Tag: Libya

Leaving Libya

It is not long until I leave Libya. Tripoli is a decent looking city that definitely has the potential to look truly beautiful.

The Libyans that I have interacted with have been wonderful people. I hope that they can build a prosperous future benefitting the region.

Will I come back? Probably. Perhaps not in the very near future, but I do truly believe that Libya will become a country that can take advantage of its oil. The structure here is better than, say Nigeria (where I lived half of last year). Once a majority of all variables fall into their place – I am certain this economy will go through a tremendous transformation.

I feel privileged to have experienced living in a country so close to a historical event like the revolution. My next destination will be Stockholm, and I am looking forward to living there for a few weeks. If only to experience the changes since 2006…

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Getting Compounded

It feels like I am adding the ‘pound’ in compound! Living in Libya means that I cannot go out running, as I normally like to do. Subtract running from not so healthy eating habits and – voilà – added weight!

Now the trick is to start using the gym more. The lighter dumbbells weigh 3kgs each, which is a little too light for me. Next step up is 10kgs each. Which is a little too heavy!

Just have to keep going I suppose.

Not that I want this to become a food blog or anything, but invented this yesterday:

Bulghur wheat
Tomato puree
Date syrup
Harissa

Boil the bulghur and drain, add a few spoons of tomato puree, one or two teaspoons of date syrup and one teaspoon of harissa. Eat with meat.

When Eating in Libya

I have the privilege to live in Libya until June. This is a fascinating country with people that definitely deserve a better future than their past.

One of the things I enjoy the most when in a new country, is trying out the local food. Due to the security issues in Libya at the moment, I don’t think my company would be very pleased if I ventured out for evening meals in Tripoli. Particularly not as I would have to make the 30km journey by car back to the office after the meal.

Nevertheless, I am on client site in central Tripoli every day – so I do get my fair share of commuting. And my fair share of Libyan sandwiches. The lunch here is starting to become quite repetitive, and I struggle a bit to have a sandwich for lunch every day. Despite having lived more than five years in the UK, I still don’t consider a sandwich lunch.

In my home country, we eat a hot meal for lunch and dinner. And – in my humble opinion – that is how the world should be fed!

What does my Libyan dinners look like then? Well, so far I have experimented a lot with…tuna. The canned variety. Please try this at home.

Boil pasta, drain and add:
~114g of canned tuna
1 tspn of Harissa
3 tbspns of chopped olives
1 tbspn of cream cheese
Choose one: tomato puree, passata or chopped tomatoes

Then stir, reheat and serve. Preferably on a plate in your own compound!

And what to drink? May I recommend the 2013 edition of the Don Simon grape juice…

Smaklig måltid!