Good Morning Ksar Oun !

Good morning Ksar Oun and Happy September 3 Birthday to Jaber ! (click on photo for larger image)

Ahlem's mother made 'crusty on the outside, chewy on the inside' tasty 

bread in the outdoor wood stove

Breakfast for humans - eggs, almond biscuits, bread, yogurt...

...and cereal hay breakfast for the goats -  this big fellow got more than his share by sitting in the feed trough
 

Ahlem's veterinary clinic is on the main street in the village 

 

Ksar Oun is a small village of about 3000 residents. There is a main street center of town lined with cafes, blacksmith, market, post office and primary and secondary school. And now they have their first veterinary clinic thanks to their fellow resident, Ahlem, who came back to her hometown after veterinary school to establish her business. Congratulations, Dr. Lahmar !!!

Dr. Ahlem Lahmar, Ksar Oun's first veterinarian !

This is a stable community where the people don't move away and the residences are mostly family compounds. The village streets were clean and there are signs of people maintaining their buildings and some new construction. During the day the streets are lined with sidewalk tables where the men drink coffee and talk; in the evening, the men are back to play cards and drink more coffee.

The residents were friendly and curious, and full of joy like most of the Tunisians we have met. Most of the residents in this agrarian community have livestock of some kind - sheep, goats, chickens and camels. In addition to the animals, the community has a few small olive tree and date palm groves and a variety of fruit trees (pears, apples, pomegranates) here and there; some of which had irrigation lines. There were wells for water and Ahlem's family well was 50 meters deep. Tricia had strong sense of growth and activity here but the sandy gravel landscape looks dry and harsh from the perspective of an American.

This village is home to a watering station for camels and we were lucky to catch them on our first day here. Across from the camel crossing is a breathtaking ancient village of dwellings.

Ahlem and her brother explained the number of donkeys in the village has decreased and have been replaced by cars. There is a school bus now that picks up the children outside of the main part of the village. They remember riding the donkeys for fun and sometimes having races. Owning a donkey is still part of the local culture for many of the residents even if they are not put to work much. The donkeys are mostly used to transport water to the sheep grazing in the fields.

Okay, now its time to check out the donkeys ! Check out the next blog with our veterinary care work to be posted soon.