Drizzle

The rains have returned - well, a drizzle actually. We need it as it looks more likely than ever than we'll have drought next year. And the temperature dropped. Luckily the central heating system of our house is now turned on from 5pm - 7pm. The stone streets here in the Old City are very slippery and everyone is walking carefully. Even the tourist groups have dropped in numbers.

My asthma has gotten worse but the rashes on my lower legs have dried and left terrible scars all over. Am thinking of going back to prednisone to contain the asthma ... but I hate the after-effects.

In the morning, I decided to do some cleaning in preparation for Christmas - my room that is! Took me a whole 3 hours to get it done. Then in the afternoon the sky was dark with clouds and a slight drizzle was still blanketting the region. Ephrem (the Gabonese student) and I decided to go out for a walk - I needed to go to the pharmacy to get some medicine. He wanted to buy books. Ended up I bought more books than him. And we walked a good 5 kms in total! Unbelievable! Came back absolutely tired - lugging a knapsack full of books.

Most of the students will be going home for Christmas (the Italians that is) and the community is dwindling in size. Only a handful will be back here. I'll be going to Shepherds' Field for Midnight mass instead of the basilica of the Nativity (which will be crowded - entry by tickets only) and will be praying for all of you there.

Meantime as I mentioned earlier, bought 100 toothbrushes, 100 toothpaste and 100 dettol soap for the Christians in Gaza. Please keep the donations coming - we need to get vitamins and other medicine as well.