide selection of drinks, including their house wine and a variety of cocktails, but also some good eats, like burgers and fresh sushi, and – most importantly – a spacious dance floor that allows you to get into the good groove provided by superb DJs or live bands.

If you’re looking for some breezy buzz and happy faces all around, I definitely recommend discovering Carpe Diem’s summer residence that lets you make the most of Tunisia’s mild summer nights.

– Find Carpe Diem on Facebook and don’t forget to follow my journey! –

adding sparkle and starting over

On a cloudy and grey day with not much going on, moving abroad can seem like the ultimate thing to do: Getting far away from the usual routine and the gloominess that it brings.

We all have those moments – being bored, feeling that we should add a certain sparkle to our life or even wondering whether we’re on the right track.

If you long to press reset and completely start over: great!

But like painting your old desk in a new colour can make you just as happy (if not even happier) than buying a new one, you might feel that applying a few changes to your current life will already be enough to add that extra bit of excitement that you’re looking for.

Either way, taking a look at what is currently going on in your life and analysing it can help you identify what amendment might have the power to make your eyes sparkle.

I’ve put my personal take on this topic in below graphic, which hopefully helps others make the right choices as well. In three steps it takes you from the status quo to an action plan for serious life improvement.

So – grab a pen and some paper, write down what you do during a typical week and get started!

credit: icons by madebyoliver , Round Icons , Simple Icon, Baianat and Iconnice  from flaticon.com

 

moving abroad 101 – part ii

In my moving abroad 101 I am sharing my personal experience and tips for anyone who is planning a big move to a new place far away. Part ii focuses on the importance of having prospects and a vision.

Define what you are looking for
If it’s the white sands of the beautiful beaches, bare in mind that you are likely to be working long hours and not be able to spend all day outside very often – unless you find a job that fits your dream of spending every day with your feet in the sand.

Try to be realistic about what you want from your new life, but also honest about what you are missing in your current one. Having a clear idea about what it is that you are looking for will bring you closer to finding it and protect you from major disappointments.

Have prospects
Moving to a place just to “see what it’s like“ is a risky move. I’m not saying that it can’t be an amazing experience or even an absolute success, but having an idea about what you want your new life to be like and about what you would like to do with your time really is helpful.

Even if you haven’t found a dream job in your dream home yet – at least knowing what you will be doing for the first months and where your income will come from takes away some of the anxiety.

– part iii will follow soon! –

moving abroad 101 – part i

I have always loved discovering new places. After spending one year of my studies experiencing life in different countries and absolutely loving it, moving abroad was a very natural thing for me to do after my graduation.
In this moving abroad 101 I will share my personal experience and tips for anyone who is planning a big move to a new place far away.

Plan a longer stay
Try to spend as long as possible (ideally a few months, but definitely more than 3 weeks) in the place you would like to live in before moving there permanently. This will allow you to develop a routine, which is the first step to experiencing the new place as a home. Also, you will expose yourself to the small daily struggles and that might occur.

Observing your mood and reactions during this stay will give you a good impression of how it feels to actually live in that place and also give you an idea about whether and how you will fit in there long-term.

See the place in off-season
Summer holidays are usually great and the destination often appears magical and makes you dream of moving to that place. In winter, not only the weather, but also your mood, the mood of the people living there and the general vibes can change more than you might expect. Seeing the place in off-season will help you get a more realistic image of life in your possible future home.

If you still feel happy and excited about moving to your tropical dream home after you have experienced it in bad weather or if your heart still beats faster when thinking about moving to that cultural hotspot after spending a month there without the festivals and parties that summer brings, then you know you are good to go!

– Stay tuned for parts ii – vi ! –