Archive | April, 2012

5 weekends remaining…

23 Apr

This weekend Kayleigh and I had an adventure!! We woke up on Sunday morning (at 11:15- wahoo!!) and decided that we wished we had some fruit for breakfast (or lunch… depending on how you look at it!). So we just up and decided that we would go into town and look for some! Now, this sounds like it would be no big deal… BUT Kayleigh and I never do anything without talking about it for 100 hours and having to plan it- so this was very exciting!! There are no words to describe what the port is like on a normal day. There is a nice mix of semis carrying containers, port workers walking, and zimmys streaming through the roads of the port. It is kind of like maneuvering our way through a dangerous maze to make our way from the ship safely to the front of the port, where we exit through yellow turnstile doors. There are about 15 officers that sit at the front of the port and never check our badges, whether we are entering or exiting even though I am pretty sure that is the sole purpose of their job.  Once we go through the gates we are on a street that forks off in two directions. On one side is a one-way road that leads into the port from the main drag and the other side is a small walk, through an assortment of little market stands, an area to pick up zimmys, and then on to a gas station where we conveniently just stand until a taxi comes to give us a ride. Sometimes, like on Sunday, an unmarked car wants to give us a ride. At first this seemed a little sketchy and like not the brightest idea… but in a total bind one night a few weeks ago a group of four of us climbed into a non-taxi (which funny enough, was a VERY nice car with air-conditioning, nice music, and all door handles were attached-this is as unique as I just made it sound!) where the man dropped us right where we wanted to go and didn’t even make us pay because he said he loved Mercy Ships and that we helped his people. So since then I have been inspired that maybe unmarked cars don’t have quite the reputation they would in the States! Point being that on Sunday we got a ride in a BMW and the man was so pleased to be our driver that he informed us that he worked in the port and if we ever need to go anywhere, he would take us.

Our afternoon was spent seeing the streets of Togo in a different way. There is about 20% of the people as during the week or on a Saturday and so it was crazy how unusual the streets look when you can actually… see them! I know this is going to sound crazy, but we have been into town enough that we kinda know a few landmarks and can make our way through the market. We got ourselves to the spot where we successfully found and purchased 3 pineapples, 10 oranges, 3 mangoes, and an entire bunch of bananas. This was all for 3,000 CFA, which is equivalent to $6. Can you even handle that! It was $2 for 3 pineapples… that would be like $15 at home! On our way back to the main street we stopped in a little restaurant, where we took a small rest and had a drink. This was also quite exciting because the place we chose was just one we randomly found! (look at that bravery and independence!) and it also had wooden booths!! I never have been to a restaurant in Africa with booths!!

Our bravery was rewarded with a safe return to the ship and a rather ordinary day after that. Maybe our last FIVE weekends (crazy, right! It is such a small number!!) will include more small adventures!

My Parents Were in Togo!!

14 Apr

Ah! March 7th!! What an awful blogger I have become in these past couple of weeks!! I am definitely going to blame my lack of communication on the fact that I was preparing and then having VISITORS!! Words will never be able to do a justice to how purely fantastic it was to have my parents experience Mercy Ships- and to have a taste of what this life I have had for the past 10 months is like. As my mom and dad experienced the things that have become normal (well… kinda!) to me and asked questions and got excited about the mission and purpose of the organization, I feel like the Lord has given me such a refreshed sense of appreciation for what I have been able to be a small part of throughout this year.  This is maybe one of the biggest gifts that God gave me through my parents visit because as preparations to leave are constantly being made- I want to be able to embrace the things that I have loved about being here.  My parents gave me eyes to see how incredible the work that Mercy Ships does is and how neat it is that…. I live on a ship, that sits in a port, in Togo. Life is crazy here… and how fun it is that I have gotten to live it!!

I would like to mention what I consider a few major accomplishments and more independence gained for myself! THREE times I walked through the entire port (by myself and confidently looked like I knew where I was going!) and got myself a little zimmy (aka MOTORCYCLE!) and zoomed right on over to the hotel!! AND I bought a snack off the street called FanIce (it kind of resembles a icepop, but you bite it off the top… which clearly, is not my favorite thing when it is bought off the street … from Africa- and pretty much freaks me out… because… ewww!), but I tore the top off with my teeth! I am pretty sure this was just to show my parents how brave I have become… but still!

 I am so far behind on updates that I am just going to post a bunch of pictures! They speak a thousand words anyways, right?