Thoughts and impressions from Algeria, Easter 2008

Text and photos:Hilde Lund

This article was originally published in my magazine Navlenytt, 2008. (Disclaimer: These are all my thoughts and impressions from my visit in Algeria. The people around me might have experienced the situations differently).

I was visiting my ‘in-laws’ in Algeria this Easter. Most of my time was spent sitting with the family under the fig tree, chatting away. Family is family, no matter where you live and what culture you grew up in. Family loyalty, unity, intrigues and scandals, it is all the same whether you are Norwegian, Australian or Arabic, whether you wear a hijab or not.

I spent a lot of time under said fig tree. I had hoped to be able to travel around a bit and to see more than the house and the market, but that proved to be difficult. It was expected that we spent the time with the family, rather than traveling around. They all wondered what on earth I wanted to see anyway, because “there is nothing to see here”. I was asked to not go anywhere alone, my ‘mother-in-law’ was worried that something untoward was going to happen to me. The country is fairly safe and stable now (2008) after the civil war, but there is a fair bit of crime. For a Norwegian girl, used to doing exactly what she wants, when she wants, it is challenging not to be able to go outside without a ’body guard‘. For many women, (but obviously not for all) in the Muslim world, however, this is the reality in which they live. They lead very protected lives, and may only leave the house with their husband’s permission. I was visiting Algeria for a limited period of time and my boyfriend was very good at ’walking me‘ as much as he could. Restrictions did wear a bit on my patience, I will admit, but it is an experience in itself.

Even though many an hour was spent under the fig tree, I did get to experience a lot of different things, and I made several observations about Algerian quirks:

Entering the country
It would appear that Algerians don’t love to behave in a very organised manner. As you enter the plane, everybody storms in and picks the seat they want, rather than the one allocated on the ticket. The air hostesses are screaming at the top of their lungs: “Kindly respect your allocated seat number!" Embarking the plane takes about twice as long as it normally would with all the seat chaos.

Algeria, like most countries in the Arab world, is a country that loves bureaucracy. (Just like Australia, to be honest….) Forms are fun! And please, do fill them out in several copies. When travelers arrive in Algeria, they are meticulessly informed about what is forbidden and what is allowed - into the country. In the visa declaration card you have to fill in upon arrival there is a long list of forbidden objects: used spare parts (for cars?), false coins, used motorbikes and bikes, objects that can cause offence to morality, household articles, used furniture and clothes. I got a bit stressed out for a second, given that my suit case was full of used clothing, and hoped it wouldn’t be seized by the authorities. However, I was allowed to bring it in without any issues, and I am sure they don’t expect everyone to arrive with suitcases full of brand new clothes, still with the tags on.
Waiting in line at the passport check point is boring for everyone. The rich and powerful simply cannot be bothered to do such a menial thing. A clerk comes running to greet them, takes their passports and makes sure that all formalities are handled, while they leisurely pass the queue, the passport control point and go to relax in a lounge.

Bouteflika speed humps
The Algerian President Abdel Aziz Bouteflika (2008) is treated very well, wherever he travels in the country. Each and every news broadcast starts with an update on what he has done today, and which wise words have come from his mouth the last 24 hours. Bouteflika hates speed humps. He simply cannot stand bumping around in the car on his travels. So, the road authorities make sure all speed humps are removed and that the road is beautifully level before he is heading somewhere. The next day they are back, replacing the speed hump. Which again must be removed the next time the President comes past.

Traffic culture
The very relaxed attitude Algerian pedestrians have towards cars is most fascinating. They stroll leisurely when they cross a four-lane heavily trafficked highway, and enjoy long conversations in the middle of the street. If a driver comes across an acquaintance who is walking, he will stop the car, have a chat and be completely oblivious to the queue of cars growing behind him. The one guy who really stood out for me during my stay was a man who stood in the middle of the road, his back towards the direction of traffic. He was reading his newspaper, very intently, and he had a Walkman that obviously played really loud music. We came driving from behind him, and he did not hear us. At all. He didn’t see us. We waited and waited for him to register our presence, but no luck. When he finally heard our horn honking, he looked at us with an annoyed expression, clearly irritated that we had disturbed his newspaper time. He slowly drifted over towards the side of the street, barely leaving us enough space to pass him.

Parking mafia
When parking your car in the street in town, self-appointed parking guards will appear out of nowhere. These parking guards are young men standing on their section of the footpath, guarding the street with vigilance. They often have a stick with which they point, wave and help the driver find a parking spot. Even when you find your own spot, they will suddenly appear outside of your car window, informing you that they can ‘look after’ your car while you are away. For a little sum of money, of course. If you tell them that they don’t need to look after your car, and refuse to give them money, chances are big that a mirror will accidentally have broken off the car, or that there is a big scratch somewhere upon your return to the car. Either this time, or next time you park in town. So, if you don’t pay that little sum to the self-appointed ‘guard’, you will end up paying a bigger sum to the garage. Nothing is being done with these thugs, because they don’t approach the cars of the police or of the rich and influential people.

Saving electricity
Algerians, and a lot of fellow Arabs with them, place great importance on saving the battery in the car while driving. The best way to save the electricity is to avoid turning the lights on when driving in the dark (I have seen this in Algeria, Egypt, Syria and Jordan). It is a widely known and accepted truth that the electricity is used up if you drive with the lights on. So they drive at full speed, in high ways and suburbs, in total darkness, with no lights on whatsoever. That is very scary when you have to change lane, and you can’t see if anyone is right next to you.

Double standards and drunk driving
I have never in my life seen as much drunk driving as in Algeria. It is wild. According to Islam, it is haram (forbidden) to drink alcohol. Very many people do, anyway. There are dozens of sleazy pubs and dives everywhere, packed with customers every night. Still, many people do not want to drink in a bar. They do want to drink, but given the social stigma, they cannot drink at home, in front of the family. Out of respect for their parents, they will not smoke or drink in their presence, even though they are heavy smokers and drinkers. If they go to a bar, they can be seen by someone, who will report that they saw this person drinking at a bar. The solution to this sticky situation is a ‘mobile bar’. Drinking in your car. You drive to a dark and secluded place, stay there all night, drinking to your heart’s desire, before you drive home. Groups of cars are dotted on the road sides, full of party-goers. I even saw a guy driving at full speed on the highway, drinking with one hand, driving with the other, with no headlights on. It appears to be not much of a worry getting caught by the police. If you get caught you pay the officer a little sum and the situation goes away on the spot. How convenient.

Buying light bulbs
Light bulbs are sold in electrical stores. To be sure that the seller doesn’t cheat the customer, there is a little light bulb testing machine installed at the counter. If you buy bulbs, no matter how many, each and every bulb is carefully taken out of its box, tested in the machine and approved by the customer before he pays.

Peeling beans and peas
In Algeria you don’t have access to all sorts of food, year round. You eat what is in season. March is pea and bean season. We ate peas every day. And they had to be peeled every day. It felt really nice to sit with my mother-in-law, sister-in-law and her kids, cleaning peas. I felt that I was able to contribute, in spite of the language barrier. Peeling peas with the family made me feel like I was part of it and belonged. It is a lovely feeling to feel like home, so far from home.

How to make sure a guest returns in the future
We paid a visit to the parents and nieces of my partner’s best friend. As we were leaving the nieces brought out a bottle of perfume and sprayed my wrists. Then they gave me a lolly. This was to give me something good to smell, and sweet to eat, so that I would want to return later. My partner did the same the very first time I visited him ten years ago, so it clearly works…

Hijab or not hijab, that is the question
The use of hijab is spreading very fast. Almost everyone wears one now, whether they want to or not. All my sisters-in-law wear a hijab now, the last one started wearing one last year. Her boss told her it was desired that she began wearing one, and then it wasn’t really up for discussion. She told me how shocked she was that several of her female colleagues didn’t brush or wash their hair for weeks. Why bother when you have to wear a hijab anyway? She also mentioned that their dental hygiene was lacking, because what’s the point when you wear a mask and cover your mouth anyway? It turns out it can be easy to go lightly on general cleanliness when you always have to cover up with an abaya anyway. My partner’s brother is a headmaster at a primary school, and he told me disgustedly how he had had to send teachers home, for wearing dirty clothes under their abayas, and asking them how they thought they could raise children to be clean and hygienic, when they themselves set such bad examples.

Having freshly baked bread delivered to your door
Every day at the same time, there was a knock on the door by a little boy with a big basket of freshly baked breads. Mum baked, and he sold to all the neighbours. The little boy had heard rumours about a foreign woman living in the house, and was very curious to see me. My partner willingly obliged, summoning me to the gate, saying I was his wife. The little boy laughed and said “You are lying! No way she is your wife!” My partner asked how he could be so certain of that and the sweet boy said “That one is WAY too young for you! She isn’t a day older than 20” (spoiler alert: I was closer to 40 than to 30 at the time). What a lovely little boy!

Algeria is unfortunately not the easiest and safest country to travel in. That is a big shame, as the people are lovely, there are lots of attractions to be seen, and visting Algeria is a very enjoyable experience. Hopefully some day in the future, it will claim its rightful spot as a tourist destination alongside Morocco to the West and Tunisia to the East.