Yes, we will do it. After

Procrastination is a practiced art here, a journalism professor at the University of Algeria explained to us today (6/16/07) at a meeting about cooperation between the school and our program.

His explanation came at a point in the discussion where we were getting to specifics -- when exactly would our lecture series begin and when exactly would the new journalism school be opened with its promised new printing press for a student newspaper.

The answer was After.

"We have a tradition in Algeria," the professor told us. "We say we will do things after the bac (national student testing) and then summer vacations begin so we say after Ramadan and then after New Year's. Elections are very important, of course, so it will wait until after the elections and we have several a year. And in this way, a thing never gets done."