Kindia

I've realized that it has been a little while since I posted. I am excited to share some photos from a recent weekend off the ship. Several friends and I traveled to Kindia for two nights which is about a four hour drive from the ship with traffic. It was an amazing weekend enjoying the beauty of Guinea's countryside, walking through local villages, and visiting the market in Kindia. As always, I loved the opportunity to experience the day to day lives of people who represent many of the patients we see on the ship.

 

Here are a few pictures to tell the story of our adventures in Kindia:

 

"Le Voile de Mariee" translated the Bride's Veil Waterfall

We enjoyed the cool shade from the trees and the loud
roar of the falls on our first day in Kindia.

 

The Bamboo "forest" nearby the waterfalls!

 

We've been friends ever since we all arrived on the ship the same day!

Saturday morning hike around the base of Mount Gangan.

 

A local woman about her daily activities

 

 

African homes: I like the pink accent door!

Balancing Act: What talent! They start at an early age.

A perspective on life

 

Cascade de Killsi where we enjoyed a refreshing swim!

 

 

Some boys that crossed over the river to come say hello.

 

 

The Agricultural Center where Mercy Ships partners in a Food for Life
program by training several local farmers in organic farming techniques.   

 

Giving Back

This past Wednesday just might be one of my most favorite days on the ship thus far, and it wasn’t just because it was my birthday. With a two week break from surgeries during the holidays things have been very quiet on the ship and in the hospital. This week as the hospital is filling back up, I found my patients giving me a renewed vision and purpose for what I am doing in Africa. I may have come to Guinea wanting to give hope to people, but I’m being blessed by how they give back!

I started the day visiting patients at the Hope Center. I enjoyed a game of African Uno using regular playing cards. As usual I kept my eyes peeled for babies waking up from their morning naps, and soon a mother came over to deposit her little baby into my arms. What can be better than baby cuddles on my birthday? Well, over Christmas I actually admitted this little girl while working night shift, and she was very sick requiring oxygen and other interventions. What a blessing to now hold this little girl who is healthy again and starting to gain weight so hopefully she can have her cleft lip repaired soon.

At the Hope Center with the little girl I cared for
around Christmas time who is now feeling better!

By lunch time we returned to the ship so that I could work the evening shift. In most circumstances it might not be exciting to work on one’s birthday, but I could not have thought of a better way to spend the day. This week we had the first real ICU patient since I’ve arrived on the ship. I really enjoyed getting to utilize my ICU skills caring for a vented patient immediately postoperatively. This particular patient has become loved by so many on the ship due to her infectious smile and the joy that she displays. We call her Mama seeing as how she’s in her 60s with several children and grandchildren. She has lived with a massive facial tumor for many, many years which has grown so large it sometimes compresses her trachea causing her difficulty with breathing.

Due to the size of the tumor her surgery was very difficult with significant bleeding; she required over 9 units of blood (That’s A LOT!)  What is amazing is that on Monday I donated blood, and the very next day I am caring for the same patient who received my blood! On Wednesday afternoon we removed her breathing tube. Later in the evening Mama looked in a mirror for the first time since her surgery. It was an incredible moment to stand beside her as I held up the mirror for her to witness the amazing miracle of her tumor being gone! She looked for the longest time gently feeling the side of her face with her hand. After many minutes passed she spoke of her thankfulness and happiness!

What an incredible moment to be her nurse and to witness one of the life changing miracles on the ship! I couldn’t have asked for a better way to spend my birthday. My coworkers did celebrate on the ward, and after work I enjoyed a little fondue party with friends! But my favorite moment of the day was one that Mama gave to me; I will not forget having the opportunity to care for her, hold her hand, give her blood, and most of all witnessing the first time she saw herself in many years without the large tumor!



Birthday celebration with friends! Everyone is doing my "Emily" face seeing
as how in every funny picture I have my mouth wide open!

 

Merry Christmas

This past month has been busy with lots of different festivites for the holiday season here on the ship. On December 1st many hands decked the halls turning the ship into a winter wonderland!



"Winter Wonderland"

With an international crew representing over 30 countries, I got to experience and learn about some other traditions. The Dutch celebrate Sinterklaas on December 5th. We enjoyed a choir processional on December 13th for the Swedish tradition of St. Lucia.

St. Lucia



 On December 23rd we had a barbeque out on the dock per the Australian Christmas tradition. After sunset we sang Christmas carols by candelight.



Caroling on the dock

Singing by candelight

Christmas Photo Booth with friends!

 

CHRISTMAS DAY!!!!

 

Borrowing the Dutch tradition, everyone on the ship places a shoe outside their door on Christmas Eve. The pitter-patter of feet can be heard as people go up and down the hallways filling shoes with goodies.

 

Shoes lining the hallways!

 

Excited on Christmas day to find my shoe filled with goodies!

A big THANK YOU to the awesome galley and kitchen crew who pulled off the most amazing Christmas brunch! We had a breakfast buffet on one side and lunch items on the other. In the middle of the dining room was a spread of fresh fruit, cheese, pastries, and cookies! We spent about two and half hours in the dining room eating and talking with friends. The remainder of the day my friends and I played games, watched White Christmas, and made a few phone calls to family and friends!


Christmas Brunch

 

Excitedly waiting in the buffet line with my friends
Karin and Melina from Sweden and Switzerland!

I feel blessed to have enjoyed so many wonderful opportunities during this Christmas season and to celebrate in Africa with people from so many different places! The meaning of Christmas still remains the same no matter where I am, Jesus Christ the Savior was born!

 

Hoping that everyone had a wonderful and blessed Christmas!

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS from Africa!!

 

The Week Before Christmas!

This Christmas season is a bit different with living on a boat off the West Coast of Africa! It is hot and humid, nothing like the winter wonderland we all dream of back home, but I have enjoyed the opportunity to be here during this holiday season. The week before Christmas I helped pass out Christmas presents at several of the off-ship program sites that we partner with on a weekly basis. This includes the School for the Deaf, the Hope Center, and Jean Paul II Daycare Center.

 

 

SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF:

The children waving goodbye outside of their classrooms!

One of the classes proudly showing off their crafts.

 

HOPE CENTER:
 



The Hope Center is where our patients stay when they leave the hospital yet still require follow up appointments at the ship. Many of our patients live too far away and don't have the money to travel back and forth. This was my first time visiting the Hope Center, and I really enjoyed getting to see and spend time with several of my patients. We helped them with their crafts and gave them presents such as clothes, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and other donated items!

At the Hope Center with some of my patients!

Check out his new hat!

All the patients and caregivers showing off their craft projects!

JEAN PAUL II DAY CARE CENTER:

 

Oh the excitement on their faces is absolutely priceless!

Helping to distribute gifts to the little children

She's checking out her big stuffed animal!



Kids eagerly awaiting to open their gifts!

 

Oh! What a fun opportunity to see the joy on so many people's faces this week!

 

Stayed tuned for another post coming soon about Christmas on the ship.....

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM AFRICA!!

 

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