Atheist in Tunisia – Me and Islam (Part 2)
How I became a seeker again as an atheist in Tunisia (unintentionally) I did not intend to engage with Islam.Really did not. I didn’t move to Tunisia to find God. I’m not going through...
Category: Zia unfiltered
This is where things get serious. My view of the world, Islam, loneliness and sleepless nights. No mincing words, no filter – just Zia trying to understand life (and herself) in Tunisia.
Atheist in Tunisia – Under the Same Sun (Part 1: Spirituality without Religion)
I worship the sun.That’s one of those sentences where my inner know-it-all pauses briefly to check whether I’m steering myself into a mystical corner. I’m not. I mean it quite plainly, physically, existentially. During...
Atheist in Tunisia – Under the Same Sun (Introduction)
I am an atheist.Not one of those uncertain “I just don’t believe” atheists, but a pretty relaxed “I’m done with religion” version of one. My inner smartass usually sits there with her arms crossed,...
Dating in Tunisia – Christmas Eve on the carpet
or: How I became an involuntary sex therapist at Christmas I went to Amine’s flat on Christmas Eve with a clear mind.And I left with a clear mind. In between… let’s call it communal...
Online dating experiences – Meet the virtual fuckboy
Welcome to the first instalment of my Digital Dating Slang Dictionary—where we study the most confusing types of modern men in their natural habitat: the chat window. A guide to digital masturbation disguised as...
Dating in Tunisia – Theory 3: The Abduction of the Desert Bride
alias: My friends’ creativity is starting to worry me This theory falls into the category: “Technically not impossible, but so unlikely that it’s actually funny.” This is how my friends put it: “What if...
Dating in Tunisia – Theory 2: The Supervillain Nightmare Scenario
(alias: My friends watch too many crime documentaries) This theory is… dramatic. And highly entertaining. Every time I travel, at least one friend comes up with a scenario so exaggerated that even Marvel Studios...
Dating in Tunisia – Theory 1: The Master Manipulator
Theory 1: The Master Manipulator (When my friends turn my love life into a pilot episode of a crime series) It always goes the same way: As soon as I mention there’s someone new...
A Sunday Kind of Love – Soundtrack of the Day #1
It is Sunday.I woke up early as always in my apartment by the sea in Chatt Meriem.Luna was still sleeping, curled up like a comma at the end of a peaceful sentence.After coffee, we...
Dating in Tunisia as a woman – The lamppost and my 24-hour head affair
When you put up small flyers in Chatt Meriem asking for help learning Tunisian Arabic, you don’t expect it to turn into a social experiment about attraction, culture and restraint. But that’s exactly what...
