Farewell to Tunis
My time has come to leave Tunis, and I do so with great memories and a wonderful experience behind me. It has truly been an honor to represent my country to this great nation. Tunisia is a beautiful country – in my time here, I’ve been fortunate to see the many historical sites , vibrant cities, and the beautiful countryside of Tunisia. Even more gratifying, however, is to have met so many Tunisians from all walks of life. I’ve been impressed by the Tunisian people, and I look forward to seeing this country progress even further in the coming years. Together, our governments, our nations, and our peoples can accomplish much, and I look forward to seeing continued dialogue and cooperation in the future. Good luck to all of you and I hope to see you again soon!
Last night, I hosted an American-style barbeque at my residence for Tunisian Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program participants. This is the third time I’ve hosted the event… and it is one of my favorites every year.
Since the foundation of the YES program in 2004, more than 80 Tunisian students have gotten YES scholarships to spend an academic year at an American high school, living with American host families. Last night, I welcomed back the YES students returning from this year’s program and gave a “bon voyage” to the students about to go for this year (and their parents).
Interested in the YES program? It is funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, coordinated with the Ministry of Education and administrated by AMIDEAST. The program enables Tunisian students to study at an American high school for a full academic year. Students live with American families and participate in community service activities. They learn about American life while teaching their host communities about their home countries. As one of students who participated in the program said “As a YES students, we all act as Ambassadors of Tunisia.”
Information and applications are available on http://exchanges.state.gov/youth/programs/yes.html or from Amideast (http://www.amideast.org/tunisia/default.htm), who administer the program in Tunisia.
United we Serve Volunteer Initiative
As I’ve mentioned on this blog before, volunteering is very important to me. Putting the best of ourselves forward for our community is essential to making the world we live in a better place. Just yesterday, President Obama announced the establishment of “United We Serve” – a partnership with the Corporation for National and Community Service that is aimed at getting Americans to create meaningful change by serving their communities.
Don’t know where to begin? You can get ideas at www.serve.gov . On that website are toolkits for starting up projects in education, energy, health and environment.
Do you have a volunteer activity you want to tell us about? Please enter it in the comments section!
Last night the Embassy held its annual Fourth of July reception to celebrate American Independence. I was particularly honored, last evening, to host State Minister Ben Dhia, Ministers Zouari (Transport), Haj Glai (Telecommunications), Basti (Culture), and Mamoghli (International Trade) of the Government of Tunisia, the Speaker of the House Mr. Foued Mbazzaa and the RCD Secretary General Mr. Mohamed Ghariani as well as a delegation of the US Congress led by Representative Adam Schiff. Also on the congressional delegation were Representatives Cliff Stearns, Solomon Ortiz, Gene Green, and Donald Manzullo. For the reception, the embassy grounds were decorated in red, white, and blue and we had a large photo of Mt. Rushmore to honor several former Presidents. It was a wonderful evening and it was made particularly so by the attendance of so many good friends from Tunisia. Sadly, this was Lori’s and my third, and final, Independence Day celebration in Tunisia. The reception was a good chance to say “farewell for now” to everyone who has made our stay here so memorable. We look forward, however, to staying in touch and to continuing our efforts to build bridges between the United States and Tunisia.
U.S. joins International Renewable Energy Agency
Early this week the United States became a signatory to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). This is part of the Obama Administration’s commitment to the development of clean, renewable energy. IRENA will engage governments around the world in promoting a transition to renewable energies on the global scale. Over 130 nations are members, including Tunisia.
Investing in renewable energy is not only important for the environment, but it will create jobs and enhance the world’s prosperity and security. Clean energy and climate change are on priorities in our foreign policy agenda. Our Embassy here in Tunis is working on finding ways to minimize the impact on the environment – I urge you to also take a look at your energy consumption and find ways to cut down on unnecessary use of carbon fuels. Together with a comprehensive renewable policy, we can work toward a world with cleaner energy.
