8 Africa – LISTENING TO THE WORLD

Carthage ruins @Tunis, Tunisia, January 1, 2023

Tunisia boasts a very long history, and the earliest stories date back to as early as the 9th century BC when the city of Carthage was founded by Phoenicians in modern-day Tunis, the capital city of Tunisia. It is easy to notice that Tunisia is proud of being the descendant of Carthage, as the international airport and many train stations have the name “Carthage” in them. Unfortunately, many of the buildings by Carthage were later demolished by the Roman empire, and as far as I understand,...

With Salim @ Hammamet, Tunisia, December 30, 2022

With Salim Despite being a dozen years younger than myself, I connected with him like a friend of my age. His thoughtfulness, maturity and inquisitiveness kept me in a comfortable and fun environment all the while we were exploring the Southern part of the country, and the experience will be remembered for a long time with warm feelings. Feeling a lot like seeing myself in my 20s, I occasionally had to hold the urge to give him “unrequested” tips and advice of life – I hope...

Arriving in Tunisia @ Medina, Tunis, Tunisia, December 25, 2022

I have been longing for traveling to unfamiliar places. It had been over 1.5 years since the last time I had such travels, and I was becoming increasingly desperate to refresh my perspectives – a reminder that the world is a much bigger place than the “comfortable international bubble” where I settled in The Hague. I desired a humbling reminder that my constant thinking about work performance and work relationships is just a tiny and particular subject I chose to spend my energy with, until...