….Easter, critical incidents and late night swimming in a shipping container….
AFM swimming pool [photo taken on a different night]
So… weeks 13 & 14 contained some of the toughest days yet but also some of the best. It’s funny isn’t it how life can throw you into such horrible moments but then also give you moments when you laugh till you cry! It’s been one of those fortnights!
Sunday was Easter and on the ship that means a feast like you wouldn’t believe! It also makes me wonder why we are eating frozen and canned foods when they had a stash like the one we saw at Easter…far above my paygrade I’m sure…but far be it from me to complain when someone else is cooking and WASHING the dishes!! That afternoon a group of us went to see a local band play - they were great!
Early Tuesday morning, unfortunately, one of our crew members required emergency surgery and was transferred to a local hospital. For the next three days the hospital team provided a doctor, two nurses, a translator and all the drugs, equipment, bedding, food, water etc. that was required to care for them until a medivac was able to be arranged. While it was a terrible thing to have happened, I was so impressed with the way the team came together and did whatever was required. I’m so proud of every single person on this ship. Their hearts shone through this week in a big way.
And while it was exhausting and emotional there were also moments of humour!
On Wednesday, due to everything that was happening, I joined a video call on my boss’s behalf. About 10 minutes into the meeting, I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. I looked down and saw my boss commando crawling across the floor. I admit at this point I barely managed to turn off the camera before uncontrollably laughing. She hadn’t wanted anyone to see her on the camera.
Friday was the start of the debriefs from the critical incident. To not disturb the room, I decided I would handwrite the minutes so that people weren’t listening to my clacking away on a keyboard…. unfortunately for me these meetings went from a scheduled two hours to five and a half hours.
Friday night I walked to restaurant close to the ship for a drink. On the way back we were advised that another crew member had had an incident and had been admitted to the hospital on ship. Another crew member had been making apple pie..so at 10:30pm I was putting together bowls of apple pie and cream to bring down to the team on the night shift. A few of us had set up around my desk and one of the American nurses [with one of the best Southern accents I have ever heard] told me she had learnt the word “toastie” this week. The conversation that ensued has been recounted a few times since with much laughter.
When I queried what she called it, the answer back was “a grilled cheese”. I then proceeded to ask, “well what it would be called if it didn’t have cheese?” to which the response was “when do you ever make one without cheese?”. To which I replied, “well you know when you are broke, and you start putting left over mince on there”. This was met with quite the look of consternation and a pause followed by “you have been so poor that you have had to put mince on bread?” It was at this point in the conversation that I asked the key question one always needs to ask on this ship…..”what word do you think I’m saying, like spell it for me”. “M-I-N-T-S!” After nearly falling off my chair with laughter. I spelt mine “M-I-N-C-E”.
Week 14 started and ended with trying to fit as much work in as possible. 14-hour days sadly. I would start and finish my normal workday and then after dinner come back and keep going on typing up the minutes from the previous Friday’s meetings.
On Wednesday the dockside started its transformation with an official ribbon cutting ceremony on the first container to be opened. A company who has custom-made tents for Mercy Ships had arrived to start the installation. There is a tent for our rehab team, eye team, preoperative team and outpatients’ team. From start to finish these tents took three days with 11 people setting them up. Pretty amazing! At the same time as our little ribbon cutting ceremony on the opposite side of the port the Chinese military had arrived to a red carpet and a dancing dragon welcome.
Thursday night the café was turned into a karaoke spot and quite a few of the crew members, including many of the kids [serenaded might be too polite a term] entertained us with their renditions of popular songs. Stand out of the night was one of the American teachers who sang a song from Beauty and the Beast.
On Friday the pre-AAR meeting was held [After Action Review]….another one and a half hours of minutes to record. That evening saw about 50 of the crew in a local restaurant celebrating my beautiful friend’s birthday. Everyone had pre-ordered, but it still took over 90 mins before food started coming out. To make things run more smoothly I offered to help direct waiters with meals to the person that ordered it. I’m not sure why I do things sometimes….this was one of those times. At the two hour mark I decided to give up and hand the task to someone else. It had been two hours of trying to understand people’s handwriting, trying to figure out names of meals that didn’t match the menu and wait staff who had limited English. With sweat pouring down my back I found the single standing fan in the room and parked myself in front of it. Our curfew was fast approaching, but with the Managing Director and Ship Security Officer in the room we were able to get an extension. I also managed to convince them to let me break curfew on the pool.
So, at 10:30pm, I had one of the most magical experiences I’ve had on this ship so far. The swimming pool is a shipping container that has been set into the top of the ship and the top has been removed to make you guessed it….a swimming pool! The magical part is that you can float in the water and your view is the stars. It was perfectly still night, hardly any clouds and even the lights from the ship didn’t dim the view. After the last two weeks I can’t tell you how much I needed to float in that pool.
AFM swimming pool [photo taken on a different night]
Observations from week 13 & 14:
I highly recommend never needing to be admitted to hospital in Madagascar.
Never handwrite minutes if the meeting is over one hour!
My boss [an incredible woman over the age of 60] can commando crawl with the best of them.
When receiving confused looks from American’s… spell the word or ask what it is they heard to prevent further confusion.
Tip if you are trying to help a restaurant place meals for over 50 people. Type the names of the meals [exactly as they appear on the menu]!
I need to do more late-night swims – this time before the 10pm curfew so the deck hands don’t stress.