Sick

 While the streets today were still packed with jews, muslims and christian pilgrims, there was less tension. The soldiers have all withdrawn from our area. But this calm came only after several clashes - some quite violent - around the Old City. No one knows next week at Yom Kippur if there'll be an uptick in violence. We're hoping not.

Ethiopians with candles

Yesterday was also the Orthodox feast of the Holy Cross. The Old City was ostensibly crowded with ethiopic and eritrean christians, all dressed in white and carrying candles. I saw a group of women praying at the top of Damascus Gate while others mingled around after their vigil prayers. It was a beautiful sight ... in the midst of all the violence.

I'll have to go for a check up tomorrow as my heart doesn't seem to be right. My right foot is terrible swollen and the nursing nuns think its the heart. Others who saw it tell me to go quickly to hospital as something is not right. I can feel something wrong but I'll see what the doc says tomorrow.

Clashes

Clash at Bab Hutta

 The New Year Day past with clashes and violence in various place of the country, and especially here in and around the Old City. Jews were permitted to enter the Al Aqsa Compound under police guard and muslims began to protest. Clashes occurred and at 8am yesterday morning, I walked past an old man on the ground with a bleeding head wound. Old women were shouting slogans at soldiers passing by while Red Crescent workers and trying to get the old man into an ambulance.

In the evening, crowds of arab youths gathered at Damascus Gate to chant slogans and sing songs to provoke the Jewish crowds returning from prayers at the Wailing Wall. Police were on hand but 

Today there were clashes again at Bab Hutta which is between my house and St. Anne's Church. Crowds of jews were massing around the alley that leads to the Al Aqsa compound, blocking the way for muslims to enter or exit. Police were forcing the jews back and scuffles resulted. It was 5.15am and I was on my way to the Ivrea convent to celebrate Mass. It was tense in the dark streets and people hurried to get out of the City.

Muslims pray outside closed
Gate

At Herod's Gate, police had closed the entrance to all arabs below 50 yrs of age. The younger arabs started praying in the plaza in front of the Gate. I was allowed to go out but I wasn't sure if I could get back in. An hour later after Mass, I returned to Herod's Gate. Groups of students unable to prove they study in schools inside the Old City were left outside the City Gates waiting for teachers to identify them. Entry was still forbidden to those below 50 yrs of age. I took off my mask and the police let me in. Tourists are allowed to enter. I guess it will be like this for the next 3 weeks. 

New beginnings

Pomegranates

 The Jewish New Year begins in 24 hours and there's tension in the air. More jews are walking to the Wailing Wall to pray and there has been some altercations between them and arabs. Still other arab shopkeepers are undaunted and make brisk sales of fruit and veggies with the jews who are forbidden to work (cook) on the New Year's day. Pomegranates are the symbol of the New Year as the many seeds symbolize the many mercies of God. Locals also eat apples with honey ... a sweet beginning to the year. It's actually quite nice if you can get the tart, green variety that goes well with honey.

The New Year ushers a series of other holy days such as Yom Kippur and Sukkot and Simhat Torah which are also no-work days. Public transport, shops and government offices will all shut. The country practically comes to a standstill for 3 weeks. I read an italian article saying anyone who who doesn't like work but still wants to be paid, should work in Israel.

I've had a very tiring day. I had Mass at 5.45am at the Ivrea convent, then walked 4 km to the Ratisbon chapel for the Eritrean Mass at 8.45am and then it was finishing off some translations and research. Then someone wanted to bring donations of clothes so I wanted for him to arrive. I'm feeling very tired as for the past few days I've been getting up at 2am and sleeping late because of the dust in my room. I'm hoping they finish the job soon ... 2 months of dust and asthma. I was told only on Monday will it end. Well at least it's the start of the New Year and there's a promise of clean air again.

Mooncakes

Mooncakes

 Yesterday was a day off work. I went to Jaffa very early at 4am to meet up with a friend who kindly brought over gifts from home. Mooncakes! While chinese factories in Tel Aviv make and sell mooncakes, it's of the northern variety that I don't eat. Full of nuts. now I have lotus paste with egg yolk mooncakes. Wonderful!!! We may be 2 weeks past Mid-Autumn Festival, but till its reason to celebrate when there're mooncakes in the Middle East!

It was good to be back in Jaffa early in the morning. It's crisp and chilly, and the salty sea air is very refreshening. The few short hours I spent there was enough to relax me ... not least because I don't have to breathe in dust from our renovation works. But I still had to return home. With the minibus running, I was able to get home by 12pm. Then being re;axed by the sea breeze, I slept for most of the afternoon ... recuperating the many lost hours of sleep in the night when I was choking and coughing from the dust.

Meantime the Jewish New Year starts Sunday night. There's been threats of violence if the jews are allowed to enter the Al Aqsa compound. Shots at several places in the country were recorded, and a guy was throwing granades, so it seems, from the syrian border into israel. He was shot. So we should be extra cautious these few weeks. Caught in a crossfire will be a great tragedy when you're innocent.

Disruption

Major road works

Terrorist attacks seem to be occurring daily. Yesterday a poor old lady was killed by a terrorist in Tel Aviv. The attacker has since committed suicide. So far it looks like lone wolf attacks which we saw 8 years back. Let's hope it will be contained and not spread further. The military has announced that borders with Israel will be closed during the 3 week Jewish holidays. So I've no plans to enter palestine this month.

Meantime there was internal fighting among the arabs in Nablus as rival political parties clashed due to the arrest of someone. It's not safe to enter into these territories as you never know what might happen. In fact the newspapers say cars passing by the main road to Nablus are being shot at.

And all the roads along the north wall of the Old City are undergoing major works. It appears the municipality wants to reduce it to 1 lane either way and extending the pedestrian mall. Well it'll cause a lot of traffic jams as it's the busiest part of the City ... and these roadworks are already creating big traffic jams in itself. The municipality should be expanding it to 2 lanes either way instead of reducing it. I can't see the logic behind except "for security" - which is the excuse used for everything.

I've moved back to my room as the workers told me the removal of ceiling plaster is over and they cleaned up the corridor. Now it's re-plastering the ceiling which will not be dusty. So I moved back last night with JJ, who was happy and felt secure in familiar surroundings again. We both managed to sleep through the night though there's still a lot of minuscule dust. I started coughing and wheezing 5 minutes upon returning. I think we just need to wash down the whole place with water to remove the dust.

Well these weeks are characterized by one word: disruption. Whether at home or out, everything is being knocked down and pulled apart.

Long night

Sunrise

 Just watched the funeral service of the Queen. Lots of pomp and pageantry... to hail the end of another Elizabethan era. A world war, men in the moon, internet .... all happened in her reign. 

The renovation work is just too much for me. I cannot sleep. Dust in my nose and on my lips. I'm wheezing 24 hours. Today I decided to move and sleep in my office. I've not coughed once and no wheezing at all. JJ too ... I brought him with me. The poor guy has small lungs so he suffers more than me.

Newspapers are reporting that terrorist attacks are possible for the next 3 weeks of jewish holy days. People are told to be careful. I guess we'll all have to take extra precautions. Collateral damage is not good.

Well today was a whirlwind of activities. Class at 4am, then moving to the library. Several meetings. New work assignments for the volunteers. A briefing on the new museum, a funeral of the mother of one of our workers who is a good friend, Mass 3km away in the Ivrea convent, back at the library and now trying to sleep on an uncomfortable chair. It'll be a long night.

Dou sha bao

Sabbath evening

 This morning was very cool and humid. I decided I needed to go out because the dust is simply impossible for an living thing to survive. Everything in my room is coated with a layer of fine dust, paint dust to be exact ... probably containing lead. I couldn't sleep all night as I was coughing from dust in the throat and nose. Even poor JJ was sneezing all the time. 

I walked very slowly 2km up to the Supersol supermarket which I have not been for over 2 years now. The layout was slightly changed and it was good to see a section where products nearing expiry dates were being sold at a discount. I got some beansprouts and the sisters asked me to buy a dozen eggs. Then I walked to Balangan the longest serving asian grocery that's been here since 30 years. I wanted to buy fresh kimchi which docs said I need to reset my gut biome but the koreans didn't make any. So I got some miso paste instead. Then I walked the long distance home. I really enjoyed the fresh air. Going home was very reluctant. My coughing came straight back.

Dou sha bao

Yesterday Ah Ling from Mandarin restaurant made red bean buns (dou sha bao) and asked me to go collet it. While waiting for it to be steamed, she gave me sushi to eat as some of her friends were rolling sushis for sale. It was very nice of them to remember me. I enjoyed everything ... eating it without dust in the mouth. 

I guess tomorrow I'll have to bring JJ with me to work and stay in my office till the workers go home. Otherwise I'll be seriously ill from the dust and end up in hospital.

Rain?

Rain clouds

 The weekend is upon us. It should be a quiet, relaxing time for me but the workers have begun demolishing the corridor ceiling so it's extremely dusty and I couldn't even stay in my room. The fine dust flows in between cracks and gaps of the door. I decided to go to my office and stay there. However the one hour in my room had already affected my breathing and for the rest of the day I've been wheezing and coughing. I hope tonight when I return home to sleep, I won't get asthma attacks.

Rain clouds gathered early in the morning while I was walking to the Ivrea convent. It was chilly and humid. It didn't rain though. But if it's pointing to what we can expect in winter, then it's wonderful!

There's been shootings and other violence again today. Where will this lead in winter? The coming Jewish feastdays will be tense. 3 weeks of fasting and feasting on the jewish New Year, Yom Kippur and the feast of booths (Sukkot). Yom Kippur will fall on the feast of St. Francis. And Sukkot will start on the birthday of Muhammad. So many coincidences of dates ... we'll just cross our fingers and hope for the best.

OL of Sorrows

Weekend beggars

 This morning I felt better because I woke up at midnight to cough alot of phlegm out of my system; took my medicine and drank warm water. Also the workers finished work early at 3pm the day before so there was less dust in the air. I could walk to the Ivrea convent for Mass at 5.15am without choking and coughing and blacking out.

Local election fever is in the air. Groups and individuals are negotiating for coalitions and some unlikely agreements are raising eyebrows and alarms as well. It looks like a far-right and ultra-orthodox govt is in the coming and that's sending jitters to many ... including foreigners living here. Work permits, visas may become harder; and open discrimination/persecution may be rampant.

Today's local headlines is a revelation that Trump offered Palestine to the Jordanian King. And I was like: "who the hell is he to give someone else's land to someone else?" Palestine is not American property to be given away. The sheer arrogance! 

Today is the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, whose shrine is the 13th Station of the Cross on Calvary. May she see our suffering here and intercede for us!

Well it's Thursday and the weekend begins this evening. There'll be partying in the streets despite the tensions and clashes around the country. And tomorrow morning beggars will appear at Damascus Gate as they do every summer. 

Feast

Church leaders at anglican
cathedral

 Today is the feast of the Holy Cross. For us here it's a big feast as it actually happened here. Locally there are 3 feasts of the Holy Cross which are not celebrated anywheastere else. There's the finding of the Cross by St. Helena; the recovering of the Cross by Emperor Heraclius from the Persians who stole it; and the miraculous appearance of the Cross in the sky of Jerusalem. Luckily our liturgical calendar is different form the Orthodox churches, so we celebrated the feasts on different days. Otherwise the Holy Sepulchre would be packed.

There's alot of tensions going on around the borders. Shootings from both sides, and this morning 3 killed from both sides as well. Israel has started a massive crackdown on illegal palestinian weapon smuggling. And many attempted terrorist attacks have been thwarted. Of course this is in light of the upcoming jewish feastdays next week which will last some 20 days. Newspapers are saying Israel is on a record terror alert like ever before.

Israeli mooncakes

Last night there was a memorial service for Queen Elizabeth II at the Anglican St. George Cathedral in Jerusalem. All the religious leaders were there to sign the book of condolences. Not many laity though ... Britain is not well liked after it's administration for 40 years in this land led to the lost of palestinian lands and the establishment of the israeli state ... after the famous bombing of the King David hotel and killing the british governor. Well an era has passed. 

Full moon

Full moon

 I'm still recuperating from the anaphylactic shock ... not easy when the whole corridor is filled with dust. I have to stay in my office during the daytime to escape asthma attacks from the minuscule specks of paint and cement. This morning was particularly difficult as I just couldn't cough up the dust accumulated in my throat. I was dizzy due to the lack of oxygen.

Anyway it's autumn and the nights get chilly. The full moon is starting to wane and the sense of winter coming is exciting. it means Christmas, and rain and snow. On the other hand, I'll miss the hot sunny summers especially the week I spent in our house in Jaffa. It has been a very hot summer with heatwaves.

And talking about full moon, chinese migrant workers in Tel Aviv are making moon cakes and selling them for US$6. I was surprised when Chinese Catholic workers came for Mass bringing moon cakes last week! It's northern style meaning filled with nuts and dried fruit, unlike the southern type with lotus paste. In fact in Tel Aviv they're making dough-sticks (you tiao) and beancurd (Dou hua). I just need to find out where they're selling it.

Violence seems to be picking around the country again ... with lots of fear and prejudice arising. I just read that a jewish preschool this morning was faced with parents protesting that arab caregivers were hired. Now news say the coming Jewish holidays may be marred by arab extremists. There is a lot of tension. Let's hope nothing will happen.

Anaphylactic shock

4000 people under a full moon

 Last Friday I had to go to Jaffa to concelebrate the Konkani feast of Montifest which is the birth of the Virgin Mary. it's a very big feast for them. And it didn't fail to surprise. Some 4000 people gathered in the football pitch of our school. The Mass lasted 3 hours as the preacher gave a one hour homily. There was supposed to be a meal after the Mass but because it ended past 10pm almost everyone left immediately. It was the Sabbath and only a few private buses were running to bring people back to the center of town.

However the Mass was outdoors and a cool breeze was blowing , and a full moon was shining overhead. A very beautiful sight. 

However when I got back to our house in Jaffa that night, I was very hungry. They offered me a piece of smoked salmon to make a sandwich, but I didn't know it contained allergens. I had an anaphylactic shock as a result. My eyes, throat and tongue swelled. I couldn't breathe. I was slipping into unconsciousness. I had to use my EpiPen for a jab of antihistamine and adrenalin but the entire night was dreadful. For the next 48 hours I suffered the effects. Today I still am wheezing, and breathing is very painful. And the renovations at home is not helpful. I was told to move to Jaffa because the renovation of the corridor will only be worse and I definitely will be very sick. The entire weekend was just medically horrible. I've not felt so sick in recent years. Now I'm very afraid of eating anything. I'm just sticking to brown rice and boiled veggies. It's scary to suffer an anaphylactic shock.

Busy busy

Distributing donations

 It's been 5 days since I posted a blog. The renovation work has been very stressful. 36 tiles had to be removed and the floor repaved because they cracked. Meantime I was trying my best to clean up the shelves as much as possible. But with work continuing in the other 9 rooms as well as the corridor, the dust continues to dirty the room, and its a vicious cycle. I cough constantly despite wearing the mask. It's a harrowing experience.

Besides that I still have a heavy workload in the libraries, especially with the payments for magazine subscriptions. Then I had to help 2 sisters renew their visas. Then over 10 requests for student sponsorships. Then the MC sisters came to collect over 20 bags of clothes, food and medicines yesterday. I was totally exhausted every night and had no time to update my blog.

Meantime the weather has changed. Nights are chilly at 16 degrees and today I even had to wear a hoodie jacket at 5.30am when I went to the Ivrea convent for Mass. Everyone else was also wearing something to cover from the chill. Winter is coming. I hope it rains alot this time. Last winter was too dry.

And today is the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. St Anne's Church next door will celebrate a solemn Mass at 10am with the French ambassador in attendance. I believe the Belgium and other francophone ambassadors will also be there. It's the traditional place of Mary's birth. Tomorrow the Indian communities will celebrate the feast because its the weekend and they have a day off. I have 2 indian Masses to celebrate tomorrow so I'll be very busy this weekend.

More work

Sunrise at Palm Plaza

 Just when my room looked as if the ceiling was done and the painting of the walls was complete, another problem arose. 36 tiles on the floor were either broken or dislodged. Since all the furniture are already moved out, the workers said it's best to repair the tiles as well. So now it'll take another 5 days of work and my stay in the sisters' convent is extended ... rather reluctantly. Nevertheless since it's only the flooring that's being repaired, I started cleaning my bookshelves that were not removed during the ceiling repairs. The dust and chunks of cement were in every shelf and inside every book. I had to clean them one by one, so it took me 3 hours just to do 4 rows of shelves. And since I can't use the toilet in my room to get water, I have to draw water in a pail from the terrace every few minutes because the water got dirty very quickly.

The muezzin sings the call to prayer at 5am now instead of 3.30am which means we're in autumn. Soon it'll be the Mooncake festival and jewish Sukkot .... both marking mid-Autumn. That's in 2 weeks' time. And before we know it, 2022 will be over. Daylight is shorter and the nights are getting longer.

I just read that the Gaza military executed 5 gazans, 2 allegedly for spying for Israel. It is such a dastardly move to scare the people into submission, for it knows the people are dissatisfied and disillusioned with the enclave's administration.

One good news is that new Covid infections have fallen to below 100 per day. Still I'm not about to stop using my mask. I know I'm high risk so I have to responsible for my own health.

Weekend

Bedouin hawkers in
the morning

 Though the heatwave has now lowered to a constant 33 degrees during the day, it feels stifling hot ... so hot that I cannot wear the mask when out in the streets. I simply cannot breathe. So despite the widespread covid infection and large crowds on Fridays in the Old City, I walk home in the sweltering heat without a mask. And it scares me. Just 3 weeks ago an employee in our financial department was positive with covid ... and I'm there everyday to settle transfer payments of the numerous books that the libraries order weekly.

Hawkers that throng Damascus Gate plying their trade on the huge muslim and jewish crowds visiting the Old City start to move into the shade or simply stop working by noon as the sun is too relentless. Their vegetables and fruit from the villages wilt and spoil, and they make a huge loss.

There were clashes in Hebron and a soldier was stabbed. Israel stepped up air strikes into Syria and Russia has told Iran to leave those sites ... which is a big shift in policy. In fact Aleppo airport was struck too ... considerable damage as it's suspected of trafficking arms. Tension all around.

Back to school ... as the teachers' strike was narrowly avoided when the govt agreed to increase wages. So kids returned to school today. A good start for a new academic year.

School starts

Antar our watch-cat

 The past 3 days saw the heatwave reducing to 33 degrees at daytime. Nevertheless the heat is overpowering. I've stayed mostly in my room for the past days, also because of the renovation works. I needed to check on the work in progress. However the dust and heat were simply too much. And my temporary room in the sisters' convent doesn't have good wifi reception. That's why I couldn't update my blog regularly.

Up in the northern border we hear of Israel bombing Syria twice. Raids in Palestine by Israeli soldiers have also resulted in riots and deaths. This summer has seen unrest in pockets of areas but didn't upset the rest of the summer spirit.

Rockefeller Park

And ... the summer holidays are over. Today Sept.1st all schools resume. Suddenly the streets are packed with cars and kids walking to school at 6am. My daily walk to the Ivrea convent to celebrate Mass is a lovely half hour walk. The air is fresh and crisp and a cool wind blows. Rockefeller Park which is along the way to the convent is always a lovely walk, with the smell of the ancient olive trees wafting through the cool air. But today the streets were noisy with school kids. Another school year begins ....