December 21, 2001 — Mudeif Productions

Today was supposed to be a day of rest - however, trying to get everything ready for the Christmas break means we did very little resting. Instead, we were planning, grading, etc. (we haven't even begun to pack for our anticipated travel to Cairo - if we can get out!). We gave another TOEFL exam to the high school seniors - we didn't have another tape for the listening section, so we "performed" it live. While the students were finishing the other parts of the exam, Elizabeth headed down to the parish hall for the weekly children's "Sunday School."

The children meet every Friday with Abuna Aktham and Sister Aimee for some fellowship and Bible study. Abuna Aktham told the story of Christmas, complete with sound effects and animation. As Abuna Aktham was doing his talk with the children, his cellphone rang - Baba and Mama Noel were on their way to the hall in Zababdeh to distribute gifts to the children! There was dancing, singing, and over a hundred adorable kids. There was some political editing of the gifts, though - since they had come from Haifa, the gift packages had some Hannukhah Gelt in them, with a menorah on one side and a Star of David on the other. Since these images have been adopted by the Israeli nation, it was deemed necessary to remove them from the packages lest there be any confusion among parents and older siblings as to why the church was supporting the Zionist cause - a sad fact of these days, but a self-preserving one of necessity.

Fr. Aktham receives a call: Baba and Mama Noel are on their way!

One of our friends from the Arab-American University came back early, so we got a chance to visit with her and watch a movie. It is getting really cold here, so it's good to sit in a heated place and melt our brains with a little Hollywood nonsense.

We also finished up the English Club newspaper for the school. Students wrote about Ramadan and Christmas, provided a report on student opinions in the current unrest, and created a couple of fun items for people to play with. One of the 9th grade students has designed a webpage for the club, too. It's a small issue, but we're hoping it'll grow in the coming years.