Take it or Leave it

Yes, it’s true. My most favorite chore in Deir Mar Musa was to feed the chicken.

I liked to carry two buckets of domestic wastes and walked all the way from the monastery to the chicken coop right next to my room. When those chubby chickens saw me approaching, they liked to gather in front of the gate, making me impossible to open the gate and walk through. I found myself smiling in gratification while watching them pecking the food. Apparently I’m not their savior, I’m just their feeder. I need not anybody or anything to remind me about how simple a life could be as I know this was just a short moment of rejoice in escapism. Dada and Christina were laying their blankets on the roof of the church, enjoying the sun-bathing as well as the chilling wind. I can see them right from my window.

I have been occupying the room all by myself for the second consecutive day. I still wasn’t able to finish the Gospel of Matthew after deciding to switch from Old Testament to New Testament. I wish I could read and digest faster.

Cave dwelling

Dada has been the most hardworking and helpful people I have ever seen among us, despite the fact that she can hardly speak a good English. Unfortunately, she succumbed to the chores eventually this afternoon when we finished vacuuming and cleaning up the tent where we always take our dinner as everybody was more likely to treat themselves as guests rather than part of the community. Even Father Paulo has publicly expressed his disgruntlement via a smart yet humorous sentence,

‘If everybody is waiting to be served, then nobody is serving. If everybody is serving, then nobody is waiting to be served.’

Nevertheless, not many people seems to care about (If not ignore) the preparation of meals, washing dishes and other cleaning works. This was what I felt bad here.

Dada and Christina were no longer on the roof. Probably they have gone for an afternoon nap.

It’s strange to learn that whoever pays a short visit or spending a night or two here enjoy more courtesy than those staying long. The first was regarded as a guest while the latter was considered a waiter.

Take it or leave it.