September 12, 2002

TGIT (Thank God it's Thursday), our "weekend" arrives tomorrow. School passed without incident today, everyone arriving and surprising the masses. Marthame discovered how it is that our school buses still come and go in spite of curfew in Jenin. There is curfew, under penalty of steep fines (700 shekels - $150) or, depending on the situation, being shot at. Fortunately, during most days, the streets aren't full with Israeli army tanks or jeeps, so people can slipout in spite of the curfew. And so, our buses enter the city, and if they find a tank or a jeep, they simply find another path to take to pick up the kids. Schools in Jenin have been closed, but the students in Jenin who study at the our school have been able to come. We listened to the radio program Elizabeth was interviewed for, but they didn't use any soundbites from her. However, Fr. Aktham spoke, as did one of Marthame's former students. An ad appeared in one of the major Palestinian newspapers the other day announcing a scholarship opportunity in Great Britain. The number of folks who have come to us asking for help with their cv's is not surprising, but depressing anyway. Everyone wants an escape.