Christopher O'Connor

Beautiful spring week in Tunis

I noticed that Technocrati, an internet search engine for searching blogs, now indexes 112.8 million of them. I am starting my blog in the hope of hitting the 113 index and reaping the benefits of whatever that entails so here goes:

I am starting this blog one quarter of the way through my first year in Tunisia as Her Majesty's Ambassador. It is an honour to be appointed to this wonderful country and I really could not think of a more wide ranging and interesting job to be doing right now.

I won't bore you with the ups and downs of settling in, baggage and buying a new car, but will skip to the present. Blogs should be about what is happening right now.

It is a beautiful spring week in Tunis, with glorious sunshine hitting the ripples of the lake that I have as an office view. It is a glittering distraction from the in-box. But my aim is to do as much work as I can outside the office. That is where you learn about our environment and make an impact. And it is where you meet inspiring people. On Monday I hosted afternoon tea for a visiting group of Royal Chelsea pensioners. It was a humbling experience to hear what these brave men have achieved in their lives. And the energy and verve of those well into their eighties or beyond is impressive. More than one had been involved in one way or another in the 1942-3 North Africa campaign, so they were more briefing me than I was briefing them! I learned that the Royal Hospital Chelsea is embracing the equality agenda and now accommodating women. I wish the visitors a happy stay.

Monday ended with a chance to compare perspectives with some of my European counterparts and some insightful Tunisian guests over dinner. A similar occasion on Tuesday served as a window on the work of the African Development Bank (based here on a temporary basis, having moved from Cote D'Ivoire). These discussions, as always, are far more instructive than sifting through media reports or emails.

Wednesday has so far involved frustrations trying to get that car I promised not to bore you with but also the fun of planning a charity event where a visiting opera singer, Tracy Fehr will be performing to raise awareness and support for ACT, an NGO doing admirable work on community development in Tunisia. We have space and seats for 150 people. We have invited nearly 300. I am not sure what we will do if they all come.

The downside of the working week was a broken down visa system which created a backlog of work and dissatisfaction for our customers. My staff worked their hardest to get the system back up and running, so many thanks to them. And apologies to our customers for the delays and inconvenience. I do urge visa applicants to apply for visas as early as they can to avoid unforeseen disappointment.    

I'd better get back to concert planning, and to the next round of negotiations on that car !

Posted at 00:25 19 March 2009 by Christopher O'Connor  |  Comments[4]