28th September
East Jerusalem.
Today took me to Bethlehem again, where I taught in the morning. Once I was finished, instead of making my usual journey back to Jerusalem I went north to Ramallah. The journey from Bethlehem to Ramallah is beautiful. It’s a scenic drive through desert-like landscapes on winding roads, passing through some villages that really seem to be ‘from another age’.
I have volunteered to take a one-hour class per week in Bethlehem called An Introduction to Music History, and I met with the other teachers who will be teaching the same course in the other two branches. I say the same course - we’re each making up our own lessons, so we just have to make sure that we all cover what will be in the exams throughout the year.
After my meeting, I met up with some of the teachers who are based in Ramallah and we went out for a pizza together. It was very nice to have a meal with friends, as it is something I love doing, and will hopefully make the effort to do it more often.
Yet again, I’m considering moving out of Jerusalem to Bethlehem. It is so much cheaper that I could run a car, and the freedom to move between towns late at night would be a luxury.
I have my second Arabic lesson with my new teacher tomorrow, so must do some study as she’s quite tough. Maybe, I’ll also learn about violin teaching from her.
