Eye Screening

     Working security at an eye screening sounded like an adventure.  Getting up at 3 AM?  OK.  So by 3:30 AM I've rolled out of bed, filled my water bottle, and made PB&J sandwiches.  Fox News is giving minute by minute updates of the Election results on the TVs in Reception.  Ken and the 2 nurses show up by a quarter to 4 and we clomp down the Gangway down to the Land Rover.  Bangura jumps into the Land Rover with us and we're off.  Driving in the dark is completely different than day time.  At night there are no people, chickens, dogs, goats, babies, or carts to run over.  However, the headlights fail to pick out the potholes so the road can look deceptively smooth.  On the hour plus ride to the screening site I'd be jolted out of sleep by my head slamming into the roof or window or my arm.  When we turn down the alley to the screening building, the line is already 50 people in either direction.  There were 2 lines: the women's and the men's line.

      Running security at a screening is far from what it sounds like.  The security is not necessarily to protect the nurses and other medical staff, it is more to keep an orderly line, prevent line-cutters, prevent bribes, having to shatter the hopes of people who are beyond our help, and to make sure that no one gets past the pre-screening who was given a "no".  We arrived about an hour a half before the Eye Team so we started out by walking up and down the line in either direction making sure that everything was quiet.  When it started getting light, Bangura, a Guinean, would walk up and down talking through the megaphone saying that this was only an eye screening.  Only those with double cataracts could be helped.  Club feet, tumors, and other medical issues would have to listen to the radio or the TV to see when those kinds of screening would be held.  Either Ken or I would have to walk with Bangura because the people waiting wouldn't believe what he was saying unless a white person was seen to be saying the same thing.  I couldn't speak the local language but my confirmation of what Bangura was saying was enough.  Telling the mother with the 2 year old with club feet, the woman with a neck tumor, the crippled man, and the boy with a lazy eye that we were unable to help them right now was heart breaking.  Hope and Healing yes, but not for all.  The patients who did receive the yellow follow-up appointment cards were so joyful.

      The stark contrast between the despair and joy within meters of each other is such a part and parcel of Africa.  Walking along the streets and seeing children running around, laughing, playing football (or soccer for the Americans), and yelling "Fote! Fote!" at the white people makes you smile.  Yet when you think about the ship that you will return to, the AC, the safe food and water, and the medical care available 2 decks away, the ache returns to your heart.  Yet for the lives we can and do change, their joy is contagious.  The patient who had the cantaloupe-sized tumor removed from his cheek is starting to speak again.  His life has been altered dramatically.  Who can frown or be sad when faced with a smile so joyful?

Galley Update

     The past month has flown by.  So much has happened and is still changing.  So, starting in the Galley... I now co-lead a Galley team.  The previous team lead decided to switch departments and so another girl and I are leading our team.  Its a strange feeling.  I am in charge of Cold Side (again), the dish room, and making sure that overall the Galley runs smoothly and the food gets done on time.  Cold Side will prep the fresh fruits and vegetables, tuna/chicken/pasta/potato salads, desserts, specialty breads, dressings, and salad bar toppings.  Hot Side is being run by Martine.  She just graduated cooking school and is fantastic to work with.  There were some bumps throughout the whole process but now everything seems to be smoothed out.  The latest nicknames for Martine and I are: The Dynamic Duo, Trouble Twins, and Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton.  That last one is from an African who works with us and thinks its hilarious.

Making banana pudding in the Galley

     I've been able to see more of the medical side of things recently.  Next week I will be helping run security at a screening.  I love being out and about in Conakry and experiencing Africa.  I realize that I don't have as many pictures of Africa itself or of patients and such.  However, I would really rather not have my camera stolen in the market and we as crew members are restricted from taking pictures with patients.  I will do my best to take pictures!

                           

   

Here We Go Again!

      I'm back! Its been so much fun to see all of my friends again and catch up.  Its a little strange to be back, I know the ship yet so many faces have been replaced.  This time around I am in the 8 berth, with 6 roommates.  My bunkmate is my best friend from last field service, Sandy.  I am also back to work in the Galley, on cold side again.  Yes, the baking has begun again.  So far Pumpkin Pie and Cream Puffs.  I just injected and dipped the puffs into the chocolate, but it was fun and yummy! My roommates are already starting to develop a love-hate relationship with my baking: its good but we can't get those Mercy Hips!

     Last Saturday I joined the trip to the Baby Rescue Center here in Conakry.  The center is operated by a Canadian woman who has lived in Conakry for over a decade.  Unwanted babies are left in a market or other busy area and when the crowd realizes they have been abandoned arguments ensue over who should get the baby.  However, the reason for wanting the baby is not to have them join the family, by the time the child is 3, they have become household slaves.  They are not allowed to go to school or have "normal" lives. At the Baby Rescue Center there are currently 10 babies.  They are the cutest, sweetest things.  When the Mercy Ships crew visit they are shyer, quieter, and more inclined to snuggle.  When we first arrived, most of them were sleeping.  Eventually all of them woke up and stared.  3 of the babies are being adopted out of the country.  2 of them are ending up in the U.S. and 1 will move to Canada.  They steal and break your heart all at the same time.

Getting Closer All The Time

     One week till I'm on the ship again! I am so blessed to have this amazing opportunity.  I have learned so much throughout my Mercy Ships journey.  God has been faithful in providing the funds for these trips, providing in amazing ways.  I was able to receive the exact amount of funds that I needed just this past week.  Thank you so much to everyone who has been supporting me on this adventure through prayer, donations, and encouragement! Hopefully in about a week I can update ya'll on Guinea!

37 Days and Packing

     I have just over a month until I leave for Guinea to serve in the Galley.  I'm so excited to see friends and my Mercy Ships family again!  The turnover on the ship is extremely high but there will still be a few familiar faces.  The best part about returning is that I know more of what to expect, where things are located on the ship, and what my job is.  There will be a few people in the Galley I still know, my favorite Canadian will be just down the hall, and hundreds of new people to meet!

     Its been great to be home.  It can be a struggle from time to time.  The hardest part about coming back is that while I've changed, everyone back home has continued on same as before.  That comfy little niche, with all of its problems, isn't as comfy anymore.  I'm still me, but a different me.  The hardest part is knowing how to blend the new you and the you that others expect to meet again.  Realizing that cross-culture jokes won't have quite the same vibe, recognizing the blank look on other's faces when you reply in another language, figuring out when you should stop talking about your trip because the other person is starting to zone out, and laughing at yourself when you accidentally call out for a friend...and realize they are literally on the other side of the globe.  I feel like I've matured, I can handle responsibility, take charge if needed, take the blame if necessary, and my sarcasm is getting less prevalent (well, depends on the people I'm with).  My cooking and baking skills have improved, and I'm realizing that I'm no longer that shy, awkward, homeschooled wallflower in the corner.  :)

     Traveling is always an adventure, especially in my family.  Growing up with my parents and learning to expect the completely unexpected was amazing training for international travel and Africa.  Things may not go as planned, flights can be canceled, signs may be in a different (undecipherable) language, travel companions are either helpful or nonexistent, bags hopefully arrive at your destination, and you're hoping you have a ride when you finally reach your destination.  I did a bit of traveling in Europe before returning home and lugging my heavy suitcases full of Africa memories was interesting and probably very amusing to watch. Knowing what to pack and where to stuff it is a skill only gained by doing the wrong way.