the earthquake that shook Ramallah

Ramallah has been on edge lately due to the rumored coming of an earthquake. There were two last week (or maybe the week before), one of whick shook me in my bed just after midnight. So yesterday I headed over to work (the high school in Al-Tire where I'm teaching creative writing) and everyone is hanging around outside. One of my students runs up to me and jumping up and down, he tells me that an earthquake is coming. Is this kid putting me on? Can you really predict an earthquake? But the whole school is outside including the teachers, so I began to doubt everything I may or may not have learned in public school and I figure, I guess you can... My doubting sensibilities may be the cause for my eventual downfall, if I haven't already fallen, but that's another story. At least I learned a new word .. zilzal. So classes are eventually cancelled, and actually, this is the second cancellation out of the last four for this particular class. Number one was for the alleged "Independence Day" and the second was for the alleged zilzal. The latest rumor to accompany the rumored earthquake is that the whole ordeal was started by pay-by-minute Paltel & Jawwal, the Palestinian phone and cellphone companies. Nothing like an earthquake to get you reach out and touch someone.

In other news, Monday I recorded an interview with Said's mother about her life in Beit Nabala before 1948. Wednesday I took a nice walk up a mountain with a group of kids from Jalazone. And today I slept in cause I'm coming down with a cold. Till next time, I'll leave you with a song courtesy of Said's mom.