Well, I cannot believe that I will leave the Africa Mercy in just two short weeks! No one is more surprised than me that time has flown by. I have to say, I think I will be back here though. We'll see what God has for me, but I hope it is more of Africa. I am having a hard time comprehending that I will be leaving, and an even harder time imagining life resuming at home. I have decided to make a list of what I am most looking forward to upon coming home. So, when I get sad about leaving I will think of these things...
1. Seeing all of my beloved family and friends. My friends here are wonderful,but there is nothing like the people that know you so well, have cheered you on so much and who cannot wait to see you too!!
2. Summertime in Michigan. Summertime in Africa right now is ok, it is sunny and hot most of the time. But I am limited in what I can do here. In order to enjoy the weather you either go for a walk on the dock, or sit outside on the dock and stare out at the ocean. I cannot wait to go fishing with my dad and take walks to the ice cream stand with my small group girls. Seeing green grass instead of red dirt and mud sounds nice too.
3. Freedom to move about the earth on your own. Here in Liberia for our own safety we are not allowed to go off the ship alone, you must be with at least one person. Also, going into town is such an experience - I cannot do it justice by writing about it. So, I am looking forward to getting in my car and driving to wherever - the grocery store, the bank, Target. Of course I know gas prices are out of control. In case you are wondering, the same is going on here. Just this past week almost all of the taxis went on strike for a day due to gas prices. It made it harder than ever to get a taxi. Already taxis here are filled way over capacity with people sitting on laps, etc. I didn't think that there could be more people walking on the streets than there already were - but the streets were filled with people forced to walk to their destination instead of get a taxi. The strike was over in 1 day.
4. Eating whatever I want, whenever I want. The food here on the ship is good, I definitely have no complaints about that. But in a cafeteria type set up if you don't eat when the food is out, you don't eat. So, even when you aren't all that hungry you go to the cafeteria to at least see what is being offered. I am also looking forward to all of the good fruits and vegetables that Michigan summer has to offer. Here we are very limited to what is available. Every day for lunch and dinner we eat pineapple, cucumbers and tomatoes. Every day.
5. Sleeping in my own bed, in a room that I have all to myself. Currently I share a small cabin with 4 other girls. My new bunk-mate will arrive tomorrow. So, I go back to sharing a very small space with one other girl.
6. Change of clothing. I have to say I think I did pretty well in packing good and appropriate clothing for this trip. I am however, tired of the clothes I brought. I am looking forward to a change in scenery of my wardrobe...and some different flip-flops.
7. A long hot shower. Here due to water supplies we are limited to 2 minute showers. The usual routine is turn shower on to get wet, turn shower off and soap up, turn shower on to rinse. Turn shower off and step out. It isn't that big of a sacrifice, but I have forgotten what a nice long shower feels like.
8. Silence. Living on a ship of over 400 people there isn't much in the way of solitude. Even when it is bedtime and most of the crew are sleeping there is always some sort of generator running somewhere. I don't know much about large ships, but it seems there are always strange noises coming from the walls.
9. Windows. I currently don't have a window of my own. My cabin is on deck 3 which is a window-less deck. I also happen to work at the hospital on board the ship, which is also on Deck #3. I could go all day and all night and never look outside. I have to admit, sometimes I haven't seen day or night at all. It will be so nice to sit in my living room, holding Johnny Cash (my cat) and looking outside.
10. Diet Coke. Not that I am addicted to the stuff or anything, however I am sad to report that the ship ran out of their supply of Diet Coke about a month ago.
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Showing posts with label friends. Show all posts
Showing posts with label friends. Show all posts
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Friday, June 20, 2008
Mamba Point Hotel
Last Saturday Kat, Wendy, Stephanie, Sam and I went to the nicest hotel in Monrovia - the Mamba Point, for lunch. Wendy's dad is visiting the ship for the next 10 days as a special guest engineer to consult on issues of paint and rust. For a few days Wendy and her dad are going to hopefully stay at the Mamba Point Hotel and they have graciously invited Kat and I. So, we went there for lunch and to try to make a reservation for Wendy. Below are some of the pictures from the balcony where we ate lunch overlooking the ocean.
And just for fun, below is a picture of Kat in a very common African dress. She would kill me if she knew I was posting this on the blog.The dress she is wearing was made at the tailor. Of course we had to add the pillows to her head- as that is a very common thing on the streets of Monrovia. Not to carry pillows on your head, but anything that you are carrying - women will carry it on their heads - baskets, bags, buckets of fruit, etc.
And just for fun, below is a picture of Kat in a very common African dress. She would kill me if she knew I was posting this on the blog.The dress she is wearing was made at the tailor. Of course we had to add the pillows to her head- as that is a very common thing on the streets of Monrovia. Not to carry pillows on your head, but anything that you are carrying - women will carry it on their heads - baskets, bags, buckets of fruit, etc.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Mercy Friends
Here are a few pictures of some of the great friends God has brought me so far on the ship.
This is the infamous trio. Kat from England is on the left and Wendy from Texas is on the right. The three of us are almost always together. I met Wendy at the Liberia airport and Kat is Wendy's bunk-mate. We all arrived within 2 days of each other so we have become quick friends as we get the hang of life on a ship and life in Africa.
This is a picture of my friend Jeanne. She is from Texas also, and she and our other friend Becky have a little breakfast club they have invited me to be a part of. Once a week we make breakfast together. Jeanne and Becky are really good cooks and really good at making something amazing out of almost nothing. I of course contributed juice from the ship shop :)
This is Jeanne, Becky in the middle, and another friend Jodi on the left. I met Jodi through my blog before I got here and emailed her a few times. She is also from Michigan and lives in the cabin next door to me.
This is the infamous trio. Kat from England is on the left and Wendy from Texas is on the right. The three of us are almost always together. I met Wendy at the Liberia airport and Kat is Wendy's bunk-mate. We all arrived within 2 days of each other so we have become quick friends as we get the hang of life on a ship and life in Africa.
This is a picture of my friend Jeanne. She is from Texas also, and she and our other friend Becky have a little breakfast club they have invited me to be a part of. Once a week we make breakfast together. Jeanne and Becky are really good cooks and really good at making something amazing out of almost nothing. I of course contributed juice from the ship shop :)
This is Jeanne, Becky in the middle, and another friend Jodi on the left. I met Jodi through my blog before I got here and emailed her a few times. She is also from Michigan and lives in the cabin next door to me.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Friends
This is a picture of me and the Third Mate, Joe that I met in the airport in Brussels. He is here for 3 1/2 weeks and will return to Texas to work on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico.
Ok, so I am new at posting pictures!!!
Just a quick disclaimer - this is the first time I am posting pictures on the blog and I do not have my web-mistress Tracy at my side to assist me. So, I am sorry these pictures below all ended up in single posts.
It has been just over a week since arriving and I am starting to feel like and old-timer here. Once you have your first week under belt, you graduate to veteran as new people are arriving almost daily.
This past weekend I worked 12 hour night shift. It has been awhile since I have stayed up all night, but since we all know I am naturally a night person I had no problem. Actually it was the patients in the ward that I had the privilege of serving that made it so easy. I have never been a pediatric nurse but this weekend I plunged into it sink or swim. I have to say I loved every minute of it. Once I made rounds and got everyone settled for the night I got to spend several hours with a few of the teenage boy patients playing round after round of Uno. Then I had a 5 year old boy that had trouble sleeping through the night so I got to rock him to sleep and hold him in my arms for several hours each night. There were also a few adult patients on the ward who joined in with the Uno as well. My best friend from home made me a scrapbook of pictures of family and friends from home so I brought that to show the patients as well. They seem to love looking at pictures so they looked over the book several times, asking questions of who was who. They were very interested in the fishing boat in the pictures and I told them that was my favorite place to be! They all think I have my father's smile.
Most of the patients I took care of over the weekend are here for ortho related issues. They either were born with club feet, or had a fracture that never healed properly and are here to have the bones reset. Many are learning to walk with crutches for the first time and will be on them until they return in a few weeks for follow-up appointments.
One of the nicest things about the patients so far is their gratitude. When the shift is over many patients will come up to you and thank you for taking care of them, for serving them. Even the teenage boys came to thank me before I left in the morning. All of you nurse friends know how energizing it is to have grateful patients.
Today I will try to take some pictures of these beautiful African friends and patients of mine. We are restricted as to when and where we can photograph patients so it is not always easy to do. However, I have to get some pictures so you can see what amazing and beautiful people they are.
I have to say since I have been here I have loved nearly everything about this adventure thus far. I know it is a bit naive to say, since it has just been one week, but I am loving this and am so happy. I just want to thank you all again for supporting me, loving me, encouraging me. I thank God that He would even consider me and allow me to join Him and everyone else that is serving on the Africa Mercy.
It has been just over a week since arriving and I am starting to feel like and old-timer here. Once you have your first week under belt, you graduate to veteran as new people are arriving almost daily.
This past weekend I worked 12 hour night shift. It has been awhile since I have stayed up all night, but since we all know I am naturally a night person I had no problem. Actually it was the patients in the ward that I had the privilege of serving that made it so easy. I have never been a pediatric nurse but this weekend I plunged into it sink or swim. I have to say I loved every minute of it. Once I made rounds and got everyone settled for the night I got to spend several hours with a few of the teenage boy patients playing round after round of Uno. Then I had a 5 year old boy that had trouble sleeping through the night so I got to rock him to sleep and hold him in my arms for several hours each night. There were also a few adult patients on the ward who joined in with the Uno as well. My best friend from home made me a scrapbook of pictures of family and friends from home so I brought that to show the patients as well. They seem to love looking at pictures so they looked over the book several times, asking questions of who was who. They were very interested in the fishing boat in the pictures and I told them that was my favorite place to be! They all think I have my father's smile.
Most of the patients I took care of over the weekend are here for ortho related issues. They either were born with club feet, or had a fracture that never healed properly and are here to have the bones reset. Many are learning to walk with crutches for the first time and will be on them until they return in a few weeks for follow-up appointments.
One of the nicest things about the patients so far is their gratitude. When the shift is over many patients will come up to you and thank you for taking care of them, for serving them. Even the teenage boys came to thank me before I left in the morning. All of you nurse friends know how energizing it is to have grateful patients.
Today I will try to take some pictures of these beautiful African friends and patients of mine. We are restricted as to when and where we can photograph patients so it is not always easy to do. However, I have to get some pictures so you can see what amazing and beautiful people they are.
I have to say since I have been here I have loved nearly everything about this adventure thus far. I know it is a bit naive to say, since it has just been one week, but I am loving this and am so happy. I just want to thank you all again for supporting me, loving me, encouraging me. I thank God that He would even consider me and allow me to join Him and everyone else that is serving on the Africa Mercy.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Off the Ship
Today was my first day off of work and I made it off of the ship (sorry Bob and Dad!) My first trip out of the UN guarded and gated area was to the tailor. Apparently it is a favorite thing to do around here - to buy $2 material in fun African prints and then take the fabric to the tailor to have dresses, skirts, and bags made for you. Two other girls were going to pick up some stuff so I went along for the adventure of it - my first taste of town.
First impression, the main town is loud and full of dirt/mud. The side streets are reddish brown dirt and it rains here often, so things are slightly muddy. I hadn't been out to the main streets yet, so I wasn't prepared for how loud it was also. Lots of taxis speeding by beeping their horns at other cars, motorbikes, pedestrians, wandering dogs. We made it across the street and down another street to a little shack known as the tailor. Once you turn the corner and look inside you see about 15 VERY old fashioned sewing machines with young African men and women operating them. I am talking antique sewing machines, the kind where you use both your feet to get the machine to work. No electricity in Monrovia. Also, the workers were using real iron irons with coals in the bottom to heat them up. The tailor made some beautiful and very ornate dresses and skirts for my friends. I was amazed at what they were producing- fancy dresses, suitcoats, shirts. For about $20 my friend got 2 outfits made. I wish I could've taken a picture of the whole scene. However, it is not encouraged to take cameras anywhere out in public - for my safety and for the camera's safety :)
Once back at the ship we enjoyed a BBQ dinner out on the dock. Today is the one year anniversary of the Africa Mercy setting sail. I am happy to say that I made it onto the Africa Mercy in it's first year at sea (or maiden voyage as they say here on the high seas). Ok, so I made it onto the ship by just 5 days but who is counting?!? We had BBQ ribs, real french fries (a real special occasion food), salads and pineapple. Also they had some relay races - kind of like field day to just have fun and be together. I have some pictures coming I promise.
It is officially the weekend here and people are making their big plans for shopping in the market or the beach. I have to work so I will be sleeping and getting ready for the midnight shift. I do have plans tomorrow morning for a quick trip to the market for material and then to the tailor - since I have now seen his work. I am going with my friend Wendy, and also new friend Stephanie. Stephanie is a nurse and also the wife of Tyrone the head chef/galley manager on the ship. Stephanie and Tyrone have been with Mercy Ships a long time, and have graciously befriended me and Wendy.
Stay tuned and I promise to have some pictures soon.
First impression, the main town is loud and full of dirt/mud. The side streets are reddish brown dirt and it rains here often, so things are slightly muddy. I hadn't been out to the main streets yet, so I wasn't prepared for how loud it was also. Lots of taxis speeding by beeping their horns at other cars, motorbikes, pedestrians, wandering dogs. We made it across the street and down another street to a little shack known as the tailor. Once you turn the corner and look inside you see about 15 VERY old fashioned sewing machines with young African men and women operating them. I am talking antique sewing machines, the kind where you use both your feet to get the machine to work. No electricity in Monrovia. Also, the workers were using real iron irons with coals in the bottom to heat them up. The tailor made some beautiful and very ornate dresses and skirts for my friends. I was amazed at what they were producing- fancy dresses, suitcoats, shirts. For about $20 my friend got 2 outfits made. I wish I could've taken a picture of the whole scene. However, it is not encouraged to take cameras anywhere out in public - for my safety and for the camera's safety :)
Once back at the ship we enjoyed a BBQ dinner out on the dock. Today is the one year anniversary of the Africa Mercy setting sail. I am happy to say that I made it onto the Africa Mercy in it's first year at sea (or maiden voyage as they say here on the high seas). Ok, so I made it onto the ship by just 5 days but who is counting?!? We had BBQ ribs, real french fries (a real special occasion food), salads and pineapple. Also they had some relay races - kind of like field day to just have fun and be together. I have some pictures coming I promise.
It is officially the weekend here and people are making their big plans for shopping in the market or the beach. I have to work so I will be sleeping and getting ready for the midnight shift. I do have plans tomorrow morning for a quick trip to the market for material and then to the tailor - since I have now seen his work. I am going with my friend Wendy, and also new friend Stephanie. Stephanie is a nurse and also the wife of Tyrone the head chef/galley manager on the ship. Stephanie and Tyrone have been with Mercy Ships a long time, and have graciously befriended me and Wendy.
Stay tuned and I promise to have some pictures soon.
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