Talent

Balu's art expo

 I'm still feeling quite unwell. The fever has not subsided, and though I haven't vomited I still feel nausea. And the diarrhea hasn't stopped either. Dr. John came by and checked me up. He said my cough and sore throat is the result of something else and the stomach problem is gastroenteritis. He gave me medicines as well. I sure hope I'll get better as this Saturday I must go to Tel Aviv to celebrate Mass for the Ethiopic community. 

Yesterday there was a terrible attack at the Tomb of Joseph - the one who was sold into Egypt and became the number two man. A large group of jews went to the tomb accompanied by police but a local arab shot through the crowd, injuring 3 people. What a terrible way to start the summer.

There was also an earthquake last night. I think it was 3.6 on the Richter scale ... and as the newspapers report, it's one in a series so far. Well that works well with all the violence happening. What luck.

Art exhibition

On a happy note, our indian seminarian Balu held his first exhibition of his artistic skills ... painter, sculptor and calligrapher. He's done some very good pieces of oil on canvas, and lots of soap sculptures. It's so refreshing to have aspects of modernity and classic mixed in one. He is talented!

Sick

At my doctor's clinic

 I thought my gastroenteritis was over but this morning I felt really sick. My throat was very sore and I lost my voice. I still have a slight fever and I lost my appetite. I still went to the Ivrea convent this morning for Mass which is 1km away in a nearby village. 

But back home I stayed in bed as I really felt unwell. The whole day. I did go the the doctor. He's an old man and the neighbourhood poor go to him. I don't want to go to high class doctors with special treatment like all the rest of the guys in my community do. I came here to be with the poor, the neighbours living around our house. If they go to a poor clinic, then so do I. The old doctor has Parkinsons ... so when he gives me an injection, it hurts. Still that's what poor people have to go through. They don't have a choice. And I choose to share their experience.

Fever, nausea, runny nose, sore throat, lost of appetite ... it's not good. I hope it'll pass tomorrow. I have a lot of work to finish. The last thing I need is to back log work during the holidays.

Summer camp

Sr, Noel & the kids

 Thanks to your generosity, the Sisters of Charity (St. Vincent de Paul) in Bethany were able to organise a summer camp for underprivileged kids in and around the village. Summer camps are popular but it's beyond the financial means of poorer families. A sponsored camp such as this one is very much in demand but it needs your generosity. 

The parents of these children are at work and cannot care for them at home during the summer holidays. These children will learn from bad influences from the poor and dangerous environment they live in. By putting them in summer camps, we are sure they learn good Christian values and proper social responsibilities, have proper meals and healthy exercise.

Let's hope it won't be the last event for the poor children!

To those who donated to this ... thanks very much! God will bless you for caring for his children! And you can still donate to this cause!

Fun in the sun

Come!

 The Custos of the Holy Land welcomes you

Tourists

 As the weather stabilizes into summer mode, people are also getting used to the heat. Violent incidents are significantly less and let's hope it stays that way. Tourist groups are coming by the thousands now. Our streets are full of foreigners. And they bring illnesses. The spike in Covid and gastric influenza has reached a daily rate of over 10,000. The Health Ministry is telling people to wear masks when indoors but nobody is bothering. Well, it may be a case of too little, too late. Regrets will be useless. In fact the Ministry has already said that this is the 6th wave of Covid.

At Cana chapel

Among the thousands of daily tourists is a filipino family who came to visit. Parents with 4 kids. I brought them around the Old City on the 1st day, but my health isn't up to it so for the rest of the week I got other filipino friars to help out. They went to Cana and renewed the marriage vows during Mass there. Fr Carlos from Tel Aviv presided the Mass. There were many fun things to do with the kids as they learned more about their faith. And they drew and coloured books on Bible stories. The Ministry of Tourism is aiming for 4 million tourists by August. Thats mainly to boost the economic.

I'm still recovering from gastric flu. I thought I was getting better yesterday and then I vomited last night. I think it's not quite over yet. Still I have classes to teach and lots of paper work to follow up. Hope by tomorrow all will be dealt with so I can sleep on Sunday ... or see the doctor.

Kids have fun

Kids in the public fountain

 Gastric flu is everywhere. Over a dozen in the monastery where I work. I was down with it myself. 3 days of fever and vomiting and diarrhea. I was very weak but not as bad as some who had to be hooked up to a drip. Still it made me very ill and I could hardly sleep or walk about. I was just at the pharmacy to buy medicines for the MC sisters in Bethlehem when the pharmacist told me to take probiotics. I bought a bottle and took one pill already. Then I was told to bring lots of water.

Meantime daily Covid infections have gone up to over 10,000. Serious cases requiring hospitalization have also risen sharply. I'm wearing my mask all the time, and people make nasty remarks, even among priests who caught Covid and spread it to others. Abominable.

The weather is at a stable 30 degrees during the day and a cool 22 degrees at night with a lovely breeze. I had to work very hard yesterday and today despite my gastric flu, running around different places in the City to get visas done for sisters who are coming to work here. They're from France and India so they need to be done in different offices. I can only walk slowly as my legs and hips are giving me trouble. But I do my job ... though it's not my responsibility. The relevant superiors are too lazy and indifferent to do it. I'm really doing a favour. 

Well it's so hot during the day, kids from the neighbourhood are playing in the public fountains. Adults look enviously as they too would like to join in. Though it's illegal to play in the fountains and the police statio n is literally 2 metres away from it, the police close an eye and let the poor children play. They can't afford to go to summer camps with swimming pools, and unable to travel to Tel Aviv to enjoy the beach; so this is their only way to play in a body of water. I hope they'll continue to enjoy throughout this summer ... with no more violence in the streets.

SIck

Syro-Malabar procession

 Again several days have gone since I updated my blog. I've been a little sick the past days ... with a fever and nausea and vomiting. Tested myself 3 times for Covid and am negative. Still I'll continue testing because Covid is spreading rapidly here. Yesterday there were over 10,000 infections with a rising number of serious cases that need hospitalization. The Health Ministry is telling people to wear the mask again, though it's not yet a law. 

The fever and nausea have been keeping me awake. Not that there's many hours of sleep. It's summer and the sun rises very early. And the muezzin starts singing even earlier at 2.30am (3.30am solar time). People are telling me it's probably a bug that I caught. Maybe I should go to the doctor's. Mind you, my breathing is a lot better with not sign of asthma like before. So it doesn't sound like Covid.

Sunrise 4.30am

Last Friday and Saturday I was busy with Mass celebrations and processions in Tel Aviv with the Indian communities for the feasts of St. Anthony and Corpus Christi. The Syro-Malabar rite indians celebrated St. Anthony's feast and I was asked to carry the statue in procession, dressed in the Syro-Malabar rite vestments. The crowd was huge and there were no windows in the hall, so I was afraid I caught Covid there. The next day, Saturday, I had Mass with the Konkani community which was also very crowded. Chances of my catching the virus was great. Hence my fear when I developed a fever when I came home.

The amount of medicines I'm taking is making my hands and feet swollen. Walking is even more difficult now. But if I don't walk, the water retention would only get worse. So I try my best to walk at least 2 kms a day ... to and from work. Just hope I don't vomit along the way.