July 1, 2003

Today was our first day of formal class. Elizabeth is enjoying taking level one, starting with the basics (ba - bi - bu - ba - bi - bu) and expecting to move on to fill in a lot of gaps. Marthame, meanwhile, was the only student in level two. There are others who are scheduled to come, but no one has arrived yet. The individual attention is good, but it'll be nice to have other students with whom to share the experience!

Elizabeth enjoying the cool evening air of Abu Qash.

We returned back to Star Mountain to do our homework and to walk the grounds in the evening. It cools off nicely here, especially in the Ramallah area, and the grounds of Star Mountain are lovely - a hilltop forested with pines, olive groves, fruit trees, with a wonderful view. It'll be fun to work the ground here and to show this place to the world through their website.