Bonjour Algeria!

On Friday, February 24th, my husband received accompanied orders to Algiers, Algeria in North Africa. We would be stationed here for the next 18 months. Near the end of this assignment he will receive orders for us to move to another country in a different region for an additional 18 months. This is a 3 year tour or rather a 3 year adventure.

We departed from South Carolina on Saturday, March 24th and arrived the following day. Those 30 days in between were the most trying 30 days I have ever experienced. I had never been so tired, over-worked, stressed out or overwhelmed in my life! However, I became a stronger and more empowered woman from everything I was challenged to do. So maybe it wasn't all bad.

In a separate post I will share with you all exactly what it took for my husband and I to prepare for our first overseas move to a third world country in less than 30 days, while coordinating various items with the military moving office (DMO), Marine Corps Embassy Security Group (MCESG), the Vehicle Processing Center (VPC), selling one of our cars, trying to sort our household belongings into 4 separate shipments for the movers inside our small apartment space, figuring out what to buy when shopping for enough food and household goods to last us 18 months since we were strongly urged to purchase all our consumable goods from the U.S. before we left, squeezing in time to have much needed farewell's with family and friends, maintaining a to-do list that seemed never ending, all while still working a full-time job for the first 2  weeks! Yes, I will relive that precious month just for you in a post all by itself. I would say it's very deserving of that, wouldn't you?

Now, to get off of my tangent, Bonjour Algeria! Upon arriving, both my husband and I were just a wee bit shocked as we entered the main terminal in Algiers and found ourselves standing out like a white person in a southern baptist church. So this is what it's like to have what feels like hundreds of eyes on you at one time. We looked around only to see we were surrounded by all Arabs. For a quick second we did spot a black man and thought, "oh, there is one." But then we noticed he had a sort of gaze in his eyes and perplexed look which was a sure sign that he too was a tourist. I'll be the first to admit that I am very unfamiliar with many countries outside of the U.S. I, along with several others, assumed that in Africa you would find many black or African American (whichever term suits you better) or African people. I did know that in South Africa you could find mixed races of both white and black people. Before arriving I heard that Algeria was more of a Middle Eastern country, but I just didn't assume that everyone was Middle Eastern. I have always been interested in learning about the cultures of other people besides Americans. There is no doubt that I will learn a lot during my stay in Algiers.

We arrived at the beginning of spring. Recently, the city had just gone through a very bad winter with lots of cold weather and snow. It hadn't snowed in Algiers for 10 years until this past December. Spring is entering slowly here. Another assumption that we often make about Africa is that it's very hot! Well, in certain countries in Africa it is very hot all year round; however, Algiers sits right off the Mediterranean Sea which allows the city to have a very moderate temperature. The weather here is comparable to that of Northern California. Like I said, the snow was a surprise for Algiers. I must say, one of the best things I like is their lack of mosquito's, sand fleas, and all other irritating bugs that breed in South Carolina. No more carrying around a bottle of Off in my car or purse. And now all my dryer sheets will be solely used for laundry purposes only, instead of also acting as an aid to keep the bugs away from me. Good times!

As in many African countries, one of the languages here is French. However, that is not the primary language. It is Arabic. Algeria was invaded by the French in 1830 and soon after there was a large influx of French people who emigrated into Algeria. Now, many Algerians speak a mix of both Arabic and French which makes it even harder to understand. It's kind of like speaking to a Hispanic person that speaks "Spanglish" or better known as both Spanish and English. At least if you speak English then you know bits and pieces of what they say. But I'm just lost all together because I speak neither French or Arabic. However, in order to have a good tour here and not become incredibly frustrated while speaking to people, I must learn to speak the basic language. That is what I decided for myself. Most Algerians do not speak any English. I chose to not even try and tackle Arabic, as I am convinced I would only make the Algerians very mad. Rather, I am going to give French a try. During my rushed 30 days preparing to come here, I stopped inside Barnes and Nobles and purchased a pocket sized French and English dictionary, along with a visual bilingual dictionary to aid in the process. Fortunately, the military also offers a free program online that spouses can use to learn another language. And to top it off, there is a French teacher who works at the embassy and offers one-on-one lessons for free. I'm thinking I should be good...oui! .

The Algerians at the embassy have been very welcoming, kind, friendly and patient as I unintentionally butcher their language. I think over time I am going to do well here despite the circumstance of the country that has created many limitations in my ability to explore this foreign city. I will further discuss this in another post. As well, there is so much more to say about the differences between Algeria and the United States, along with the answers to many of your questions regarding night life, jobs, schools, driving and food!

Until then...au revoir!