St. Anthony

St. Anthony & relic in
our main church

It's been 4 days since I updated my blog! I'm ok ... just very tired easily, swollen feet and sleepless nights due to phlegm accumulation in the windpipe. I've barely slept 3 hours a night now. And we hit a new high of the heatwave. Last Saturday recorded 40 degrees. It was stifling hot. You could feel the ground burning through the soles of your shoes. The today it's all cloudy and cold ... and drizzling! Drizzling in summer? This is so weird. Everyone is just talking about the rain. It's definitely a good respite from the heat but it's totally out of character for summer to rain! Now the rains have stopped and the heat is back. Forecast for another day of 40 degrees.

On Saturday night, when it was 40 degrees, it was too hot to sleep so I went out to the terrace where a cool breeze was blowing. Then I witnessed an altercation below my house. 4 jewish youths attacking an arab youth. They sprayed pepper spray at him and he managed to run off to his home. Police then came ... to defend the attackers and tried to enter the arab's house ... not sure to interrogate him or arrest him. All I know is that the injustice here is unimaginable in any other country.

Violence continues sporadically throughout the country. We're not sure if it'll get worse. We certainly don't want our first corona-free summer to be spoilt. And newspaper reports are saying ... we're not free from corona yet. There's a 30% rise of infected cases, with many more unreported. I'm still keeping my mask.

Today is the feast of St. Anthony. It's a solemnity here in the Holy Land because St. Anthony is the patron saint. He had wanted to come as a missionary and die here but was not allowed. Anyway he got to the the patron saint so that's good. The Indian communities here have a great devotion to him and they all had novenas prior to the solemnity. Let's pray that St. Anthony will protect the Christians here from persecution and keep us safe.

Smart cat

Patient cat at Broaster's

 I felt sick at 11.30pm last night. Was coughing and feeling unwell so I couldn't sleep till now which is 17 hours later. I vomited twice at 6am. Now I'm very exhausted and my eyes are burning. But I have no appetite. It's a horrible feeling. I'm hoping to be able to sleep tonight. The weekend will be hectic as I've to help several indian communities for masses ... both konkani and malayalam. I hope to recover by tomorrow. I need to travel to another city 65km away for these masses.

Last week as I was walking down Salahhadin street - which is the main artery for East Jerusalem - I saw a very hopeful cat sitting at the door of Broaster's Fried Chicken ... waiting for a free meal. It was very hot and the cat was cooled by the aircon there at the entrance. Smart. I guess many people will also wish to be like him in this weather and financial crisis.

Met an old friend and friar who's been working in Greece (or America?) for over a decade since I last saw him. He said I looked exhausted and I should take a rest and leave all the work behind. It's good advice ... and I will ... this summer I hope. There's so much going on it'll need some planning. 

Wednesday

The long road to Tel Aviv

 Another hot day, another busy day. Tensions continue to be high around the country as incidents happen here and there. Yesterday I saw a small boy of 7 or 8 having to open up a huge luggage he was carrying and taking everything out ... by the side of the main street, because police wanted to see what he was carrying. Poor boy. No one dared to intervene.

In this heat, and with schools closing soon, we'll see lots of arab kids working to help the family finances. Many times I feel sad ... seeing small kids selling things in the streets, working in restaurants and shops in cleaning or carrying stuff around. They don't have the luxury of holidays. I remember several years back when a small boy maybe about 8 yrs old going to the Fried Chicken shop asking for food. It's a very sad fact. People are that poor. Children go hungry. And just now there's the news that Jerusalem is the 15th most expensive city in the world. I'm trying to figure out with our Aid Office and the sisters how we can help this summer the poor families. It'll be a busy summer.

Hectic day

Singapore consulate

 Yesterday was a tiring day as all Mondays are ... class starting at 4am (5am daylight saving) and then work all day through. This morning I had to leave for Tel aviv at 5.30am because after waiting one month for my new passport to arrive .... and it apparently went missing for a month ... the honorary consul told me after my daily calls that there is a passport with a chinese name but not my english name. That was me ... only I never use my chinese name here since nobody can pronounce it anyway. So I had to rush and get it. It's far away and the traffic jam was horrific in the morning. It took me well over one and a half hours to get there ... and then waited for an hour for the consulate to open. Then it was another long traffic jam back home.

Impromptu exhibit

The consulate shares office space with 2 Guangzhou companies or trade-missions. The chinese flag flies big everywhere ... but not a single Singapore flag. Only the crest was at the door. I was rather disappointed. It's about time Singapore opens an embassy here and get it's own official place.

After returning home, which was already 12pm, I had to rush and organise a make-shift exhibition for the francophone commissariats of the Holy Land. They're here for a renewal course and I brought out four 16th century books on french travellers to the Holy Land. They found it interesting.

After that there was alot of financial arrangements the Economato wanted to close because it's the end of a 6 year mandate. We had to tally everything and it was all good. But I'm mentally exhausted since this morning. No rest. No lunch. Only one 5 minute toilet break in 12 hours. I really need to rest early tonight. I feel sick and nauseous.

Another day

Summer flowers

 The City especially in our Quarter is still very tense as groups of aggressive Jews continue to march down our streets, spitting at us, shouting and jeering and provoking local residents. There's not a single police around to protect us. It's getting frightening going out alone nowadays. You're never sure if you'll get attacked for being a Christian. 

The hot weather continues to beat down on us. However the flowers are enjoying the heat and are blooming profusely especially the geraniums. I have to water them every morning so they don't dry out and die at midday. 

St. Anthony's feast will soon be round the corner. For the Indian community it's a very big feast day. They're holding a novena right now for the feast. St. Anthony is also the patron of the Holy Land so it'll also be a very grand feast day for us. After this feastday, it's officially the summer holidays for us. For me, it'll just be another July and August.

Pentecost

At the Last Supper Room

 It's Pentecost today .... both the Jewish and Christian Pentecosts. The Jews celebrate the wheat harvest and the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai. Christians celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the Church. Jews celebrate by eating cheesecake ... and we're not sure why but we all love it! However all shops are closed so I couldn't buy any cheesecake. However at the Last Supper Room, Catholics gathered in huge crowds for Vespers yesterday night and Mass this morning. And with that, Easter season is over.

School is over as well. It's exams now and in a week it'll all be over and everyone will be off for their holidays ... except me. I'll organise several books that I really want to read, and some things I want to learn. That'll be something to look forward to.

Pentecost vespers at the Last
Supper Room

This morning during Mass, a group of zionist Jews tried to break into our church and vandalise it with spray paint. Our doorman and his 2 sons fought them off. There was a dreadful commotion but those anti-christians were driven off. We don't get protection from the police. Yes the violence is not over. And we're the victims this time. Something must change. May the Holy Spirit protect us!

End of May

 More and more videos of the injustice and blatant prejudice against paelstines have surfaced and put on social media. I am sicken by it all. I can't bare looking at them anymore. I just mentally switch off. Nothing will change. The West will tacitly allow this unjust discriminaiton to continue so long as it receives the jewish diaspora votes.

Lilies in bloom

The weather is hot this week as predicted. 35 degrees. And nights are above 20 degrees. I was quite sick yesterday with runny nose, sneezes and watery eyes. Wasn't sure if it was a cold or an allergy. Today I'm much better from the runny nose but the awful headache is still here ... and nausea. Perhaps I should go see the doctor. I self-tested and am Covid negative though.

It's almost the feast of St. Anthony of Padua ... so the lilies are in bloom. I have several cream lilies and they are blossoming well well despite the heat. They need a daily watering though. Geraniums love this heat and are also blossoming furiously. Daisies and nasturtiums also. At least I've got those in my terrace. They'll do well with daily watering before the sun rises.

Marian dais

May ended as usual with the annual procession around the Christian Quarter of the statue of Mary. It's then placed on a dais in our courtyard and hymns are sung before the statue is kept away till next May. I didn't join in as the crowds could be carrying Covid. I avoid crowds at all costs.