It's been too long. I have no excuse. There is no justification for why I have gone so long without contact with the outside world. The thing is, at home, there are usually reasons why things don't get done. But, I am living on a ship in Liberia, so the "things to do" are fairly limited. I am either working in the ward, out in Monrovia (which can only ever be for 4 hours, and I require to be fairly well spaced throughout the week, due to the extreme overstimulation that accompanies any trip to the "big city"), watching pirated DVDs we bought in the city, reading, or (occasionally) sleeping. It's actually one of the things that I truly appreciate about my life here. For a brief season, however emotionally draining things can get, I am free from the worries of bills, errands, appointments, commuting, and essentially all the stress involved with scheduling and time management. Even when something is scheduled, it is on "Africa time", which means at starts at least 10 minutes late, and then only follows a given itinerary very loosely. That being said, I really have no excuse for not blogging. I guess except that sometimes life here is so vastly different from everything I have ever known, and the significant moments that make me smile, laugh, or break my heart are so frequent that it is hard to choose just a few and know how to accurately portray them.
Thus, I have been compiling a list in my head. A list of some (definitely not all) of the things that happen that make me wish I could capture in my head to relive over and over. As much as I can't stand the overuse and misuse of the word, most of the occurrences of the last two months could be described as nothing less than random. I can't even count the number of situations that I regret occurring when I have been alone because recounting funny events is always better when someone experienced it first hand with you. So, here it is: my list of Wish-Katie-was-here-with-me-because-everything-is-more-fun- when-we-experience-it-together, "random", would-only-ever-happen-in-Africa compilation:
- Upon arrival at an intersection, the driver of our vehicle, in all seriousness asked aloud "Where's my policeman?" Traffic lights being essentially non-existent, police officers serve to direct traffic in congested areas. Seriously. All the time. So, what do we do when he goes for lunch?
- Following the Ceilidh dance on the dock last night (definitely then highlight of the weekend), my friends and I soaked our feet in hydrogen peroxide so we didn't get any diseases from our open blisters
- Instead of placing the fresh post-op child I received today on a monitor and putting her to bed, I advised her mother to strap her to her back with a lapa and take her to the ward church. I watched to make sure she stayed "pink"
-Last Sunday night we watched "The Sound of Music" and close to 50 twenty-something-year-olds belted out every song, word for word. It started out as a casual idea of a movie that we could watch on the "big screen" because it is MSA (Mercy Ships Appropriate) and turned into a full-blown production with multiple-part harmonies and show-stopping choreography.
- It rained again on Friday, on our way to the beach. My second African rain experience. Our cab didn't have windows, so we really didn't even need to swim once we got to the beach
- A U.S. Navy Ship was docked in our port for a couple of days. They hadn't had Starbucks in a while and apparently Americans have the type of codependent relationship with Starbucks that we have with Tim Horton's. So, we got to tour their ship in exchange for free coffee. A real live functioning military ship. Made me feel all patriotic and proud to be an American....if only I was American
- We recently visited a local hospital. Although I work in hospital that is currently located in Africa, I by no means have a true concept of what it is like to work in an African hospital. My favourite part was the health teaching resources: hand drawn & coloured posters about how to feed your baby ("bottle feeding is wrong: breastfeeding is right"), how your baby will be circumcised, and how HIV is contracted. Whatever works!
- UNMIL photo-shoot....an international fashion revolution....enough said: http://www.flickr.com/photos/65504858@N00/sets/72157604318855514/
posted by Jenn
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It's been too long. I have no excuse. There is no justification for why I have gone so long without contact with the outside world. The thing is, at home, there are usually reasons why things don't get done. But, I am living on a ship in Liberia, so the "things to do" are fairly limited. I am either working in the ward, out in Monrovia (which can only ever be for 4 hours, and I require to be fairly well spaced throughout the week, due to the extreme overstimulation that accompanies any trip to the "big city"), watching pirated DVDs we bought in the city, reading, or (occasionally) sleeping. It's actually one of the things that I truly appreciate about my life here. For a brief season, however emotionally draining things can get, I am free from the worries of bills, errands, appointments, commuting, and essentially all the stress involved with scheduling and time management. Even when something is scheduled, it is on "Africa time", which means at starts at least 10 minutes late, and then only follows a given itinerary very loosely. That being said, I really have no excuse for not blogging. I guess except that sometimes life here is so vastly different from everything I have ever known, and the significant moments that make me smile, laugh, or break my heart are so frequent that it is hard to choose just a few and know how to accurately portray them.
Thus, I have been compiling a list in my head. A list of some (definitely not all) of the things that happen that make me wish I could capture in my head to relive over and over. As much as I can't stand the overuse and misuse of the word, most of the occurrences of the last two months could be described as nothing less than random. I can't even count the number of situations that I regret occurring when I have been alone because recounting funny events is always better when someone experienced it first hand with you. So, here it is: my list of Wish-Katie-was-here-with-me-because-everything-is-more-fun- when-we-experience-it-together, "random", would-only-ever-happen-in-Africa compilation:
- Upon arrival at an intersection, the driver of our vehicle, in all seriousness asked aloud "Where's my policeman?" Traffic lights being essentially non-existent, police officers serve to direct traffic in congested areas. Seriously. All the time. So, what do we do when he goes for lunch?
- Following the Ceilidh dance on the dock last night (definitely then highlight of the weekend), my friends and I soaked our feet in hydrogen peroxide so we didn't get any diseases from our open blisters
- Instead of placing the fresh post-op child I received today on a monitor and putting her to bed, I advised her mother to strap her to her back with a lapa and take her to the ward church. I watched to make sure she stayed "pink"
-Last Sunday night we watched "The Sound of Music" and close to 50 twenty-something-year-olds belted out every song, word for word. It started out as a casual idea of a movie that we could watch on the "big screen" because it is MSA (Mercy Ships Appropriate) and turned into a full-blown production with multiple-part harmonies and show-stopping choreography.
- It rained again on Friday, on our way to the beach. My second African rain experience. Our cab didn't have windows, so we really didn't even need to swim once we got to the beach
- A U.S. Navy Ship was docked in our port for a couple of days. They hadn't had Starbucks in a while and apparently Americans have the type of codependent relationship with Starbucks that we have with Tim Horton's. So, we got to tour their ship in exchange for free coffee. A real live functioning military ship. Made me feel all patriotic and proud to be an American....if only I was American
- We recently visited a local hospital. Although I work in hospital that is currently located in Africa, I by no means have a true concept of what it is like to work in an African hospital. My favourite part was the health teaching resources: hand drawn & coloured posters about how to feed your baby ("bottle feeding is wrong: breastfeeding is right"), how your baby will be circumcised, and how HIV is contracted. Whatever works!
- UNMIL photo-shoot....an international fashion revolution....enough said: http://www.flickr.com/photos/65504858@N00/sets/72157604318855514/
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