Flying for Kosovo

I have to admit something to you all: I just don’t like flying anymore on a single engine airplane over open water but, I guess the love for your country is bigger than I thought.  Anyway, I will be over land for a long period of time now.  Flight to Tunisia went well over 3 hours with lots of headwind, which kept me standing still over water much longer than I would have liked.  But now that I am on the African continent, I must admit it feels amazing…   After Africa, the only continent I will have left to conquer will be Antarctica!
Something else that I must admit to you: I was wrong again, having perceived Tunisia differently before I came here.  After landing, I got the greatest reception (and this time, free of charge!)  Our friends at the handling company FAST (First Aviation Services of Tunisia) and supervisor Chamek Haider gave me a quick briefing about Tunisia and helped find a taxi for me with absolutely marvelous customer care reception.  He gave me his card and told me to call him 24/7 if needed.

Hospitality in Tunisia is great so far and, of course, there is more to be discovered later during my week stay.  The taxi driver brought me to several hotels, making sure that I found just the right one and one that was within my budget.  Hotel Belvedere was my choice which also had a great team working there.

For the next few days, I have been running around trying to find the media and going to visit the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  Again, GREAT! Reception at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tunisia.  I was able to meet with the Director of Protocol, despite no arranged meeting in advance.  I hand delivered a letter that was given to me by our own Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The first newspaper that I contacted was Le Quotidien, where I was introduced to Lotfi TouAtir, Redactor in Chief – a great human being who was knowledgeable about Kosova.  He was glad to receive me in his establishment and soon after he called over Sameh Meftah, an excellent journalist. She interviewed me, making sure to take time throughout the discussion to make sure that nothing was missed.

Sameh became my friend and a friend of our entire nation of Kosova and our people.  She wanted to make sure that something great would come from my visit to Tunisia.    The article came out wonderfully and was republished by other online media.  It was also discussed on the local radios!  Another kind-hearted person, Melek Lakdar, from the Tunis Hebdo newspaper was also ready to share an article about the people of Kosova.  So I am pretty confident now that the great people and government of Tunisia have the most current and latest news about our country and our desire to be independent.

My friend Sameh then introduced me to her wonderful family and friends.  They made sure that I was comfortable everyday while I was in Tunis, not forgetting the great dinner invitation by her family, which will never be forgotten.  Her mother made excellent homemade couscous, which will be remembered for many years to come.  That kind of hospitality is hard to find these days, but I am so blessed to have been the recipient of it so many times throughout my travels.

Tunisia is a beautiful country, with a beautiful landscape and great food, which  I have noticed is offered by excellent and hospitable people.  What more could you want in life?  Everyone that I was able to talk with in Tunisia already knew about Kosova very well and also about our history.  I was wrong again, prejudging a country before ever even visiting it once to experience it firsthand.

Our next country is Algeria, and the routine keeps going….

Ansa Media

Le Quotidien PDF

Tunis Hebdo

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