Jurish, morning 15.6.14

09:00  We leave from the train station in Rosh HaAyin and drive on towards Jurish.  There are no army vehicles or soldiers along the way, which is surprising, given the present situation in the territories.

10:00 Jurish – The gate to the women's club is still locked. We and a number of women have gathered outside. Only 15 minutes later does one of the women appear with the key in her hand. We have to persuade the women to take it upon themselves to arrive on time. Since Iman, the manager of the club, is absent the English lessons take place in her office.  The place is quite noisy. The fact that some women bring their young children does not help. From now on, we plan to use the computer room for the English lessons.  Today the number of participants is low compared to previous lessons, and some of the pupils are late for class. We divide the women into two groups:  one goes to the yoga lesson on the ground floor and the other remains for the English class. While Bella is teaching, two women a time leave the class in order for Naomi to assess their knowledge of English. We intend to divide the group into two levels. Bella starts by reviewing the material from the previous lesson.  The women are excited and motivated to learn as much as possible. Some of them have brought notebooks and write down the new vocabulary. Hopefully, there will be a board in the classroom next time.  When after an hour the yoga and English lessons are over the groups change.  Bella's plan is to teach reading and writing on the computer (if a group of women who attend lessons regularly is formed and some technical problems are solved).  The women get homework: making a list of the food they have for breakfast, lunch and supper. They become enthusiastic about the idea of actually bringing food to class.

In the yoga class two goals are achieved: first, exercises - the women cooperate and perform excellently according to instructions, second, improving their English – the class is taught in English.  Sarah, the yoga instructor, and Noga, who assists her, point out that the women are highly motivated and ready to learn yoga, a field hat is completely new to them.