Tunisia

Hot, deserty and camels is probably what most comes to mind whenever you think of Tunisia, but I can - or hope I can - change your mind regarding this wondrous place.

Tunisia has always been seeped in history. From the rise and fall of Carthage in the Roman Empire, from the ruins and lost civilisation of Kairouan to the detailed pottery and mosaics found at El Jem. Unlike its sister country Egypt with its power struggles and numerous pharaohs - all of which brought Egypt to the heights of the ages in terms of technological advances, religious advances and even societal advances, Tunisia's history remained intertwined with the story of the Roman Empire and Tunisia's most famous Son - General Hannibal. The young War Leader who lead a quest from his home in Carthage to the Eternal City of Rome, who took it upon himself to wrestle back control of his homeland and bring Rome's domination of the Mediterranean Sea to a standstill.

As someone who has travelled the Mediterranean Sea - from Dubrovnik (or as the Game of Thrones fans out would shout Kings Landing!) in Croatia and Kusadasi in Turkey to Malaga in Spain and the Straits of Gibraltar, as someone who has visited and seen the exquisite detail of the Eternal City itself, and has researched all they can about the Roman Empire, there is no doubt that Carthage and her people were an opponent of substantial force.

Tunisia, to me, holds none of the wonder that Egypt, or Spain or even Italy boasts. But that does not mean it doesn't have its own awe-inspiring landmarks and culture. This is a country, where disability is treated as something taboo, where technology and history and tradition - much like Rome - mixes together to form its own unique signature. This is a country that takes pride in what it can boast, whilst standing out of its older sister countries of Egypt, Algeria and Morocco's shadow.

I have journeyed to this country twice in my life and both visits left me with different responses. My first visit left me scared. I was an eight-nine year old child accompanying my mother and nan to get away from the pain that my life was forcing upon me at that time. My dad had booked the holiday so my mum and me to some extent could find some peace of mind. The scariest aspect of this holiday had to be confronted with this massive camel. As it turned out, my family was booked onto a camel ride out in the Tunisian desert and to say I was scared of this huge creature was a massive understatement to what I felt then.

I WAS TERRIFIED! I was eight years old, losing people I'd known for years, people who didn't care that I was different or had a disadvantage, or that I struggled at simple things like maths and science and normally needed in-depth explanations to understand what the teacher was asking of me, at an age where I still believed that said disadvantage was an illness and I would miraculously be able-bodied (or as I called it "normal"), on holiday to get away from it all, and being forced to confront the idea that I was about to ride this huge, drooling, smell four-legged creature that I'd only seen previously in pictures.

Anyway, the second visit I took years later, with my parents and younger brother, when I understood that no matter what my disadvantage was staying and had learnt to accept the fact that I would now have to fight with everything I had to be seen just as capable at my chosen field as someone with fully functioning limbs, left me with the feeling of disbelief. How was it that a country as small as Tunisia not only boasted the city that was famous for its fights in the First and Second Punic Wars against the Roman Empire, but was allowing countries like Morocco and Egypt to take all the glory?

It didn't make sense!

Not because Tunisia didn't have those things - because it did. But because the country as a whole seemed to be shrouded in a mix of ancient and modern history, like it was a country not wholly secure in which century it was.

I'm not saying that the country isn't majestic in its own right as it is - but you need to actually visit the place to understand where this kind of disbelief comes from.  This is a country that has fallen to a bad reputation in recent times and yet has the kind of grit, the kind of strength that most of First World countries don't have. This is a country that understands pain and suffering but disallows it to fester in the hearts and minds of its people until its impossible to move on from.