Every morning in Matmata I carried both excitement and responsibility as the fixer in Tunisia for National Geographic. I spent quiet evenings by lantern light poring over family records and oral histories, determined to honor the families’ stories. By day, I navigated the maze of permit offices hand‑delivering applications, translating legal jargon into Arabic, French, and English, and waiting anxiously for each signature. I guided our crew from one cave home to the next, gently interpreting elders’ memories of childhood life underground and sharing smiles over simple meals of brik and mint tea. It wasn’t just paperwork or translation—it was a personal journey to preserve centuries of troglodyte heritage, and every detail mattered to me.
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