When I was planning to go to Tunis for WSIS II, I had in mind to write a daily blog of things going there but I didn’t have time to do this, we had work all the time everywhere.

Let’s start from the beginning, I didn’t get the chance to go to phase I in Geneva even I didn’t know about the WSIS and the youth caucus till my friend Abdallah Diwan was back from Geneva and spoke to me about how things went there and how the youth caucus was great.

At that point, I had in my mind the dream of going to phase II in Tunis and got involved with the WSIS national youth campaign in Egypt. I helped Abdallah (the coordinator for the campaign) in many things with the campaign, its activities and logistic stuff.

Then, it was last October when I had a quick talk with Jennifer and she said that TakingITGlobal will fund my trip to Tunis. I can't explain my happiness at that night. It was really one of the happiest days.

The summit was on 16 November and I should be there by 13 or 14 November and my mid term exams was to start on 12 November, so I had to postpone the exams which took me 10 days running in procedures at my school.

I sat for an exam before I leave, my flight was on 14th November and I arrived Tunis on 14th November at 1pm, arrived my hotel at 5 pm after spending an hour and half in the longest queue I have ever stood in, waiting to enter the badging center.

Without more details which will sound boring after the summit, the best thing in this trip was meeting people that I have been working with for long time from the TIG staff and never met them in person as Mike, Hugh, Franziska, Luke, Alex, Sofya and Trevor besides some others that you see them online on TIG or you see their names through emails on the WSIS Youth Caucus Group as Nick, Robert, Titi, Marouen, Damian and Jarra.

I loved everything there, we had lots and tons of work for all the days since arrival and till Friday 18th November, we only had the chance to go out for some fun on Saturday when we visited Carthage and Sidi Bou Said.

When blogging about WSIS, I should mention Mohamed, the best Tunisian guy who was taking care of everything and hosted me for a whole day and took me for a tour in Tunisia, Tunis center, Hamammat, soussa, monstir and El-Jem, in a trip of 500 Kms.

About the WSIS itself, far from the official summit which didn’t come up with something good, there were more than 200 side events that make you don’t know where to go now or attend half of this event and leave it to attend the other half in another event.

With 23,000 participants, chances for networking and getting new friends were the best there. (Gbenga, UGO, Anas, Samer, Rania, Fatma, Ingela, Pernille and many others.

About our place there, the youth hub, it was the most crowded place ever, people came to us all the time, asking about the youth caucus, TakingITGlobal, sometimes to rest, other times to meet, beside the events that were running most of the time inside the youth hub.

Finally, thanks should go to TakingITGlobal (which we celebrated its 5th birthday there in Tunis) and to Jen and Mike for giving me the chance to go to Tunis and for everyone there who worked hard during the events and organizing the youth hub.

You can view some of the pictures about the event Here!