Storm arrived

Stormy day with strong wind 

And the storm blew in at 8pm. Very strong winds. I could hear the howling from my window. Anything left on the terraces was blown off. The rain struck the window pane like pebbles. It was just as well that the storm came in the night ... when I was ready to sleep. No need to worry about whether I go to work or not. Anyway the storm wrecked havoc in Egypt before bashing us. Now it's heading to Syria and Iraq ... and warnings of flooding are being broadcast throughout the region. Well at least with the storm, Mother Nature makes sure everyone is quarantined at home for a day or more.
But this morning I had to go to work. I actually had an appointment with an old man who needed to talk. He came to my office and I listened to him for an hour. He was happy. And I was happy that he was happy. He comes to my armenian Mass on Sundays but keeps very much to himself ... not talking much to the other congregants. But today he had a chance to sit down and speak calmly about his mission. It was good to know. Many times we take people for granted and only see the surface of their characters. We don't know the whats and whys that affected them and made them what they are today. So today I got to hear the background story. It was very interesting.

Raincoats in empty streets

Then there were 2 interviews to be done ... all written as nobody is allowed to enter Israel from yesterday midnight. Writing back the answers for both interviews (an italian news agency and a spanish news agency) took me over 4 hours. I had to be very careful with my wording as it's easy to get lost in translation.  

Yesterday in my mad rush to cover the work of workers who are in quarantine, I forgot to take my daily medicine. By 10.30am I was having difficulty in breathing, chest pains and dizziness. Luckily having learnt from past experience, I kept a box of each my medicines in my office so I could take them if I had forgotten to do so back home. I did still feel a little sick ... but by afternoon I felt better.

Still I had been a little worried about my coughing and difficulty in breathing. Could I have caught the virus from those tourists who cough, sneeze and spit in my courtyard for 10 hours a day? Anything is possible. But everyone is assuring me that my breathing difficulty is nothing new ... I've always had it from my asthma and allergies. And my cough is due to lots of phlegm choking me. It's not a dry cough but the opposite ... very wet! And I do have a runny nose which led to my cold sore on my lip. They say all these are not signs of corona infection. Actually doc also said that. But ... in this tense moments, your imaginations and doubts get the better of you.