New beginning

Santa boy ringing
his bell

 Have been too busy to update the blog the past few days. 2020 wouldn't go without one last kick ... but in a good way as everyone else tells me. A chinese pastor closed his little church on the Mt. of Olives and offered everything free of charge to me. There were lots of chairs, beds, tables ... I took whatever I could. That meant hiring a truck to load the stuff and carry them to my library storage, twice. And hiring some of my neighbours to come and help. It was 2 days of hard work. But now I can give lots of necessary things to the poor, including new blankets and heaters in this very cold winter.

The Christmas spirit is subdued but not dead in the Christian Quarter of the Old City. We may be under the 3rd lockdown, and fewer people are in the streets, but still houses play christmas carols loudly out of their windows. All shops except pharmacies and groceries are closed. Today is the Solemnity of the Mother of God, but the solemn Mass presided by the Patriarch was limited to a handful of people. And it was broadcast life for everyone else to follow at home. Everyone is praying that 2021 will be kinder to us.

Israel is leading in the world vaccination programme. Over half a million people have been vaccinated in 5 days ... so much so that it's running out of stock. It's slowing down the programme till a fresh lot arrives in February. Let's hope for the best.

Full moon last
night

Last night, the day of 2020, we sang the traditional Vespers and ended with the chanting of the Te Deum for thanksgiving of the whole year. I went to sleep after dinner. There wasn't much to celebrate. This morning we had solemn Mass of the Mother of God and the superior cooked up a lovely seafood-turkey lunch. The moon is full and I guess it's a good start to 2021.

Violence by extremist jews against arabs and police have escalated in recent days after an israeli woman was killed, and an israeli extremist teenage killed in a getaway car while escaping the police. Newspapers are saying the police have lost control of the situation. It's frightening because it'll spill over to target leftists, christians, foreigners. The militant extreme right does not fear the police.  https://www.timesofisrael.com/jewish-extremists-violently-attack-arab-driver-amid-riots-over-settlers-death/?fbclid=IwAR0_bto3Fk9zUrYlOF4e4Glw93TkrPSHrwmfsRL3O-Zgc3noREL5tOsj8IU

Many people have been suffering severe breathing difficulties and asthma. Through social media, I found out I wasn't the only one. Apparently the air pollution is quite bad and many of us with respiratory ailments have become victims. Wearing masks doesn't help. I'll need to buy more medicines and stay home with windows closed.