Pilgrimage Day 3

"Since apparently everything in America is going into the toilet except the public's faith in Barack Obama, it seems that the way to fix everything in America is to entrust it to Barack Obama."

- Derek Thompson, The Atlantic

I am halfway up this mountain. At least, God help me, I hope this is halfway up. Whatever fool part of my brain thought it was a good idea to walk to the Pilgrim Reception Centre (PRC) was surely murdered by the rest of me a few blocks back. But once you get up this thing to a certain point you're kind of locked into it, so I will soon march onward again.

Whatever cold I had on the way over here has developed into some sort of full blown infection. I haven't been able to find a pharmacy yet, but surely someone at the PRC will be able to direct me to one. I can't really hear very well out of one ear and it hurts, which leads me to believe I have some kind of ear infection. I can't breathe out of either nostril since they've been taken over by mucous (that word is so disgusting). Hopefully I can self-medicate and be fine...otherwise walking up this mountain is sure to kill it.

A lady just passed me going up the mountain in high heels. How embarrassing.

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Okay, what's more embarrassing is that when I stopped to write that, I was sitting right next to the Pilgrim Reception Centre, like 1/4 block from it. It was the next building over. So all that huffing and puffing was not in vain! I conquered the mountain! Or...at least I conquered it as far as I needed to conquer it. What's the sense of climbing all the way up a mountain when you only need to go halfway? Despite how "short" the walk was, I think I'll take the bus next time. And, likely, always.

I registered myself at the PRC, bought my health insurance and had a cup of tea. What immediately surprised me was that nearly everyone here is with someone. I was the only person that was alone, which really just sort of magnifies the feeling. I'm sure I will meet many people, especially in my group, but it still feels a little awkward to be by yourself. And of course as I'm typing this paragraph, another pilgrim comes into the common room of my guesthouse and introduces herself. We're everywhere! So, scratch that whole being alone business.

With the help of Andrew, the owner of the guesthouse, I managed to find a pharmacy. They gave me some over-the-counter medication for congestion and allergies, but apparently I will need a prescription or something of the sort for my ear problem. I'm beginning to wonder now if it isn't just stopped up. This happened once before and the doctor just flushed it with a saline solution, so I'll visit the clinic tomorrow and see if they can help me out. In the meantime, I'll just hear out of one ear.

Most of the rest of the morning and afternoon, I've been wandering around Haifa (read: lost). I've been trying to find a supermarket, really. I swear, things are closed here so much it's not even funny. If it's not Shabbat, then it's Sunday. If it's not Shabbat or Sunday then it's some kind of holy day. Frankly, I'm beginning to wonder if there's ever one day of consistent, uninterrupted commerce. All that aside, walking around has at least given me some exercise. It's nice, sunny and warm as opposed to Chicago's messy, cloudy, cold, rainy/snowy.

Eventually I ducked into a restaurant on Allenby. I keep hearing about these mythical shwarma/falafel shops with cheap food but I've yet to find one. I'd hoped this was one. They didn't have shwarma or falafel, but the owner asked me to take a seat and look at the menu. I ordered a Coke and the "hummus with meat" without asking or even wondering what kind of "meat" it was going to be. It only takes one question about the wrong thing in Africa to teach you to just eat what's put in front of you and not worry about it. So moments later a GIANT plate of hummus and meat was delivered to me along with a plate of pickle, olives, onion, tomato, peppers and some kind of purple thing and pita bread. It was a little expensive but I have to keep reminding myself I'm in a developed and not developing country.

Even with directions from Andrew, I still couldn't find the supermarket. I swear these things phase in and out of existence based on my positioning. There is one nearby that I know but it doesn't open until 4:00. What kind of store doesn't open until 4:00, I don't know, but apparently this is one of them. I suppose it's some kind of holy day. Or Shabbat. Or Sunday. or maybe, somehow, all three.

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Okay, all that movement earlier was a huge mistake. I practically collapsed when I came back to the hotel to rest. I took a small nap and when I woke up, everything was worse. I took more medicine but I knew I was in no shape to go back to the Pilgrim Reception Centre for orientation. I'm going to go early in the morning with the hope that someone can give me a condensed version of the orientation, otherwise I'm sure I'll end up being lost the whole time. 

So I shuffled around the room most of the afternoon, lamenting my condition and feeling sorry for myself (what else should I do?). I eventually got a little more sleep and felt a little better when I woke up. Out of necessity I had to go to the grocery store, which had finally opened. I have some pita bread, lunch meats, olives, apples and hummus for sandwiches, chips (or crisps, whichever you prefer) and sugar for tea.

This evening I have been catching up with the son of the family I lived with in Tanzania. The older I get the worse I am at keeping in touch with people, so it was very nice to touch base with him at the most unlikely of times in the most unlikely of places. 

With a sandwich in my tummy and some cold medicine doing its work, Insha'Allah I will be able to fall asleep and wake up feeling like a brand new person!