marsa poétique // poetic la marsa

 

Rushing through La Marsa, on the way to my next appointment, I spotted these beauties: Poems in Arabic, French and English printed on banners and displayed on the fence that surrounds the park in the center of La Marsa Plage all the way from the fountain roundabout to SafSaf.

Marsa Poétique – Poetic La Marsa makes you stop for a moment to take a deep breath and inhale some culture. A welcome twist to our busy days between phones and computers!

So – get on the streets of La Marsa and read for yourself!

moving abroad – part iv

why comfort zones are a good thing
When making a place a true home, it’s all about the network. This doesn’t only include making both local friends in order to feel fully connected and in getting in touch with other expats who will share and understand your feelings about certain aspects of your new life. It is also about establishing daily routines and a comfort zone.

At the end of the day, this is what home really means to me: A strong social network and a comfort zone. Moving to a new place, you will have to make more of an effort to create either of the two – and here is how:

1. Meet locals
Connecting with the local community probably is the most obvious – if not most important – step in order to truly arrive in your new home.

2. No one gets an expat like another expat
Leaving home, family and friends behind, having to learn another language, not finding you favourite foods at the local supermarket – especially in the beginning, these things can really get to you. And there is nothing like finding a fellow expat who understands what you’re going through.

3. Create routines and networks
Going to the same bakery every morning, greeting the news agent with his name – little things often make the difference and  make a new place feel instantly more like home.

appreciate things for what they are
You can’t re-create your “real” home – and you don’t have to. There are reasons for why you left and certain things you were looking for. Keep both in mind when establishing yourself in the new country.

After having lived in Tunisia for almost a year, I can now happily say that I am very lucky to have two homes!

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!

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 – 

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 ! –