The second weekend

Not really much to write about this time.
I had the very sad and shocking news that my fiend Michael passed away in Glasgow. He was in my farewell party only two or three weeks ago and we jammed to a Rolling Stones song. May he rest in peace, and my thoughts go to my great friend Pennie, his partner. It is only a shame that he can't write us a blog from where he is, being the charming and cool guy he was he'll do just fine.
My time was spent basically making the flat liveable or my family. As I wrote before the landlord is a writer and has a sea of books and stuff in the house, it was actually surprising not to find books in the fridge. Opening space for us was a battle but I finally got some things organized and am just waiting for phase two: putting the stuff into boxes to feel the place minimally mine.
There was my first embarrassing moment in Jerusalem: I went to the supermarket and made a huge buy there, when I had put everything in the plastic bags and handed over the card surprise surprise! The card is not accepted. My great luck is that a work friend had decided to come to the shopping centre with me to buy some shades and was with me in the line. He was kind enough to pay with his card.
Supermarkets here are similar to the ones in Brazil where one can find almost anything one wants but the brands are different. This is not the EU nor America. There are two things worth mentioning in terms of food and stuff. I have never had better houmous or industrialized fruit juice in my life. The trip is worth it just for the sake of trying them.
Another troubling or saddening thing I noticed is that in front of my window there is a park where only Arabs go, almost on the other side of the street there is another one with an almost exclusive Jewish presence. They are both as nice as the other. As I read in an Anti-Defamation League leaflet belonging to my Landlord, what one sees in Jerusalem is not Apartheid; it is two different readings of a reality, two rivals fighting for the same thing.
Specially in Jerusalem the match is not over yet.
Hopefully one day there will be understanding between both sides. They key in my view is tolerance, mutual recognition and acceptance.
This happens in every day life, one sees Arab people everywhere, and differently to Apartheid South Africa or Nazi Germany they have the same rights and status as the Jews, it would be a lie to say that both sides are friends, but most people are much smarter than the leaders and people who who take sides without being directly involved, they simply try to get on with life despite the mess.
At work things are VERY slowly defining themselves hopefully one day things will make sense.
Soon the internet will be set up at home and I'm looking forward to posting the pictures when that happens.