Day 2...We visit classes...

We’re all pretty exhausted as we haven’t been able to sleep, waking at 2-3am and not quite adjusted to the new time frame. All that should settle out in another day or so (we hope!). Sheila, Jody and I were thrilled to finally get to observe some of our colleagues in action today, and we were all very impressed! The Chemistry labs are beautiful, the teachers are engaging, and students here take great notes! We were all impressed with the level of interest that students expressed in their subjects, asking clarifying questions and trying to make sense of the material. Many students remarked that they liked the smaller, family atmosphere of the school and that their teachers spent so much time preparing and helping them. After observing classes in the morning, the teachers met for break in their faculty room and served us a traditional Lebanese sweet, a type of creamy custard topped with pistachios. Yum! Of course, the Turkish coffee in little cups was served, and I think Jody, Sheila and I may all have become converts. Starbucks will just never be the same. The afternoon was spent with the juniors, seniors and some of the sophomores at Chabrouh Dam. We viewed the Dam, an impressive structure designed to help provide both potable water and energy to the region, and then proceeded to yet another Lebanese feast. I just don’t understand why all the Lebanese we’ve met are slim! Jody, Sheila and I have been trying everything, and the difficulty is that it’s all so tasty! You try something you like, eat a normal size helping, and then they give you something else, which you also want to try, like, and then eat that and pretty soon you’ve eaten enough to feed a small army! The kids enjoyed the day too, cooking, laughing and talking together. After our picnic, some of them walked down to the orchard to dance. Several of them invited us to join them, but as my style of dancing isn’t too “hip”, I refrained and took pictures instead. Very similar to the dances we have at BBHS, with similar music and moves. After returning to the monastery, working on our presentation, and freshening up, we all joined Maya for an evening out. Shopping being an important part of Sheila's agenda, we stopped at a local souk, and we all came away with marvelous "finds" that Maya helped us to purchase. Maya, one of the teacher's Jody is working with, is full of energy and enthusiasm for her country, her profession, and most of all her students. She took us to dinner after our little shopping expedition, and once again, we all had another marvelous meal.