March 17, 2003

While Elizabeth went off to school, Marthame made his way up towards the border and towards the Galilee. The border is closed today, so the car that usually enters the border town of Jalame had to wait at the checkpoint. Marthame and a woman from Nazareth who had been visiting her family in Zababdeh walked the long lone stretch of road. The soldiers recorded the woman's ID number but just glanced at Marthame's passport. We stopped briefly in Nazareth for the woman to buy milk powder for her Zababdeh granddaughter - she couldn't find any in Zababdeh or Jenin during her visit and wanted to send some back with Marthame.

8th graders enjoying a barbecue picnic in the nearby hills.

Puppy!

Back at the ranch, Elizabeth and another teacher went with her 8th graders on a picnic in the nearby hills. It was a beautiful day, the sun shining on the very green blooming hills. The kids brought up sodas, a grill, coals and turkey meat, tabbouleh, bread, and an assortment of snacks, cakes, and salad. A few of the Christian kids were fasting for Lent, and so didn't eat the meat; most of the others fast only on Wednesdays and Sundays and had their fill. The day passed as a usual class picnic, with eating, relaxing in the sun, and of course lots of singing. The kids re-created a popular TV show in which the first few lines of a popular song are sung by one team. The last letter of the last verse sung must be the first letter of the next song sung by the other team. The competition was fierce. As a few of us took a break to wander around, we came upon five or six puppies napping under a shrub. Two of them were brave enough to let us play with them (or too slow to run away in time). They were sweet wiggly pups, happy to eat snacks of potato crisps and bread from the kids. Finally, we all walked home, warm and full.

Up in Ibillin, Marthame taught his class, rounding out the context facing Europe on the advent of Martin Luther's appearance. Back with our friends in Shefa'amer, the news had our attention. Rachel Corrie's story has been drowned out by the build up to war, but has not been lost completely. Before and after pictures from the International Solidarity Movement contradict the Israeli Army's story that the driver was unable to see her. The details of her last moments, still breathing and conscious after the bulldozer drove over (and reversed over) her, are chilling. This is really the first casualty to get this much attention since young Mohammed al-Dura was shot to death while being filmed by French TV.

Meanwhile, the drive towards war continues unabated. Bush's speech is scheduled for 4:00 this morning - it'll be hard to sleep.