May 7, 2003

Elizabeth reads a letter that came with the care packages from Maryland.

The financial situation of the school has reached a critical stage. Today, students who had not yet paid their tuition were sent home. It's a staggeringly high figure. Many families have been receiving scholarships, particularly because of the now non-existent Palestinian economy, and now the school finds itself in financial crisis. It's clear the administration doesn't want to do this, but have little choice. We're hoping things'll improve soon.

A seventh grader looking at the photo of his Maryland pen pal.

Elizabeth's seventh graders received care packages today from their pen pals in Maryland. They opened them with the glee of small children opening Christmas presents, finding goodies like family photos and lip gloss. People don't get much mail here at all (the local system is a good year and a half behind these days), and mail coming from halfway around the world is an exciting event. Who knew that seventh graders could be so adorable?