Accomplished North African tennis player Nour Abbes brings international flavor to Xavier

NEW ORLEANS  -- In Nour Abbes' dorm room at Xavier University was a drawer filled with dozens of yellow toothpaste tubes, each with a thick red Mediterranean Harissa food seasoning inside and capped with a plastic red top.

The 21-year-old mixes the sauce described as having a strong chili flavoring into most of what she eats.

The native of Tunisia along the North African coast traveled a long distance to play tennis for the small NAIA-level program at Xavier and has done so with much success, while also trying find comforts of home whenever she can.

"It's a long process to get used to being here even though I'm in my second year," said Abbes, who communicates with her parents and three sisters in Tunsia through Skype and Facebook. "It's still very difficult to get adjusted because of the culture and how people speak and interact."

CONTINUE READING