2 Months

 It is crazy to think that I have been here 2 months already.  Time seams to be flying by, while at the same time moving so slowly.   Things are becoming more routine, going to work, eating at the scheduled times, going to meetings, and getting off the ship.  I am even beginning to get used to the constant chaos and noise of the ward.  Half of the patients on our ward are children which means that they each have a caregiver with them.  Some of these caregivers have breastfeeding children with them as well.  All the extra people lead to more noise and less space.  At the same time it is quite fun to play with all the kids.  There is never a dull moment!  This will be changing in a couple of weeks though as the plastics surgeon has left and we will be transitioning to general surgery for the summer.

Views of the John Obey beach.  I enjoyed the overcast skies
because it was not so hot.  The afternoon rain was
refreshing.

Many of the people I arrived with are beginning to leave, because the minimum length of stay for ward nurses is 2 months.  It is sad to see them go because I was just getting to know them.  It is also hard because they are heading back to family and friends and I am reminded of my family and friends.  At the same time I'm excited to see what will happen here.  There are so many more relationships to develop and things to learn.

The huts we relaxed and ate under,
especially when it began to rain

Even though life here is becoming more normal I still get the periodic reality check of "Whoa, I'm in Africa!"  This happened while at the beach a couple of weekends ago.  We were relaxing beneath the shade of a hut on a sparsely populated beach and thinking how amazing it is to enjoy such pristine beautiful beaches and being some of the only people there.  I thought back to being in San Diego, where there are always people on the beach.  There were many days when I wished to go for walk along a secluded beach.  Little did I know I just needed to go to Africa!  At many of the beaches around Freetown you can see the remnants of a once thriving tourist destination.  Before the war Sierra Leone was a popular destination with european tourists.  Many people are trying to bring the popularity back, but it is hard to get past the image of it being a war torn country.

Our dinner of barracuda, and rice with sauce.
May not look all that appetizing, but it really was quite tasty.

The Hope Center and the Ship

I have taken care of all three of these kids.
The girl on the left had a lipoma removed from the right side of her face
The girl in the middle had a severe burn contracture
and her arm was stuck to her side.  Her arms now move freely.
The boy on the right had severely bowed legs,
which are now straight.  One of the first things he said after
standing for the first time was "look how tall I am"

There are many patients that travel from all over Sierra Leone and sometimes from neighboring countries.  It would be very hard for them to make it to their post-op appointments if we sent them home after being discharged from the hospital.  So Mercy Ships has converted a building close to the ship to house these patients.  It is called the Hope Center.  I think it helps us nurses as well. We get sad when we go work and notice that the patient we had built a relationship with is gone.  I brought a camera with me the last time I went.  Shortly after arrival my camera was in the hands of the kids so most of the pictures were taken by them.  As soon as the camera comes out all you hear is "Snap me, snap me" or "I want to snap".  It definitely made for some interesting pictures.  It's really fun to visit.  The kids run and give you a hug.  The people of Sierra Leone are such a warm people.  It's amazing how far a smile and a hand shake can go, especially when you don't speak the language.

Kids having fun with the camera!

He originally came in with club feet.

I think I am attempting to explain arthritis.  As I was talking
about the space between the joints and the part that breaks
down, the girl on my lap says "cartilage".  

A few pictures of my floating home

The small space where I live.  I am on the top bunk.
There are 2 other bunks like this in our room.
All 6 of us share one bathroom

The other view of my sleeping area.

The front of the ship



The back of the ship.  The ship is
registered in Valletta, Malta



The Mercy Ship logo on top of the ship