With the fitting of floor tiles, plaster works on the interior walls, and the installation of windowsills and windows, the new Dar al-Kalima College building is really starting to look like a new "academic home"!

The focus now is on the interior infrastructure, with gas and electricity lines being put in, and preparations for the internal networking of the college's computer systems underway.  As you can see in this photo, the computer lab is taking shape!  The floor tiles are installed, and the pathways for the workstation wires are sticking out of the ground, marking where students will  be sitting in just 6 months as they learn Photoshop and ProTools.

It may not seem like a big difference on paper, but the installation of windows on some of the floors is really giving the building a finished look.  Through these windows students and faculty will have a stunning view of the hills to the east and west, and Bethlehem city just to the north.
 
The other big difference is the installation of the air conditioning system!  With temperatures reaching well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit for weeks at a time during the Palestinian summer (which can last until October!), it is vital for such a system to be in place so the students can concentrate on their projects and not the heat.
 
We look forward to seeing more progress on the college building, as construction workers and college staff work steadfastly to make the new facilities ready to welcome students at the beginning of the 2010 academic year!