Headache!

Though I said I'd give myself a day off yesterday, I didn't. Worked right through the day till I had a terrible headache at 3pm. The morning's chores went off pretty well and smoothly: I went to St. Saviour's Monastery (the head office of the Franciscans here in the Holyland; about less than a 1km up the hill in the Old City) to see the Custodial Secretary (here in the Holyland we're known as the Custodians of the Holy Places) and spoke to him about my visa, my application for faculty to hear confessions and several other issues like copyright of Internet material. He was very encouraging and asked me to start a website in chinese about news of the Holyland (actually the Secretary of the Studium Biblicum Jerusalem told me the same about our school's website - to get a chinese version done quickly). Well with all the support, I think I'll get started. Then I went off to the Franciscan Bookshop to leave some of our chinese magazines to be given free of charge to the chinese pilgrims/tourists/migrant workers to read. I forgot to go to our monastery tailor to fix a torn habit. That means having to go up the hill again on of these days. My monastery is down the hill, the slope that leds down to the Kidron Valley (see John's Gospel) and the garden of Gethsemani and the Mt. of Olives.

But I got home quite early and thought I shouldn't waste time, so I started reading and typing non-stop. By lunch I was having a headache but thought it would go away - continued working after lunch (no siesta for me!) till 3pm when my head felt like splitting. So I didn't clean the birdcage. I just found out that the superior was down in the courtyard waiting to help me! Anyway I told him this morning at breakfast that I'd do it this afternoon. I did clean my room though. It's alot easier now that I have the cupboards and shelves. The 12 luggage are stacked under the bed.

Took an early dinner - Sr. Geronima prepared rice, cheese and a tomato for me - and went off to sleep at 7pm. Sr. Pieta told me something about eating more garlic and onions but I couldn't understand - she lost her voice; not that it makes a difference since she hardly speaks anyway.

This morning I got up at 4am to go to the Holy Sepulchre - quite cold in the streets. Prayed for you all and celebrated Mass at the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament. The headache is much better though not totally gone. I think I know why it came about - I forgot to drink water. Because it's so dry here we need to drink alot of water to keep ourselves hydrated; but I was so busy working I forgot to drink at all, and the dehydrated body was warning me. Anyway I drank 2 lit. of water last night before sleeping.

Today is Sunday and a couple of guys have asked me to accompany them to Salahaddin street because they want to buy "hot air fans". That'll be my good deed for the day. Then it's back to studies again.