3rd Day

Spring fruit on sale

 It's the 3rd day of the CNY. It's quarrel day ... so most traditional people stay home and don't visit friends or relatives. Well no fear of that here ... no friends no relatives. 

It was an early day's work as I had to prepare a small exhibition for the Hebrew University students. It's the second group to come in 2 weeks. They're students of medieval history so I brought out medieval manuscripts and illuminated codices to show them. Those that came last week were 2nd and 3rd year students and several have contacted me for further meetings because they want to write their thesis and think they can find material in our library. That's good. Today's students were 1st year and so had less questions.

The weather is warm like yesterday but the nights continue to be chilly. My hands have been bruised again because I've been carrying heavy bags and books. I know I should get someone to help me but the reality is there is nobody around to help. I must do everything on my own. I just have to get creative and find ways to move heavy things without carrying them with my hands.

Meantime the cold spell is making Spring fruit grow faster. Lots of strawberries, citrus and other colorful fruit. I keep telling myself I want to try every type available ... but some are not good for my health. 

2nd Day CNY

New Year decorations

2nd day of the New Year but it was back to work for all of us chinese and east asians. The weather was rather warm ... 15 degrees and very sunny so it was a lovely day. But we couldn't enjoy much of it because we have to work.

I was especially tires as there was so much paper work to do ... closing the financial report of 2022. It was going up and down, to and fro from one dept to another. And it's not over yet. Tomorrow will be another morning of this.

Ah Ling from Mandarin restaurant made tang yuan (rice balls) - raw - so I can boil them later this week to eat with others. I found out the local grocery sells gulah malaka .... so I can boil it with the tang yuan.

I've not followed the local news so I don't know what is happening these days. It's the New Year so I don't want to know bad news.

New Year

Making dumplings

Happy New Year! It was a busy weekend as the chinese migrant workers from all over the country came to Jerusalem to celebrate the New Year, which happened to fall on Sunday. They get a day off for this feast, so it was a long weekend for them. They stayed over for two nights and visited the churches in the Old City. Some had only arrived here to work 5 weeks ago so it's a very new experience for them. 

For the Reunion Dinner, the workers make dumplings and fried stuffed chillies and northern chinese cucumber salad. It was as northern chinese as possible ... with Tsingtao beer.

We had a thanksgiving Mass with Te Deum on the last day of the Tiger year, and then an early morning Mass to start the year of the Rabbit. The patriarchal vicar came to concelebrate the Mass ... he's in charge of all migrant communities. After Mass he had a chinese breakfast cooked by the workers. All in all it was a success. They didn't feel alone during the New Year, there was a little sense of home.

I think later this week the South-East Asian religious will meet up: vietnamese, burmese, indonesian and those we have yet to discover ... It's not easy knowing who's who and where. 

New restaurant

New Indian restaurant

The Lunar New Year is just 2 days away. There's no excitement or festivities as we're a very small minority. Mind you "we" means koreans, chinese, vietnamese, indonesians, filipino chinese who all celebrate the Lunar Spring feast. Maybe we'll meet and celebrate ... but our work schedules are so different we cannot find a common time together. Anyway everything is so expensive nowadays so going to a restaurant to eat is out of the question. But none of us can cook either. So we might just meet to greet each other and maybe drink some coca cola to celebrate!

Talking about restaurants, there's a new Indian restaurant where a sandwich franchise used to be. The cooks are Indians but I think they're hindus. The menu is vegetarian so it's easy to keep kosher. But the prices on the menu show the dishes to be expensive ... like the chinese restaurants.

Don't know what happened today but lots of ambulances and police cars with loud sirens rushing up and down the main street outside the Old City. There's nothing in the news to to explain this.

I'm still not feeling well. Chest pains ... which the cardiologists said is technically angina (so I should be using my nitroglycerin medicine) ... and difficulty in walking slopes and stairs. It's miserable and I really wish I could get better. It's not a good way to celebrate the New Year.

Procession

Armenian patriarch in
procession

Another cloudy grey day with a temp of around 9 degrees. Still the streets are full of tourists. Today was more special ... the Armenian Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople arrived on pilgrimage with many Armenians accompanying him from Turkey. I happen to be at Jaffa Gate at the pharmacy when I saw a bagpipe band and lots of locals and tourist groups gathered there. Further down the trail towards the City Gate itself the Armenian clergy were gathered around a car with the Patriarch in it. Heads of all the other Churches were also present to welcome him. Then at 1.30pm sharp the band struck up a march and the procession began. I managed to snap a photo of the Patriarch .... he carries the mace of authority.

So news isn't so good for my health. A cardiologist from overseas saw me and said after 2 months with still pains and difficulty in breathing means the first operation was not successful. I need to get more tests done and find out where the other problems are. Like I said, the valve in my left ventricle is not closing properly and there's a reflux of blood. That's one problem that needs fixing. Anyway I'm not any better and that's a point for worry.

Flower bulbs

Flower bulbs

Another cold dreary day. Yet surprising there're lots of tourists coming in. Thousands of poles ... there were 4 Masses celebrated in polish this morning at our place. Second ethnic group was the americans ... all elderly who have time and money to spare. Then come small groups of Chinese from the diaspora, indians and vietnamese. I think the groups will continue till February when it rains heavily and even snow. This period is usually low season.

While the temp hovers around 6 degrees today, the only things enjoying the cold are the Spring bulbs. I saw at the flower shop daffodils and narcissus already in bloom while hyacinths and tulips were budding. Those bulbs need a cold spell to spur them to flower. Usually we have to put them in the fridge for a couple of days before planting them just to get them started.

Today thousands of university and college students went on strike against the judiciary overhaul. But all the protests, no matter how widespread, will not deter the hardline govt. But like I said, this coalition is divided already by each pursuing its own agenda with no regard for the others ... it'll implode.

Sunset

Amazing sunset

And Sunday is over ... the sunset was awesome this evening at 4pm. Despite the rain clouds and cold winds - today was 5 degrees - the spectacular burst of golden rays captured everyone's attention walking in the New City. It gave a sensation of warmth and comfort. 

There's a shortage of Telfast and its substitutes. They're not available in all the pharmacies. Every pharmacist tells me it's not available and they offer other substitutes of substitutes ... which don't really work for me. There were homeopathic substitutes which I tried and didn't work. Another chemical substitute also is losing its effect on me. I went out desperately searching all the West Jerusalem pharmacies but it's true ... Telfast seems to have stopped production. I need to see my doctor again to find out alternative treatment. I'm now very careful with what I eat and drink because my severe allergic reactions may start again.

Today was busy as a group of american seminarians came unexpectedly and wanted to see the library. I had to rush down and open the library and brought them around. Then a family from Australia came to visit me. We spoke for over an hour and they were very interested in history and archeology. Enough of activities ... my chest was painful and I needed to rest. I still have difficulties walking distances and climbing stairs.