Cuddles with Kids!

I cannot imagine a better way to spend a day off than loving on kids! At the orphanage the children are full of cuddles and smiles. This Thursday my friend and roommate Bethany Salmonson took some amazing photos to capture the precious moments with these children. Hope you enjoy her pictures!

 

 

I love his smile!

The children loved the balloons, but it turns out the balloons didn't love the concrete!
 

Reading one of my favorite childhood books...Curious George!



Sleeping child!



Robyn enjoying her "cuddles" as she calls it!
 

Trying to get him to smile!




I finally got one! He's very serious,
 so it takes a lot of work to get a smile out of him!
 

Precious moments!

Bethany our photographer

I definitely plan to return again soon to love on more babies!



Life in the hospital

I have been on the Africa Mercy for a month, and I’m learning how different cultures can be. The ship is quite western including many aspects of the hospital, but that doesn’t stop African culture from influencing life here in the hospital. 

I currently work on “D” Ward which focuses mainly on maxo-facial patients who have various tumors, goiters, cleft lip & palates along with other things relating to the head and neck. On the ward there are 15 patient beds which are military cots separated by only a few inches. For patients under 18 there is a mat underneath the bed where the caregivers sleep. It is great that African life focuses so much on community, because that is a lot of people by western standards to be sharing one open room and one bathroom! Personal space and privacy doesn’t exist quite like back home!

One of the things that I love here is how the patients care for one another. While one of our adult patients went to surgery, the other patients and caregivers took turns holding that mother’s baby! Even if they just met that day, they will frequently help one another out! At times we’ll even have other patients translating for another patient who only speaks a certain tribal language/dialect. There are three major tribal languages spoken here in Guinea: Sousou, Fula, and Malinke. Even though French is the official language of the country, it is everyone’s second language that they learn in school. So we definitely don’t meet HIPAA regulations back in the states with having 15 people sharing one room and translating for one another!

My favorite part about working a day shift is taking patients up to Deck 7 to go outside for some fresh air and sunshine since the hospital is located on Deck 3 where there are no windows. It is also great exercise having the patients walk up four flights of stairs! I enjoy spending an hour sitting with patients playing cards or chasing children up and down the deck while looking out over the water.

Although it may seem like different worlds at times, there is so much to learn from the African culture especially as they focus on community and care for one another so well.

Les Cascades de la Soumba

After only venturing out into the city of Conakry these last few weeks, I enjoyed traveling out of the city to see some of the countryside of Guinea! Along the way we spotted a couple of “mountains” on an otherwise fairly flat dusty ride as we traveled two hours north to the town of Dubreka.

As always traveling in Africa quickly turns into an adventure. Since our driver wasn’t certain of the exact location of the falls, he hired a local boy to show us the way on his motorbike. We were heading up and out of town past a tiny stream, eventually driving between people’s houses on what no longer appeared to be a road! Turns out we were definitely in the wrong place. In that small village we found another man who knew of the waterfalls; so he hopped on the back of the bike and the two of them eventually led us to Les Cascades de la Soumba.

As we stepped out of the car, the roaring sound of the waterfalls beckoned us up and over the stairs until we were greeted by the beautiful sight of the water rushing over top the rocks and down the stream! What an amazing sight to be in nature and enjoy the waterfalls.

It has only been a month since the rainy season finished, but I’ve been told the falls already have less water rushing over top than the previous couple of months. I’m glad I could see the falls now before the water stops cascading over the rocks by the end of the dry season in March/April. Here are some pictures from the day: 

It's a Mountain!



Welcome to Dubreka

  

While lost in the small town these cute kids came running up to our car!

Les Cascades de la Soumba



Enjoying the Falls



A closer look at the falls



My travel companions: Una, Jenny, Me, Jospeh our driver, and Robyn

 

Welcome to Africa: The Flu and Acid Bugs

On my second week in Africa I didn’t receive the warmest of greetings! I ended up with the flu on Monday night, and I spent almost five days in bed! It is amazing how large the ship appeared on the first day of arrival. After being cooped up in my room for several days with only briefly getting out of my cabin, the ship started to feel a bit smaller with not having many places to go where I wasn’t going to infect someone else! I am glad to report that I am doing better with each passing day, and I’m back to work on night shifts this weekend.

One advantage to having a cabin on the lower decks of the ship is there are no windows! It is great for sleeping when working night shifts or being sick in bed. After awhile though, you need to get outside to see the sunlight. There are lots of chairs on the top decks, and there is even a pool on Deck 8.

WATCH OUT FOR THE ACID BUGS! I’ve recently discovered these new little flying insects here in Africa which are attracted to artificial light! I’ve only encountered them on Deck 7 and 8 of the ship. They do not bite, but you must be careful because the Acid Bug releases a toxin which causes inflammation and blistering to that area on the skin! So you have to keep a watchful eye when venturing outside on the ship decks!



The "ACID BUG"

Thankfulness

I am so thankful for God’s direction in bringing me to Mercy Ships and providing me new friends within my first week to celebrate Thanksgiving in Africa. It is a bit different being on a ship with 35+ nationalities when celebrating a holiday unique to the United States.

My Thanksgiving day started off with going to an orphanage. It was so sweet to just snuggle up to the little toddlers. Many of the children wanted to be held more than play games. A little bit later I wandered upstairs and found the baby room where three little babies were just waking up from their nap. What an amazing way to spend Thanksgiving with getting to bless these little children.  

Loving on the Babies!

Playing with the kids!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the afternoon several of us toured a French Naval ship that just so happened to be docked right behind the Mercy Ships. Not a typical Thanksgiving activity, but it was interesting and something different.

French Naval Ship
 

In the evening we enjoyed a nice turkey dinner with mashed potatoes and green beans to keep with Thanksgiving traditional foods! You can’t forget the apple crisp and pumpkin pie for dessert!   

Sharing Thanksgiving Dinner with new friends!

No worries... I still had Turkey for Thanksgiving!

 

We'll that's it for now!

 

 

2 Minutes


I arrived on the ship Saturday evening without any problems during the long trek over the Atlantic. After being here two days, I am starting to get settled and learning my way around. One thing about being on a ship is everything is within close proximity. In 2 minutes you can be anywhere on the ship whether walking up two flights of stairs to the cafeteria or walking down the hall from my room to the hospital. In no time I can reach the Starbucks café on board or the top deck which has a small pool and a great view of the water.




The 2 Minute "Ship Shower"

So continuing with the 2 minute theme… a “Ship shower” permits two minutes of water use. I guess this also helps to decrease the bathroom demand with six ladies sharing one bathroom. The bunk room feels more spacious than I anticipated. I am enjoying the various nationalities in my room. I have two roommates from Norway, one from Australia, one from New Zealand, and one roommate from the United States who I met in the airport in Brussels during out layover.

This may be a silly thought, but I realized when I got on the boat that I am surrounded by water. Here is a view from the top deck of the ship!

The View from the Ship

Tomorrow I start my official orientation on the unit. There haven’t been any ICU patients in awhile, so I will be working on Ward D which currently cares for Maxo-Facial patients.  There will be lots of learning, especially because I will be taking care of adults alongside of children. I am excited and ready to get to work! I’m also looking forward to spending Thanksgiving at an Orphanage this Thursday morning!

My bunk is on the Top

Bon Voyage

The time has almost come for me to depart for Africa! On Friday I will board a plane and begin the 26 hour trek to Conakry, Guinea. I have felt so loved and supported by lots of people during this time of preparation. I am so thankful and humbled by the many people who have supported me financially. Thank you friends and family for your generous support and encouragement!

So where is Guinea? Many people have asked me this question, so I’ve had to brush up on my geography. It can get a bit confusing with four countries sharing the same name: Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, and Papau New Guinea (which is in the Pacific Ocean). I will be in French speaking Guinea for the entire 4.5 months while aboard the Africa Mercy Ship. The population of Guinea is about 10 million people with almost a quarter of the population residing in the capital city of Conakry. There are many medical needs in this country with only 1.3 healthcare workers for every 10,000 people. Here are a couple of maps showing the location of Guinea:
 

 

I will have access to the internet to update my blog and check email. If you’d like to send any letters please mail them to the address below. It will take about 2-3 weeks for mail to be forwarded to the ship. For anything over an ounce, I will be charged at a rate of $8.80 per lb (0.55 cents an ounce) to cover the shipping costs to the ship.

Emily Seamon/ AFM Crew Mail

PO BOX 2020

Lindale, TX 75771
 

I'd love to hear from you, so please keep in touch!