December

Winter is here. Dramatic, unpredictable and changeable, the weather is a representative reflection of life in Israel. On some days, the warm sunshine means that I can practise my Qi Gong barefoot in the garden. Other days bring thunderstorms and heavy rains causing local flooding.

We are settling into our new home, all enjoying the extra space and new location. Maya has her own room to which she can retreat in times of need (escaping her little brother and sister) and 'hangout' with her friends. Ben is happy cycling around the garden and the neighbourhood on his own and also cycling the mountain trails in the adjacent nature reserve with me (which I love too). But Clare is the happiest of all, finally living in a decent space where she can 'entertain'. We have always had an open house where friends and family drop in but Clare felt that the apartment was just too small to have people over.

I am really enjoying my Arabic studies though it's proving to be a very difficult language.

The work in Barta'a is going well and my encounters with the people there (patients, staff and others) is gaining other dimensions, transcending (but including!) the clinical aspect. Listening to my patients' stories about their daily hardships is important, often cathartic. The fact that we come from different sides in the conflict creates an interesting dynamic, breaking down barriers and stereotypes. I think that for my Palestinian patients and colleagues, having an Israeli listen to and acknowledge their suffering, often inflicted by my government and its' agents (at the local check-point for example) is significant, as it is for me, gaining a perspective on the reality created (and the pain it causes) in the name of security.