May 10, 2001 — Mudeif Productions

Departure preparation continues. We are taking a side trip in a few days by way of Jordan and have been trying to figure out how to get there. As Americans, we need a Jordanian visa to enter. The easiest way (and cheapest) to get to Amman without a car is through the Allenby Bridge, but they don't issue visas there. We'd have to get over to Tel Aviv (no chance Jordan would have an Embassy in Jerusalem, of course) to get one. The other possibility is to go through the northern Sheikh Hussein Bridge, where they give visas at the border. But getting there is more complicated, since it would mean traveling through Israel on Shabbat (i.e. no public transportation). We'll likely hit up someone for a favor.

Today word came in the school of the Patriarchate Essay Contest Winners. Zababdeh's school had more students honored than any other school in the Patriarchate! Tenth grade, as a stand-out, took 2nd and 3rd place as well as three honorable mentions. We're also sure (well, OK, maybe pride overtakes us) that our 12th grader who took 2nd place would've taken first if she hadn't done so last semester - a particularly striking and powerful essay.

Speaking of power, we somehow managed to blow ours today by plugging in the computer cord (just the cord). After it came back, the light fixture in the living room began to fall - perhaps something metaphorical happening here? A hidden life lesson? Perhaps the secret is in the artichokes that grow wild here (for the curious, the word "artichoke" comes from Arabic: ard - "earth" + shooke - "thorn").