Emergency Ward again

Incredible sunrise after the hailstorm

We've had a very heavy hailstorm the other night. Large hail, thunder and lightening. Last night it was rain with lightening. And the temperature is falling again. Daytime is cloudy and damp with occasional drizzle ... 9 degrees today. Not a nice time ... but good as it discourages violence, riots and other negative acts.

The sunrise was incredible after the hailstorm. Crisp clear sky but very cold though. But its what winter should be.

Drip

Yesterday morning was a disaster healthwise. Was warded to Emergency at the French hospital again. Allergy reaction but not sure what ... I didn't eat any nuts. Had half a cup of coffee for breakfast. Docs say I have multiple food allergy ... which means everything and nothing. Swollen eyes, throat, tongue, blocked air passage, asthma, nausea ... anyway I had lots of injections and 2 drips. The first nurse was so nervous he put in the needle but missed the vein. The chief nurse had to do it on the other hand. Was there for 3 hours till things normalised a little. Then I walked home despite docs advise ... he insisted I get a taxi. But taxis take advantage of sick people here and ask exorbitant prices and know the patients need the ride and will pay. I walked back one km dizzy and sleepy. Doc said one of the injections make me very sleepy. When I got home I slept 17 hours. Got up this morning feeling better. The asthma and bronchitis subsided, no more swollen eyes and lips ... but still very tired and sleepy. I guess I'll have to sleep this one off today.

Christmas presents

A very tense Friday following the death of the Palestinian minister after a scuffle with Israeli soldiers. Palestinians claim he was killed by the soldiers, Israel says he died of natural causes (heart attack). Well the police were not taking any chances as muslims gathered by the thousands to pray at the Al Aqsa mosque. But like all the other incidents of this "unnamed war", Jerusalem was very calm and quiet but the surrounding towns and villages were on fire: stone-throwing in Hebron, acid attack in Gush Etzion, arab driver drives into israeli soldiers in Nablus ....

Thai House Char Kway Teow

Anyway I went off to see my podiatrist and doc this afternoon after a few hours of morning work. The 70 km journey was tiring. My podiatrist was happy with the improvement in my feet, pressure distribution and posture that has reduced the pain. Doc on the other hand says I must continue with my prednesone and prescribed other stuff ... medicines that make me very sleepy. Luckily I had my friend Moshe to drive me home cos I was so drowsy and was slipping in and out of sleep, I would have gotten into trouble if I had gone home by bus. But before I got home I treated myself to a nice hot delicious plate of Char Kway Teow at Thai House. Met the manager whom I know ... and he got me a table immediately. I haven't been there for a year now. It was good to eat at that place again. And the manager assured me that they still do takeaways if I asked. Good.

Yesterday night Ah Ling called me over for dinner. She boiled chicken herbal soup with rice and fried tomatoes with eggs. It was great to have a hot dinner after a long while. Her son-in-law is now in Israel helping her out in the restaurant. They're very kind to me. So is Xiao Yang the cook who always cooks up more food for me than for others.

Sisters from Gaza collecting
medicines for the poor

And Hannukah, the jewish feast of the rededication of the Temple is next week. It's always a feast close to Christmas. And talking about Christmas, thanks to everyone for your kind generous gifts that have helped the poor and needy in the Holyland. The sisters of Mother Teresa have collected the donations and are packing gift-packages for the poor families as well as their charges in their homes in Nablus, Gaza, Jerusalem and Bethlehem. It's still not too late to offer something to help them. Do something beautiful this Christmas, help the christians in the Middle East have a happy Christmas despite the war and persecution.

Rise in tension

Tourists being stopped
and searched

Tensions are up again today after yesterday's death of a Palestinian minister after scuffles with Israeli soldiers. Violence in Qalandya immediately flared up though the rest of the Territories remained quiet. Today heavy police presence throughout the City ... every other 10 cars in the street  is followed by a police vehicle. Soldiers stop and search everyone ... including tourists!
pockets are emptied, bags emptied out ... it's a new and vigorous tactic by the police. Not a pleasant experience for the tourists for sure ... but we believe the police must have had a tip-off regarding certain tourists and the possibility of violence.

Dusk in the Old City

And of course all this happens when the weather is perfect. Daytime is a lovely sunny 16 degrees and nights are a comfortable 12 degrees. Good weather for violence. When the skies display a wondrous sunrise and sunset, we have to beware. Tomorrow is Friday and we expect the worse. But then again the weather forecast predicts rain. That could just save us from a possible bad Friday of violence. Well I won't be around to find out as I'll be off to see the doctor. Let's hope there're not many road blocks and checkpoints, given the tense situation.

I'm into my 3rd day of prednesone. The asthma has greatly been reduced. But the other medicines for bronchitis is making me very weak and sleepy. That's tough when I have so much work to do.

Prednesone cure

The bronchitis, asthma and fever has reached a stage where I cannot bear it anymore. Can't walk 2 steps without wheezing and suffocating. Feeling faint all the time due to the lack of oxygen ... or some say too much oxygen / hyperventilated due to rapid breathing. Whatever. I decided to put myself on a course of prednesone ... which I hate. Will start with 25 mg for 2 days, cutting 5mg every 2 days. Hope the weaning off will not be traumatic. But if it stops the asthma ... it's worth the while. I'm crippled by this disease.

Home-made kubbeh with
yoghurt for lunch

That doesn't mean I'm on sick leave. I still went to work yesterday morning but by noon I practically collapsed. My jewish security friends were all insisting that I stop work and go to my room to sleep. It's nice that they care. No one else does. And Yogev was back ... haven't seen him in a month when he was serving reservist time in the Syrian Golan. The old gang is practically gone ... only a couple of "intermediate" guys and all the rest are new. And because I have jews as friends, some arabs are not happy with me. Last evening they threw stones and a bottle at me. That's life with the arabs. Never a dull moment.

Meantime a national catastrophe was "discovered" in the southern Negev desert: millions of liters of crude oil have spilled into a nature reserve. Everything in its way has died ... plants and animals. It'll take decades to repair the damage.

Bronchitis and asthma

Fantastic sunrays at dawn

For the 2nd night running, it rained with lightening flashing across the sky. Strangely it isn't as cold as last week. But we welcome the rain anyway ... every drop helps in this 10 yr. stretch of drought. The dawn though is amazing. Each day presents a new splash of awe and wonder.

Meantime flashing across the media is Israel's bombing of sites near Syria's airport. It's the first time in recent years that Israel has sent aircraft into enemy land and bombing enemy sites. It's raising vociferous concerns from other neighbouring arab states ... and locally everyone is asking about its timing - the dissolving of parliament and the call for new elections. Everyone thinks it's a political ploy by the PM to scare the people into voting him back with a right wing coalition obsessed with security issues. If it's true, it's a dreadful way to play on people's fears just to score political points.

Funeral Mass of
Fr. Ravanelli

Yesterday morning we sent Fr Ravanelli off to the cemetary. The Mass was not very well attended despite his fame here. Probably its because it was the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and the patriarch was presiding at solemn Mass at St. Anne's Church where everyone else attended.

Healthwise it's been bad. Bronchitis with asthma, fever as well. I can hardly breathe now for 2 days and the wheezing is so loud, guys halfway down the corridor can hear me. I'm avoiding to have to take prednesone ... but it's the 3rd day today and not getting better. Will ask the doc if I need to start a course of those steroids.

Sunny Sunday

Grapefruit tree in the
hospice garden

The weather continues to be fine and already we've received news of unrest in Silwan, Anata and other villages around the City; but the City itself remained calm.

I spent the morning at the Charles Borromeo hospice run by german nuns in the German Colony. The first time I've ever stepped into that place. The property is immense, with fruit gardens interspersed with flower beds. Very german in organisation. At the moment the citrus trees are fruiting: there are lemons, oranges and pomelos so many that the branches are bent over.

Oranges galore

I was there to preach a retreat to the english speaking sisters. Some 40 participated, coming from various congregations and countries ... english, maltese, indians, american, canadian, even a polish, swiss, austrian ... a very mixed group. It was good to be out of the Old City ... and walking in the gardens was wonderful - lots of fresh air and perfume of the blossoms. A very nice break except that it was also work ... preaching, confessions, mass ....

I think I'm down with bronchitis ... the pain in the chest and lungs are awful; a fever comes on and off, lost my voice. Am feeling very sick. But that doesn't stop anything: another week of Advent sets in ... soon Christmas will set in and another year will end. Time really flies.

Influenza time

My professor of classical hebrew 22 years ago died yesterday. He was 87 yrs old ... and he was a remarkable figure. He had a photographic memory and the excursions he used to lead us students around Israel and Palestine was so packed with information it was impossible to digest everything.

Flowers flourish in the cold

The weather has warmed up ... even the nights are not so cold. And strangely there was no spike in violence yesterday. Military presence was not so heavy too. A good sign for us all. Perhaps it's all due to the crash of the Israeli govt. Everyone is anxiously waiting to see which groups will form an alliance with which to form a viable coalition.

The political tension within Israel is matched by the outbreak of influenza and cold sores. Almost every other person is coughing and sniffling from a running nose, nursing a cold sore somewhere on the lip. It's definitely an outbreak that's worrying many people ... jew and arab alike. Viruses do not discriminate between races and religion. The weather is mostly blamed for this ... but the flowers seem to enjoy it. The garden shop belonging to Ahmad and his brother Islam have crates of flowers blooming in all colours. I was there to buy 2 bags of earth to plant some bulbs. The narcissus have already pushed up buds ... 2 months earlier than usual. Perhaps a little premature colour will bring some joy and delight to an otherwise gloomy social outlook in this country.