Busy busy busy

Have been extremely busy for the past few days - friends visiting, meetings ... nothing stops. Rushing from one part of the City to another ... or rushing from one city to another.

Tree of Life mosaic in Hisham's Palace

So Chris and Whoon came over from Singapore. So very good to meet up with them after so many years. We visited Jericho and the ancient sites as well as the several desert monasteries. Also Hisham's Palace which I rarely go to. Joining us were 3 Indian friends - Sundar, Srijit and Tutu. We had a great time - and the Jericho restaurant treated us to a free lunch.

Then we visited Tel Aviv to chill out and get some civilisation. Walked down the Boulevard, had lunch at the Thai restaurant (Char Kway Teow) and a coffee at Max Brenner's. It was really good to catch up with old friends. And to end the day, there was a magnificent sunset at Latrun as our shuttle bus sped through the plains toward Jerusalem.

There were more meetings in the night with various people, as there are many changes in the various schools in Jerusalem. Send of well-wishes, thanks and plans for new projects ... no end in sight. Am utterly exhausted.

The weather forecast is rain this week. There was a brief moment of drizzle but the sun soon came back up. But it is cold. In the nights, it gets biting.

Feast of St. Leo the Great

Yesterday saw the annual Jewish pilgrimage to the Tomb of Rachel - wife of Jacob and mother of Joseph and Benjamin. Her tomb lies between Jerusalem and Bethlehem, as recorded in the Bible. But today it is like a fortress, surrounded with high walls and heavy security. Some old pictures of the Tomb show how desolated the  land was prior to 1968. http://www.jpost.com/Features/InThespotlight/Article.aspx?id=245076

Meanwhile an earthquake in the Israeli archaeological world as the govt. passes a bill to allow non-academy scholars to be nominated as head of the Israel Antiquities Authorities. Critics fear this would allow politically-agended people to lead the field of archaeology instead of true objective scholars. http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/archaeologists-criticize-new-bill-for-politicizing-israel-antiquities-authority-1.394671

(L-R Paul, Val and John)

And talking about scholars, this year we have more chinese students in Jerusalem - Paul (China) and Valerian (Singapore) study in the Hebrew University while John (China) studies at the Studium Biblicum Jerusalem. Added to this is Pedro, a spanish who speaks perfect taiwanese, also studying at the Studium Biblicum. Nice number that's growing year by year. We had a friendly meeting over lunch, got to know each other, discussed interests, problems and future plans; then took a walk to see the Mamilla Park (once the cemetery of Crusader bishops and martyrs) and the massive Pool built by King Herod. It was a nice get-together.

Today we celebrated the feast of Pope Leo the Great - 5th century pope who was a renowned theologian and famous for his stopping of Attila the Hun from ravaging western europe. He's supposed to be my patron saint, so today we had a big lunch to celebrate. Khalil the cook made makloubeh (rice with veggies instead of chicken) and roasted chicken drumsticks.  had a bit of the rice but got cramps almost immediately. The sisters made two huge apple-crumbles but I couldn't eat it because they used sugar instead of saccharin. Well ... at least the others enjoyed it.

Weatherwise it's cold and gloomy, with a few moments of sunshine. Christmas this year will be cold as it ought to be. That would be a nice change from last year.

Feast of Duns Scotus

Joe Frazier - who knocked out Muhammad Ali - has died of liver cancer. Such is the power of tiny rogue cells in the body - it can finish off one of the world's greatest heavyweight champions.

Jewish Walking Tours in Jaffa Street

The weather is still cold and everyone is wrapped up to avoid the chills. Eid il Adhar, the feast of the Sacrifice of Ishmael is still going on in the streets since it started on Sunday. Very festive. Crowds everywhere ... On Sabbath, there's a noticeable rise of local Jewish tour groups visiting the Old City and New City ... learning about its history.

And the talk of war (Israel bombing Iran) is still floating around the newspapers and streets. It's causing alot of fear and tension. But so far, groups are still swarming the land ... all hotels are 100% occupancy this week.

Today we remember John Duns Scotus - the Scottish Franciscan who became a leading philosopher and theologian in the 14th century, championing the dogma of the Immaculate Conception and authority of the pope. He taught in the universities of Cambridge, Oxford, Paris and finally dying in exile in Cologne where he is buried at the age of 43. Exactly a year today, Fr Lino died in my arms. We remembered him in a minutes silence during the Inauguration of our School Year this morning. We're sure Scotus and Lino are both enjoying heaven now.

Jews spit at Christians

And ultra-orthodox Jews continue to spit at Christians, especially christian clergy ... and they get away with it. No prosecutions ... all are released. Is that religious tolerance? Is that what God taught the Jews in the Torah? It's abominable and beyond any rationalisation. http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/ultra-orthodox-spitting-attacks-on-old-city-clergymen-becoming-daily-1.393669#article_comments  and  http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/armenian-clergy-subjected-to-haredi-spitting-attacks-1.393912

If a christian spat at a Jew, it would be anti-semitism and criminal. But it seems it's ok the other way round, the way things are going on here in this country. So the extremist and fanatics are taking over the country ... they even managed to get rid of a councilwoman from the Jerusalem Municipality because she opposed segregation of men and women during Sukkot  http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/features/ousted-jerusalem-councilwoman-israel-surrendering-to-extremists-1.393938

Feast of the Sacrifice

Another cold, drizzly day. Last night it went down to 9 degrees. It really feels like winter at last! The streets are very slippery and people walk cautiously to avoid falling.

Sheep herded into Damascus Gate

The streets in the Muslim Quarter are packed with stalls and people tonight. The Muslim feast of the Sacrifice (Abraham sacrificing Ishmail, not Isaac) starts tonight and it's a big feast lasting 2 days. From the crush of goods and people at the Damascus Gate, flocks of sheep were herded into the Old City for the ritual slaughter. Children found it very funny but most people made way for the sheep mainly because they stink to high heaven.

This afternoon had lunch with the chinese students studying here in Jerusalem. It was a good occasion to meet up, get to know each other and update on news. Later in the evening I brought some Indian friends to visit the Old City. They cooked lemon rice - spicy - which we ate under the palm trees at Damascus Gate. That was when we saw the sheep being herded into the City. The rice was very very good! I think next week they'll cook something else. Looking forward to it.

Thunderstorm

Crest Hill at 6am: drizzling but clear

Yesterday we had a lovely thunderstorm - lightening, thunder, strong cold wind and lots of rain. The forecast was right! Traffic jams everywhere as a result. This morning it continued to drizzle but the sun came back up. It's still chilly though.

Now it's 18 degrees and will continue to drop to 11 degrees tonight. We can finally say winter is here. If only the rains can continue for another few weeks ... that would be perfect.

And as is the season, the sun sets by 5pm and darkness and cold envelopes the City. People hurry home to eat a warm meal and watch TV. It's the weather that's our hope - too cold and wet to hold protests or fight.

In the meantime, remedial exams are being conducted in school these 2 days. Students who have to take them are slogging late into the nights.

Well November has set in ... and soon it'll be Advent. I wonder what Christmas will bring us this year?

Thanks

Thanks for the generosity of the following persons: Justina Lau (Hidrimariam's sponsorship), Margarita and Henry (Hidrimariam's sponsorship), Fiona Chan (St Vincent de Paul Orphanage), Vincent & Glenda (St Vincent de Paul Orphanage), Agnes Chiu Lee (Medical expense), Mabel Shek (medical expense), Keith Lee, Remaina Yau, Angela Leung, Rose Chiu, Vincent/Glenda/Eva and Mass intentions (Anne Lee, Se Yuk Ying, Catherine Pang, Agnes Chiu Lee, Irene Wu)

Details can be found at http://holylandassist.blogspot.com