NO MARMITE IN TUNISIA

Two years is a long time to have lived in a new country, without even a visit home!  Having heard many stories from expats who had been lucky enough to have frequent holidays back to the UK, all of the reasons for leaving Britain, paled into insignificance, as we boarded the British Airways flight to Gatwick on September 21st 2007!

How would we feel?  Would people remember us?  And the weather?  What about that??  Now I know why my husband, coming to Britain for the first time, felt compelled to arrive at Birmingham airport back in 1988, wearing not one, but three pairs of trousers!

Not liking to admit it to anyone, It was more than a fleeting sense of excitement that I felt, as the plane descended through the usual layers of clouds, to touch down in a country which, after the scorching sands of Tunisia, seemed just so 'green!'

The biggest and most welcome surprise, however, was yet to come!  Hating to admit it, most people would agree that the Tunisian airport and customs officials are not the most sociable people in the world!  You can even sometimes be made to feel like a naughty school kid who has forgotten to give her homework in, when handing over your passport at Tunis or Monastir! 

To be greeted with a huge, cheery smile and a "Good morning, did you have a good flight?"  "Now, how can I help?," certainly took me a little while to adjust to!  In the days that followed, I even began to think "Is this really Britain that I am in?," as even the refuse collector, road sweeper, and menacing-looking teenager in the park accorded me with similar, astonishing politeness!

After avidly following the headlines, in the British tabloids, which constantly lamented the 'wash-out' British summer, it came as little surprise to us, when our first two weeks were met with none-stop downpours!  The funny thing is, after all that heat of the last two years, I found myself quite enjoying the constant soakings!

Was it just me who felt cold, though....and very cold?  It seemed it must have been, as whilst the first thing that I rushed to the shops to buy was the thickest and warmest winter coat I could find, the rest of the population, all seemed to be still enjoying themselves in shorts and vest tops??!!

And how did we find the rest of the shops in Britain?  I had been led to believe that upon first entering one of the many large department stores, I would be lost!  I would spend the first ten minutes just staring open-mouthed at the racks and racks of produce on display and I would then become like a kid let loose in a sweetie shop!  And with thoughts of Red Leicester cheese and Marmite sandwiches....who could blame me!

Whilst Tunisia does have its larger stores such as Monoprix or Carrefour, in the two years after leaving Britain, our local Tesco Extra and Asda had both expanded so much that their goods were now spread over two huge floors!  The advances made in just this short space of time in technology, computers and electronic goods were mind-boggling!

So how did the rest of my family find Britain, especially the two youngest?  At two years of age and only six months, when they left, they could barely remember it.  Below are some of the thoughts that they came out with!

All yellow cars were Tunisian taxis!

All churches were "Allahu Akbars" (mosques!)

All pubs with outdoor seating were 'potential' cafes or pizza parlours!

Every day the question was asked "When are we going to the beach?"

Puzzled as to why English cats are fatter than Tunisian ones?

Even in the pouring rain, it was normal to 'expect' a daily icecream!