July 21, 2001

Today was a day for nerding out. We haven't had much of a chance recently to really dig into our studies, so a day without anything to do was most welcome. Our day in that regard went very well, until we were interrupted by a stray herd of goats - quite the strange scene when living in a rather modern-style building!

Our neighbors’ youngest son stands proudly next to their plants. Children are often the best people to practice language with.

It got our noses out of our books (something, we're sure, which our neighbors find most curious) and over to visit the neighbors. She's from Zababdeh, he's from Birzeit, and their four children (three boys, one girl) have been a real treat to get to know this summer. He hasn't been able to work in Israel like he used to do, and so he finds odd jobs here and there around the village (and sometimes in Ramallah). You can see the worry in his face, and he has talked quite openly with us about it.

We sat outside in the cool night air, visiting and playing various games, until they were visited by some other neighbors (she's from Zababdeh, too!). We're still struggling to find that balance between being the foreigners who are privacy-freaks and immersing ourselves in the local culture by loosening our grip on that false idol. But for now, we're content being a little counter-cultural.