Full moon

Full moon between
the palms

The sandstorm has abated but not the heatwave. Daytime temp still soar above 35 degrees and the nights are 20 degrees. Only the full moon makes the nights something to look forward to. Its brilliant ... rising above the City walls, in between the palm trees. Unfortunately the tense atmosphere meant nobody was looking up at the moon. Everyone was just hurrying by ... hoping the police don't stop them to ask for IDs and permits.

There's been violence around the country. A 2 yr old boy was shot and consequently died today ... a casualty of gunfights between the police and palestinian gunmen. The toddler and his father were mistaken and shot. The Egyptian border incursion has also led to a lot of internal investigation as to how this could have happened.

All I can say is that with this heatwave and tense situation ... summer is not quite fun. One has to always be careful going out, avoiding crowded places.

Heatwave

For 3 days now a sandstorm and heatwave is hitting us hard. The Electric Company could not match up with demand and thousands of homes had no electricity in this sweltering heat. It's been 40 degrees and the dust is making the sky yellow. The sun is blotted out. It's really bad weather for asthmatics. I've been indoors for 2 days now with this sandstorm blowing. People are coughing alot.

There's been cross-border violence and injuries ... today from Egypt. It won't escalate but it does sound unsettling. Left and right wing israelis are still holding counter protests against each other. Raids are still being conducted against palestinian cities and towns. Yesterday a father and child were seriously wounded ... innocent bystanders. That makes you think twice each time you want to go out ... will it be safe? Will I come home alive?

Sandstorm in the
night sky

End of May

So I've been so exhausted working I finally fainted ... yesterday. Luckily I was with a group of volunteers in our rare and ancient book collection so they caught me on time before I hit the floor. 

Marian altar yesterday

So why was I so exhausted? I had to single-handedly organise a meeting of Asian delegates on short notice (2 weeks). Had to deal with flight tickets, health insurance, train tickets, visas, pickup at airport, daily schedules that had to be coordinated with many offices for speeches, talks, visits. Then when everyone is resting, I have to compile minutes, photocopy documents for their reading and discussion ... Yesterday on the last day, I just collapsed. I spent the rest of the day in bed.

Today my legs are still wobbly and my head is giddy. I stayed home as much as possible, going down to the kitchen only to get food. I have no appetite probably because the docs have put me on Metformin. So I'm getting thinner as well. I only eat because the medicines require some previous food intake. The medicines make me drowsy and lose focus.

Yesterday was the end of May. Typical to our local tradition, we have a huge procession with the statue of Mary carried from our parish church to the Patriarchate and back, with a Mass celebrated before that and rosary after. It was very grand. And the flowers on the makeshift altar were abundant. I guess it helps to keep the people happy and hopeful despite the terrible economic crisis and social persecution. 

Pentecost

Last Supper Room
on Pentecost Day

Last Sunday was Pentecost. Our traditional Vespers sung at the Last Supper Room was disrupted by protesting Jews who pray downstairs in "David's Tomb." The newspapers report that huge groups of jews also disrupted an evangelical prayer gathering near the Wailing Wall on Pentecost. These evangelicals are traditional allies of the jews, because they're pro-Zionist christians ... but now they wake up to reality ... the jews don't like them. Police had to push the protesters back.

Despite tiredness and swollen feet, I went to the Last Supper Room and celebrated Mass for you there. Our community there kindly arranged for me to celebrate Mass before the church was open to the public. It was a privilege.

The nursing nun who first rightly diagnosed my "asthma" problem as heart disease came to see me last week. Seeing my swollen feet and hands for 5 months, she said it's no longer a heart problem but my kidneys. Maybe the medications are too heavy and affected my kidneys. I hope to see another doctor soon.

Allergy

Jacaranda trees in bloom

Tensions have again raised as Israel soldiers raided palestinian towns. More deaths and injuries. It's so sad when one actually gets used to this senseless violence. I saw israeli fighter jets zooming overhead with missiles (from Gaza?) flying behind them. 3 times!!!

Today is the jewish Pentecost. Thousands of Jews went to the Wailing Wall to pray. Then as they return home, I saw some provoking arabs and taunting them. Police stood by and watched. It's so disgusting.

This week has been a disaster health-wise. Sunday I had food poisoning ... possibly salmonella poisoning from egg. 3 days I was down with stomach cramps and diarrhea. Just when I was healing, the MC nuns cooked pansit and I ate it .... but it had gone sour. So I had another bout of diarrhea. Then this morning, someone gave me something to eat saying it's a new product ... very nice. So I ate it and immediately I had an allergic reaction. Itching hands, swollen eyes, swollen tongue and throat, wheezing. I had to use my EpiPen and rest for a while. I'm not feeling good.

Sandstorm

Hamsin sandstorm

Tensions continue to breach the peace in the City. The Jerusalem Day march saw scuffles and clashes between triumphant Israelis and oppressed arabs. There was nothing major but the constant small clashes are very unsettling. The day following Jerusalem Day was more violent, with more clashes in front of our house ... and a knife pulled by 3 jewish youths at one of our Fathers. Today police are still at every corner, stopping and searching arab youths randomly. It's not a happy place here ... it's not a happy summer.

Yesterday we were hit by a major hamsin sandstorm. The sky was dark and the sun was barely visible. Sand was everywhere ... up the nose and in the ears and eyes and mouth. Bad time to go out.

My hands and feet continue to be swollen. I had a high fever during the weekend. Not sure why. I'm not seeing the doctors anymore ... it's the usual "take your medicines and see what happens next week." And they keep adding medicines over medicines. Each day I'm taking 11 pills at different hours of the day. It's such a stress tryin to remember when to eat what.

Silence

my petunias

The ceasefire is finally observed. But not after 36 arabs dead including children, and one israeli. Too much damage and deaths. No one believes this  quiet will last because tomorrow is Nakba Day and Thursday is Jerusalem Day. Everyone thinks the violence will restart soon. It's a sad reality when people have so little hope. It's a tense silence.

The day temp is quite hot ... 30 degrees or so. But luckily there's always a cool breeze blowing. The nights are chilly and you need to wear a jacket. This nice weather of course are unhelpful for those who want to cause trouble in the streets. When it's very cold, raining or very hot, nobody bothers to go out even if to cause trouble. The weather is an important factor in predicting violence and wars in this region.

My summer flowers are loving the weather though. The petunias and geraniums are flowering wildly. I just need to water them every 2 days to keep them hydrated. And that goes for me too. Having to take 11 types of medicine everyday, I need to be hydrated. My hands and feet are still swollen. And today I lost my memory when out to buy a wireless mouse. Came out of the shop and couldn't recognise where I was. Luckily a student was with me and he reminded where we were. I sat for a while and tried to orientate myself. It's scary. If I were alone I would have been lost.