Harmony In Setif, Algeria

This is a pic of an Algerian Police Station near my home.

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This is how the milk is packaged in Setif, Algeria. In 1 Liter Bags. You don’t find it in gallon containers as you do in the states. You can also buy fresh and, I believe, unpasturized milk which is packaged in clear plastic bags to order. Or you can take your own container for the merchant to put the milk in.

Milk in French: Lait; In Arabic: Hal-leeb

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We are experiencing a dust storm today. Not as severe as some I’ve experienced here. Sometimes they can last days. It can be very strange weather when it is damp outside and dusty at the same time. The storms always interupt satellite reception. Disrupting my favorite television programming. Find a link below for more info on this phenomena.

DesertDust - Scirrocco Tutorial

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I have found that a lot of the visitors to this blog are looking for pics, algerian dishes and related. A very big Algerian dish here is couscous. We eat couscous with the family every Friday. My sister-in-law who made the cookies featured in an earlier post, usually prepares it. It’s the best I’ve had. I wanted to document the process last week-end, however, because of another family event couscous was cancelled. So this week-end it will be so. I will take pics of the herbs, vegetables, the meat, everything she adds. And photos of each step in the process. I hope you rss this feed and check back a week from now. I really wish you could be here to taste it. By the way, the actual couscous, not the sauce, is prepared very differently than the out of the box couscous you find in the large grocery store. The best is hand made, if you can believe it. Until, then….

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My son found this baby mediterranean gecko in our stairwell. His tail did break off a bit. They are so cute!

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A very informative article on Algeria’s economic status. I do see Algeria’s economy too big a challenge for one man, the president. I just hope that an ambitious and honest president is elected into office proceding him to keep his momentum going.
Algeria and the Complexity of its Energy Revenues

There are many pluses to living in Algeria. I get to focus on taking care of my family. We can afford to spend summers at the beach. It’s pretty laid back living compared to American Life. But one of the things the just tears me up inside is the lack of accountability among the mothers and fathers and grandparents when it comes to protecting children from the risk of injury or death in a car accident. Always, always, always, I see mothers holding a child on her lap in the front seat of an automobile. Or, just small children in the front seat. And I don’t think half the parents, here, bother to buy a proper car seat for thier infant children. They think it is ok to just hold them. And they call themselves ‘educated’. I get so, so angry. Oh, and you’ll see a whole family piled into a compact car. How unsafe is that?! If you are wondering, yes, it is against the law to put small kids in the front seat. And it is also the law for front passengers to wear seatbelts. But, all too often you will see the traffic cops having a little laugh and chit chat instead of observing such obscene behavior. Rrrgghh! Algeria is still considered a ‘developing’ country. But, Algeria is an oil country with little debt. They need to spend some money on Public Awareness Programs. Pronto! Anyway, until my next rant….

Today’s Photo of the Day is of a Setifien Birthday cake prepared at a local bakery. The frosting is cream and caramel. The inside are four thin chocolate layers with chantilly cream between layers. The bottom layer is a crisp puff pastry.

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Here is a pic of a view from our beach house in Melbou, Algeria. On the Mediterranean Sea.

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If you are going to find the movers and shakers of Setif, Algeria you will probably find them at the University. They have a very nice interactive site for thier students and for those who want to see what they are up to.

University of Setif
University of Setif - Google Translated