From Ship to Shore

I’m not really sure what I should be feeling right now. After arriving to the ship at the end of January and jumping into work as Maxfax team leader, I felt like I was running a 4 1/2 month marathon. Then when we were 2 days away from closing the hospital, unforeseen circumstances caused us to extend the closing by 3 days. Oh how I wanted to cry from fatigue! But we managed with nurses offering to work and the other team leaders kindly took the extra days on-call so I didn’t have to. Then on Monday just gone, we finally discharged the last patients and we sighed a massive sigh of relief. The nurses blitzed the hospital cleaning, packing and tying down while I finished projects I had been working on and tied up loose ends for the next team leader. Before I knew it, Friday morning was here, I said a lot of goodbyes and I hopped on a plane to Togo. (The most expensive flight I’ve ever been on but it was direct and uncomplicated which I appreciate.) Now I’m sitting at a beach-side hotel restaurant in Lomé, Togo listening to Kenny G on repeat and drinking Nescafé coffee (not my favourite but it’s the only option). So, in the next few days comes the big gear shift to remote African living.

Yesterday I was met at the Lomé airport by my friend Miriam who I lived on the ship with me for almost 3 years a few years ago. She’s a pharmacist and has worked at the Hospital of Hope in Mango now for 3 1/2 years. She took the 8 hour night bus journey from Mango to Lomé with another missionary Susie, in order to pick me up and shop for supplies in the bigger stores. The shopping list has things like 10 boxes of Honey Puffs, 20L of soy milk, pancake syrup and a cross trainer exercise machine to name a few. She only comes to Lomé about every 6 months on average so it’s sort of shop until you drop and get a taxi not a motorbike back to the beach hotel. 

I only have the rest of this day and the 9hr taxi ride tomorrow to shift my mind to the 2 months of hospital nursing and village life ahead of me and to process the 4 1/2 months of working and living life on the AFM with Mercy Ships. I know it will take longer than the next 36hrs but I have to start somewhere.

The night before I left the ship the communications team gave us access to some photos from the previous month, a time when my ward was full of one year old cleft lip or palate repairs. The first few days were miserable for them and there was so much crying but by 4-5 days post-op their pain had decreased and they were smiling and happy. One little one named Oslima showed her joy by sticking her little tongue out all the time. We all poured out so much love on these babies and their mamas. What a special time.

 

There was also a woman on the ward we called Mama Sabine. She is such a special woman who loved on each of us as if we were her grandchild. Someone asked her if she was looking forward to going home after her surgery. She said, “This place is just an extension of my home.” When I went to greet her each morning she’d give me a big hug and kiss on the cheek and tell me how her night was and ask me how I was. We all adored her.

 

Another patient who was with us to the end was Lawrence. He had a bit of a hard trot with delayed wound healing and several returns to the OR which caused him to be quite downcast on the ward but by the last few days of his stay he was happier and doing well.

I wish it was easier to know how my patients do after they leave from our hospital and the ship sails away. So often I think the same as Mama Sabine said as she walked out and down the hospital hallway towards the stairs to the gangway, “See you in heaven!” What a party it will be to see each other again.
 

I leave the ship knowing I will return in the next while but waiting for God’s direction. In the meantime I follow the steps laid out in front of me, knowing a hospital on land will stretch me in different directions than the ship did but I’m looking forward to a different way of life and sharing the journey with you.

The Reef

 Once upon a time, there was a guy called Dave who loved being out in the ocean almost more than anything else. When he flew to join a ship called the Africa Mercy that sat upon the ocean in Madagascar, he dreamed of ways that he could explore the country and take advantage of the beautiful surroundings. So, joining with an engineer on board, they created and built their very own boat. This meant that Dave could explore with his friends whenever he wanted to and when the weather was right.

One day Dave took his friends Stacia, Heather and Deb out to the reef just outside the port. Dave's friends had been asking him if he could take them out before Heather left the ship to go home. They were not disappointed by what they saw. In the perfectly temperate ocean water they saw starfish, colourful corals and many different types of small fish as they snorkeled around. They even stopped off at a shipwreck and snorkeled around seeing the way that the coral had established itself on the iron of the ship creating a new home for more tropical fish.

As the group of friends motored home at the end of the trip the girls thanked Dave for the opportunity to explore a unique part of Madagascar that they could see from their ship home but only imagine what beauty was hiding under the ocean waves.
 

Malagasy Cultural Tour

The last few weeks have flown by so fast, so although the events below happened a couple of weeks ago, they were such fun I don’t want to skip over them happening.

I was able to join the Malagasy Culture Tour for a full day of learning and fun. First stop was at a house in Toamasina where the man of the house has been making paper from the bark of a tree for the last 40 years. He has made enough money over the years to support his family and send his kids to college. He showed us how he makes it and then let us decorate our own piece to take home.

 Next we went to a lady’s house who cooks snacks to sell on the street. Together we made the snacks she sells and we got to taste them for ourselves. They were so good! We were even given the recipes.

After a drive outside of the city to a village nearby we met Mama Lili, mother to four children, whose husband works away from home. Mama Lili works in her family rice field, growing food for her family and when they have plenty to eat she sells to others. She taught us how to plant and grow rice. We also saw how amazingly resourceful she is at using the plants in her fields to supply food for her family and to dry for weaving of placements and baskets to sell.

To finish off the day we had a Malagasy dance group sing and dance some of their cultural songs and participation was definitely required!

 We returned to the ship with muddy feet and tired bodies but with such an appreciation for the work that each person puts into their day to day life to live and support their families.

 

A Little Christmas Fun

I’ve been waiting until I have felt inspired before writing a blog, but the truth is inspiration has been fleeting and there have been too many other things happening that I have given my time away to.

As much as I would have loved to be home with my family this Christmas I’m not, I’m here on the ship in Tamatave, Madagascar and making the most of this season with my ship family. The ship is well decorated with Christmas trees in all the common areas and greenery wrapped up the gangway and over the stair banisters. There have been a lot of events to enjoy, including Sinter Claus (Dutch tradition), Santa Lucia (Scandinavian tradition), Christmas movies, cookie bakes, gingerbread house competition, jingle bell dash and Carols by Candlelight just to name a few. I have made the most of Christmas by visiting the market and buying gifts for others for Christmas and picking up a few things for myself!

Nothing like a pair of Christmas leggings. So ridiculous.

Above is a photo of me walking around town with a blow up Santa. Yep, that’s right. I bought him from a guy on the street who was carrying a handful of them. When I saw them, I knew that I needed one. (Hehe, no one really needs a blow-up Santa, do they?) So I asked the man, “Combien?” How much? “Douze mill” 12,000AR = $5. No way, I think. “Cinq mill” He shook his head and so I continued on my way to join my friends at the outdoorish eating place (not fancy enough to even call it a restaurant, so I don’t know how to classify it!) 

Anyway, the guy hung around and after about 30 minutes he walked over and said “Six mill” I shook my head “Cinq mill” 5,000 AR = $2 (I drive a hard bargin- I know their game) and he gave the nod of his head, signalling that he had lost the battle and I could pay what I had said. So, Santa or Dada Be Noel as he is called in Malagasy, joined our lunch table.

After lunch, we headed back out into the market, Dada Be Noel on my hip. As I walked passed a group of older ladies sitting on the curb, they noticed the blow-up man and so I waved his arm at them, “Dada Be Noel, Salama” They started laughing and replied Salama. I reply, “Ina vaovao?” Giggling some more, “Tsy vaovao” And then I jiggle Santa with my arm around his belly and say in my best Santa voice “Ho, ho, ho” and just keep walking. Oh, the faces of those ladies, cracking up and laughing at me.

I continued these antics the whole way through the market. People probably thought I was crazy but you know, I don’t care, as long as I get a genuine smile. Dada Be Noel is now sitting on my desk, acting as a Christmas Tree surrounded by presents, although the tree lights are strung above him on the roof because I think they are hot enough that they’d pop him. Anyway, this funny little blow up Santa makes me smile every time I look at him.

The operating rooms have closed for this Christmas week and the wards have many less patients than normal, many of them discharging to be with their families or at least out in the community during this season.

  

On another random note, we stopped at this concrete Santa on the side of the road on the way to our favourite weekend getaway and took some fun photos.

 

 

Santa- did you know your eyeliner is running? Creepy.

Whether you are in the heat or in the cold this Christmas, with your family or without, I wish you a very Merry Christmas!