Quite Literally Life-Changing

I studied abroad with SIT's Tunisia program in Spring 2012, approximately a year after Tunisia's revolution and conversion to a representative presidential-cum-parliamentary system. SIT did an amazing job of facilitating travel throughout the country and acclimating students to its history and culture-- and the country is sufficiently small that our excursions really made it feel as though we were seeing most everything there was to see! I had taken Arabic for a few years prior to my arrival, and the program outfitted me with a great tutor who tailored a program of study to my needs. My host family lived in a quiet, beautiful suburb of Tunis and was extremely caring. Because of my positive experience in Tunisia, I ended up ultimately majoring in Arabic studies and matriculating into a doctoral program in the US in Arabic language and literature. I have since been back to Tunis (last summer, in fact!) for research, and the program director and my former friends and colleagues welcomed me with open arms. Traveling there as a woman alone still feels safe and straightforward, and I know if and when I go back, my SIT family will always be there.