English, Spanish, Salsa, and Nutella

Today was a rich day in many ways. We were back at school doing the English Camp. Carmela carried on finishing the bead bracelets, Jeff took over the bulk of the English activities, and I got to start to plan a larger, future Girls Empowerment program. Oh, and we ate about a pound of Nutella. Carmela also did a few sessions on Spanish and dancing for the older girls - both were big hits. Jeff got to ham it up doing some pantomime with emotions, and I broke out the rulers again. The kids are an absolute joy, and all our efforts, in tandem with the other teachers doing other subjects, are really contributing to the spirit of the school.

Girls Can Do Anything!

We had our Girls Empowerment Workshop yesterday and it went very, very well. We had 15 girls from Arar Academy and 15 girls from a local community center. We held the workshop at the Ajloun Nature Center in a wonderful setting. The girls started with a hike around the reserve. We had our workshop in a dramatic setting overlooking a big valley. After a great lunch, we were treated to a 12th century castle built by Saladin (Salahadin here).
The women ran the workshop, and Jeff and I assisted here and there. Alaa, Carmela, Samer, Maria, Suad, Shorouq, Umm Alaa, Alaa (2), Rawan, Nour, Ghadeer 1&2 and several others did a great job with the girls. They talked about confidence, taking risks, and supporting each other in positive ways. The girls were really engaged and had a lot of good ideas. At the end of the day, they received a copy of the Confidence Code for Girls, and the work will continue after we leave. There is a national movement in girls empowerment starting here and I am proud to say our ladies are trailblazers!

Dead Sea

Carmela and Jeff got to go off to the Dead Sea with Mohammed and Suad for the day. I stayed behind and rested a bit then went to Alaa's house for dinner with the family. It was a good day to recharge our batteries in preparation for Saturday's Girls Empowerment Workshop.