He talked about Birzeit's "illegal cells of education" (so-called by the Israeli government) as it organized classes in professors' homes between 1988 and 1992 when the University was closed by Israeli military order.
Read MoreWe negotiated the "road" for another hour before joining back up with the road on the other side of the checkpoint. "Welcome to the occupation," once sang REM's Michael Stipe.
Read MoreToday we worshipped with both the Anglican and Orthodox churches.
Read MoreWhile we were gone, our telephone bill went unpaid for three weeks, which meant that it got cut.
Read MoreWe got the chance to visit and catch up with our Zababdeh friends and neighbors, who were anxious to hear stories about our time in the States and word from our families.
Read MoreWe finally had our first Arabic class!
Read MoreIt was a little hard to feel like celebrating, anyway - word came of an assassination of three Palestinians in their car near Zababdeh (Marthame heard about it from one of his 8th grade students by email), most likely with American-made weaponry. The sad irony of Independence Day...
Read MoreOur speaker was an eloquent expert on Palestinian humor and folklore. He gave an insightful talk on the subject, citing jokes and folktales as much better judges of public opinion and morale than political speeches - they circulate if they resonate with the people, and they die if they do not.
Read MoreUnfortunately, our travels for the day are not over. We took a while trying to figure out how we were going to get to Birzeit - one word was that the checkpoint was closed, another was that it was open but yellow-plated taxis would not be allowed in.
Read MoreIt was a long, long day (or a short two days, depending upon your calculations).
Read More