October 15th, 2008, 22:59
When I joined the Peace Corps in 1968, I was a sheltered middle-class boy of 22 headed off for Tunisia.
I grew up in La Jolla, and the model I held in my mind was: "nice people from abroad come to live in America" -- from American Field Service students. They would move in with American families, share the work, and learn English.
When I went to Tunisia, this was the ideal I had in mind. So I went south to Gabes, rented a house with three other Tunisian teachers (we were all working at the same high school), and settled down to learning Arabic and Tunisian culture. I was at that time a complete virgin, unaware of the sound of two guys fucking, and so it was only some ten years later that I realized Mohamed was fucking Husain. (I could hear the noise through the wall, but didn't know what it was.)
The royal sexual ceremony happened once every week or two. I only noticed that Husain was (if you stretched it) a bit feminine. but Mohamed seemed to be a very reliable top.
So I was living on $60 a month, with my colleagues. While two of them were fucking, I had nothing.... until I began to understand Tunisia.
But the point of this all is as follows: when my fellow Peace Corps volunteers and I had a re-union, I discovered the rather amazing fact that I had been the ONLY ONE who lived with Tunisians! All of the other Americans lived with American roomies. The adventurous minority included a French roomie, and there were even one or two who lived with both French and (a) (token) Tunisian.
I like to think about this when un-thinking political robots cruise in and call me "racist" or "fascist."
Yeah, I know you. You're all talk and no action.
The same thing happened to me in Iran.
I grew up in La Jolla, and the model I held in my mind was: "nice people from abroad come to live in America" -- from American Field Service students. They would move in with American families, share the work, and learn English.
When I went to Tunisia, this was the ideal I had in mind. So I went south to Gabes, rented a house with three other Tunisian teachers (we were all working at the same high school), and settled down to learning Arabic and Tunisian culture. I was at that time a complete virgin, unaware of the sound of two guys fucking, and so it was only some ten years later that I realized Mohamed was fucking Husain. (I could hear the noise through the wall, but didn't know what it was.)
The royal sexual ceremony happened once every week or two. I only noticed that Husain was (if you stretched it) a bit feminine. but Mohamed seemed to be a very reliable top.
So I was living on $60 a month, with my colleagues. While two of them were fucking, I had nothing.... until I began to understand Tunisia.
But the point of this all is as follows: when my fellow Peace Corps volunteers and I had a re-union, I discovered the rather amazing fact that I had been the ONLY ONE who lived with Tunisians! All of the other Americans lived with American roomies. The adventurous minority included a French roomie, and there were even one or two who lived with both French and (a) (token) Tunisian.
I like to think about this when un-thinking political robots cruise in and call me "racist" or "fascist."
Yeah, I know you. You're all talk and no action.
The same thing happened to me in Iran.