Roll with It

So shortly after I published my last post I heard the audible chime over the ship's pa system that indicates an announcement is going to be made: "Dolphins on starboard side". I had my camera this time so I got up there and got some pictures to share!

As of yesterday we are in some rougher seas. I was feeling pretty strong but I think a combination of lack of sleep and way too much rocking has caused me some discomfort. Yesterday one of the biggest tilts that caused shelves to topple, furniture to move, and children to slide across floors was 21 degrees. Doesn't sound like much to you? Well consider a treadmill if you will. You start at 0 incline and every level you increase is generally 1%. I don't think it even goes to level 21, does it!?
New ship term: listing. It means tilting to one side or the other. Roll is the actual side to side movement. How many degrees before you don't come back? I'm not sure; I think it depends on the ship. One of the other crew members was talking to her grandpa, who was in the US Navy, and apparently he was aboard a ship whose angle of list got to 45 degrees and the ship manged to right itself. I'm not worried but it does mean sandwiches for lunch and dinner because there is no way the galley crew can cook in these conditions.

Last night I took place in a tradition that happens on all the sails: sock golf! First you need to make your sock into a ball (sock balls are an art so I definitely enlisted some help). Then you throw your ball from the tee box and try to hit the paper that represents the hole. It was pretty hard and the course was challenging! There were lots of stairs involved that made things especially difficult. Good news is we had fun and no one was crazy competitive so I didn't feel bad when I didn't do well.

Arrival in Cape Town is still Monday (September 29). Then we start organizing for all the PR events and taking on new crew members. Busy, busy!

But until then this is what the rest of the sail is expected to look like...

It does have its moments though...

Have a nice weekend!

Still Sailing

I was just thinking about what to share with you and there has been some cool stuff happening in the middle of the ocean. There have been lots of fun activities planned so people don't go crazy and start voting people off the ship and throwing them overboard! There are movie nights, trivia night on Tuesday (my team is in second place!), there was a mocktail party last night, and who can forget the endless supply of workout classes!
Last Thursday I saw an impressive dolphin display! They were literally playing in the wake of the ship. I couldn't believe they were jumping out of the water and spinning in mid air. I think the ship should have a slogan that speaks to animal lovers: Boycott Sea World, come to Mercy Ships. I also saw flying fish for the first time. Apparently they are a pretty common sighting so people don't get too excited but I think they are soooo cool. Did I have my camera in either of these instances? Nope. However, things happen so quickly that I am not certain I would even have time to take out my camera, turn it on, line it up, and capture the moment before it was all over.
I am keeping it together by having a routine and making sure I don't participate in every single organized event. Also, I was able to strike a perfect balance on Friday when I was volunteering in the cafe and there was an open mic night. So I was there but busy. I really like working at the cafe! I need to figure out how I can somehow work that  skill set into my future career path.
Yesterday I made some cupcakes for one of the kids who was having a birthday party. A friend of mine was organizing it and asked me if I might be able to help her out in the cake department. Luckily I had all the ingredients because a quick trip to the grocery store isn't quite possible right now. To be fair, the Ship Shop really has all the essentials anyway. So the birthday girl requested vanilla cupcakes with vanilla icing (my favourite too).

Yes, there are Kitchen Aid mixers in the crew galley! Not quite the same (or as big) as my pretty silver and boysenberry coloured mixers at home. They are awesome to have though, no matter their size or colour.
This morning I had planned to make tomato sauce but I decided to change my plan based on the fact that I procured some avocados yesterday and I was thinking I could make a mighty nice "cream" sauce with those while they are still good. So the tomato sauce was put on hold. I did have some potatoes and onions that needed to be used so I made Tortilla Española. It sure brought me back to third year university, learning how to make it in Spain.
I almost forgot to mention that we are now in the Southern hemisphere! That means since I have crossed the equator on a ship I am no longer a pollywog but rather a shellback. Huh? A pollywog is someone who has never crossed the equator on a ship and a shellback is someone who has. There are several other levels of shellback such as emerald, golden, and diamond. However, I haven't been able to figure out exactly what they all mean.
I also wanted to share this photo that I took just before we left Las Palmas. Spectacular!

In case you are wondering where the ship is, there is this really cool site that can tell you. Just type in Africa Mercy and you can see where we are on the live map! www.marinetraffic.com/en/
I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Set sail

I have been holding off on posting any new information because we were instructed to keep the location of our field service off of the internet out of respect for country next and the people in charge of releasing the news through the right channels. I was happy to oblige! They were supposed to make the official press release on Thursday of last week but then decided against it out of respect for September 11. Now that we are really on the open ocean and heading south it is about time I let you know what is going on. We got permission to tell the world yesterday so here it is... we are going to Madagascar!
Mercy Ships decided that the Ebola outbreak in West Africa is very volatile and the risk of exposure is far too great. It seems like God really set this whole thing up well though. The brand new managing director of the ship has a personal relationship with the president of Madagascar and was able to get the protocol signed within a week. Apparently the process to get the protocol signed (the document that outlines the agreement between Mercy Ships and the country in which we are serving) can take MONTHS! So all of these changes have presented many challenges but this seemed to be a huge hurdle that was overcome relatively easily based on that already established relationship. Talk about taking advantage of your resources!
So the plan is that we are at sea for approximately 18 days (we left Las Palmas on Saturday around 5ish) heading to South Africa. Once we are in South Africa the hope is that the ship will be able to receive the necessary repairs before we head to Madagascar. The way the problem was explained to me is that most ships can only go forward and backward, but our ship has the ability to control side to side movement as well. However, that side to side action is not working, which is only a problem if you are going somewhere where they don't have good tugboats that push and pull you to the dock. As far as I know Madagascar may not have tugs that can handle the ship and so that is why the problem needs to be fixed before we arrive. I also believe that our stop in South Africa will be used as a publicity/recruiting opportunity. It could also be a good chance for volunteers to meet the ship because it is easier to get a flight into South Africa than into Madagascar. So that is the plan for now, I expect it will change because that is just how things go around here. I have heard many times that "the only constant on the ship is change" and it is very true so far.
I appreciate everyone sticking with me through this whole waiting period and now it's go time!
Yesterday morning I saw a whole bunch of dolphins swimming around the ship. Did I have my camera with me? Nope. Will we probably see some more dolphins in the next few weeks? Let's hope so!
No seasickness so far but the whole rocking to and fro has not been helpful for sleeping. I have heard a few people say the ship rocks you to sleep but I cannot concur with that statement. Hopefully I will get used to it. Also, Sunday night was fajita night (which is the best dinner on the ship) and I just felt the need to share that with you because it is the simple things in life that are exciting!
The internet is like 1995 over here so please excuse the lack of pictures; it takes FOREVER to upload anything.

This is the view for the next two weeks!

You're how old!?

I thought I might be able to have some exciting news to share with you on this exciting day but, alas, I'm not allowed to tell you where we are going yet. This is because it has to be confirmed with governments and port authorities before it can be made public knowledge. What I do know is that we are postponed...again... until September 13 and that we are not going anywhere in West Africa.

In case you were worried that I wouldn't have anyone helping me celebrate my birthday on the ship, this is what I woke up to outside of and on my door.

Shaun T., yup that's him wishing me happy birthday!

For the past few days I have been thinking about what this day means and what the past year has been like for me. Clearly there has been at least one big life change in the past year and although I thought I would be in Africa by now, I am still pretty excited by what I have managed to accomplish in this year. I have become acutely aware of how much God is working in my life, and in the lives of my family and friends. 

Every year I always seem to ask my mom the same question about what she was doing the day before I was born or the day of. I don't remember the day before story (maybe because she doesn't) but the day of story is one I tell often. At the time, my mom was working for my dad back when Gage was still a baby business, less than two years old. She was having some discomfort all day but because she is a trooper she worked through it to make sure things got done. Also, because my mom had some experience in these matters of child birth, she wasn't worried. She knew it would have been useless to go to the hospital and have to wait for there to have enough progress to do anything about it. However, towards the end of the day I guess she made a face, and it must have been a face of pain and my dad noticed. Well as soon as he caught wind that she had essentially been in the early stages of labour all day he went into LET'S GET TO THE HOSPITAL mode. This is where it gets good. Since my mom knew that after she had given birth they wouldn't let her have a shower for a while after, she wanted to go home first and have a shower and then go to the hospital. Well, at my dad's urging he decided to forgo the shower (and if you know him you know that he would never skip a shower) and head straight to the hospital . Well it was a good thing because once they got to the hospital it was a challenge for my mom to walk. At that point it was too late for the epidural and I arrived 20 minutes later! 

I was also thinking about what I was doing that day while all this was going on. I figure I must have been with grandma just waiting for that perfect moment. I'm not one for speculating or guessing so let me explain myself. Although I have never met my grandma on this earth I miss her in a way that could only be explained by having a relationship with her, one that could only have been forged in heaven. I mourn her loss and keep her memory close to my heart. Not having her here makes me so much more thankful for my own mother and how much she has had to overcome losing her mom so early in her life. It also makes me so thankful for my Nonna and the amazing woman she is and all the time I have had the privilege of spending with her over all the years of my life so far. 

If you feel compelled to get me a gift here are some ideas:

1. Pray for West Africa - I'm not sure what the news is saying at home but Ebola is not getting better. So please just keep that in your mind and just because the news may not be highlighting it anymore it is still a crisis.

2. Tell someone about Mercy Ships! The more people that know about it the better!

3. Click the GIVE tab at the top of the page and help me alleviate some of the stress that comes with fundraising enough to serve the time I have committed to here on the ship. 

4. Tell someone you really care about that you love them or thank someone for who they are or what they have done for you. Appreciation is not overrated.

I have a some wonderful cards and a gift that my mom sent to me in July to make sure I had something to open and I opened one card to tide me over but I am waiting for later in the day to open everything else. I wasn't born in this time zone so it feels wrong to open them now when many people are still sleeping and I wasn't born until the evening (5:09 to be exact).

Other than that, have a great day and when I am allowed to disclose our destination I will do it right away.

Crests and Troughs

Since I am on a ship I feel compelled to use marine nomenclature whenever possible, hence the title.

Educational and entertaining, what more can you ask for in a blog? 

I titled the blog crests and troughs because yesterday I had a day FULL of them and it got me thinking about what I see as the good parts and the more difficult parts of living on the ship. 

CRESTS

- There are some absolutely wonderful people here that are full of life and are very caring. I love that feeling you get when you are speaking to someone and you just feel great peace. I had a conversation yesterday that gave me that feeling, and it is nice to speak to someone who is actually interested in listening to what you have to say.

- Human interaction! HR means many different things to everyone but here I am so excited to see people coming in and out of the office freely. At this point where the paperwork is light, it is nice to see people and get to learn more and more names. At first I though I would never be able to remember all of these names but day by day, after multiple introductions, I am starting to get a few. It is always funny to talk to people and see them try and inadvertently look at your crew badge to get your name. I am trying to resist the temptation to do that because I know how it feels when people do it to me. 

- If you give me a badge, a key, and a lanyard I feel SUPER important. Really, the feeling of having something that shows belonging around my neck gives me joy. What can I say? I'm a simple girl.

TROUGHS

- Because people have had to change their travel plans based on the location of the ship I have had to send LOTS of amended arrival notices. I know this is out of my control but I can just imagine people on the other end of my e-mails thinking "oh man, not another one from that crazy HR facilitator". Slightly irrational perhaps but I have a complex about making mistakes, so having to resend makes it seem like a mistake. Last week I felt worse about this, but this week I am just doing my best to make sure every detail is correct for the moment. 

- There are some people who you just don't connect with, no matter how many times you try. Yesterday I had a conversation that completely drained my self worth, I got up feeling terrible about myself. I know that I need to work on not placing my worth in the hands of other people. I also need to stop convincing myself that I need to be friends with certain people based on age or a single similar interest. It is also hard for me to come to terms with the fact that it is okay to just be an acquaintance and say hello in passing.

- Even with all of these people around, wonderful as they are, there is just something about talking to a friend who knows you. Someone who knows your personality, what you have done, and where you have come from so that you can vent without judgement and with understanding on the other end. Relationships are hard for me, so to have a friend like this on the ship may take until I am getting ready to leave. I can always try to pick up the phone but time differences and other people having lives (go figure) puts a damper on that option sometimes. 

- People drive me nuts. For no particular reason sometimes people will rub me the wrong way. However, I am fully aware that what is bothering me about them is completely ridiculous and not something that should be affecting me in any way whatsoever. This is such a problem for me and has been even before I got to the ship. On the ship it is slightly more challenging because I can't find a space to just let out whatever frustration, or anger seems to be troubling me so I just hold it in, and eat my feelings. Bad news. 

Anyway, thank you for putting up with my rant. Now that it is on the internet for all the world to see, I hope I didn't divulge too much information or make anyone reconsider their interest in Mercy Ships (the good stuff really does outweigh the bad, I'm just noisier on the bad days).

Enough about me

I been away from home for months now and I feel as though I haven't been giving you a complete perspective. Especially now that we have been delayed it has been hard for many people who have been reassigned from their expected hospital jobs to working in the galley, dining room, housekeeping, or with the engineering department doing odd jobs. I can see some people becoming tired and frustrated, stuck in a place of limbo. However, the managing director of the ship told us, very explicitly at our community meeting this week, that we are most certainly going to Africa. Although this mission can do great and beautiful things for the volunteers themselves, there is a whole other side to the story, a whole other group of people whose lives are changed.

Here are some of the stats from the last field service in Congo, as provided by Mercy Ships:
1085 eye surgeries; 995 people can now see
604 maxillofacial surgeries; 483 people who no longer have to hide in shame
207 plastic surgeries; 179 people who have regained use of their limbs after being badly burned
60 obstetric fistula surgeries; 60 women who feel worthy again
78 orthopaedic surgeries; 60 people who can now walk
19,081 dental treatments; 7,410 people without a toothache
629 Congolese health care professionals trained

Also, I really like this video. Mercy Ships has an amazingly talented communications team that put this together:

Note: A very Happy Birthday to my wonderfully amazing cousin Alessia! Have a wonderful day and I am so proud of who you are and your selfless and loving spirit.

I'm on a SHIP!

Hola amigos!

I have safely arrived and am fairly settled on the ship. The trip to Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain) was a long one but also fairly uneventful and very beautiful. Check out this picture I took from my seat on the flight from Dallas to London. 

The other really great thing was that on two of three flights there were lots of empty seats so we had lots of room to spread out. That was especially helpful on the 9 hour, overnight, flight to London. From London we went to Madrid (where I was feeling very nostalgic) and then to Tenerife. Most of us in the group got our bags but there were three unlucky people who didn't have their bags come onto the carousel. We we waiting, and even though the steady flow of bags had stopped I was still trying to hold out hope, and then the carousel stopped all together... not good. Luckily their bags were close behind and they got them the next day. 

At this point the ship is not at full capacity for staff since we are still in the Islands and don't have the hospital up and running. However, from what I can see it is a great group of people and I am really looking forward to my time here. I felt very useless my first few days in the HR office because the one person who can train me is just so incredibly busy. However, I am gaining more and more information each day and hopefully by the end of the month will be well equipped to handle the influx of crew members when we arrive in country next.

Did you notice that? Country next? Interesting, huh. Well let me explain. The ship was supposed to sail to Benin yesterday (Friday the 15th) but because of the Ebola situation, management decided to postpone our sail to see what transpires in the countries surrounding Benin (mainly Nigeria). I appreciate that they are being diligent but it also creates a bit of a mess for all the people who were supposed to arrive or depart the ship shortly after our arrival in Benin. However, I am grateful for the opportunity to adjust to the ship in a country where I am comfortable with the language, still have the freedom to roam around town on my own, and with less people on the ship (finding a table at mealtimes is going to get stressful). Even though I am not fully useful in the office, I was able to help a couple that was in my group in Texas, to buy a mini fridge. Although I can't full understand all Spanish dialogue I can get the gist and express myself (in a roundabout way sometimes). At least I feel a little useful in that way. I went to church yesterday with a few people and we missed dinner on the ship. We ate at a restaurant in town and I was able to communicate with the waiter, David, and translate for him when needed. Just in case you were wondering, I had and AMAZING salad with goat cheese, almonds, avocado, and a whole lot of deliciousness. Aaaanyway... David liked us enough to bring us some post dinner shots (I went with it). Understanding the priest at church is a whole different issue (too fast, too quiet, dropping off at the end of his sentences). I can't forget that being in Tenerife has another important upside... gelato. Not quite as good as Italy, but still very, very, very good. Since I won't see it again for months I have given myself permission to eat as much of it as I can. 

Last week I noticed that while I was walking down the hallway toward my cabin, I started off walking on the right hand side and then somehow was bumping against the left wall, and then I was back on the right. No, I was not inebriated. It was just the ship gently rocking back and forth. Being in the port I have noticed some movement but thankfully it hasn't been bothering me at all. 

Yesterday we moved from the area of the port that is designated for passenger ships to the area with the container ships. I guess they hadn't anticipated that we would be overstaying our welcome. We can't easily walk to town anymore but they have organized shuttles with gracious volunteers taking an hour whenever they can. Mercy Ships has a whole bunch of Land Rovers (the serious ones, not like the ones at home) so we are making good use of them. 

As for my living quarters, I am in a four berth which means there are four beds in total but the way it is configured is that there are two beds in each "room" that has a curtain separating it from the rest of the cabin. I am on the top bunk and here is a picture:

My bunkmate and I each have our own closet and you can see there is a little vanity in the middle. My bunkmate, Martha, has been so helpful and patient with me being slightly disorganized and bumping around when I wake up early to go running. The other two ladies in the cabin were with me in Texas and they are both great so I am very thankful to be living here. We also have a small room in our cabin with a couch, a window (pretty lucky since not everyone has one), a table, some shelves, and a little refrigerator. 

Here's a picture of the ship where we were docked when I first got here:

Not a bad set up, huh?

Also, they are doing some work on the dock and they had the following sign out. I just love when things get mistranslated. 

It should probably say "risk of collision". I like it the way it is though. 

I am sorry I hadn't updated in a while but I hope that gives you all a better idea of what's going on and from here on out I should be back to my weekly post, barring any unforeseen circumstances. Let me know if you have questions. Have a great weekend!