Ascension Day

Ascension chapel - now a mosque

So Easter ends today ... with Ascension. Vigils were sung up at the Imbomon - the traditional site on the top of the Mt. of Olives where the remains of a Crusader church still stands (though today it is a mosque after its capture by muslims centuries ago). From 11pm last night till morning today, Masses were celebrated and psalms were chanted. The ascension is a reminder for us that we not only will resurrect after death but will enter heaven again - the paradise that we lost through sin. It's Paradise Regained.

The weather was brilliant for this feast. Deep blue skies and an occasional cool breeze. But despite the festive spirit, violence broke out at the border of the Gaza Strip. 8 Palestinians wounded after they were allegedly armed for some attack on Israel.  http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/palestinian-report-idf-soldiers-open-fire-near-gaza-border-8-wounded-1.431058

Carp in my favourite pond at the Boulevard

Flowering jacarunda

I decided to take advantage of this feastday to go for a walk by the Boulevard in Tel Aviv. Needed a change of air and space after my stress-filled week that ended with my fainting 2 days back. It was a very nice walk - under the purple-flowered jacarunda trees, watching the carp in the pond. It was a good break. A little "ascension" experience; a little "paradise regained".

Mansaf and roses

Despite the skirmishes in various places, Nakba Day passed off relatively peacefully. The Palestinian hunger-strikers actually stole the limelight and punch out of the otherwise violent event.

Homemade Mansaf

The weather has been very hot today. I was still feeling very weak after yesterday's fainting fit. The cook did up a "mansaf" which is mutton boiled in milk and cheese - rich and supposed to bring back some energy to my feeble body. Ate a third of it and immediately had diarrhea - absolutely horrible because I love mansaf very much. My stomach is no longer able to hold anything in ... Anyway my blood pressure was ok when I fainted so it's probably the blood sugar or stress/fatigue that got me fainting. Ah Ling of the Chinese Restaurant has been boiling herbal soup for me every night ... very energising but I missed it the past few days.

Fears of a major earthquake is back in the news - the big one is coming and Israel is working a plan to co-ordinate with Palestine in such an event as Palestine is not ready for such a disaster. http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israel-to-funnel-aid-to-palestinians-in-case-of-earthquake-1.430686  I have my survival pack ready by my bedside - water, medicine, documents.

Lovely roses

Enough of black news - back to the weather. While the heat is back, it's making the roses bloom like crazy. Here's a carpet of Seven Sisters across Independence Park. They're little spots of delight in an otherwise summer of discontent ... we're expecting more demos and protests .... and of course, the earthquake.

And the Greek debt crisis? Easy solution - give us back our churches in the Holyland and all debts will be cancelled!!!! http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-13798000

Nakba Day

Today is Nakba Day "Catastrophe Day" - when arabs mourn the lost of their country due to the creation of Israel. Protests and demonstrations throughout the Territories but Israeli right-wingers staged a counter-protest in the Old City shouting "Death to arabs" and "Mohammed is dead".  Violence broke out in all fronts. Memories of last year's deadly violence and incursions from Lebanon and Syria are still fresh in everyone's minds. http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/right-wing-march-to-pass-through-east-jerusalem-despite-past-spats-1.430568  and   http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=270025  and http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=264118

Demo in the streets last night

Last night Israelis in Jerusalem had their own protest and demonstration - secular jews against ultra orthodox jews who don't pay taxes, or serve in the army but dictate how daily life should be lived. One ridiculous example is that of forbidding girls to sing in public  http://www.haaretz.com/blogs/routine-emergencies/silencing-girl-scouts-women-s-singing-controversy-erupts-again-1.430673  If there's any "catastrophe", it's when little girls are kept silent and the world becomes impoverished because the voices of children cannot be heard. Anyway the demonstration was pretty noisy and police were at hand to control the traffic.

I've been feeling alot under the weather - fatigue and stress. This morning while gathering eatables from the veggie dump (for the canaries) in the kitchen, I fainted. Luckily Khalil the chef was nearby and caught me before I fell. Also luckily I was not cut by the two meat cleavers that I knocked off the table next to me as I tried to grab on to something. Firas and Nadia then came and sat me on a chair while they gave me water to drink. Felt very weak. They brought me up to my room where I fell asleep. Later at noon Khalil brought me rice for lunch - ate it but almost immediately had diarrhea. Went back to sleep until 5pm. Feeling better now but still giddy and weak. I think I'll continue resting for the rest of the evening.

Protests

Yesterday morning I was at my other community - mainly to help out because only one guy was left to hold the fort. Did whatever i could to help out - including buying lunch since we didn't have enough time to cook and there were 2 guests in the house. Went to Thai House and got Pad Thai and Tom Yam soup for the 4 of us. Delicious. Everyone enjoyed it. But I was so exhausted I fell asleep for 40 minutes after lunch.

Palestinian flag at Clock Tower Square

Went home in the afternoon but not before noticing Palestinian flags stuck at Clock Tower Square in Jaffa. I thought it was probably something to do with Nakba Day - the Palestinian day to commemorate the lost of their land which falls on May 15th. A film crew was nearby doing interviews with arab youths wearing Palestinian scarves. Israelis around me jeered and sneered. There were bad feelings .... I didn't want to stay around.

And things wasn't so smooth on the Jewish side of Tel Aviv either. Thousands of Israelis marched through Rabin Square protesting for social justice. It's the start of a series of summer protests.  http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/israelis-take-to-the-streets-in-renewed-social-justice-protests-1.429828  And same thing with the Palestinian side - rising dissatisfaction with rank corruption in the government  http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=269641

Then in the evening I met up with Emmanuel - an italian student studying in America. Very intelligent - studies ancient Coptic and Syriac; doing his PhD at Duke Uni. We had dinner at Sakura and talked alot about studies. He gives me a lot of inspiration to do my studies. Guess he's going to be my academic spotter .... we're exercising minds and brains here!!!

Earthquake

Last night an earthquake rocked the country at about 10pm. Caused panic in many parts. Reaching 5.5 on the Richter scale, it's the most powerful earthquake we've had in these years.  http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/light-earthquake-rattles-northern-central-israel-1.429766

Makloubeh at Haytham's

Yesterday evening I was invited by Haytham to his house for dinner. Haytham is a social worker who works part-time as a taxi-driver. He's driven me everywhere whenever I need it (usually to hospitals) and whenever he is available. Otherwise his dad would do it. Haytham has a lovely apartment on the Mt. of Olives which he shares with his newly wedded wife Hanil. She speaks very good english and is a great cook - no wonder Haytham has put on so much weight since I first met him! Hanil cooked Makloubeh or "upside down" - chicken, veggies and rice boiled in a pot and then turned upside down when served. It was delicious. We chatted for a while and then Haytham drove me home. It was a great evening! Sort of a repeat of the afternoon with Firas. I'm glad to have friends like them.

But the night before I had a severe attack of asthma ... could not sleep the whole night. Totally exhausted me for the rest of the day. My eyes were swollen and I was so sleepy. Had another attack last night. It's caused by the broken septum and infected sinus. Just have to get it operated as soon as possible. My community in Jaffa called to see how I was and asked me to go there to rest - the warm sea air would be good for my asthma. Well maybe I will.

I was pretty excited by the news that archaeologists might have discovered the quarry where pillars and stones were dressed for use in the Nea Church - possibly the largest and most beautiful Church in the Middle East of the 5th century. http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/in-jerusalem-possible-site-of-ancient-church-s-miracle-is-revealed-1.429587

Afternoon off

Spent a lovely afternoon with my good friend Firas. We only met twice during Easter when he had permission to come out of Bethlehem though we've been friends for a long time. His mum insisted that I go over for lunch so I finally did. She cooked "mansaf" - a base of shrak (bread) topped by rice and pine-nuts which in turn is topped by lamb boiled  in milk/yoghurt. Exquisite!!! There was cold fresh lemonade and then arak to help digestion. And his whole family was there for lunch. It was so nice and they were very friendly.

Urtas - church and convent in valley

And they live in a lovely turn of the century house - all built from stone with high arched ceilings. Fantastic architecture and stylishly decorated with traditional arab drapes, pictures and such.  After lunch Firas drove me around to see the area.

We visited the valley village of Urtas - an arab corruption of the latin Ortus Conclusus (the enclosed garden in the Song of Songs). It's a magical place. Then we drove to Khader to see the Pools of Solomon, then up the mountains to Cremisan and see the vineyards.

Urtas - inside the church

After that we went back to the city and visited some of his favourite haunts - the Qaser where he chills out with his friends (play cards, smoke nargileh and chat); then we had some knaffeh (arab cheese dessert) which is supposed to be better than those in Nablus, got some plants at a nearby greenhouse, walked through the markets of the Old City (never knew it existed!!!) and then got home by evening. It was very very fun but I was very tired after that. So was he.

Well I guess yesterday afternoon dispelled some of my animosity towards the arabs - there are still good people around, nice people, hard working people, friendly people .... it's just too bad they're few and far between in my experience.

Brutes?

Talk about senseless violence. Yesterday on the way home I saw 2 young arab chaps kicking a nestling crow like a football all over the main road. People looked with disbelief and the poor bird probably suffered crushed ribs and skull. It probably fell down from a nest above and the guys in front of me saw it next to a dumpster and started kicking it across the road and back - at least 6 times. Some people shouted at the guys (18 yrs old or so) and a shopkeeper came up and picked it up with tissue paper and dropped it into the dumpster ... it was probably dead by then. Such is the senseless violence that ferments in the minds and hearts of these brutes. No wonder we see no hope for peace. It's just pure ugly hatred that broods and simmers within the abyss of their hearts.

Hungry yellow nestlings

And yesterday an arab shopkeeper opposite our house - a young guy of 20 something - threatened to beat me up because I didn't encourage a group of spaniards to shop in his place. What??? It's my responsibility to find clients for his shop now??? It's so typically local arab here to cry and lament and expect the whole world to provide for them because they're victims. Get a life! If only they'd learn how to work hard and have some dignity.

4 fluffy speckled canary babies

Here are two photos of our nestlings. The yellow babies are pretty big now but the black ones are still very small despite being born first. They're different breeds of canaries. The parent canaries work very hard to feed these babies. If only those shopkeepers opposite my house would learn to do the same. It would be an insult to the animals to call these people brutes - animals behave better.