Out on the open seas

Well, we have officially been sailing for a week as of today! It's kind of crazy to think we've been out on the ocean for that long...after awhile, you get used to the constant rocking back and forth of the ship...it's actually pretty relaxing! There was one night that we had a bit of a rough sail and had tables moving and chairs and cabinets falling over...there was a little bit of damage, but thankfully nothing too significant. Other than that, the sail has been really great and I haven't been seasick, even though I'm not taking the seasickness pills they have on board! So, I have been really thankful for that!

The past week has been a lot of fun! Every now and then, the captain will come on the PA system to announce "there are dolphins on the port side of the ship" or "there are whales on the starboard side of the ship" and everyone rushes out to watch them..it's really awesome...kind of like being at Sea World, but better :-)

   Me, Luke & Megan...a few new little friends

The last week, I spent most of my time during the day with the nurses in orientation to the hospital and the different documentation, as well as a lecture from Dr. Gary (the head surgeon) to explain the different surgeries that are most commonly needed in West Africa and the specifics on nursing care after those surgeries. So, it was really interesting learning about all of those things and I felt more prepared for working in the hospital after all of that.

We also had a full tour of the hospital and our group was filmed by the camera crew on board (there is a film crew with Discovery Channel Canada doing a piece for their program "Mighty Ships")...so that was a little bit awkward at first...But it wasn't the first time I've had cameras in my face since I got to the ship, so I guess I better just get used to it...the film crew is actually really nice and even sat in for our church service tonight...so I'm praying that they will see a little bit of Christ in all of us during their time here....it is a really great ministry opportunity for us having them with us for the sail!

So, along with our orientation, I had the opportunity to help out with the H1N1 shots that we had to give out to the crew...I was a little nervous about doing it while we were sailing, but thankfully it was a smooth day, so we didn't have any problems with things falling or anything like that. It was a little bit sad giving the shots to the kids, especially since I've gotten to know several of them already...but I brought lots of special distracting toys and played both the role of the nurse and the child life specialist with all my little distracting toys...the crew doctor was impressed with my "bag of tricks"...they definitely came in handy!

           

All the grown men pretended like it was horrible torture

But this little guy was extra brave

Well, I have realized that when  you're out sailing on the ocean for over a week, you have quite a bit of spare time because there is no place to go at night or on the weekends...so, we have found ways to keep ourselves entertained during our free time...movie nights, baking cookies and lots of other things in the crew galley, board games, sardines (reverse hide & seek), scavenger hunts, and a new invention last night...sock golf!

Some of the guys decided they would put together a "golf course" throughout the ship...much different than golf, but we were all supposed to wear golfing attire if we had it...then, we had to bring a ball of socks...I'm sure most golfers wouldn't be too happy about the name golf for this sport...because the only thing that really related to golf was that you have to get the socks in the "hole" in the least amount of "hits" (which was actually throws...there were no golf clubs inolved)..and the fact that there were 18 holes....we got into teams of four and went through the course, which was scattered throughout the ship and involved getting the "ball" over and under stairs, doorways, and hallways....we had a lot of fun and our team even came in 3rd!

This one looked more like a bowling shot!

Third place winners!

Another fun thing about sailing is that we're allowed to sleep out on Deck 8 under the stars! Last night, I camped out up there with a bunch of the nurses...it was really beautiful looking up at all the stars and hearing the sound of the water against the ship was really relaxing...it was a little bit humid in the morning, but not too bad...the air is definitely getting hotter now that we are getting closer to Africa...but everyone says that this is the best way to acclamate to the heat...but it was really unfortunate when the air conditioning went out yesterday and it was really hot inside and outside...thankfully they got the AC back on today, which we were all thankful for!

I am really excited to get to Togo this week...we are hoping to be there by Tuesday, but it all just depends on the weather and a lot of other factors involved in the sail...Keep us in your prayers for smooth sailing and a good transition when we get to Togo!