New Year

A new year and a new country for the Africa Mercy! The ship has a whole refreshed attitude (at least I feel that way!) since we are gearing up for a new field service. It is beginning to get busier as new crew arrives because the first screening is in a little over a week. Everyone is really excited to begin opening the hospital and meeting the patients. The ship was in Togo only 1 year ago, so  a majority of the local dayworkers are the same. It was so fun on their first day back to see everyone be reunited. Anyways… mostly what I am trying to say is that I have a really good vibe about the ship’s time in Togo and it is super encouraging.

Togo is almost indescribably different from Sierra Leone. Last weekend was my first time out and I feel like as we drove/walked around I was just trying to process how to even try to explain it. Let me start by saying it is a French speaking country. Ha- can we PLEASE just think of me in an African country where I can’t even speak a WORD of the language?!? It is pretty funny… today a small group of us went out to dinner and I bravely tried to say my order… and I definitely read the words like you would in Spanish. The waiter laughed at me BUT he did know what I wanted (which could be because I pointed on the menu, but whatever!). I consider it a success anyways. It is totally incredible how many people here know a bit of English (or a lot) and how in one glance they all know that we don’t speak French. The roads here are pretty clean and the traffic moves really quickly. Beach Road is a main highway-ish type road that is 4 lanes with a median and there are even sidewalks on either side for people to walk on. There are traffic lights and street lights and roundabouts which drivers seem to obey the rules of. Beach Road is along the coast and the beach even has garbage cans lining it! Most places have electricity and there are tons of restaurants in town. The market in the city is really busy and resembles Sierra Leone… but it just has a different feel to it and I am not sure why. Oh, I almost forgot… the sewers are covered… and I consider this a MAJOR improvement. 

The port that we now call home is very big. There are many other ships docked with us and when I look out my window in my classroom I can see 35 other ships sitting in the ocean. It is humid, but always super breezy and so the heat doesn’t really seem so bad. It is really smoggy out and the winds are constantly blowing sand from the deserts so it always looks overcast out.It literally is always like this and sometimes you can barely see to the other side of the port because it is so thick. More adventures to come I am sure. I need to learn my way around before my parents get here to visit!!! Which is in only 9 1/2 weeks!!! It. will. be. SO. great.

In Port

Pic of the port from Deck 8, starboard side

Out my classroom window! Look at all the big ships in the distance!

Garbage cans lining the street AND a sidewalk! I thought this needed to be documented.

Please note the traffic lights… and the palm trees. It’s like a bit of West Palm!

Kayleigh and I organized a Friday the 13th party with a 13 theme!! We had thirteen snacks and they were arranged on the table to look like 13. There were 13 teachers invited and to attend you had to be wearing 13 items of clothing or accessories! It was really just an excuse to spend time together and have lots of snacks!

A real ice cream shop in Togo!! We are VERY happy 🙂

Where in the world…

Where in the world!! This is exactly how I feel about so many things! Where in the world have the past 3 weeks gone and where in the world am I right now?!

I am back on the ship after a three-week (WONDERFUL) holiday at home! I can’t even try to describe everything that I was blessed to be able to do and how many of my loved people I got to see!! I feel like I can accurately say that I don’t think I have ever been so busy in my ENTIRE life… and I am feeling on a whole new level that I need a vacation- from vacation. 

My time at home started with the best greeting ever at the airport! Little Ty-boy (my nephew) totally didn’t know who I was… and might have cried… also, he isn’t actually so little anymore, but I LOVED seeing him and my whole family waiting for me when I got off the plane. Sara came to visit (best.friend.ever.) and flew in about an hour after I did, so we had quite the carload leaving the airport! Sara and my time together was spent talking A TON (stop being shocked about that!), brunch with grandma, lunch with Nana and Bumpa, a quickie trip to West Palm, pedicures with Laur and Tara, and a little shopping (it HAD to be done… I survived a rrrreaaaallll long time without seeing a Target). 

Christmas was spent with my entire family, including my grandparents who officially live in Florida now after a lifetime in Massachusetts. I think it was the most special Christmas ever. I loved just being able to wake up in the same house as my parents and knowing that my sister was going to stop by at some point during the day.  Brian came down for a really big part of time at home and we did SUPER fun and adventurous (I know… Africa has changed me!) things- including parasailing and hand gliding (pictures below)!! Mostly it was just the best thing of my life to get to be with that boy! We completed lots of things I was looking forward to about everyday, normal life in the United States- it brought out an entire new side of my extreme love of details when I was freaking out the silliest little things, such as finding the best limited-edition Publix ice-cream. I think I maybe screamed a little bit… in the middle of the aisle.

The Lord gave me the best holiday ever! It was so refreshing to be around almost all of my most favorite loved ones- in such a short amount of time. I am safely in Africa and fully recovered from my trip back to the ship. It is funny… when I was at home I felt so much like I fit and belonged there… and now that I am back here, I know that I also have a place here. It is weird how the Lord can make you feel like you belong in more than one place! More details to come on Togo soon… I have lots to tell about it!

Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers about my time at home- it was absolutely wonderful! 

This was our reunion at the airport… after he stopped crying of course! I didn’t want that to be documented!

Dinner in West Palm with some of my favorites!!

I think we picked the coldest day of the entire vacation to go to the zoo… but we met up with Mrs. Garey and her family- super. fun. time.

My first slurpee at home!! Laur, Cait, and I continue our tradition of feeling an absolute need to have slurpees ALL the time…

We survived our parasailing experience!!

This was the view while we were parasailing! It was surprisingly really quiet and peaceful… and we even saw a giant sea turtle! It was pretty great 🙂

Rivalry at the hockey game Bri and I went to… not to worry, Tampa totally won 🙂

I can’t quite remember who… but Brian or I are IN that little kite thing that is full-out attached to a plane! So brave, right?! (honestly… it wasn’t really that scary… but I kinda want people to think it was…)

This was after we both completed our hand gliding!! It was so fun too because the sun had just risen and there were like 40 hot air balloons that we got to see.

New Year’s with Tara and Bob! What a fun way to begin a new year 🙂