Sand pear surprise

Chinese sand pear

It's the weekend again. And the temp is between 5 to 12 degrees. It feels very cold and damp. Arab boys are burning pieces of wood in street corners to stay warm. Not that they need it ... they have heating at home. But you can't take the bedouin out of them. Everyone is in thick clothes, hoodies and scarves. It feels like Chinese New Year!

As I was out to buy medicines, I saw a fruit stall selling chinese sand pears. A delightful surprise as this fruit doesn't seem appealing to the local palette. It's imported from China. They were expensive ... US$2 each. I just had some spare money and I bought 2 as a treat to myself. I've had a terrible week ... and a small bit of joy was much needed. They were sweet and crunchy and worth the $2. After all it's not going to come back on sale again till maybe next winter.

A Maronite Catholic church was destroyed by anti-christians in a northern city. It's the 2nd Christian building to be vandalised in just as many weeks. Last week the protestant cemetery had severa; headstones smashed ... some were very historical. It's a pity the police didn't catch the culprits. If it were done to a synagogue the culprits would have been caught within hours. This emboldened attacks come as the hardline far right govt takes its first weeks in revamping the govt, the military, the media and just about everything else. The thing is each group is grabbing whatever it can, and all I can see is a torn up society and a looming implosion of the coalition govt as each one is interested only in its own agenda. There's simply not enough pie for everyone to grab.

Game over

It's cold and damp again ... in fact most of us felt it was much colder today then yesterday. It drizzled all morning and the streets are again super slippery. I had to go to work as there was a large group of israeli archivists paying a visit to our library and I had to present some ancient manuscripts and books which they're interested in. They were a lively group, lots of questions and appreciation for our work.

Christmas is over. All the decorations were cleared and packed away this morning. We'll wait for Lent now. And before you know it, 2023 will also have gone. Time flies. Everyone says it. The Orthodox celebrated their Christmas on Friday and because it's a low key celebration, it's practically considered by everyone to be over. I guess the street decorations will also be removed by this week. Christmas was short-lived. 

Cold wet morning

It's Monday and all we hear is bad news ... at least from the non-far right hardline perspective. The PM has approved the hardline request to overhaul the judicial system, practically having powers to override judges' decisions, electing pro-govt judges etc... As warned by other govts, this will prejudice the independence of the judiciary, but that is exactly what this govt wants - a pro-govt judiciary. The finance minister has withheld millions of tax-revenue for the palestinians, saying he has no interest in palestinian existence as quoted by a newspaper. The communication minister is threatening to close down left wing broadcasters. And a minister has called for the death penalty for arabs killing jews; while jews who kill arabs should only be imprisoned. See the direction we're heading?

Christmas again

Selling spices

So my blog was trolled again the other day. Almost 260 views from the usual 40 or so. And my email was blocked all morning. Someone was probably downloading my emails. It happens several times a year. There's little we can do.

The Orthodox Churches celebrated Christmas yesterday, while we celebrated Epiphany. Church bells were ringing at midnight ... but it sounded very faint from where I am. Christmas isn't a big celebration for the Orthodox. There're no parades in the streets or bazaars or lights and buntings like we do. That's why majority of the Orthodox laity prefer to celebrate Christmas with us Latins. The Greek patriarch himself cannot stem the flow of his flock from joining our Christmas so a couple of years back he issued a decree saying the parishes in the villages and towns are allowed to join the Catholic latins in celebrating Christmas on Dec 25th but those in the cities must still keep the old Julian calendar. As a concession, the Catholic Patriarch has allowed the parishes in the villages and towns to follow the Orthodox Easter. It's illy that the Greeks continue to hold on to the Julian calendar when they themselves admit it's off by 15 days .... yet out of pride they will not change. It's cutting the nose to spite the face.

So because of the use of 2 calendars, there are 2 Christmasses hence the school holidays are 2 weeks long to satisfy both Eastern and Western Churches. But it confuses the jews and the muslims ... who make a mockery of it.

Bread

Buying bread for breakfast

Again a cold, damp, cloudy day. It drizzled again several times in the morning. I had to go buy bread at 4.30am as the sisters in the kitchen sent a message to say there's no bread left for breakfast. It's not my responsibility to buy bread but the sisters know I'll do it. Walking out to the 24/7 bakery was hazardous as the streets were very slippery. The air was very cold and many people covered their noses to avoid breathing in the cold air.

Damascus Gate at 4.30am

Yes at 4.30am the streets were crowded. It's Friday and muslims from all over the country and muslim pilgrims as well were going to the Al Aqsa for dawn prayers. But it was quite aggressive as I could hear lots of shouting and chanting in the next street behind our house. There's a reaction to an extreme right Minister who entered and toured the Al Aqsa compound as a symbol of jewish control over the place. Mind you, even orthodox rabbis have called it prohibited as it's unclear where the Holy of Holy used to be and it's sacrilegious for any jew except the High Priest to enter that area. Anyway the police expected unrest so since yesterday evening there's been a huge police presence at every corner.

The haematoma on my hand has reduced quite alot now. But I'm very careful with everything now. I wear shoes all the time outside my room to avoid hurting my feet; and I try not to carry anything heavy but my hands bruise even if I turn the door handle or hold a cup.

Cold

Cold sunshine

 4th day into the New Year and the temp continues to plummet. Forecast is 5 degrees next Monday. There'll be no rain though. This morning saw an hour of drizzle but nothing heavier. Morning fog over the Mt. of Olives is quite dense but it quickly dissipates when the sun rises.

Yesterday I tried to open a bottle of sauce. My thumb and index finger immediately bruised from the pressure. Capillaries burst and internal bleeding spread to the back of my hand. That's the result of the double blood-thinners that I have to take for at least a year. This is making normal life difficult. Bashing my foot last week and having the blood flow for 4 hours without stopping ... the hazards just seem to be building up. I might as well live in a bubble.

Meantime local news is fluttering a storm regarding the new hardline govt revamping the judicial courts so it stays in line with govt policy .... and hence relinquish judicial independence. Likewise the communications minister wants to stop funding or is it close down (?) the 3rd largest media corp because it is critical of the govt. It looks like freedoms will soon be curbed and voices silenced ... starting tomorrow. I guess sooner or later visas for non-jews will also be reduced. News say 70% of secular jews feel threatened by the new govt. But as I see it, each of the extreme coalition members are seeking only to forward its own agenda. The coalition will collapse ... even as it begins, cracks are being covered by diplomatic scotch-tape. An implosion is a matter of time. 

02/01/23

Very cold today

It's been very humid and cloudy early this morning and now it's raining. Weather forecast says it's 9 degrees but it actually feels very much colder. I've had to go to work because a French museum has sent people over to inspect some ancient manuscripts before bringing them over to Paris for exhibition. For something so important, I must be personally there since ultimately I am responsible of these unique and thousand year old parchments.

News is saying Israel has bombarded the syrian airport. This happens when threats to Israel are detected especially when there is a build-up of arms and military equipment. It's not a quiet new year.

I'll be going home in the rain. That's a scary prospect as I'm afraid of falling and breaking a bone or cutting myself and the bleeding will not stop. I have to be extra careful now. But mind you after my operation, I haven't had asthma symptoms at all. That's something good that I'm grateful for.

Now the rains have stopped. The French museum have come and inspected the manuscripts. I guess I can go home now.

1st day

Women huddling from
the cold

It's the first day of 2023 ... the feast of the Mother of God. We had solemn Mass ... all sung. Then it was just another day for us, cleaning our rooms and doing our weekend chores. The weather has been bitterly cold today although the thermometer reads 10 degrees. It's sunny but the wind is so cold, no one believes it is for real.

Along the streets, bedouin women huddle behind pillars to avoid the icy winds while trying to sell their vegetables which are withered by the dry, frosty winds. It's a terrible day to be a hawker ... a very tough life. Those who own shops are lucky they're sheltered and have their heaters on.

Migrant communities continue to celebrate Christmas, and took their holiday today to visit the churches, pray and shop. It's good they have some free time to relax from work. But I guess most are not prepared for such a cold spell as I see many buying jackets and winter caps in the Arab side of the City which usually is cheaper. most of these goods come from China,

My foot is healing well though I still feel an occasional pain. I avoid having to walk too much. And climbing stairs is still difficult for me. I feel quite sick and dizzy each time I have to go down for meals of church. It's very tiring and I don't know if I'll ever grow out of it.