New deacons

So I don't know what's happening again - it's been so busy from the moment the sun rises at 4.30am (3.30am solar time). I hardly have time to breath. Just running from one work to another, people visiting ... David one of our volunteers celebrated his birthday today and we had a small party in the Students' Kitchen in the afternoon. It was a good break from all the rush. And the weather was scorchingly hot again.

My students ordained by Patriarch Fouard this morning

One very proud moment was this morning when my students - all 12 - whom I taught and followed and preached their final retreat - was ordained deacons this morning in Bethlehem. The come from the world over, and are one of the most excellent people I have ever come across. I am so very proud of them. Unfortunately with my diarrhea, I didn't trust myself to stay for a 2 hour liturgy, so I decided not to attend.

Face display

Face changes

Took a walk this evening to see the rest of the Festival of Lights that I didn't see the night before - the Armenian and Jewish Quarters. It was very impressive there as well, with some very creative light displays. High on the City Walls at the end of the straight Armenian Quarter street is a lighted face display that transforms constantly to show the different faces of Jerusalem. Very interesting.

Well faces change, people change .... my students change ... everything is moving ahead ... but I'm feeling stuck somewhere, a little lost ... can't seem to catch up with all these changes.

Festival of Lights

Another Friday ... the weather is still hot, the sun can get even devastatingly savage ... I think I was dehydrated as I was feeling giddy all morning and nausea. Mind you I only had one meal since yesterday morning - a brunch of Shaqshuqa. Don't feel hungry though but feel very giddy under the heat.

The Dome

Last night I went to see the Festival of Lights in the Old City. It starts at Jaffa Gate Square where the Dome of Lights is. It's a very impressive structure ... the dome represents the Old City as it has the dome of the Holy Sepulchre for Christians, the Dome of the Rock for muslims and the dome of the Hurva synagogue for Jews. It's the symbol of religious unity ... I think.

Then entering the Old City, there are 3 routes to follow: green, red and blue.

Damascus Gate become a pinball
machine!

The green follows the City walls from Jaffa Gate down to Damascus Gate with exhibitions in the park all along the walls up till the cave of Zedekiah where there is a pyrorama spectacular. The park offers some 5 different light exhibitions from various countries around the world. Damascus Gate is lighted up like a pinball machine. The ball spins up and down and "enters" into the turret window right in the middle of the Gate. Very ingenious.  It then turns inside Damascus Gate through the Suq and back to Jaffa Gate.

Dancers with illuminated tentacles
at Tancred's Pool near New Gate

The red line is the shortest and leads around the Armenian Quarter. The blue line goes around the Christian Quarter and has lots of performers at various street corners, and graffiti in light on house walls along the route. This event draws lots and lots of locals to come into the Old City ... it's a very ingenious propaganda tool. It sure brings alot of fun but the tension is constantly reminded by the heavy presence of soldiers every 10 metres of each route.

Corpus Christi

Today the basilica of the Holy Sepulchre celebrates the feast of Corpus Christi. It differs form the normal calendar ... since the Basilica keeps the status quo and has its own liturgical calendar. Strange ... but it happens.

Fresh mishmish and jam made by
Firas and his mum

Well yesterday before leaving Bethlehem for Jerusalem, I made a stop over to visit my friend Firas and his family. I've met them only twice this year and his mum was telling me to come over this week because she made something great - mishmish jam. It's the apricots or mini-peaches that're in season right now and people of the Bethlehem area ... it's reputed that the best mishmish come from that area ... make jam out of the fruit. Well she made lots and lots mishmish jam .. enough for a year!!! And she gave me a bottle to try. It was out of this world. Smooth, fruity, tangy and tart ... and Firas helped to add the nuts of the mishmish pits into the jam as well ... it's an arab specialty. It gives the jam something to bite on, a nutty flavour, chewy in texture. Very very nice. Anyone wants to buy????  Honestly its very good ... I'm thinking of getting these stuff sent back home for sale. It'll help our arab christian families financially and you guys can have something nice to eat from the Holyland. Tell me what you think.

Meantime students throughout the country are having their exams. A tense time. But not as tense as the racial attacks on africans in Jerusalem ... last week's arson was meant to kill, not scare the eritreans living in the apartment. http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=272852  I'll need t talk to Hidri whom some of you are sponsoring for his seminary studies about this ... he needs to be careful otherwise he might be attacked. Well perhaps it's pretty telling about Corpus Christi - the Body of Christ ... all broken, beaten up, crowned with thorns, whipped, crucified ... and we all are going through it day after day physically or psychologically.

Far from the maddening crowd

View from my window

Been away for a couple of days ... away from the crazy situation that Jerusalem is. Needed a rest from the tensions, noise, sickness, madness alla round me. Enough is enough.  So I was away in the Judean wilderness ... not too isolated - just near Bethlehem. Rolling mountains, birds of all kinds, fruit trees and vines in abundance. The scenery is so like the Umbrian hills of Italy - with italian cottages dotting the vineyards hugging the steep mountain slopes.

The weather was hot in the day but cool in the nights. The valley was swathed in fog in the early morning. Birds were chirping.

The vineyards were flourishing in this weather. Many already have fruit in its early stages. Most of the grapes will go to make wine. Simple peasants work the slopes, clearing weeds and tying up loose vine branches. There is a silence that you cannot experience in Jerusalem. And no muezzin calls at 3.30am, no vendors shouting, no smog, no honking of cars, no wifi, no computers .... it's rustic.

Apricots in abundance

Fruit trees especially apricots and peaches weigh heavily down on trees throughout the orchards. It's amazing. And they're very sweet and juicy.

Well it was a good break. And being accompanied by 10 of my students, it was perfect. We had lots of time to chat. I'm very proud of them ... they'll soon graduate and move to their own missions somewhere around the world.

Well all good things must end and I had to come back to the reality of Jerusalem.

June 4th

Well ... it's the day that most chinese will not forget. 23 years ago ... it's amazing but there are some people who weren't even born then and have never heard about it. I was talking about it to some youths and they knew nothing of that summer in China.

Well the strife 23 years ago plays itself out in different countries and cultures. Yesterday an apartment belonging to africans was torched in Jerusalem. http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/jerusalem-migrant-home-torched-in-suspected-arson-attack-1.434266  Like I said in an earlier blog, Jerusalem is much less tolerant than Tel Aviv, the emotions and psyche much more sharpened by convictions and prejudices. The africans don't stand a chance here in Jerusalem. And this comes after the PM orders the repatriation of illegal africans yesterday.

Mini-peaches

I bought some mini-peaches - compare the size with 2 normal peaches in the pic. They're juicy and not very sweet. Good on a hot dry day. It was quite expensive as it was the first harvest of the season. The shop-keeper said it'll get cheaper in a couple of weeks.

Was resting alot yesterday after the bout of diarrhea from the 3am cold spaghetti meal to stop my hunger. Lesson learnt. In the evening Ah Ling from the Chinese Restaurant called to say they cooked cantonese porridge and asked me over. It was very good - chicken, mushrooms, peanuts in porridge. Por Por and her husband are back from a 3 month break in Hong Kong - the old man was sick and needed medical care. Well the porridge was good for my stomach. But I'm afraid such comfort eludes those who suffered through June 4th 23 years ago, nor the africans who are being hunted down in the country.

Trinity Sunday

Somehow time seems to be flying past and I'm not aware of what's happening around me as everything is whizzing pass .... still can't remember much of anything these few days. Living in a daze. ALl I knonw is I have a bad back ... sitting too long reading on my research. Found something interesting ... a good lead into my thesis. Was so engrossed I sat for hours reading till I have a sore back. Read until 3am when I felt very very hungry - haven't eaten anything for 30 hours. Ate an apple, then a pear, but still felt hungry. SO went down to the fridge and found some leftover spaghetti ... something I'm not allowed to eat. Well I ate it anyway. Then immediately I got the diarrhea of my life ... cramps, nausea and diarrhea. What a price to pay.

The Dome at Jaffa Gate Square

Anyway before that bad experience, I decided to take a walk in the evening to clear the head. Passed by Jaffa Gate and saw the huge Dome of Lights - it's the main fixture for this week's Festival of Lights in the Old City. The festival is an annual event that draws Israelis from all round the country to come visit the Old City.

Closeup of the Dome

The Dome is intricately woven with fluorescent lights in floral patterns. Quite a work of art and patience.

Fluorescent figures at
Damascus Gate

This year there'll be more lights and more involvement of the Muslim Quarter. There's something being planned in the park beside Damascus Gate - it's been cordoned off and workers appear to be working. For the moment I can only see two figures made from fluorescent lights. It's going to be interesting to see what developes. Anyway the opening of the festival is tomorrow - at least that's what I hear.



Now I need to rest ... I think. But my books are calling me ..... It's Trinity Sunday ... a mystery of revelation; maybe a little more reading may enlighten me more.

Feasts and fights

Yesterday was the feast of the Visitation and many people went to the Visitation Church in Ein Kerem on pilgrimage or for the solemn Mass in the afternoon. But being the last day of May, the arab christians make the traditional procession of Mary's statue around the the Old City, ending with hymns and blessings at the courtyard of St. Saviour's monastery. So yesterday was a very festive day.

The day had turned very hot but the past few nights it was very chilly. Not helping my asthma at all. I've also had a fever the last couple of nights ... must be the reaction to the new medicine. This clash of weather systems seem to reflect on the social/political situation of this country.

Violence is back in town - one Israeli soldier and one arab killed at the Gaza border.  http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/idf-soldier-palestinian-militant-killed-in-exchange-of-fire-on-gaza-border-1.433844  One Israeli friend told me yesterday that this summer is going to be one of violence. I don't look forward to it.

Creativity at work

Here's a funny/creative name for a barber/hair salon - "Judaicut" a play on "Judaica" ("of things Jewish"). It's in the very quaint and delightful neighbourhood of Nahalat Sheva whose small ancient stone houses have been converted into a shopping-restaurant area. Can't remember when I took it ... must have been sometime back as I found it in my archives.

Anyway being Friday, the muezzin begins singing at 3.30am (daylight saving. It's actually 2.30am solar time). Crowds start flooding the muslim gates of the City by then. But I can't get over the sheer contradiction of this place - holy yet full of violence; feasts and fights all rolled in one. If you don't learn to laugh at it, you'll certainly go crazy because of it.