Intro to Algiers

I must take advantage of this moment of Internet to post this Blog Entry!

Today marks a week that I have been in Algeria, and yet already I feel quite established here. This morning is a rainy one and my room is periodically filled with the rhythmic patter of rain on the trees below my windows and the road beyond. Up until last night, the heavy gray clouds had not actually let fall any significant rain, but always we had the heavy, humid weather of Mediterranean Winter. Fortunately, the temperatures have been quite mild (in the upper teens, Celsius), so the damp air is quite tolerable!

Where to begin in my whirlwind of experiences thus far in Algeria? After a long and exhausting series of flights, I arrived in Algiers on Wednesday afternoon. We left the clouds mid-Mediterranean and descended on the vast expanse of Algiers, wedged between the sea and the uneven heights of the mountains. Having come from a chilly Frankfurt morning, the sun shining through plane disembarkation “tube” was quite a surprise. After an easy transaction at customs and the luggage carousel, I was met by the brother of the bother-in-law of our Algerian friend, Halima (family ties are quite strong in Algeria!). With great affability and a down-to-earth attitude, he drove me from the airport, through the congested streets of Algiers to my new home at the Centre d'Etudes Diocésain (meaning, approximately, the Diocesan Study and Research Center). Algiers is truly an impressive sight to see. The narrow, often one-way streets are bordered by towering white apartment buildings that twist and turn with the course of the roads. The narrow sidewalks are full of pedestrians, dressed in a rainbow of colors and styles. Probably somewhere between fifty and seventy-five percent of the women are wearing hijab at any given time, but the interpretation of it varies from woman to woman. Quite prominent as well is the police in Algiers, and on most every block, there was at least one policeman in uniform, directing traffic, guarding a building, or just surveying the scene.

However, once inside the walls of the CED, the pace slowed, although the vivacity of Algiers was still quite audible from the road beyond. A former Convent, the CED now provides a large library for researchers and dorms for students, researchers, and professionals, primarily foreign in origin. My room is on the second floor, in the Girls' Corridor, and while small and slightly funky, I have found it to be imminently suitable to my needs. My favorite aspect is the tiny balcony that gives out onto a side garden and the neighboring residences. While this also means plenty of traffic noise, I don't mind in the slightest and love to stand at the rail, watching the people passing in the street and listening to the activity all around. In addition to my bedroom, there are plenty of common rooms where I go when I get tired of solitude and my little desk.

Right off the “Petit Salon”, we have an amazing rooftop terrace that gives a view all the way down to the port and the Mediterranean. On a sunny day, there is no better place to be.

I plan to follow up this entry with further explorations of the city, my research, and life in the small foreign community. Stay posted!