Big SALAM or HELLO from Africa. missalgir wrote in November 17th, 2011
My name is Elmira. Life has brought me to a country that is probably a mystery to the majority of the population of this land. After all, this country is still closed to entry.
Closed in the sense that it is inconvenient for free access. This country is ALGERIA.
There is no currency conversion here, the main currency here is the dinar. This is ours former USSR literally and figuratively. Our countries are friends and therefore Algeria takes all the best and worst that can be taken from Russia (corruption, bureaucracy and garbage). Therefore, if you remember our Iron Curtain, then it is present here.
Although they have already begun to open it little by little, which is good news. We have a wise President, it’s just that the dinosaur ministers of the last century are not allowing us to open up the country.
How did I get here? Yes, it's simple - it's love! And, as you know, she will take you anywhere.
one of the traditional dresses worn by the bride...their number usually reaches 20.
What I like here: the climate is paradise, sun, sea and sand, everything is fresh and all year round! Hospitality is business card. The people here are very kind and simple. Here there are still such human concepts as you are my brother and I will help you. For example, you can start a business with absolutely no money. You can go to some supplier of goods and they will ship it to you without paying any money. And payment when you sell... That's captivating! Here people are still people.
No one here worries about money. Everything here is done for the benefit of Allah.
What I don’t accept here: cockroaches and spiders. They come from everywhere, especially in the summer. There is no entertainment and cultural life that Russia is rich in. And here it’s very difficult for blondes who don’t wear a hijab... And I’m one of them... Attention from everywhere and sometimes they pester you very brazenly!
I also miss our snow and the New Year! Algerians do not know how to celebrate holidays at all. Alas, there are big problems with this. All their holidays are food and dancing. There's no alcohol here. But that's not the problem. It's just boring that's all. AND New Year They don’t celebrate here like we do. According to Islam there is no such holiday as New Year)).
So it’s a bit boring, of course. Here, too, there is no freedom for self-realization (for women) as in Russia. After all, this is a man’s country and everything is formalized and done here mainly by men. Although, fortunately, there is a share of working women. What pleases us is that Algeria is not a very strict conservative country in terms of hijabs and clothing. You can live here!))
These are the kind of gardens you often see here (the heritage of the French). Algeria is a luxurious country!
There is no negativity towards foreigners either. Yes, it is unusual for Algerians (closed in their country) to see other faces... but there is no aggression. And Algerians are happy to marry foreign women.
There are many of us here from Russia and Ukraine, France. You can come here by invitation of friends.
There seem to be tours too, but there are very few of them in Russia.
When my husband told me that we would have to live in Algeria for several years, I could not get over the shock for a long time. “There are terrorists there, dangerous infections, unbearable heat, finally! – I shouted into the phone to my husband calling from St. Petersburg. Six months have passed. Today I opened the diary that I had kept since the day I left Russia. Not a word about the old fears. But so many emotions! It’s so interesting to remember your first impressions...
AFRICA WITHOUT HIPPOMOTHS AND CROCODILES
We arrived in the capital of Algeria of the same name in mid-August. The city greeted us warmly, a wave of burning air covered us immediately at the exit from the airport. We are no strangers, we didn’t come from the North, from the Kuban, but a blouse that covered our open shoulders from looks Arab men, had to pull it off. With my husband, after all.
Mom, why is it so hot? – our six-year-old son asks me. I realize that we still haven’t told him that we will now live in Africa.
Oh, that’s it, and I’m wondering why it’s so hot here and palm trees grow...,” he says thoughtfully. - Well, where are the monkeys, crocodiles, hippos then?
We promised to find African wildlife later; we still had to put our luggage somewhere. But not even five minutes had passed before our numerous boxes with suitcases, containing all the Russian goods needed in a foreign land, ended up in the car of our fellow countrymen who were meeting us. Well, that's it, let's go!..
AND YOU ALWAYS WANT TO EAT... AND EVERYWHERE
Like most Russian tourists, unless they are staying in an all-inclusive hotel, my first excursion was a shopping trip. I went there with my neighbor Sveta, who told me that now I would see “a real European level”! But the first thing I saw was a pile of waste spilled out on the sidewalk. As time will show later, this is not uncommon for the city. Most Algerian shops and l΄epicerie - small shops where everything you need are private, and the owners keep order a few meters around them. But it’s worth moving a little further and... choose where to step. I generally remain silent about the market, although, no, it is impossible to remain silent about it! When my sandals splashed through some kind of slush, and I had to choose whether to hold my nose against the unbearable stench with my free hand or save the hem long skirt, I understood why it is not customary to take children shopping here. I still saved the skirt, so I fully experienced all the shades of the aromas of the Algerian market.
Where we can get enough fish is in Algeria, I thought, while still in my homeland. But, as it turned out, in a city located on the seashore, seafood is very expensive. I bought Dorado from a very persistent seller - 1200 DA per kilogram, i.e. 400 rubles. There are also cheaper ones, but these are some small fish, and of an unknown breed...Recently, local residents explained to us the reason for the high cost of fish. Due to the ports of Algeria, the Mediterranean coast is very polluted. Fishing of seafood is prohibited. Everything is imported. Hence the price of shrimp is 2000 DA.
Dorado was cleaned at my request. For free.
When the rows of fish ended, it became easier to breathe. We stopped near a shop with olives and black olives - it also smelled, but very appetizing. I took some to try, very cheap. Then, at home, I regretted that it was not enough - it turned out to be very tasty, not comparable to olives from a can. But the bananas here are no different from those sold in Russian supermarkets. In northern Africa, this fruit does not ripen, so bananas in Algeria are imported. And on the streets, instead of the plums, cherries and apricots that we are so accustomed to in Kuban, pomegranates, lemons and oranges grow. Oh, what wonderful oranges there are!
Cucumbers in Algeria are grown the size of zucchini, and zucchini is the size of a cucumber. And the skin is hard (of cucumbers). No matter how much salt there is, it doesn’t work out in Russia. In stores, only gherkins are sold in brine with such a vinegar content that they can only be eaten as a snack.
There is no cottage cheese at all. In my opinion, Algerians don’t even know what it is. But they know well what service is. Smiles everywhere, “Bon jour” and constant discounts.
After going around the vegetable rows, Sveta and I go into the butcher shop.
- I'd like one chicken, please. Chop it and remove the skin. Another kilogram of turkey, cut half into steaks, yes, thinner, and make minced meat from the other part,” she tells the seller. After several months of living in Algeria, she learned to speak French quite well.
I don’t know how things are in other regions of Russia, but I have never seen such a service, free of charge, at that. This is probably the same “European level”... They wrapped our chicken legs in foil, then in wonderful pink paper, added a few sprigs of greenery to them and said “goodbye!” in Russian. By the way, most Algerians working in trade know at least a few words of Russian. They love Russians here.
And a little more to the “meat” topic. Meat costs no less than in Russia. Beef - 1000 dinars per kilogram, 300 rubles. for ours, chicken - 600, again, divide by 3. Faith does not allow you to eat pork here, so you can’t buy it anywhere for any money. There are no sausages at all. Once we bought something similar in a can - it wasn’t tasty. Sausage is radically different from ours; in six months we still haven’t learned to eat it.
After going to the market, I firmly decided to learn the language. Even shop assistants speak 2-3 languages: native Arabic, French and very often English. Okay, now I can at least explain myself a little. It used to be embarrassing. A boy asks you in some boutique: do you speak French? No. And in English? No. He throws up his hands. Like, what should I do with you?
ON THE TARZAN TRAILS
A few days later, my son reminded me of the monkeys I had never seen before. We went to look for them in the famous Algerian Jardin D΄essais, which has an excellent zoo on its territory. They say the first Tarzan was filmed in the park itself. As it turned out later, this information is very doubtful, but it is easy to believe in it. You can film Avatar in such a jungle!
The park was built by the French in 1832 as an experiment. Plants, vegetables, fruits, flowers, trees, and shrubs from all over the world were planted here. French botanists wanted to see what exactly would take root on Algerian soil. As a result - 3 thousand plant species!
Today the park is divided into two parts - English and French.
Maybe coffee? - at the start of the English part, where we started our hike, my husband saw a small cafe.
He returned quickly. In my hands are two steaming cardboard cups, the aroma is magical.
Why so little? – I ask in disappointment. The drink took up only a fifth of a two-hundred-gram glass. As it turns out, this is the only way to drink black coffee in Algeria. But the coffee is thick, even viscous. You won't drink this again.
Still, coffee in the jungle is cool!
I approach one of the majestic trees - “ficus”, the sign suggests. I just don’t understand why these giants have the same name as a plant growing in pots on the windowsills of Russian high-rise buildings? In Africa, this is a tree of incredible size, which, in addition to the main trunk, has several secondary ones, intricately intertwining it.
But the most interesting thing is different. The large branches of the ficus also grow trunks. Gradually they reach the ground and form something like supports for the multi-ton hulk. Reminds me of stalactites. These trees are called walking trees. Now I understand why the jungle is impenetrable.
At the entrance to the zoo, we saw a souvenir shop where we bought our son a badge with a picture of a fennec fox - a tiny fox with big ears. This animal is very symbolic in Algeria and is depicted on one of the coins. Five minutes later we were already standing near his cage.
We also saw lions, zebras, crocodiles, a hippopotamus, a camel and an exhausted brown bear - you can see how hot it is in Africa. Personally, my favorite was the flamingo. He stood so majestically on his pink leg in the middle of this entire animal kingdom that I believed him - he is the king here!
But we still spent most of the time near the monkeys. There was a couple sitting in one of the cages. The monkey was sad and sad, but the female, seeing us, immediately rushed to the bars to beg. They fed her all the dates that her son had collected in the park for crafts. So she even ate a branch from them later. He chews it, and periodically spits out the contents into his palm, checking how well he chewed it. Then, again into the mouth. At least I could leave one date for my hubby! So he looked, looked at it with universal sadness in his eyes, then spread his legs, took out his farm and let's water it! Directly at the gluttonous wife. We were rolling around laughing!
On this cheerful note, I conclude the description of the first 10 days of my Algerian diary. It doesn’t matter, after all, we’re tired of reading. Next, I’ll tell you about the ancient Algerian city of Tipaz and where delicious fish is served in Algeria.
PS There are few photos yet, don’t be angry. I promise to improve)
It is a mixture of oriental spices and sweets. A very spicy mixture.
What joys does she have?
Children are her main joy and pride. Typically, the number of children here is three or more. They give birth even at 45. While, as they say, you have health, you have to give birth. Certainly, modern world with its inflation and rising prices dictates a decline in the birth rate. But having many children is a great happiness for any Algerian family.
Shopping. This is the second great joy. Rags and gold are like drugs and doping for any woman. Therefore, the Algerian woman will not be embarrassed to ask for money and her husband will not refuse her this. Gathering their girlfriends, giggling cheerfully, they will leisurely walk around the shops.
Exactly, leisurely. I have never met an Algerian woman here running or walking at a fast pace. Everything is very measured.
After all, there is still time before dinner... the children are playing in the yard... and I have the right to have fun...
Despite her leisurely walk, her life is very organized: the house is sparkling clean, food is always ready, the children are washed, fed and happy, and her husband will always feel like a king.
I always wondered how she manages everything? We Russians complain that we don’t have time to do anything, sitting at home with one child... and she has five and she still manages to do handicrafts, shop, visit her neighbor and watch TV series... and she will also have bread or cakes baked every day to coffee..
Well, this is the first mystery that I am trying to solve, and on this topic I talk with Algerian women and admire them very much.
Often, Algerian women are helped to run the household by a maid or a woman who comes to clean every day. Her responsibilities may include cleaning, cooking, and even childcare, depending on the agreement. So the secret is revealed))).
Not everyone has the opportunity to invite outsiders, and besides, not everyone trusts outsiders, since theft is common.
Is her husband a joy to her? It depends on the type of marriage.
If the marriage is for love or at least there is sympathy, then yes. Often the marriage is arranged by the parents. And many women are not against this. They are prepared for this from childhood.
But many modern women still defend their right to marry for love.
Therefore, chance plays a role here. Even if there is no love, the Algerian woman will faithfully run the household. But, nevertheless, it will show its character. If an Algerian woman is dissatisfied with her life, she can begin to blackmail her husband by leaving and taking the children... and this is a great shame for any man.
Therefore, Algerian women achieve what they want. But divorce is also common, as everywhere else. While European women are learning the basics of business, calculating taxes and managing corporations, Algerian women are warming the hearth, baking bread with love and breastfeeding their sixth child, and greeting guests with a blissful smile. You are not you will see dejection, fatigue and melancholy on their face. Even if they are tired, they will give you warmth, care and a smile.
In the company of this woman in a colorful dress, with gold bracelets, large earrings and a chain, you will feel like a little child who was warmed and calmed by his mother. True true. Feminine it is developed in them like no one else.
The main joy for them is to keep them warm and fed. They can enthusiastically tell you how they cook this and that (provided they see your interest)... and then look enthusiastically at your jewelry and clothes.
Afterwards they will take out their jewelry and show it to you, blushing and embarrassed... in communicating with them the main thing is to be simple and kind, and the heart of an Algerian woman will always be yours.
Women do housework. Any activity outside the home, including shopping, is managed by men. Only 7% of Algerian women work outside the home, and the vast majority are employed in exclusively “female” professions - secretarial work, nursing, teaching (this 7% does not include women employed in agriculture - they work in the fields like men, so do women).
Representatives of the fairer sex are allowed to run for public office, but such examples are very few.
Status of men and women
As in all Arab countries, in Algeria a woman is considered weaker than men, she needs protection. Men make all the important decisions. A woman’s life is closed around home and family, except for those at home, they can only communicate with other women. The world of men is more diverse.
It includes a mosque, streets, markets, cafes. Algerian independence did not bring significant changes in gender stratification. Although the country's government is guided by socialist principles, conservative Islamic organizations have always opposed gender equality.
The Berbers have their own rules regarding gender relationships. They vary depending on the nationality. The position of women in the Kabyle tribes resembles Arabic tradition. Ladies cannot inherit property or remarry after divorce without the consent of their husband.
Women of the Shauya tribe are socially limited, but, according to beliefs, are endowed magical abilities that raise their status in society. Mozambites advocate for social equality and increased literacy levels among both men and women, but women's sphere of life is still limited. The Tuaregs are an anomaly in the Arab world. This is more of a women's society than a men's society.
In Islam, women are required to wear a burqa, and in the Tuareg tribes, men are required to cover their bodies. Women manage the economy and households, and education is available equally to both boys and girls.
Algeria is the largest country in Africa by area, and although 80% of the territory of this country is occupied by the hot Sahara desert, unsuitable for human habitation, the remaining 20% is a real tropical paradise. Every year, more and more tourists from all over the world come to Algeria on vacation and at first sight fall in love with the beautiful natural landscapes, ancient cities and unique flavor of this country, and then upon arrival home they long remember the warm Mediterranean Sea, the white walls of the minarets and the hospitality of the Algerian people . And the majority of foreigners who have visited Algeria are sure that, first of all, it is worth going to this country to see the Arab world with their own eyes and get acquainted with the Arab mentality, because there are seas and mountains in many parts of the planet, but there are Arab peoples who have preserved ancient traditions and there are not many left who have not yet adopted the Western way of life.
National characteristics of Algerians
Now the majority of the population of Algeria is Arabs, so many consider this state to be Arab, but this is not so - the indigenous population of the country are the Berbers, who lived in this territory before the Arabs conquered their lands. Therefore, the culture and psychology of the Algerians is a mixture of Arab and Berber traditions, on which some imprints were left by the colonial era when Algeria was under French rule. However, it cannot be said that the Algerians adopted too much from the French - they, like Algerians, managed to take only the best from the morals of another nation, while preserving their traditions and Arab mentality.
Modern Algerians are both similar and different from other Arab peoples, because their way of life and morals are largely dictated by Islam, but the traditions of the Berbers and the peculiarities of the climate and economy of the country also significantly influenced the formation of the national characteristics of the inhabitants of Algeria. And the most striking features national character Algerians, according to foreigners who have visited this country, are:
- Kindness. Algerians are very kind and generous people; Hospitality, mutual assistance and caring are in their blood. Representatives of this nation, like other Arab peoples, tend to take other people’s pain to heart and make every effort to help both friends and family. strangers who are in trouble. In this, Algerians are similar to, because the inhabitants of this African country are also, in an impulse, capable of “giving their shirt off” to help out someone in need. The kindness of Algerians is also evident in Everyday life: for example, they are always ready to come to the aid of tourists - to show them the way, talk about their customs, and even invite them to visit and provide overnight accommodation for free.
- Openness. The national characteristics of the Arabs are such that the residents of Algeria are open and hospitable, they can easily start a conversation with a stranger, and they will talk not only about distant topics, but also tell a lot of interesting things about themselves, their city, country and way of life. But there are still taboo topics in conversation with Algerians - representatives of this nation do not accept if their interlocutor begins to criticize their religion or traditions.
Friendliness.
Thanks to their kindness and openness, Arabs can find " mutual language“Representatives of this people treat any person and friends with the same love and care as they treat members of their family, so friendship in Algeria is highly valued.- Enterprise. Algerians, like other Arab nations, are characterized by entrepreneurship and the ability to make money. Algerian traders can advertise any product in such a way that foreign buyers will be ready to pay triple the price for it, and Algerian wage earners are always trying to find Additional income to increase your income. And the fact that Algerian citizens know how to earn money is evidenced not only by the example of private entrepreneurs from this country, but also by the entire Algerian economy - thanks to the sale of oil and gas in this state, the cost of food and gasoline for the population is very low, and housing for young families - free.
- Cheerfulness. An optimistic outlook on life is another national peculiarity Algerians. Residents of Algeria often smile, rarely lose heart and always hope for the best. Perhaps the reason for the cheerfulness and optimism of Algerians is in their faith, and perhaps in the warm tropical climate, because hot sunny weather does not at all encourage sadness and melancholy.
Love for children.
In Algeria, the attitude towards children is completely different than in European countries, because in the UK and in most other EU countries it is believed that raising a child is a private matter for his parents and teachers, and strangers should not interfere in this process. Algerians treat children completely differently - they can treat an unfamiliar child with sweets, emotionally admire other people's children, and if an unfamiliar child behaves badly on the street, they can kindly reprimand him. At first, such love of Algerians for all children greatly surprises foreigners, because on the streets of European cities it is not customary to approach other people’s children, praise them and treat them with sweets, but in Algeria this is considered normal.- Religiosity. The majority of the population of Algeria are Sunni Muslims, who fulfill all the commandments of Allah. The biggest holiday for Algerians is the holy month of Ramadan, during which the entire population observes strict fasting and eats only after sunset. Algerians also observe a ban on alcohol - you can buy alcohol in this country only in specialized stores, of which there are few even in large cities.
Psychology of Arabs in everyday life and in personal life
Despite the fact that Algeria is a Muslim state, on the streets of the cities of this country it is almost impossible to see women in burqas - Algerian women wear ordinary clothes, work and participate in social life. Most Algerian large families,
and much of the responsibilities for raising children falls on mothers, although fathers are also happy to care for their children. In average Algerian families, in accordance with Arab psychology, the husband is the main breadwinner, but the woman manages the money, and when deciding family and financial issues, the wife often has the last word. According to the Algerians themselves, their women are very demanding, so many Algerian guys studying abroad strive to find life partners from the CIS and EU countries.
It is an honor to have a higher education in Algeria , therefore, both boys and girls strive to pass final exams at school (they are also entrance exams for universities) as best as possible in order to enter a good university for a prestigious specialty, and wealthy families send their children to study in European countries and Russia. Algerians prefer to start their own families after graduating from university and finding employment in their specialty, and in Algeria, both arranged marriages by parents and love marriages are equally practiced.
Arabs approach the choice of a life partner with the utmost seriousness, because in this country they have very strong family ties and by A person is judged primarily by his family.
A wedding in Algeria is not just the creation of a new unit of society, but the unification of two families, and therefore Algerians pay attention not only to the personal qualities of the chosen one, but also to the reputation of her entire family. After the wedding, young people most often live for some time with their husband’s parents, and then move to their own housing provided by the state. Algerians prefer to live in private houses,
Moreover, these houses are built in such a way that as the family grows, another 1-2 floors can be added.
