The Cold

So the weather here has been getting much colder very quickly. I was joking with a friend the other day that calling it "The Cold" made it sound like some evil creature coming to overtake the country. In reality though, it has started to cause some of the winter problems faced here in Palestine.

The environmental conference hosted by the EEC had to be cut short by a few hours due to weather. We got snow overnight between Wednesday and Thursday, meaning the office was closed Thursday. Snow can cause some big problems because snow removal infrastructure is not really present here. Driving is dangerous on the hills here in the snow, so the city kind of just shuts down.

A snow-covered Beit Jala

As much as I enjoyed this beautiful and early gift of delightful snow, it has created a few uncomfortable circumstances. Houses here are not well insulated, nor do they have central heating. My flat is quite chilly with one small space heater and piles and piles of blankets.

I needed to thaw my olive oil. I should remember to not keep it near the kitchen window...

Plus, we had a 14 hour power outage last night. I will fully admit that I was snuggled in bed (the warmest place in my flat) by 8 pm when the power went out, watching a movie until my computer died and promptly fell asleep. It was too dark and too cold to think of doing anything else!  Although the power was still out in the morning, I enjoyed  some quality sunshine and reading while staying toasty in my bed. I was invited to join in a hot breakfast and tea with my host grandparents who have a gas-powered heater in the kitchen, so we all warmed up a bit. While we were talking about the snow and the problems it has been causing, the power finally came back on. I am very thankful that my space heater is back on again and the ability to listen to more Christmas songs on a fully charged laptop. The power is still iffy, but has remained on for the majority of the afternoon.

But the power outage made me think about the current crisis in Gaza. I was inconvenienced for part of one day because of the power outage, but it is something they face everyday. I can't imagine surviving in a place where flood water mixes with sewage on the walk home from school. I can't comprehend doing homework by candlelight every afternoon.

I live in a place under an occupation, but it generally does not affect how I live my life everyday. Gaza is a place under a blockade, cut off from outside resources and unable to sustain the lives of the 1.6 million people there. There is not enough fuel to power this overpopulated area and it causes many hardships. These storms have not helped any either as high winds have damaged many houses. My heart goes out to all my brothers and sisters in Gaza, and to all my friends here in the West Bank. Please pray for all of us through this winter, which is predicted to be pretty rough.