David's Diary: Monday, December 23, 2002

Christmas Preparations

We have started preparing Dragonsinger for Christmas and every day we add new decorations to share the festive spirit. Christmas Carols are on the stereo and we already have plans for Christmas dinner. We may be a long ways from home and living in a Muslim country, but as we explain to Allen almost every day Christmas is a spirit and not a thing. Santa will arrive on Dragonsinger this year, because Allen tells us every day that he will. What a wonderful way to celebrate Christmas.

Kevin and Allen Shopping

Before Christmas we faced the challenge of shopping in a strange country. This was also a challenge last year when we were in Barcelona, but at least there we had major stores and shops to choose from. In Monastir, there are only small stores and if you are looking for local Tunisian products you have to put up with aggressive touts and long negotiations. Kevin, Allen, and David took the easy way out and shopped at the fixed-price store. This is a privately run store, beautifully maintained, where all the shop attendants are friendly and the price you see is what you pay. But unlike stores back home, there were no Christmas decorations to be seen or Christmas carols to be heard.