In Fair Palestine.......

January 19 was the premier of a student film in Ramallah. This film is especially close to the heart of Doug. The film was written, produced and acted in by students in Doug's classes at the Ramallah Friends School. In the Fall of 2005 Doug decided to scrap the textbook studies that the students were falling asleep to in his classes and use his own passion for Shakespeare to attempt to engage the young people. He chose a book - No Fear Shakespeare - Romeo & Juliet and, after the obligatory assignments and grades, there was a remnant of students who were inspired and empassioned to make a film. The theme would be Romeo & Juliet in the setting of Palestine!

The R&J Team, as they were named, began to write a script and meet weekly with Doug. As most of you know, our time in Ramallah ended prematurely after we began to have trouble renewing our visa to stay. But the students continued on, and in June 2007, Doug was able to return to Ramallah to catch the filming in person. The home video Doug brought home of them filming took my breath away!

More months passed as the R&J Team edited their film and began to get the final production ready. January 19 was a day that Doug should have been in Ramallah. I wish we could have all been there for the premier at the Cultural Palace of the student production of: In Fair Palestine A Story of Romeo & Juliet. Tickets were sold for the premier and the Cultural Palace was packed with over 1,000 in attendance. Here are a few comments that were passed on to Doug via email.

Dear Doug,
I thought I would write to you about the wonderful premiere
of Romeo and Juliet tonight. More than one thousand people packed the
Cultural Palace, all eager to see what a bunch of teens had produced. You got
sustained rounds of applause upon the mention of your name as the catalyst
of the film and its promoter throughout. It was an awsome (to use Faris's term)
evening.

You were missed and appreciated tonight.
Thank you.

Hey! Man you should have been there. More than a 1000 people were there. People were sitting on the stairs and others were standing.Thhey all loved it. It was unbelievable. Cheers

Hi Doug,
Thank you for developing the idea for the movie, it was amazing. The auditorium was packed and the students did a wonderful job.
Wish you and your family could of been her. Rave reviews in the newspapers and a local radio station.

Missing you and family,

Rave reviews in two local newspapers and one in Jordan, in addition to a five-minute report on al-Arabiyya satellite TV channel during the prime-time news broadcast, viewed by millions in the Arab world!!

Here's a link to the Youtube trailer for In Fair Palestine.....A Story of Romeo & Juliet. Take a look at what some 10th-12th Palestinian teenagers accomplished. http://www.youtube.com/v/zHNndYQ79nQ&rel=1

Weather related news

I found it funny when I returned to Michigan after our first overseas adventure how much people talked about the weather. At least the weather changed and there was variety. I guess that made it a topic of conversation, or at least worthy of commenting on.


Here in Bratislava, the winter is dismal, at best. Overcast, gray skies blend in with the streets, leafless trees, gray communist bloc apartment buildings and brownish grass. Living on the 7th floor gives us a view of the horizon, so some mornings I am fortunate enough to see a sunrise! It may quickly be swallowed up by the clouds, but it is a welcome sight. Last week we watched a most stunning sunrise!

The Kindness of Slovaks

After having blasted the culture for the cold exterior, I have had some wonderful experiences with the local folks.
A few months ago, while taking a trip into Central Slovakia, I realized I had lost my little money pouch. It included my credit card, so it was a true crisis! I was almost sure I had lost it at a Tesco store, where we stopped to get snacks and drinks, so we had to drive back the 1/2 hour we had just traveled when I realized I was missing something important. Doug and I asked the security guard if anyone spoke English. She pointed to a young lady at a T-Mobile store near the entrance. We told her our situation and she said she would be happy to help us. She closed her store and took us over to the information counter. The information counter was less than helpful, but this young lady persisted and asked them to call the register where we had checked out. They had my pouch! Oh that was a happy time. I even cried with joy. We thanked this young lady profusely, who closed her store to help us. She replied "I like to help people". And we were off.

Next crisis for me was going to the post office to mail packages..... I handed over the packages - there were 3 - and she gave me the total. I had spent most of my cash, so didn't have enough to pay for them. Now what? She told me, with the help of the gentleman at the next window, that I could leave them here and come back. Very nice gesture, but I was downtown and the thought of going all the way back home to get more cash was daunting and time consuming. So I left the packages with her and began to walk and think. This is progress for me, because I didn't just start crying (what a wimp). I walked back to the last store I had patronized and asked them if I could return this item because I shorted myself on cash and needed to get my stuff on its way to the US. The lovely, slender and red-haired young lady said SURE! She would even keep my item behind the counter for me until I could return. What lovely Slovak people! So, I walked back to the Posta, paid for my packages and walked to fetch Justin from choir practice.

In all our journeys on the bus I see people giving their seats to pensioners (senior citizens), and helping women with their cumbersome baby carriages on and off the bus. If anyone has read all this to the end, I would encourage trying to notice the little kindnesses that come your way each day through others.

Our Elevator or 122 stairs

Our elevator or up and down 122 stairs. Two options that we face each day, at least twice a day. If we lose one of those options, (the elevator), it leaves the 122 steps. Since we moved in last August, we have climbed the stairs at least 7 or 8 times because the elevator was out of order. It is grueling to walk up all those stairs, made even more difficult if I have a load of groceries. Doug has been stuck in it once, but kept pushing buttons and got it to go down one floor so he could get out. It was humorous because that was when his dad was visiting and there was another little lady stuck with them. She started banging on the door as loudly as she could. When I looked out our door to find out what was going on, all I could see was their heads.......

So, I could complain a lot - not to the management or anyone who can help because of the language barrier, but I decided I am happy we have one at all. Many buildings don't even have a "lift", as it is called in Europe. As to the condition and size of the lift? Well, it's tiny--really tiny. Our family of four can fit in it, but if we have our stroller it is really tight. I think it was made in Poland during Communism. And it doesn't even have automatic doors. There is one tremendously heavy door that you pull open like any regular door. You step on the elevator. Once the heavy door closes behind you (not automatically), you push the button and begin the ride. There is no other door, but you can watch the other marked doors go by, as each little window appears in the door for the next level. It's hard to explain, so I'll attach a photo.

Last week we were coming home after dark and the elevator ride upstairs was completely in the dark, as the light had burned out inside. That was exciting! Speaking of lights, there are light switches on each floor to help light the hallway. But their timers are so badly set, that I can never get the key in both of the two locks without having to stop and give myself another dose of light. (Talk about pressure)! If we are walking up, we put Justin in charge of lights, so none of us trip when the light decides to turn off. He's great help in this area.

I am happy for the elevator, truly. But when I look at it I am surprised I will use it at all. I guess that is how badly we as humans want to avoid work and exercise. Here's the little beast....