beyond the mountains

This is most probably going to be my last 2005 post, and I find it an excellent opportunity to share my last 2005 moment in Kazakhstan J to be continued… As mentioned in my previous piece, Nazarbayev is now sure to remain in the office for the next 7 years. Bravo! Still, opinions clash whether he entirely deserves it or not… Here again, various points of view have to be taken into account. The local one first: with a GDP growing around 9% per year, Kazakhstan has nothing to complain about, President Nazarbayev has indeed done a good job by reforming the country economically. Reforms’ inspirations came from the world’s “Economic Best Practice”, where you tend to avoid repeating similar country’s mistakes and adapt their successful policies to your model. Rendez-vous in a couple of years to see whether, all in all, it worked out. On the other hand, the country’s stability has a price, and Kazakhstan, counting many ethnies and influences, needs a strong power. Everybody acknowledges this...

This post will be devoted to 3 subjects. First, I’ll take you with me in a little promenade around the colourful Zhelion(Green) Market of Almaty as well as the Chimbulak ski and skating resort, 15 minutes away from the city center. Radically different, I’ll explain you how Astana, the newly-born capital, has great strategic and demographic importance. Finally, I’ll say a word about the presidential elections, which are taking place today. An empty fridge is never a good sign… Too much work, no free time, and non-stop delivery meals… It was time for action! Rachel, Simon and I, decided to hit the market located in the south of the city, next to the Mosque. Known as the Green Market, this immense Labyrinths-like concrete building offers you anything you can think of. Since we were there for fooooood, and most of you know how important it is for me, we did a first pit-stop at the meat station. Mmmmmh, accurately divided into sections, one will easily find any part of any animal standing o...

Well, Well, amigos, I haven’t had a single second to announce you the two-fold great news. Firstly I have been promoted to the rank of Editorial Coordinator! Can you imagine? A promotion! To celebrate this great news, the office has decided to send me to what the world counts as most opposite to Algeria… Kazakhstan. Most of you must have heard about this country through Ali G’s performance as Borat Sajdieyv, the funniest Kazakhstani reporter ever. (I guess there is only one…) I then left Algeria very rapidly, for a two-day transit via Brussels. In Brussels, needless to say, I just had the time to hug my family and friends, empty a couple of Jupiler with them, and swap my swimsuit against a warm polar jacket. Thursday morning, I was on a flight to London, where I enjoyed a hangover and my first briefing as Coordinator. London is a place I don’t know at all, and where a couple of my friends live. A new project means a new team! Two lovely ladies now surround me: Sabeena, our project dir...

Enough of Algiers’ traffic jams and Aurassi Hotel! We were given the opportunity to get out of there and finally look around, and we didn’t miss such a wonderful opportunity… First, we walked around the Casbah, which is the old town where the time seems to have stopped. Unfortunately, this labyrinth is collapsing. Since they have installed running water and pipes in most houses, the fragile cement is struggling against humidity.By chance, we asked our way to the owner of the highest house uphill with a beautiful view on the Casbah itself as well as Algiers’ impressive bay. He invited us kindly to visit his jewel. Little backyard, drying laundry and garden on the rooftop, it was just a perfect introduction to this special world in the heart of Algiers. The day after, we have been invited by friends of friends to join them for their visit of Tipaza. One of the oldest “modern” ruins in Africa, dating 12000 years B.C… There, Camus found inspiration to write “les Noces”, and 50 Years later...

The time has come for this blog to host my thoughts and impressions on a culture, which surrounds me every day here in Algeria, namely Islam. To me, Algeria is a very puzzling place because it represents greatly the edge between certain radicalism and a progressism that has emerged after the end of the terror period, in 1997. There are many signs of a relative opening towards a more occidental culture since president Bouteflika, who leads this country with an iron glove, has come into power. The « new » Algerian generation like many developing countries, faces a very trivial choice ahead: Either they pack up and immigrate to neighbouring Spain or France for a « better » future, or remain in Algeria and create a middle class that is desperately lacking. A friend of mine told me how easy it was to literally climb on a boat, bribe a couple of officials and travel to Marseille, join relatives or friends for a Pastis on the Canebière. On the other hand, Algeria experiences a great economic...