Life in Rural Small Kabylie

Thursday began a very special two days spent in the rural area (the Kefrida district meaning clean, fresh water) of Rafik's family, the mountains southeast of Bejaia.  This region, is the so called Small Kabylie (in Algeria the Kabylie area was divided by the French into Small or Lower and Big or Upper - the former being less elevation and the latter being higher elevation).  It is a traditional hill area of the Kabylie people.  It is green and mountainous and beautiful.  Roads are difficult and the houses range from basic to quite impressive.  Life revolves around family, nature, and tradition.  Most people have never met outsiders and Americans are virtually unheard of in person (though they watch American TV shows).  The air is clean and the water is fresh.  The food is plentiful and healthful.  It is a memorable region that very few non-Kabylies can experience.  We felt fortunate to have the opportunity.

Rafik drove us along the seaside east of Bejaia and we stopped to see the location of his future business office (he has a consulting business in electronics).  We made a slight detour to see an amazing waterfalls.

The Algerian flag flies in the wind along the coast at a gas station we stopped at.  Gas is amazingly cheap in Algeria - to fill up is a few dollars.

Rafik with his worker in front of his new office on the road between Bejaia and Kefrida

The side of Rafik's truck bears his company's name

The sign to the waterfalls of Kefrida.  Despite the no littering sign, the Algerian people (sadly) litter everywhere.  It must be one of the most litter ridden countries on earth.

The impressive waterfalls just a short walk from the road

Rafik and Alice on the walk to the waterfalls - in summer this is a popular local outing and souvenir stands line the walk

Alice and Randy by the Kefrida waterfalls

View of Small Kabylie from the waterfalls area

Finally, we arrived at the Medjoudj compound.  This consists of about six houses, some connected, some not.  The widowed mother, Nouara, and her sons (all except one) have houses there.  Some spend all of the time there while others have apartments or abodes elsewhere too.  Rafik lives mainly in his house here though he keeps an apartment in Bejaia.  

The family, especially the numerous children, were so excited to meet us.  The Kabylie greeting is either two cheeks rubs (one on either side) or four cheek rubs (alternating side to side).  The four seems to be for special family members while the two are for most people.  We got both two sides and four sides greetings.  The women of the household had prepared a traditional Berber feast which we took as lunch on the terrace.  

Rafik's truck in front of his house.  The houses all have garages / work spaces on the ground floor with the living quarters above

The grapevine covered terrace used as the main dining area

Another view

Some of the Medjoudj children are excited to see us

View from the grapevine dining terrace

The matriarch - Rafik's mother Nouara - Mom to 11 grown children and countless grandchildren.  In her Kabylie finery.

The family vegetable garden

The chickens - kept for eggs

The lunch salad

Rafik with a traditional type of couscous (though not called couscous)

It was a huge lunch but filled with vegetables and fruit (some meat and bread too!)

After this abundant meal, we all walked to a waterfalls about 30 minutes away through a field and partly down a rocky hillside.  We admired the sight (for some of the women it was their first visit) and ambled back up the hill to Chez Medjoudj.  

Next, we piled into two vehicles and went a little higher into the mountains.  The goal was a special area where natural salt comes from the earth.  Long ago Kabylie people harvested this salt though that is no longer done.  

Some of the numerous Medjoudj clan.  They all gathered that day to welcome us to their homeland.

More of the clan in Rafik's living room

The meadow along the way to the local waterfalls

A sheep enjoys the pasture

The local waterfalls - some boys were swimming in the pool below.  It would have been a steep climb to get down there.

Nouara was as nimble as a mountain goat and as fit as a 30 year old in her trek to and from the waterfalls

Rafik with his pretty wife Nadjet

View from the meadow en route

Rafik with Rabah's 15 year old daughter Yasmin

Two of the Medjoudj young ladies

A wild orchid on the walk

On the return journey we stopped at some cousins' house (there are many, many Medjoudjs in the region) to view their farm animals.  They offered us an extensive tea with delicious sweets.  This family also has a thriving wood furniture business which is impressive, both in scale and the quality of their furniture.

One of the small springs where the water bubbles up, laden with salt

Randy tastes the natural earth salt

Rabah and his wife and one of the other brother's daughters admire the salt

Yasmin and Alice at the salt lick

Detail of the salt on the earth - Zeki, this photo is for you

A soccer field was developed next to the salt area and was well used that day by young men

A view of Small Kabylie from the road near the salt area

Another view

And, a panorama

Rafik and Nadjet enjoy life in this rural haven

Alice was taken with the spectacular scenery

Cows in the cousin's barn

The rabbits are adorable but are kept as a food source :-(

One of the twin houses, each built for a son and his family by the Medjoudj cousins

We were served the best baklava ever - sorry Turkey and Tunisia - this Algerian version is better

Randy enjoys the cookies and tea too

Rafik between his uncle and the uncle's wife.  This uncle worked many years in France (Paris) before retiring back to Small Kabylie.

The tea was served in a glass, like in Turkey, but the glass always had a handle, unlike in Turkey

Two of the three farm cats there

The style of Kabylie building is that the father builds either a floor or a house or a half of a house for each son and his family (traditionally, women go to live near the families of their husbands).   In this case, the father had built two side by side nearly identical houses for each son and his family.

After returning to Rafik's house we relaxed with some English language television (Rafik has a very extensive cable system in his house, though no internet) and then ate again - some more traditional foods including the iconic couscous.  Randy and I were given a choice guestroom with huge bed and we were quite comfortable.  Rafik's house only had a "Turkish" toilet but his brother's house (which was attached through a connecting doorway) had a "Western" toilet so we were O.K. in that respect.

One of the Medjoudj ladies cooks the most delicious soup using a portable food processor

A couple more of the Medjoudj ladies in the kitchen

One of the wives made an enormous bowl of couscous.  This couscous is not store bought - it was all handmade by the Medjoudj ladies.  Note also the wonderful traditional Kabylie dress that she is wearing.

Two expectant sister-in-laws.  Nadjet shows off the bread she made, which was also served for breakfast.

A steamed kind of vegetable dumpling was part of dinner

Roasted lamb

Dinner, like lunch, was on the grapevine covered terrace

One of the youngest Medjoudj's

Randy was feeling a little rocky the next morning (too much Kabylie food) but recovered quickly through the magical healing powers of the hand woven burnoose that Rafik's mother had made for his father.  We had a brief breakfast and headed back to the city of Bejaia.   

Morning in Small Kabylie from the Medjoudj terrace

A successful selfie captures the special morning light

That day, many men came early to work together to finish one of the brother's house.  It was a holiday and the men took this opportunity to finish the house.

Randy in the burnoose made by Rafik's mother for his father.  This was made from sheep wool that was gathered by Nouara from their own sheep, cleaned, spun, woven and then sewed.  Randy found it immediately comforting and actually therapeutic as it sped his recovery from an intestinal complaint.

This rural interlude was probably the most special part of our trip to Algeria.  The area is breathtaking and the hospitality of the Kabylie people is remarkable.  It is not a luxurious, or even that comfortable, existence but it is one with advantages and pleasures unique to it.  We were privileged to have about 24 hours of it in our lives.  Merci, Medjoudj family!