March 8, 2003

Blood tests as part of a project assessing overall health.

Marthame was working at school when Fr. Aktham came and grabbed him. "Did you bring the camera? Good. Come with me." As part of a project to assess health of Palestinian schoolchildren, students were having their hearing, breathing, and vision tested, and - to their distress - their blood drawn. Some of the first graders were deathly afraid of the needle. Taking their digital picture and then showing it to them was one way to distract them. It worked with most - but not all.

The Latin School teachers visit the University’s language lab.

After school, the English teachers all went up to the University to take a closer look at their facilities, particularly the language lab. We are hoping to put one in the school, but for now we are more interested in building relations between the school, the village, and the University, building on the relations we began with the American group in January.

As a side note, the group of University students has been evaluating the January program. Among the comments (unanimously positive) was the note from one that their favorite activity was visiting the churches. One said, "As a Muslim, it was the first time I have sat inside a Christian church." We are often amazed by how separate religious communities can remain, even when they live and work and study together. It was exciting to help bridge some of those differences and build understanding.

Meanwhile, the recent suicide bombing in Haifa had local fallout. This summer, four young people from Zababdeh had participated in a youth exchange program with young people from Israel, Germany, and Italy. Two of the Israeli girls who participated lost their boyfriends in the bus bombing. Marthame sat with the students and helped them write a note of condolence to their new friends. This conflict has touched everyone personally. No one knows that more now than those two young girls.