September 18, 2002

The phone has been reconnected! It turns out we weren't being punished collectively after all - rather, after a dozen phone calls, we learned the true cause. They thought our phone bill had remained unpaid. We had paid it at the Zababdeh post office, but the paid invoice hadn't reached the central office. Six miles away is an impossible journey these days.

Zababdeh, Palestine.

In the evening, we visited the new pizza parlor in Zababdeh, aptly named "Pizza Pizza". Marthame tried to convince the new chef to offer New York and Chicago styles of pizza - for now we'll be happy with Zabdawi (Zababdehite). The University, and the presence of all of the new students, is providing a surprising economic boost - or, rather, shift - to Zababdeh. People are opening new restaurants, bookstores, hardware shops. In a time of massive West Bank unemployment, this income is very welcome. Not many other places other than Zababdeh are experiencing this.

As we left school we heard about a suicide bombing in Um-al-Fahem, the first one in about six weeks.