There's No Place Like the AFM...

I made it!

It was a rough ~24 hours of total travel time, thanks to some sinus congestion that crept up on me right before I left, but I made it, and I'm already starting to feel better. My ears wouldn't pop on descent, so all 4 times the plane landed, I was rather hard of hearing until we got back up to altitude. I was starting to feel like I would just have to spend the rest of my life at 30,000 feet...but FINALLY after some rather aggressive strategies I was able to clear things up a bit. What I wouldn't give for a neti pot...

 As far as jet lag goes, I think shift workers are pretty much constantly jet-lagged. The time change isn't so much a problem for me as is the being unable to fall asleep on planes. So, gimme a day or two of proper sleep, and I'll be good to go.

We (myself and 3 other AFM crew that were on my flight) landed in Cotonou around 8 PM local time (2 PM EST). The airport is just a 5 minute drive from the seaport, and along the road there are quite a few impressive government buildings, conference centers, and the excessively high-security compound that is the American Embassy. It's always strange to see such lavish buildings right around the corner from slums and garbage heaps. Maybe it was just because it was so dark out, or because of the way the ship is docked, but when we pulled in, it sure seemed bigger than I remember!

I've now gotten pretty settled in to my little cubby, complete with light-blocking privacy curtain (thanks, Trish!) and Canadian flair. 

This morning was fairly low-key - a few orientation meetings, paying my crew fees, getting paperwork for HR - then since I've been here before I got the afternoon to myself. I discovered that the shower (at least the one I tried) was rather finicky; if you crank it all the way to the hot side it's cold, if you find the sweet spot somewhere in the middle it gets kinda warm. Kinda warm showers are okay, though, when it's 32 degrees outside. 

Although last night I was feeling a bit miserable, today has really lifted my spirits with little reminders of the powerful joy that exists on this ship. Just popping through the hospital wing for paperwork and getting 3 high-fives from grinning plastics patients running and singing through the hall! Nothing cheers you up more than seeing those smiles. It almost feels like I never left this place, even though "this place" is over 5,000 km from where it was last time I was here!

A view from Deck 8 of the ship's fleet of vehicles, the shuttle that takes patients to the hope center,
and just off to the right are the patient screening tents. 

In the middle of writing this I popped up to another meeting of all the ward nurses, in which our Ward Nurse Supervisor shared this food for thought:

Bright and early tomorrow I'll have my first buddied orientation shift, so hopefully tonight I won't accidentally add coffee to my NeoCitron instead of water. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  

Stay tuned...

-D

The Day Approaches!

Is it really happening?

Is it really this soon!?

I depart for the ship in 4 days, guys.

FOUR DAYS!

It's been a pretty busy time, getting everything arranged and ready to go, but I wanted to post a quick update before I do.

Last Saturday was the 2nd ever "Brunch for a Cause" at my church, theParish. My amazing parents and the amazing Rob, Sue, and Victoria organized all the cooking, and as always they did NOT disappoint.

There were parfaits, scones, eggs & omelets made to order, homefries, and bacon.

SO. MUCH. BACON.

The brunch was a huge success, with over 70 bellies filled and about $1300 in donations received! I've now skyrocketed past my fundraising goal...and the cheques keep rolling in. A massive thank you to every single person who is supporting me, and in turn supporting Mercy Ships! Since I've now raised more than I need to cover my expenses, all additional funds are going straight to Mercy Ships to provide more supplies and equipment for their life-changing work.

See those adorable twins? How sweet and innocent they look? ALWAYS cheating at Uno. Don't trust those smiles. Little impossible-to-get-mad-at troublemakers those two. ;)

I had my last shift at work here on Thursday, giving me over a week to prepare for my three months away. I pulled out my duffel bag today and thought to myself, "Really? That's all I brought last time? It looks...so...small." I'm slowly but surely accumulating piles of "must haves" and "maybes," and my to-do list is shrinking.

Taxes filed - check!

Anti-Malarial Perscription - check!

Side note about Anti-Malarials. I'm always flabbergasted by the cost of these pills. If it weren't for my drug plan, I'd be forking out over $400 for a 3 month supply. This just drives home the importance of projects like Malaria No More in reducing the prevalence of malaria through other means, such as mosquito netting, reducing the mosquito population, improved diagnostic tools, and research into vaccines. They've already made a tremendous impact, but there's still a long way to go.

Malaria Sucks. But we're getting better at fighting it.

Anyways. As my exciting day of spending 14 hours in uncomfortable airplane seats and not really being able to sleep approaches, I am starting to notice a familiar, bitter-sweet feeling again. Thinking about how I won't get to snuggle with my kitty again for a very long time. I won't get to give kisses to my nieces and nephews for a long time. I'll have very little privacy and constant ambient engine/ventilation noise around me.

But then I remember the incredible smiles I get to see every day walking onto the wards.

Trouble, I tell ya. 

And those smiles alone make it all worth it.

Be talking to you again soon, but from another continent!

-D