Mar Musa 11

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Monday continued

Once the veges were chopped and cleared away I read for a while and looked at the view which is very similar to the mountains in Dubai these are slightly redder but similar none the less.

Lunch was eventually served at 2:30 and there was masses of it. We had chopped correctly as it was a vegetable stew which was yummy and just what was needed!! After this was all cleared away we started to make jam - rose and mint jam to be precise! I was given the first stirring order which was okay though I was terrified it would burn luckily it didn't and when I handed it over to the next person it was bubbling away!!

Talked to some of the people staying at the monastry though sometimes it was easier said then done as my language skills do not extend much beyond English and theres did not extend much beyond Italian or Spanish and so on. The days seemed to go slowly there but i think that is more due to the time frames involved as the meals started late so Breakfast was 9:30 ish, Lunch 2:30 and Supper 9:30 ish.

Meditation came around pretty quickly and I decided to spend it outside before mass came around again and then supper. We had some yummy felafels which were truly scrummy and I gobbled lots of them up along with the jam we had made earlier which was very good but a bit toffee like!

Tuesday

Just before breakfast we realised that one of the cats had caught a mouse which made all the girls very squeamish - ugh!! And caused me to shudder whenever I saw the cat just in case it still had the mouse with it.

After breakfast quite a few people left to go onto pastures new and I made arrangements with Corrina a German girl to go to Damascus around lunch time. Went to the kitchen to help wash up when I was asked if I could help wash clothes. So went down to the laundry which was in fact a number of basins set up and a couple of boiling saucepans - think of the ones in the Dubai souk!! I was the first basin so had the soapy water which was pretty boiling my poor little fingers!! Anyhow after the laundry was done it was time to go as a crazy Austrian lady with bright orange hair had decided to join us and she was going to Amman from Damascus. At the monastry there was a tour guide who was returning to Damascus and so we all piled in with him for the princely price of 150 SYP and had a very bizarre journey back!!

Checked in to the Haramein and was back in my old room the hotel was very quiet so after going on le t'internet I went out for food and then got ready for bed.

Today I am going to Hama where I will be for the next few days

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