Twilight Zone begins

Lovely greek style house
in Old Jaffa

The ceasefire in Gaza seems to be holding. Some semblance of normality is returning. In Jerusalem and the neighbouring towns, sporadic skirmishes still occur but on a smaller scale. The weather is simply too hot to carry a war. People prefer to stay indoors. You'd be surprised how much the weather can influence a war in our part of the world. For example, a suicide bomber can't work in summer because it's so hot it's not possible to wear heavy clothing to hide the explosives. If you do, you'll stick out like a sore thumb and definitely security will see you a mile away. So thanks to Mother Nature. She's a natural deterrent of violence.

The past few days have been frustrating to say the least. it's the usual workers' problems ... they promise to come one day but never show up. Tell them not to come on Friday and they all show up. I wonder if it's out of sheer malice or stupidity that they do this.

The Fountain of the Zodiac

Being so stressed out by these workers, I decided to take a day off in Jaffa (and of course the workers showed up when I wasn't at home). Finally had a chance to sleep .... like 6 or 7 hours non-stop. And the few hours that I was awake, I spent it with the other brothers who are always so kind to me. We chatted and went out to the piazza for an ice-cream. The Old City of Jaffa is amazing ... quaint ancient houses mingled with modern quirky stuff - like the Fountain of the Zodiac.

School for Israel begins tomorrow. Our students will also return and start using the libraries for research. And the nightmare of waking up at 3am begins again for me .... classes in the twilight zone. I don't think I can take another semester of this routine.

50 days of war

An iconic shot of the Old
City - arches, ivy, churches

50 days of war. Missiles from Gaza are alot fewer these days ... and though Israel continues to bomb Gaza, it is more precise and calculated to avoid civilian casualties than when it first started. However as the south seems to quieten down, problems flare up in the north. Rockets from Syria land in the Golan Heights while missiles from Lebanon land into Israel. I think I speak for everyone - both jew and arab - when I say "We're tired of this .... STOP! and let us continue our lives". But internally racial and religious tit-for-tat scuffles continue. A local paper carried an article on recent statistics showing Israeli jewish teenagers are openly racist and proud. And the education system is supporting this. And the arab side fares no better.

To top it all there is this incredible heatwave over the country. Relentlessly hot ... and unusually humid. I sure hope there will be rain  this year. Last year was a disaster. We hardly had any rain ... only 3 days of snow. One thing that enjoys this humidity is the creeping ivy. They're flourishing like crazy. Couldn't resist taking this photo which is typical of an Old City view: stone arches covered with ivy.

With the ice-bucket challenge going viral ... an iraqi bishop posted another challenge which is far more meaningful for christians ... half hour silent prayer in solidarity with Iraq's persecuted christians. The gruesome videos of James Foley's beheading, the killing of christians in Iraq ... headless torsos of christian children, a heap of human heads .... this calls for immediate action, prayer and solidarity. Christianity is dead in Iraq ... christians are dead in Iraq. The Christian genocide is well underway. First in Iraq and Syria ... next in your own country. Won't you take up the challenge ... for you own sake?

Hot weather

Kids enjoying the pool
at the Park

Yesterday and today were extremely hot. Even the nights are hot. Hopefully this will pass quickly and the rains come early this year.

50 days of war is tiring us all. There was another concert in Independance Park this evening. I guess it was a way of distracting the people from the weariness of war. It was quite good. And the paying audience was large. But cheapos like me stood on the hillock behind and watched it all... and there were quite a few of us! Even the security people were having a great time outside ... dancing to the music. Despite my painful feet, I decided to go there for a change. After a whole afternoon correcting articles, my mind was stuffed. I needed to get some fresh air. Standing alone in the hillock and watching the concert was good. But tiring as there was no where to sit. Left for home after 2 hours.

Tomorrow will be another full day of work. And school has started for Palestinian schools. Israeli schools start next week. So summer holidays are over. Made no difference to me though. I had to work everyday.

Quiet day

The ancient walls of Jerusalem have
withstood millenia of wars

Yesterday Friday was pretty uneventful. No riots, no demonstrations, no scuffles in the Old City. It seems very weird to actually have peace .... now that's how abnormal the situation is for us here. But Jerusalem is a robust city like no other. It's 5000 yr old history has seen worse wars and catastrophes. This is nothing.

Today Saturday my feet were hurting too much. And I also managed only to sleep 2 hours last night. So with utter exhaustion, I fell back to sleep at 10am with articles all over my bed because I planned to correct them. Woke up at 4pm when Mother Teresa's sisters called to say they were coming to give a report on the help you have kindly offered. In brief the sisters in Gaza have returned to their convent with the handicap children. The money you offered will be used to buy food and medicine which is very much needed. Also another amount was donated to the persecuted christians in Syria through the Custody of the Holyland and the Sisters of S. Vincent de Paul. And a third amount was donated to the even more persecuted christians in Iraq through the Franciscan sisters of the Immaculate Heart. They have several Iraqi sisters returning to their country next week.

The Custos of the Holyland
receives your kind offering
for Syrian christians

The weather is heating up. Forecast for Monday is 38 degrees. I dread to have to go to work in this heat. Not good for my nose. Must find a way to stay in the shade. Mind you its the foot that's really killing me. Doc says I must go to a podiatrist ad get a specially fitted insole made for my shoes. Sounds good. But it presumes that I am able to walk to the podiatrist.

Rockets, missiles and concerts

6am cup of expresso at Cake Art
prior to physio appointment

What a day! Was off to see my physiotherapist very early this morning because the 2nd toe of my right foot is getting so painful I can't walk. He was quick to point out that it was the result of my flat foot. The toe is unable to flex, is rigid and is slowly curling up into a hammertoe. And that is complicated by my bunion which is equally painful but also bending my big toe under the hammertoe. A 20 minute massage and manipulation eased alot of the pain and I was able to walk again. But later at noon, I came across some freelance masseurs at the Shopping Mall while I was looking for a pharmacy. Got another 30 mins of massage to ease the growing pain.

Unfortunately what physiotherapists can't do is solve my diarrhea problem. Have been suffering severe diarrhea for the past 2 days. Absolutely dreadful and inconvenient when you have to travel 70 kms to the doc's.

A mangy cat majestically sitting on
a motorbike in front of the clinic

Despite the new barrage of rockets and missiles, Jerusalem tonight is busy with concerts. Safra Square is hosting a concert of Yesteryear music. I heard the band singing Beatles' hits. No interest. Went to Independence Park. It was a rock concert but pretty eclectic - ranging from heavy metal to hasidic rock. Entrance is by a hefty fee. Being a cheapo, I went up the slope and stood on a rock to see over the fence. Small crowd inside though. At Sultan's Pool there was another concert. I couldn't see anything as the Pool is strategically situated in a valley such that the slopes on both sides do not afford a good view. Lousy music. So I went back to hear the rock concert. The City was nevertheless packed with people and especially soldiers and police ... no rocket or missile is going to dampen the summer spirit of Jerusalem!

Missile attack

HaShoter Square: new seats and
tables for tired pedestrians. Behind
the tree is Mandarin Restaurant 

So I was back from the doc's several days back. My nose was a little crooked because of the bash, swollen internally. Had to take the usual anti-imflammatory and antibiotics. Several times this week there were shots of pain but luckily no nosebleeds. The left nostril was blocked and I couldn't blow my sniffling nose because I was afraid it would create more damage. Then this morning the blocked nose was simply too much to bear. Blew my nose slowly and gently so as not to damage the septum but it felt like my whole brain was being blown out. The biggest snod ever came out .... debris from dried blood, dead tissue and  mucous. Enormous. Now it's relieved and I can breathe through the left nostril again. There's still a dull pain though. Doc kept saying I must stay out of the sun ... but how then do I get to work?

Arab bagels called "kaike"

Last night after 2 serene weeks, we had the first missile alarm sirens blaring at 11.45pm. Looks like the war is starting up again. Actually I think it's all posturing ... to get conditions and concessions agreed in the final draft of the permanent ceasefire.

The lull in the fighting had eased tensions. HaShoter Sqaure, which is in front of Mandarin Restaurant, had a makeover: mushroom shaped chairs and tables for weary pedestrians. On the arab side of the City, bagels called "kaike" were everywhere ... it's one of the local staples besides the pita, tahboun and shrak. Life seems to continue .... except for the 30+ kids from Gaza being treated at our St. Joseph Hospital in East Jerusalem. I wanted to visit them with some other muslim friends but I had to work. They went without me. Never mind, I'll go next week alone. My friends told me how badly injured the kids were ... and how the hospital was trying to save them.

Broke my nose?

Yesterday morning while washing my face, I accidentally hit my nose hard. Something went "crack" and it hurt like crazy. And it continued to hurt all day ... and made me very nauseous. My bridge is still in place so I think it was the septum that was broken or something. I'll have to see the doctor tomorrow I guess. It still hurts today.

The weather is very very hot ... going up to 37 degrees in Nazareth, and 33 in Jerusalem. At night it was 30 degrees. It was so hot I couldn't sleep so I sat out in the terrace where a cool breeze was blowing. Problem is I feel so sleeping this morning. But it's back to work nevertheless. Got a call to go up to the other library ... then got 2 calls to go back downhill to the other library. It's been rushing from 1 km to another ... and my feet and nose still hurt.

The 5 brothers going to swimming
class at the YMCA

One thing good about the heat is having a swim in the pool. Yesterday I met the 5 sons of our doorman Majed going to the YMCA for swimming classes. Good to know they're doing some healthy summer events and not getting into trouble. However last night our neighbourhood was in chaos. Soldiers went house-to-house searching and arresting arabs. The 5 boys were sleeping at 2.30am when israeli soldiers bashed into their home with guns aimed at them. The poor kids were terrified. You may remember a few of them as some of you have sponsored them for their school fees.

Help

Another very hot day. No violence nor rockets. Things have quietened down alot. It'll take awhile before tourists gain the confidence and return .... perhaps toward autumn. That'll be Yom Kippur/Rosh HaShannah/Sukkot holidays so the crowd should be big.

The dreadful news of ISIS fanatics killing christians and other minorities is a scandal on the world community. No one is speaking out ... where are the super powers who rescued nations from Saddam Hussein and Gaddafi??? The ISIS are a million times worse! But it's just silence. It would never take place in India or Burma or Thailand ... the hindus and buddhists know how to deal with these people. The christian West has lost its soul and conscience. Wait till ISIS enters the West ...

medicine needed

Can anyone help buy this medicine Zaroxolyn? It's an urgent request for a sick man. The medicine is not available in Israel but is sold in the rest of the world. It's expensive ... here it costs US$100 a bottle. The sisters put this case to me so I'm turning to you for help.

Today fatigue has finally taken its toll on my body. After working from 6.30am to 12.30pm I came home and collapsed on the bed and slept till 6pm. Nothing could have wakened me up. My feet still hurt, and also my nasal passages but after a good sleep ... it felt better. Unfortunately it's all day work tomorrow so this 5 r sleep today was a blessing. I'll never get another one like it again.

A little normalcy

The past few days have been so hectic with work ... and the heat has not helped. It's just rushing from one place to another trying to get jobs done. And I'm wondering why this is called summer vacation. I'm working more than on a normal working day.

The 3 day truce in Gaza was good. There was alot more calm and normalcy. In fact generally speaking things have gone alot better this weekend. I don't think people even thought of the war today. Only sign that there's still a war far away are the empty streets. Hardly any tourist groups except the chinese ones.

Marigolds bloom

Ah Ling prepared chicken herbal soup yesterday evening so I went over to eat. But I've realised how easily tired I get. Even the thought of walking 1.2km to Mandarin's is enough to put me off. My feet still hurt and I've been having dreadful stomach cramps and diarrhea. Just don't feel like going anywhere but sleep in bed. One nice thing about staying at home is I get to see my marigolds blooming in profusion. They enjoy the heat but I must water them every morning so they don't wither.

Day of calm

Mr. Bird takes a shower

A day of relative calm as the truce continued to hold up. Still there was a military presence in the Old City and muslims still not allowed to enter the Al Aqsa Mosque. There was a group of women sitting outside Bab Hutta lamenting.

Another morning of crazy work ... rushing from one place to another with the engineer so as to co-ordinate with other technical offices regarding the electrical and internet wiring of 4 storeys of our library. Am utterly exhausted.

The diarrhea and nausea have reduced alot today. Was a little shaken to find out its also the symptoms of Ebola. Everyone laughed when I said that .... but well ... we've had several groups from West Africa here, coughing right into my face. Anyway am feeling better than yesterday. But the feet still hurt very much.

Hide-and-seek on
the lemon tree

Had a few minutes of fun with Mr. Bird today. I've not had mush time with him these weeks since the operation. Gave him his usual morning bath which is him sitting next to the tap while I splash running water over him. He prefers this to dunking himself in a bowl of water. Then for a special treat I let him play on the lemon tree. It was a brief but enjoyable moment.

Explosion in neighbour's house

This morning there was a loud explosion nearby and I thought it was due to the violence in the Al Aqsa mosque. Later I learnt it was a domestic explosion in a neighbour's house ... possibly a gas leak. All 3 of his children were dead ... 1 yr, 2 yrs and 7 yrs old. Horrible. His wife was badly injured. The funeral was due this evening but as everyone waited in the street in front of our house, we got news that they'd bring the body to Palestine where most of the family were living. Everyone was feeling terrible.

A barrage of rockets from Gaza prior to the 72 hour truce was fired toward Israel this morning ... one hit a house in Bethlehem. Luckily no one was hurt. There were also scuffles in the AlAqsa Mosque. And when I got home from work, our road was blocked by many border police armed with stun grenades and guns. Apparently arabs had been throwing stones at jews walking to the Wailing Wall.

It's Tisha B'Av today ... a day of mourning for most jews. It commemorates the destruction of the Jewish Temple twice on the same day ... the Solomonic temple in 587 BC by the Babylonians and the Herodian temple in 70 AD by the Romans. Most jews fast on this day. And the rabbinic explanation of this destruction? "Baseless hatred of jews for each other". A nation torn apart. An imploded society.

Good home food for lunch

I've been very sick since last night. Nausea and diarrhea. Very bad diarrhea. But I still had to work. The good sisters were very kind and cooked white rice, okra (ladies fingers) and fried string beans. It was good to eat some hot food for lunch ... but I couldn't hold it in. Am still feeling very ill.

Violence

A day filled with violence in Jerusalem. At 4pm we received news that a bulldozer had killed one israeli and overturned a bus in the City. It was something like the series of bulldozer attacks 4 years ago. Then within an hour we got news that motorcyclists shot an israeli soldier near the Hebrew University. Word then began to spread around that in Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood jews had attacked an arab in revenge, then an arab stabbed a jew on the Mt. of Olives. The last two have not been verified but word in the streets is just so. Now in the news we hear a car packed with bombs was thwarted from entering Jerusalem by a soldier jumping into the car and forcing the driver to stop.

And this morning there was again demonstrations by muslim women forbidden from entering the Al Aqsa mosque by israeli soldiers. Some got beaten up.

All I can say it, it sounds like another Intifada.

Lovely lunch

I had to work the whole day and at one point could not go home because of the rioting in the Damascus Gate area. The sisters of Mother Teresa could not go home and got stones thrown at them when they tried. They came back to my workplace and told me not to go home as i live in their area. I went instead to have lunch with 2 old friends - Diana and Sr. Natalie. Nice simple food: Diana had salmon sandwich, Sr. Natalie had camembert sandwich and I had a quiche. It was the only nice thing that happened today. My head and feet still hurt and I have to remember to take my painkillers.

Protests on Sunday

Less headaches today ... but that's because I'm taking optalgin (painkiller). It's not a good thing though because optalgin ruins the stomach. But I don' care right now ... just need to stop the headaches. Been having diarrhea for 2 days too. What a dreadful weekend.

Haredim protests

The country is terribly torn by the Gaza war. They're the Jewish and arab leftists who're against the war ... the Jewish and arab rightists who're for it ... the ultra-orthodox jews who're against it, the conservative jews who're for it .... This morning I saw a group of ultra-orthodox jews - known as "haredim" demonstrating against the war, praying, chanting, shouting at soldiers and police. Then a conservative pro-war jew carrying the Israeli flag crossed the road to the ultra-orthodox to provoke them. What a clash! The ultra-orthodox hooted and jeered and some started physically attacking the guy. The soldiers stepped in to protect him. That was a sure testimony how divided the jews are regarding this war.

Protesting muslim women
chased by police

Earlier in the morning at 7am, muslim women below 50 yrs were forbidden to enter the Al Aqsa Mosque - just like the men. They started protesting at Bab Ghawarmina which is directly opposite Ecce Homo ... about 3 metres from our house. Soldiers came to chase them away down to Bab Hutta (St. Anne's Church / Sheeps' Pool) ...
and the women moved, chanting protests.

I've had my share of headaches ... so I just close my eyes when these things happen ... and try to sleep.

St. Mary of the Angels

Ethiopic Rite Mass

Dreadful thumping headache ... but now I think I know why: I've not been wearing my prescription spectacles for a month now and maybe my eyes have been straining alot hence the headaches. But I can't wear glasses yet for another month ... the wounds inside the nose are still not healed and the glasses would add pressure to it. Tried taking some Acamol (panadol) to go to sleep. I can breathe so much better now but the stitches are still inside several places in the nasal cavities ... and they hurt when I sleep on one side ... or sometimes doing nothing at all ... it just hurts. You can imagine the pain fo tough nylon wires poking at your sensitive nasal lining deep inside the head. It hurts ... and causes headaches too.

Yesterday was another visit to the doctor. No missiles shot along the way so it was very calm. Both feet have been hurting alot. In fact so much I can hardly walk. Don't know what's wrong. So instead of travelling another 70 km back home and walking another 1 km, I decided to pass the night at my Jaffa community. It was so good to be able to sleep without the chaos and violence outside my window. Only thing that kept me awake was the headache.

Tasty oven-baked bread

The morning was great as it was different ,,, no muezzin chanting you awake at 3.45am. I took a slow walk downhill to the bakery and bought some bread for the community ... fresh from the oven. The sunrise was beautiful and there was no one in the streets. The sea breeze was warm and birds were singing in the trees. Only thing that spoilt it was my painful feet. But since it was the Feast of St. Mary of the Angels, it was worth the walk to buy the bread for a nice breakfast with the community.

Later in the morning there was an Ethiopic Rite Mass which I just had to photograph and film. It was hauntingly beautiful. Fr. Medhin the celebrant wanted me to concelebrate but I turned it down ... the Mass lasts for 2 and a half hours and I don't think my feet are up to it.

Cease fire

It's 3.30am. Have been up for half an hour already. Can't sleep .... I've a headache and a sore throat. Hope it's not Ebola ... we've had several groups of Sierra Leoneans and Camerooneans these few days. They cough and spit right in front of your face. Absolutely awful.

Ah Ling's herbal tea to calm
abd strengthen me

I think maybe I know why I can't sleep. The night before, there was a fight between 2 groups of youths right in front of our door. I heard the initial commotion - which was a loud argument - and went to the terrace to look down. Within minutes there was a fistfight and that spread up to the Armenian Catholic Church, ie the 3rd and 4th Stations of the Cross. I had a bad feeling some of my friends were involved. Earlier that day they told me about guys coming to our Quarter carrying knives and causing trouble. I guess I was pretty worried for my friends. And I was right. Yesterday evening I met my best friend who had a bandaged arm. Didn't see the other guys. Probably suffered bigger injuries. I think that is still upsetting me. It's such a violent neighbourhood ... and all these young people who have no education or work, know only violence.

Ceasefire at last in Gaza. This time it ought to last for 72 hours. Hopefully Gaza will get the medical aid it requires to treat the thousands of injured. The worst thing about this war for us outside Gaza is to face friends on both sides of the divide. They expect you to take their sides and that is difficult as no one is right, no one is wrong. But no one wants to hear that. So you end up losing more friends in the process.