April 4, 2001

The ubiquitous Mickey Mouse.

The visiting marathon begins - so many friends and families to see, so little time! There is a little too much Disney here for comfort, which means Alecia's travels all the way from Orlando to this small Palestinian village have vainly tried to escape Uncle Walt. It is days like this that you begin to realize that there's only so much coffee and caffeine one can ingest.

Marthame’s dad with one of our young friends.

Some of the families we visit use an impressive amount of English, which delights and amazes Marthame's family. Others speak a few words, and it is up to us to translate - which frightens and amuses Marthame's family. Even so, it is a good chance to realize how much Arabic we have actually learned over the previous seven months. But there's still a long way to go!