Tunis, Tunisia (CNN) -- As Tunisians adjust to a new government following the ouster of their longtime president, some say they are cautiously optimistic about the future -- and freedoms -- of Tunisians.
"My mom and sister were crying on the phone because they heard gunshots," said Selma Beji, recalling last week's unrest. But by Tuesday morning, her family -- who live in the northern suburbs of the capital Tunis -- reported that the situation was relatively calm.
"We were like, this is going to die off," said Beji, a native of Tunisia now pursuing her MBA in the United States. But she said she was amazed the protests -- carried largely by young adults and social media -- led to such change.
"Facebook was the drive of this revolution. Everybody was on Facebook," she said. "If these protests started 5 years ago, they would have died".
On Monday, Tunisian opposition leaders joined the current ruling party in a new government to replace Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who fled to Saudi Arabia last week after ruling the country for 23 years. CNN
