Tuesday, July 18, 2006

I owe you an explanation

As more of you started to point out, I have been quiet. Actually, quite the disappearance act I've performed, all the way to the northern part of Israel, to my hometown (until 14 years ago).

Yesterday afternoon I hopped on a plane, unable to be away from my family at this time any longer. Today I arrived.

I reached Haifa in the afternoon (Israel's afternoon, early morning N.America time). The rush hour traffic which I always hate was, of course, non-existent since Haifa is now a ghost town with everybody in their homes taking shelter.

I continued north to my hometown. When I reached the outskirts of my hometown, the first siren went off. We were still on the road, driving. We quickly parked the car and ran to the nearest building which happened to be an HMO with a very organized bomb shelter. The booms of the rockets falling could be heard even inside the shelter.

As soon as I reached my parents' apartment, about half an hour later, the second siren hit us and we took cover in the corridor, the inner most area of my parents northern (where the rockets are coming from) facing apartment. The building doesn't have a bomb shelter.

The third siren came about an hour later and we repeated the drill. It's been quiet (in our area) since then.

Any person who has ever been through the sounds of sirens and bombs falling around could tell you how unnerving it is. I constantly hear sirens in my head and every noise resembling a siren sound or a boom makes us all jump.

I do not want any political comments here please, especially the kind that claims Israel has no right to exist. Usually I can deal with it calmly, even though I do always take it to mean that these people think that I have no right to exist. But today I will not be able to handle it.

I feel greatly for the Lebanese people and their plight. Trust me, I understand their predicament more than any person living comfortably not knowing what a threat on their lives is. I've been through this in 91 during the 1st Gulf War when I sat in that same corridor with my gas mask on, and I'm here now feeling just as helpless, only able to hug my shaking mom. She hugs me back :)

I have internet as you can see and will try to post, although I may still not be able to post writing-related posts.

Categories:

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

I was wondering where you were...I would have never guess. I hope that you and your family are safe.

Anonymous said...

Stay safe...you're in my thoughts.

Anonymous said...

Thinking about you and your family, Melly.

Anonymous said...

We tend to look at these events from the outside, assuming they're happening in a far away place that has no real impact on anyone we know. So I was really shocked to read your post today, expecting a minor domestic crisis or maybe a sick relative had kept you from posting.

Good luck over the next few weeks, and please do keep us all posted.

Melly said...

Thanks all.
It sure has been a day!
I'll probably be quite a bit online as going out is not a very good idea. So stuck at home with TV, books and internet.

rdl said...

Melly, stay safe. I'm not much of a prayer but i am praying for you and will be enlisting all my friends who are professional at it, to do so also. please stay in touch.

Jean said...

Stay safe, my friend.

Trée said...

Thoughts and prayers. Thinking of you Melly.

Anonymous said...

Melly, be safe and stay in touch when you can. You're in my thoughts. :)

Unknown said...

"Ingat ka palagi," as we would say in the Philippines.

"Take care always."

Monica Jackson said...

Praying that your family and loved ones stay safe

Patry Francis said...

Melly, thinking of you and your family and praying for peace.

Melly said...

Thanks all.
Since I don't pray, I'm left with wishes and hopes for peace.
With every fibre of my being, I hope for peace. I wish for peace from deep within my bones and my heart.
Maybe if we smarten up we'll get there some day (sooner) I hope.

Cavan said...

You've got my thoughts with you, Melly. Hopefully, this will be over soon.

Melly said...

Cavan, I do hope this will be over soon. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Hah, I know someone else commented in the same way, but indeed: you do have a better excuse than most of us to not post! (Well, better than mine probably, haha.)

And no "witty" comment from me about Israel. As long as you're alright, I'm glad with that!

Anonymous said...

Aw, Melly.
I'm blown away by this post.
I don't visit for a few days and off you go...to the middle east.
Be safe. You're in my prayers.
I pray that everything works out.

~michaelm

Melly said...

Thanks Michael. I do hope that everything works out. Everything.

Melly said...

Yzabel, somehow I missed you before. Thanks for the well wishes.