December 20, 2000

“Nerd Cow”

Another day of exams. The children in grades 1-5 have exams, too, but their exams aren't quite as long as the older students, so they get a chance to exercise their artistic muse with holiday artwork (Marthame calls this one "Nerd Cow").

December rain is as cold as you might imagine.

Work underway on the village hall.

Now that winter is here, the morning assembly time outside is drastically reduced - especially when a rainstorm shows up uninvited. There is hope that part of the old school will be renovated into a village hall for youth activities and other celebrations, but the students will most certainly be grateful to assemble indoors during the winter time. The work on the hall has also been a welcome opportunity to work for some of the families in Zababdeh, as the economy plummets all across the West Bank. The initial funds and drive for the project came from the Diocese of Sioux Falls and Bishop Robert Carlson, who have developed a strong relationship with the parish of Zababdeh and were our guests way back in September before the words "New Intifada" eliminated our tourism traffic.