The day the ship shop got food

Last week an amazing thing happened.  I'm sure that someone got their legs fixed in surgery.  Someone that was blind probably got sight back.  Lives were changed, but that happens everyday.  This was big!  An epic event.  The container came and the ship shop got restocked!!!!!!!!  After weeks of suffering, horrible neglect, and sadness we finally got some food. 

                                           Seth punching Gemma when she tried to steal his food. 

 I didn't take any of these photos.  I was hiding in my room until the roar died down, but I certainly got there in time to pick up some pringles and chocolate :)

Market

 Going to the store takes on an entirely different meaning here.  This is my third time volunteering in West Africa and I still can't get used to it.  At home you go to one store to do your shopping.  We complain about the isles and how the bread should be at the end so it doesn't get squished by everything else in your cart.  Imagine that there isn't a cart.  The streets are filled with thousands and thousands of people selling things.  Some sell out of baskets they carry on their head.  The ladies with a giant tower of eggs carefully balanced on their head, gracefully weave in and out of traffic and the crowds.  How do they do that?  Some are in wooden stalls set up on the "sidewalk"  I guess it is a sidewalk, but mostly it is broken concrete slabs that the sewer runs under, and cars still drive on it anyway.  You have to pay taxes on things you sell in a set up stall, so some simply lay the products down and pick them up when a car gets to close or when they see the police walking near.  It is amazing to walk through, but I can't imagine trying to buy anything.  Nothing is a set price.  You barter for every tube of toothpaste or live chicken that you need to buy.  Yep you read that right.  Today a lady walked by with a plastic bag containing one LIVE chicken.  Christina believes that it is her pet and I didn't have the heart to tell her that it was dinner.  Now that I think about it, we had chicken for dinner tonight so it could have been our dinner.  On one side of the street today was all different kinds of fish.  Fish.  Sitting on boxes in the open air with people calling out to us just in case we want to buy them.  Thankfully the ship shop restocked us on chocolate because if I was ever temped to snack on a fish while walking through the market I'd have to rethink my life.  The market constantly amazes me.  Once you get used to the honking horns (it is constant here) and learn to swerve around vehicles, other people walking, men pushing full carts, and avoiding the giant gaps where the concrete "sidewalk" has broken and not fall into the sewer, the market is a lot of fun.  Someday I will make a list and go to the market and do my shopping. Just in case you are wondering.... there will NOT be any live chickens on my list.  

    

T.I.A

T.I.A means This is Africa.  Almost every day someone is uttering those letters.  Last weekend I went off on an adventure with Brittney and Christina.  T.I.A started with a 4 hour wait for a taxi driver who told us he was at the gate.   4 hours sitting at the gate with security guards, police, and lots of people wondering what we were doing.  It was a great time to talk and to be able to greet the President of Sierra Leone as he entered the gate for a special ceremony.  After our taxi arrived and we set off we agreed to a price of 120,000 Leone's.  When we arrived at our destination he actually wanted $120 dollars.  T.I.A.  Then of course there is the boat ride which is really a giant canoe that surprisingly didn't require any bailing out of water, or any  failing engines.  We arrived at our destination of Banana Island Guesthouse that the website describes as the True African Castaway Experience.  All that is true.  You are in Africa.  You can't swim back to the mainland.  You are praying for your life in the canoe.  And it is, in fact, an experience.  You feel like a castaway since there is a huge menu, but you can't order anything on it since they "just ran out".  The first night that wasn't a big problem since the only thing on the menu was lobster that the man swam out and pulled out of a trap right in front of us.  The next day a fisherman pulled his boat up to shore with a giant fish and a giant barracuda and sold one to the cook at our camp.  That was dinner.  No ordering necessary since that is all they had.  I guess it solves indecisiveness.  Well, we really wanted barracuda but they said it was to big for just us 3 to eat so we had to buy the other giant fish.  They did have cold sodas.  Well, not the first day since the generator that runs the fridge ran out of fuel, but late afternoon the next day we got a cold soda.  I'll spare you the details of the really, really bad night the second night, but it was bad.  We were ready to not be castaways anymore and go back to our giant white ship.  I'll end my long story by saying that it was a true T.I.A experience, but I can't remember when I've had more fun!  I'm sure it was the company I was with more than anything and I really enjoyed hiking around the island and meeting people that live there.  Until my next adventure.  Goodbye

Eye screening

Every week for over a month I've been helping with eye screening.  This is held off ship on Monday mornings and I've been a part of the security team.  We basically go to assist with the line of patients and help answer questions and direct people where to go.  Usually I stand at the gate and smile at people as they enter.  Occasionally someone is naughty and likes to sneak in, but usually we can catch them and send them back in line since everyone else has been waiting hours to be seen.  Yesterday I was able to go out into the crowd and using a translator tell the crowd waiting the things that we are here to do.  The problem is that people line up to see what is going on, and to get help for many things that aren't eye problems.  Even when we announce what we are doing most continue to stand in line just in case.  Everyone is screened by nurses and those we can help are given cards to go see the doctor.  It is easy to imagine that we could separate those that need us and those that don't.  However, every week there is at least one that I want to run to the front of the line and help.  Last week a lady was brought inside by her son.  He sat her down in front of me on a bench and went to stand in line for her. After awhile I went over and said hello.  As I sat down she began to tell me about the first screening and how she was at the gate.  I never doubted her words because she knew exactly what had happened in detail at the gate.  After her story she laid her hand on my arm and told me "that one man even died there"  This woman had no idea that I was there or how that man has impacted my life since that day.  She also never asked me for anything.  It is sometimes hard to get to know someone simply because a lot of people just want something from you.  Not just here in West Africa but in every country.  We tend to develope relationships based on what we can gain from it.  Networking is a polite way to put it.  This woman just told me of her experience and waited patiently while hundreds of people walked in front of her to see the dr.  I believe that people are placed in our lives for a reason.  Not everyone.  It can't happen every day, every moment because it wouldn't mean the same thing, but sometimes something just speaks to you that you have to do something.  It happend a few weeks ago to me during the second screening.  A boy was told that we couldn't help him and off he went with his dad.  The entire time they screener was examining him and talking I wanted to cut in and beg her to let them through.  The reason that he was turned away was valid, and most likely there wasn't anything that we could have helped with, but I've thought of him often.  There isn't a dramatic ending to my story with the lady from eye screening.  She waited her turn and was given a card to see the dr.  While she waited though she told her son all about me and when she crossed over to stand in the line waiting to see the doctor she patted me on the butt to show me her card.  Ignoring the patting my butt part I was very glad to see her with a white card.  Since it is hot in line and there is no place to sit, we wanted to move this lady forward in line.  Around the corner was a place to sit comfortably while she waited so we moved her forward.  A few others also wanted to help her after hearing me telling her story, and no one else in line seemed to mind this older woman moving forward.  Usually I like to follow the rules and keep things fair, but like I said, every once in awhile you have to do something.  There is no ending for this story.  If we were able to help her she was given a card to come to the ship at the begining of May for surgery.  If she didin't need help she wasn't given a card to come to the ship.  I wasn't able to stay the whole day and have no idea the outcome of her visit with the dr.  She knows my name and knows to ask for me if she comes to the ship. I'm sure everyone is wondering why I just told an extremly long story without a real ending, but hopefully in a month we'll have an ending.  I'll let you know :)

Freetown, Sierra Leone

When we first arrived in Freetown I wasn't able to put pictures on my blog.  For those people that aren't on facebook I wanted to add some of my favorite pictures that i've taken since arriving here.  Freetown, Sierra Leone is an interesting place that I'm still trying to figure out.  Some places you can see the level of development before the war, and in also see the shacks and bad living conditions.  

THANKS MOM!!!

Awhile ago I was having a conversation about cereal.  Not to exciting at first but after a few minutes I really started to crave Fruity Pebbles and a friend wanted Captain Crunch.  I called my mom and put an emergency order in and begged her to send some to me.  Well, after a few weeks we received our precious boxes of cereal and Cyle, Mae and I met on Deck 7 far away from the rest of the crew and enjoyed our cereal.  Today however, we decided to have another cereal day and go into the dining room.  600 people eat lunch in the dining room but we tucked into a nice table by the window and all had smiles on our faces.  A few extra people joined in along the way and eventually many people were able to share in the cereal.  It is funny how something so little can make so many laugh.  At one point I accidentaly knocked over a cup of fruity pebbles and a guy from the table next to us made a loud noise and rushed over to scoop them up so they weren't wasted.  Of course we all laughed so loud most of the dining room were watching us.  We all want to say thanks to my mom for sending us the cereal!!!!!!  Here are a few pics of the group.  Oh yeah by the way.  It is really expensive to receive packages here and the box that my mom sent cost me $25 to pick up, but it was worth every penny today!!!

Blood Bank

One of the more interesting parts of my work here is with the blood bank.  In a normal hospital you call down to the blood bank and have blood sent up.  Usually it is either red blood cells or plasma.  Here the crew are the blood donors.  They fill out a medical questionnaire and agree to be a blood donor.  We draw a small sample of blood and run HIV, Hep A, Hep B, and RPR.  If all the tests come back negative the crew are placed on our board as potential blood donors.  Patients are admitted every day.  If the dr thinks that they might need blood the amazing ladies in the lab test the patients blood and match it with crew blood donors to make sure it is a good match.  There is a bunch of science and smart people stuff in there too, but I don't know it.  Here is the good part.  If the patient needs blood the O.R calls to let us know and we call the crew member.  They leave work (or bed if you are laura and just worked night shift) and come to the hospital to donate.  This involves a large needle but we give them oreos and soda after so they don't mind.  The blood then is tested by the smart lab ladies once again and walked into the O.R to be transfused into the patient.  No spinning or separating.  It isn't random donation to who knows where.  You know that when we take your blood it is going to someone who really needs it only a few feet away.  After you donate you can meet the patient and it is an amazing connection when you give someone your blood.  Most of the crew like to donate (except for the needle part) and it is great to always have blood available if needed.  I have some pictures of a few friends donating but they aren't uploading so I'll add them later.

pictures

I help with the eye screening every monday.  People start lining up hours before we arrive. 

This is a game that we played one night.  With traffic bad here most weeknights are spent on

  the ship amusing ourselves. 

This is all the nurses on the ship.  Of course a few of us non-nurses had to jump in.  I'm at the top choking the hospital director.  Can you find me???

This is one of my favorite patients so far.  He was a bright spot on the wards and was always ready with a smile and high five. 

Lots to say

I'm going to try to catch up to date without putting out an entire book.  The last few weeks have flown by.  As of the 1st I have 4 months left here in Sierra Leone.  That is twice what I usually come for but it doesn't seem like enough time.  After the first screening my heart was messed up.  There was never a question of finishing my time here but it scared me to open up to being hurt again.  Last weekend we held our 2nd screening and it went beautifully.  The security started the day before and Mercy Ships people were there to tell people what we could do medically and so people didn't waste their time.  It made the next day go smoothly as thousands were able to be seen and helped.  Many surgeries were scheduled that day and that went a long way to healing our hearts from the first one.   It doesn't mean that I've forgotten all that went on.  I still think about the man who died every day and still pray that we will find out his name and his family.  

Every Monday I am part of the security for the eye screening.  The first weeks we saw over a thousand people each Monday.  It has taken several weeks but the team has a good plan in place to help people but have order in the line too.  There is a desperation to be seen here that i've never experienced.  

During the rest of the days I'm still working in the lab and admissions drawing blood.  Last week we had 5 blood transfusions that kept me busy.  The crew are all willing blood donors and are usually asking to give blood.  Well, all except my roommate Anna.  She is rare blood type(and isn't excited to donate) and just Friday I told her we wouldn't really ever need her, but we've matched her to two patients in two days so soon she will probably have to give up some blood.  Hopefully she'll still speak to me after.  

My other two roommates are Jane and Frances.  All three are so much fun and I feel lucky to have gotten them as my roommates this year.  There is a lot of laughter in our room.  

After work and on the weekends there is time to hang out on the ship or travel around the country.  Usually you can't really go out during the week since traffic is so crazy, but on the weekends you can.  This past weekend I was able to go out Saturday and Sunday.  Saturday to the beach, and Sunday to an island called Banana Island.  Both days were fun, but Sunday was an adventure.  It involved a large canoe that of course had a leak, and running over a fishing net that broke our boat engine leaving us floating in the ocean away from shore.  We have a saying that is used almost every day and that is TIA .   It means THIS IS AFRICA.  You can use it for almost anything that makes you laugh or frustrates you.  

Ok this has become long enough.  Hopefully someone is reading this.  Thank you for supporting me in this crazy adventure.