December 11, 2001

TOEFL practice.

Marthame's 12th grade students are getting some practice with the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) exam - Birzeit University conducts much of its curriculum in English, and the Arab-American University requires a passing TOEFL grade. Unfortunately, unlike closer to Ramallah, Jerusalem, and Bethlehem, the students here get little practice with English outside of the classroom, so at least getting them exposure to test-taking is good.

The church bell rang as classes were dismissed today, marking the death of someone in the parish. The grim faces on the teachers in the hallways didn't spell good news. In fact, it was the death of Radwan, also known as Abu Anis, father of six. Three of his children are students at the school (quite outstanding ones), one is studying at Al-Najah University in Nablus, one at the Latin Seminary in Beit Jala, and one is still in her baby stroller. Radwan, who had suffered from a heart condition, died at work in his fields. He was just 47 years old. The two of us have grown quite found of his children who are our students, and so our hearts - like those of most of the village today - are broken. Allah yerhamo ("God have mercy on him").