July 5, 2001

We finally had our first Arabic class! Our professor was so impressed with everyone at first that he announced we would be using the level III book instead of level II. Then he began to ask us simple questions (parts of the body, everyday household items), and immediately back-tracked us to between level II and III. Oh, well...had an ego boost for a minute!

Ramallah is quite the cosmopolitan city.

We headed to Ramallah to meet a friend for dinner in another of its garden restaurants, then we walked the bustling streets (past the Chinese place and the Mexican "Pollo Loco" Restaurant) chomping on our ice cream cones. The energy in Ramallah is exciting, with its neon and traffic and walkable size. We kept bumping into people we know from various places in our time here, too, which helps us feel more at home. Ramallah seems like a fun place - it'll be good to get time to explore it this summer.