Back to School

I feel like I am back to school being punished for all the things that I did not learn as a child I am learning them now with my girls. I can’t wait for them to learn enough so they can start doing some of the homework with out me. Now I have to set next to them any time they working in their homework. I leave for few minutes to pick up the phone I come back to find Nadia had feel asleep on the carpet waiting for me.

Several families here send their kids to either Arabic or Hebrew school and they themselves don’t speak any Arabic or Hebrew. I can’t even imagine how brave these moms are. I guess I would need to be a lot more detached to do such a thing. Most of these kids are born here and adjusted really well. To them this is the only home they know. I guess it is not that different in south florida with a lot of kids going to English school with parents only speaking Spanish. But anyway. But the fact that I speak arabic I am feel that I have the responsibility to help these kids. One of my friends daughter is 13 years old. Beautiful spirit very independent in her studying and thinking had to do a report for school on the book Al AjniHa Al-Mutakasira “Broken Wings” a story by Jubran Khaleel Jubran an author that I think he is brilliant. It was 22 years ago that I read this book and could remember the main story, but not enough to help her write the report. So, I took the story home and read the book over night and cried. It is amazing how reading the story as young girl I just felt sympathy and remember thinking ohh these things only happen in books. Now reading it as an adult I see and feel things so different. Reading her summery from a 13 years old girl was interesting and then talking to her about all the other things that he was trying to present that she did not see was even more fun.

I am so looking forward to Yasmeen and Nadia being comfortable enough with Arabic so we can ready poems and talk about books that they read. I try to do that with them now but specially Nadia she can read English books much faster than we can talk about them. This will open for them a whole new culture that they can learn about. Then we all can work on our Hebrew. Speaking of Hebrew my Hebrew class is going really well. The teach is very good and the class is fun. I did not realize before that there are so many words that have the same roots in Arabic and Hebrew. Knowing Arabic is helping me a lot in learning Hebrew. The kids are also learning Hebrew in school but not in the same intensity as Arabic at least not yet.

The most excitement news in our house is that Nesreen (my sister) and her family are planning to come and visit us in December. We are constantly talking about places we want to visit and things we want to do together. Can’t wait :)

The girls have off from school Monday and Tuesday in addition to their normal Sunday and Saturday weekend. Naim only have Saturday off and half day Friday. We have tons of things to do and places to see on the following 4 days so I better go get some sleep to be able to keep up with them.

Goodnight.

"And in the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter and the sharing of pleasures. For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed." - Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet