Ceci's Watson Journey

Ceci's Watson Journey http://www.cecisibony.com Through North Africa and the Middle East Sun, 21 Dec 2008 15:50:01 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Greater Tunis: Tunis and Its Suburbs  The capital of Tunisia and its surrounding suburbs of La Goulette, Sidi Bou Said, ... http://www.cecisibony.com/2008/12/greater-tunis-tunis-and-its-suburbs/ Zarzis Zarzis is a small town, not even detailed in my trusty Lonely Planet, 50 kilometers south of Djerba on mainland Tunisia. It is now home to the third largest Jewish community in Tunisia, after Djerba and Tunis, and includes 20 families, between 100 and 110 people. I had the pleasure ... http://www.cecisibony.com/2008/11/zarzis/ Sousse Sousse is a highly developed seaside city that is one of Tunisia’s largest tourist destinations. In 1956 it was home to 6,000 Jews and three synagogues, while today only one synagogue remains functional for prayer and only around 30 Jews still live there. This number fluctuates because many of the ... http://www.cecisibony.com/2008/11/sousse/ Djerba and their Historic Jewish Community Djerba: The Basics As I entered Hara Kebira, the Jewish village on the island of Djerba, I waved “hello” to the policemen guarding the entrance and made my way to the center of the town. On this, my first visit to “Hara,” I felt as if I had ... http://www.cecisibony.com/2008/11/djerba-and-their-historic-jewish-community/ Thoughts on Tunisia Before I Arrive… Before I start, I want to thank everyone for checking up on me through my website. My mom was home recently and told me that EVERYONE is still reading it and thinks it is great and that makes me incredibly happy. I encourage EVERYONE to comment or post as they ... http://www.cecisibony.com/2008/11/thoughts-on-tunisia-before-i-arrive%e2%80%a6/ The US Presidential Election: An International Perspective During my time in Casablanca (on and off for the last 3 months) I was lucky enough to find a hotel room that has a TV and also even 1 channel in English: the BBC! This is really great news for me, not only because I am a news-junky, ... http://www.cecisibony.com/2008/10/the-us-presidential-election-an-international-perspective/ Rabat Rabat was my last research-related destination in Morocco. As the current capital of Morocco, it acts as its political center, housing all government and ministerial offices, embassies, the mausoleum for kings who have passed away and even the King’s official palace. Historically, Rabat had a thriving Jewish community, which used ... http://www.cecisibony.com/2008/10/rabat/ Marrakesh Both times I visited Marrakesh, I had the same, inauspicious first impression; the beautiful aesthetics of the city were overshadowed by the aggressiveness and rudeness of its inhabitants. I do not even believe that my preconceived notions on Marrakesh, ascertained from other travelers and Moroccans alike who had visited, influenced ... http://www.cecisibony.com/2008/10/marrakesh/ Fes Fes is probably my favorite Moroccan city, and I regret that I was only able to spend about 12 days there total. It is considered the religious and cultural center of Morocco, and is the home of the largest and oldest medina in North Africa, the oldest university ... http://www.cecisibony.com/2008/10/fes/ First Quarterly Report to Watson Headquarters Hey everyone! As part of my few requirements for the Watson Fellowship, I must submit 3 quarterly reports on my progress and the triumphs and challenges I am facing as the year continues. Copied below is the report, which provides a good idea of the things I have learned since ... http://www.cecisibony.com/2008/10/first-quarterly-report-to-watson-headquarters/