Mirary Krismasy!

Mirary Krismasy! (Merry Christmas in Malagasy)

I am currently on day 5 of Christmas vacation and let me just say, I am unsure how and why these days have gone by so quickly! Here's the run down of all that has happened this week.

There were no surgeries last week but there were some patients in the ward so some nurses were still working. For the most part though, many people were on vacation. HR was open on Monday and Tuesday but it has been very quiet because there have not been many people coming to the ship lately. In the new year there will be an BIG influx so I am profusely enjoying the calm before the inevitable storm. Unfortunately I didn't get to go to the retirement home last Tuesday. Apparently they were having important visitors so they asked us not to come. That's okay, I signed up to go this week; hopefully it will actually happen. On Tuesday there was some trouble in town due to some difficulties surrounding the consistency of the electricity. As a result, people were protesting, or demonstrating, or doing something; I am not too sure. I can only tell you what I heard because I was on the ship and didn't see anything first hand. However, the Captain informed us that they were calling people, who were out, back to the ship and our shore leave was suspended until further notice. Well, we were allowed to get off the ship the following morning but we had an early curfew on Christmas Eve (7 o'clock). That really messed with my plan to go to evening mass. There was no way I could go to 6 o'clock service and be back in time. That meant plans had to change; it is all part of the experience. Christmas morning started at 4:30am. We put our shoes out again and it was fun to see people roaming the halls during the night, making their deliveries.

After I made my deliveries I went for a run. Yes, I am slightly deranged. However, I certainly wasn't going to do it later on in the day, after I had eaten my weight in carbs. Then I got myself to 7 am mass, which I quite enjoyed; Christmas tunes are universal so even though I wasn't sure what everyone was singing I could sing along in my head. When I got back there was free Starbucks, some pre-brunch snacks, and Trevor getting his fill of hugs:

After that I went down to my cabin and passed an open door along the way. I got to visit with the Silversteins, a wonderful couple that was in my group in Texas. We chatted for a while and then headed up for brunch. The dining room was decorated beautifully for the occasion. I was most intrigued by the napkins! Look how cute:

Then came the part of the day that I was warned about: the afternoon. After brunch is over there is a whole lot of dead time. Time to think about home, family, and potentially wallow in self-pity. Luckily I had a friend who suggested we play Scrabble. That, coupled with doing laundry, kept me nice and busy. By the way, Christmas is the perfect day to do laundry on the ship because either people are not around or they aren't thinking about doing chores on Christmas. There was also an impromptu jam session that kept us entertained.

Then we had leftovers for dinner and got ready for open cabins. Open cabins is a ship tradition where people (typically families and people who live in singles) open their doors and offer treats, a place to relax, and some great company. I really enjoyed seeing how cabins are made into homes and it was a nice chance to sit down with someone you might not typically talk to on a regular day. And with that, Christmas was over!

I hadn't intended to run on Boxing Day but I think my carbo load from the day before gave me a lot of energy, so off I went. It was a GREAT one; I love it when that happens. Then I hung out on Deck 8 and enjoyed the beautiful day; not too hot or humid.

It was also my intention to make the Silversteins oatmeal raisin cookies for Christmas because they quite enjoy them, and I enjoy making them and giving them away. That being said, the crew galley was CRAZY the days leading up to and including Christmas, so there was no way I was going to insert myself into that chaos. Seriously, I would have had to keep my elbows up just to get some personal space; not the way I like to bake, or do anything for that matter. So I postponed baking until the 26th and this is what I found:

JACKPOT!

Then the weekend came, and I got to recover from Christmas! The timing worked out very well.

Back to work tomorrow but we do have Thursday off, so it is still a short-ish week. I hope everyone has lots of fun ringing in the new year (don't get too crazy)!

It was one of THOSE weeks...

This week has been fairly uneventful but when you are on a ship, that means lots has still happened. A public statement was made to announce our return to Madagascar for the next field service. That is a great blessing in many ways: we can take advantage of the infrastructure investments that have been made here for the Hope Centre (long term recovery centre) and dental clinic, retaining some of the 200 day crew will be a great help because the hiring/training process will be far more simple, we can really make a great effort to learn Malagasy well and know it will be helpful for another year, and Mercy Ships can make an even stronger impact by having a continued presence here in 2015-2016. All of these things are wonderful but part of me is disappointed. West Africans are still suffering because of Ebola. The teams that are try to help combat Ebola are being seen as the cause. Think about it: people in these crazy looking suits come to get your friend, mom, sister, brother, dad, uncle, and a few days later they bring them back in a coffin. It is hard; hard to understand, hard to manage, and I cannot even begin to imagine how hard to live through. Even though it is not international news anymore, please keep these countries in your thoughts, and prayers.

The ship is a little quieter than usual. Many people have departed the because their service is over, but many more left to go away for Christmas and will be back. People have been asking me if I am going away over the holiday (we have the 24-26 off). My standard response has been "No, I am going to revel in the quietness of the ship". That usually gets a smile and a head nod, because people know how great that can be.

The container that left Texas in June finally got to the ship! It went to Benin first and then had to get re-routed to Madagascar. That means I now have sunscreen! That is great news in and of itself but I also have enough toiletries to last a very long time, my huge Canadian flag, extra sheets, travel mug, and picture frames.

One of the nurses was commissioned to decorate the door of the HR office. She is absolutely amazing, as you can see. We all have our own elves! I'd just like to note that I hold the naughty/nice list; how appropriate.

The upcoming week will provide far more blog worth information that the last. I am going to a seniors home on Tuesday with Mercy Ministries and we have lots of Christmas festivities. Have a wonderful Christmas everyone. I hope that you can find the joy wherever you are, in whatever you are doing!

What does home look like?

My week in pictures...

A very thoughtful member of the deck department knew that I was missing hockey and gifted me this "puck". Pretty close! This is the result of drilling a hole in a huge tire.

We made a friend. The Peace Boat, Ocean Dream has been keeping us company for the past few days. That means there is another boatload of vazas (foreigners) in town. 

Gingerbread House Contest

Let me tell you, this was not necessarily what I had anticipated it would be when my co-worker asked me if I would help by being a judge. Naturally my response was "I am very judgmental". Armed with that skill set I was perfect for the job! Finally all those years of being a perfectionist were going to come in handy. However, it was to be discovered that whoever signed up to coordinate was responsible for making the pieces to compose the houses. Well, I was also happy to do that as well. So April and I set to work on Saturday making enough walls and rooves for 11 houses. 6 hours, and a few near breakdown later we were done! Today we got to see the fruits of our labour being put to good use!

 

Transportation to the display table was a challenge for some.

Teams were required to bring their own base; this team used the shape of Madagascar!

Winner for most photogenic

Overall winner! It is a ship... seriously, people are awesome. 

Most likely to be lived in; complete with an outhouse, and well!

This was actually last week but I really wanted to share. I had an extra cupcake and my bunkmate was just getting up to work the nightshift (Bill Cosby says chocolate cake for breakfast is perfectly acceptable). I later found this note on my bed. Yes, people are actually this nice!

I hope everyone has a great week!

'Twas Three Weeks Before Christmas

The gangway all decorated with garlands and lights!

Christmas is coming!!!

How do I know? Well besides the whole calendar thing, I got cookies in my shoe, Sinterclaas came, and we had a Winter Wonderland! Now for an explanation...

Sinterclaas (St. Nicholas) is a tradition that the Dutchies on the ship carry out. As an aside, I have been informed that Germans also celebrate Sinterclaas. Anyway, you put your shoe (only one) outside your door and Sinterclaas' assistant a.k.a. Black Peter (don't ask, it is a point of contention) delivers treats to your house. Generally kids will also put out a carrot for the horse. Typically there are huge chocolate letters and marzipan involved. There is also a big televised parade that is broadcast throughout the Netherlands (Santa Claus parade anyone?) Thanks to the serious efforts of many dedicated Dutchies on the ship we had little bags of spiced cookies in our shoes in the morning. They were baking ALL day! It was insane and smelled absolutely delicious if you went anywhere near the crew galley. Think 14 pounds of tiny, button sized, hand rolled cookies. Wow! Anyway Sinterclaas arrived to the ship via Tuk Tuk (how nice of him to embrace the Malagasy culture) and gave the children a gift, only after they sang a song, or performed a trick.

Then on Saturday, there was a really awesome craft and food fair that allowed all the crew to enjoy the hard work and talents of our fellow crew members. I went to evening mass and didn't return to the ship until 7:30. At that point there were already vendors that had sold out! It had only started at 7:00!!! Oh man, people really know what they like. There were cookies, cupcakes, chai tea, donuts, smoothies, apple turnovers, jewelry, greeting cards, a photo booth, snow cones, Christmas ornaments, and much more! I thought long and hard about signing up to have a booth and decided against it for a couple of reasons: 1. I already had cupcakes that I had been commissioned to make for that day. 2. I knew the crew galley would be FULL of people preparing treats and I don't work well with others, or in perceived chaos. 3. I really wanted to attend Saturday evening service. 4. My heart wasn't excited about making anything in particular, and without love it just isn't the same. I do intend to make some confections to distribute on Christmas Eve. That way I can make whatever I choose, on my own terms, and there is no pressure to produce anything specific. I am thinking the questionably named "Christmas Crack" because who doesn't like that? I have a ton of graham crackers that I could make it with, instead of saltines. It doesn't require many ingredients (all of which I can procure here), and it is easily packaged/stored. Whoop! Already excited about it.

Then this morning (Sunday) I went down to worship service in the ward. It was great to actually see patients and be able to sing with them and see the joy on their faces as we all thanked God together! No pictures allowed, sorry folks.

Earlier in the week we had a Malagasy cultural evening on the dock. The staff development manager had organized locals to come and set up stands to sell hats, cards, souvenirs, food, and there was even a dance team! We had our dinner set up outside (thank you to the galley and dining room staff, because that was a lot of extra work for them). I absolutely adored seeing everyone outside, eating, laughing, and just enjoying each other's company. Sure, that happens in the dining room all the time, but somehow being outside made it less stressful and intimidating, and far more fun and carefree.

Yup, the lady in the front, centre, is balancing a bottle on her head... while dancing. Skills

'Tis the Season

Christmas already!? Well the ship got decorated yesterday and there are Christmas trees and garlands everywhere (even up the gangway). With that, the array of Christmas activities will begin. Starting with the Dutch tradition of Sinterklass the day before the feast of St. Nicholas, on December 6th. I wonder what it will be all about. I do know Santa will be making an appearance.

A report about my infiltration of the Malagasy crew: I did it! On Wednesday I sat with three people I had never met before. They were very kind and allowed me to join them. They all work in the galley (kitchen) and although the language made it a bit challenging, they were able to make it work between the three of them and get the right message back to me. They were concerned about the lack of food on my plate and so I got to tell them that I don't each fish (what they were eating for lunch) and that I am vegetarian. That always raises a few eyebrows but it is a good way to start a conversation. Now when we see each other we greet each other with more than the typical smile and head nod. This is progress!

Also, I found out there will be an outreach program at care facility for older people. I am not exactly sure what it will look like yet but I hope I will be able to participate. It is an odd concept to me because elders are so well respected in Madagascar. As such, it really surprises me that a place like that exists here. I figured that people would take care of their parents and grandparents no matter what.

As a part of my branching out I also went to the market again this week, but I actually bargained and bought a few things! I know it doesn't sound like a lot but I was always too worried about paying too much, or having the language barrier be more than I could handle. However, I was with a great group of people that put me at ease because they showed me with enough hand signals and third party assistance, great deals can be made. I was also more comfortable because I was able to get a general sense of what the cost should be for certain items. Therefore, I had a goal price to work around. I think I did alright. The very first thing I wanted to by was a really nice book with blank pages of handmade paper. I may have paid a bit too much for that considering he proposed 30,000 ariary and so I said 20,000 and he said yes right away. Oh well, I know to go lower next time!

After the market we went to the beach for lunch. Not a bad backdrop for an afternoon meal...

All in all, I'd say the branching out process is happening slowly but surely. Have a wonderful week!

Mind, land, and sky

What does it mean to be a missionary and what is enough?

These questions have been swirling around my head for a few weeks but this week I was really confronted with them. On Thursday we had community meeting where the topic was living incarnationally. In discussing it with a fellow crew member I was explaining that the speaker had emphasized the importance of really trying to get to know the people you are ministering to; see their country, learn their language, and immerse yourself in their culture. No one will want to listen to what you have to say if they can't see that you are making an effort to get to know them. So after I had mentioned those points my friend turned to me and said that I wasn't doing any of that, I never get off the ship and I need to get out more and explore the country, go to the market, and interact with the people. I hate to say it, but they were absolutely right. I do stay very close to the ship. I usually get off in the morning when I run, on the weekend to go into town and stroll around, and to go to church. I hardly interact with the Malagasy day crew that are on board, and unfortunately HR doesn't have any day crew in our department. I was trying to convince myself that it was enough for me to minister to the crew, that is how I am serving the ship. However, there is just a little part of me that is pushing back, and convicting me to do more. So how am I going to rectify this? I certainly can't be presenting myself as a missionary when I am not even making a concerned effort to know, and care about the people I see everyday. Well, as soon as Mercy Ministries starts up, I will make sure I sign up right away! Mercy Ministries are extra-curricular outreach programs that are arranged by the ship. The coordinator told me that they went to visit an orphanage that may be a prospective opportunity. They had to take a 45 minute boat ride to get there. It sounds like a trek, but a very worthwhile trek. Although that is wonderful, my heart doesn't long to play with children, rock them to sleep, and be silly. Don't get me wrong, I am happy to hang out with kids but it is not really my gift; I am scared of accidents, temper tantrums, and being hated. For some reason, having a little kid dislike me is so much harder than having an adult dislike me. All that to say, I hope an opportunity to minister to adults becomes available! I think I could also start sitting in the dining room to eat again. I have been avoiding it since we got into the full swing of things. It can be quite loud and very crowded, and it mimics your worst high-school cafeteria nightmares. Terrifying. I think that is what I will try this week. Breaking into a huge group of Malagasy people might be mildly difficult so I might need some prayer for that. I will report back next week on how that goes.

Lychee (also spelled litchi)! It is lychee season in Madagascar. What does that mean? Well, for the past week or so I get whiffs of sweet smelling lychees when I am sitting outside on deck 7 or 8. I thought I was going nuts until someone explained that the ship beside us was loading pallets upon pallets of lychees to be deliver to Europe or Dubai (unclear which, if either, was the correct destination). A few people from the ship were even fortunate enough to receive a tour of the lychee factory in town and got a HUGE basket to bring back to the ship.

Last night the group I was with in Texas went out for dinner for a birthday celebration. The restaurant was a bit outside of town and right on the beach. After enjoying a great dinner and catching up with may people I don't get to see all that often, I went out to look up at the starts, hoping I would have a good view being away from all of the lights. Oh, speaking of lights, the power went out in the restaurant! It was only for a few minutes, but it was just another reminder how much I love the peace that come with complete darkness. Anyway, I went to look at the stars, and although it was very dark, it was also very cloudy. However, I was determined to take in the peace of the moment so I found a space between the clouds and took focus. Well, that space continued to grow until there was a pretty decent space where you could clearly see a ton of stars. In that moment I just asked God to help me love everyone around me as much as he loves us. I know that is a big prayer, but if Joshua can ask the sun to stand still and be heard, it doesn't hurt to ask. As numerous as the stars in the sky, are people on this planet. How can He possibly love them all? That is not something my mind is equipped to understand, and the more I think about it the more confused I make myself. While I grapple with that I will just do my best to love the people around me, by seeing their value and appreciating all they do, who they are, and what they will become.

For those of you who have heard (or haven't) about the plague outbreak in Madagascar here is a statement released by Mercy Ships:

"On Nov 21 the WHO reported that an outbreak of Plague in Madagascar. The first case, a male from Soamahatamana village in the district of Tsiroanomandidy, was identified on 31 August. Since that time a total of 119 cases of plague have been confirmed, including 40 deaths. Cases have been reported in 16 districts of seven regions. Antananarivo, the capital and largest city in Madagascar, has also been affected with 2 recorded cases of plague, including 1 death. 

A national task force has been activated to manage the outbreak. With support from partners – including WHO, the Pasteur Institute of Madagascar, the “Commune urbaine d’Antananarivo” and the Red Cross – the government of Madagascar is putting in place strategies to control the outbreak.

This  outbreak report has received world-wide press attention.

Plague is a bacterial disease caused by Yersinia pestis, which primarily affects wild rodents. It is spread from one rodent to another by fleas. Humans bitten by an infected flea can develop the disease. Plague is endemic in many parts of the world including the Western United States. The United States has an average of 7-10 cases of plague a year.

Plague is easily treated with antibiotics, but can be highly lethal if left untreated. Plague may occur in three varieties.

Bubonic plague is the most common variety of the disease. It's named after the buboes (swollen lymph nodes)  which typically develop within a week after an infected flea bites.

Septicemic (blood infection) plague is a rarer form of the disease that can occur as the first symptom of plague, or may develop from untreated bubonic plague. This form results from bites of infected fleas or from handling an infected animal.

Pneumonic plague is the rarest form of the disease and may develop from inhaling infectious droplets or may develop from untreated bubonic or septicemic plague after the bacteria spread to the lungs. Pneumonic plague is the most serious form of the disease and is the only form of plague that can be spread from person to person. Only 2% of the cases of plague in this outbreak in Madagascar have been of the pneumonic variety.

Plague in the developing world is a disease of poverty (people living in close proximity to rats) and the diseases high death toll is the result of lack of access to healthcare.

Individuals can reduce their risk of exposure to plague by avoiding close contact with rodents or flea infested animals, by using insect repellent and not handling dead animals without proper protective equipment.

Mercy Ships current infection control and patient screening practices should prevent any cases of plague embarking on the Africa Mercy. The hospital is also equipped with appropriate medications to treat any cases of plague that might occur.

The current plague outbreak in Madagascar is not expected to have an adverse effect on Mercy Ships operations or place personnel at any increased risk.

Mercy Ships is carefully monitoring the situation and will make programmatic adjustments if necessary to protect staff and crew."

On that note, have a great week and thank you for reading!

Lemurs and... tortoises?!

Today was an action packed day, which is especially good because if it hadn't been I would have had absolutely nothing of consequence to report, except... surgeries started! I saw a little baby sporting two leg casts the other day. That means that the orthopedic team is hard at work! Apparently there are many club foot patients this year; more than they had anticipated. I really do need to make a point of getting down to the wards though because I feel so detached from the hospital. It is like this mystery two decks below where I work, where so many miracles happen. I just can't wrap my head around it. Anyway, next to that my day is kind of inconsequential but, nevertheless, I will tell you about it.

Today I went to the lemur park and saw a whole bunch of really cute and fuzzy lemurs (and a few babies too). The park helps with conservation of the lemurs, which means there are cages involved. I know, I know, it is a zoo. There are some that are roaming around and just show up for the delicious grub. Like these guys...

Our guide Denis with on of the really awesome tortoises.

The tortoises were so cool. Did you know that you can tell if it is make or female by the belly? If it is flat it is female, if it is concave it is male. Cool!

Did you know that chameleons can change colour based on their mood and what their eating? Makes sense I guess. People often change colour when they are mad and food can certainly affect a person's mood (quinoa=happy, white rice=annoyed). Oh nature, how you amaze me.

On the road with Mike and Sue

This fence is woven together. I thought it was so cool because the pattern is actually very pretty and it seemed like many houses along the road were made of the same material.

I felt like I really needed to take a picture of this construction site because it just made no sense to me. They must have been building a wall or pouring concrete because there were a ton a sticks that looked like they were holding everything up. I guess they don't have site inspectors here; I suppose that isn't necessarily a good thing. 

A new ship pulled up beside us. Yup, that little thing on the right is the Africa Mercy. Doesn't look like we are a big ship at all! The Eukor seemed to be full of cars. There is a parking lot in the port that filled up overnight... literally.

After I got back from seeing the lemurs I went to the store to just wander around. At home I can spend ages at the grocery store. That might be partially because the stores are huge at home, but also I just really like taking my time and looking around. Well, here it is not the same feeling. The stores are much smaller and although I still enjoy taking my time, there just isn't the same amount of joy derived from that particular activity. That's alright, I procured some pastina which makes me think of my Nonna, and that makes me happy. For those who don't know pastina is just a word that describe really small pasta. In this case, it is the shape of little stars. 

Then I cleaned the cabin (which takes all of 45 minutes even when you are being thorough) and worked out. My workout was funny today because I did sprints followed by push ups and squats. There was really no good place to do it so I was running up and down one of the sidewalks in the port with a bunch of men trying to do some work across from me. Apparently my fast-ish running and doing push ups on the asphalt was more interesting than whatever they were working on. There are people everywhere so it really couldn't be avoided and it just had to be done. 

After I showered I went to church. Now this is the first time I have been to mass on Saturday evening since my arrival to Madagascar so don't get mad at me as you continue reading. The church was cool (temperature wise) and not packed with people as it usually is on Sunday morning, which is great news. While the priest was reading the gospel the lights went out. Here's the great part... no one did anything. No screams, no sitting down, no movement from the congregation at all. The alter servers went to get candles and a flashlight and the priest just picked up right where he left off. This leads me to believe that the lights going off is a fairly normal occurrence. Shortly after that it sounded like a generator kicked in so the lights went back on, to my chagrin. There are so many distractions in our lives that we cannot choose to turn off. Sometimes a power outage is a huge gift. If you can, try and turn everything off for a few minutes outside of going to bed. Just soak in the quiet in each of your senses. 

This is where is gets questionable... Since the sun goes down at 6:00, it was pitch black when mass ended at 7:05. Did I mention there are no street lights? Yup, it was not the most secure I've felt in my whole life but I was singing Joy to the World, so what is the worst that could have happened? Anyway, it was a short, but very dark walk back the the port gate and then it was very well lit all the way back to the ship.

That was my day. I hope you have a wonderful weekend and if you have any news you want to share with me or prayer requests please send me an e-mail at marina.priolo@mercyships.org.