Settling in...

On Tuesday, May 2nd, I started my first shift of work. I'm part of the dining crew which takes care of preparing the dining room for breakfast, lunch and supper. I start work at 5:45, and finish around 7:00. It's a long day, but you do get breaks in between. There are 3 other members in my group who are on the ship, one man whose wife is a nurse, one woman whose husband does some kind of other job, and the leader who is Togoian but lives on board. 2 dayworkers come in everyday, one of them is from Benin, the country that borders Togo, and on his days off he travels back to his family. I wipe tables, clean floors, do dishes etc. :)
The ship organizes many activities in which the crew members can participate. There is a hope house on land. The agriculture team travels to villages and teaches them other agriculture techniques etc. On board there is the befriend-a-patient program, if you sign up you get assigned a specific patient who you can visit etc.
Right now there are a lot of VVF patients in the hospital. Yesterday a nurse told me the story of one of those ladies, very sad. While she was having her 6th baby, who died, she got VVF, which means that she constantly leaks urine. She got rejected by her family and lived in poverty for many years, till Mercy Ships came and helped her. After the operation, there is a celebration for all the ladies who are healed from VVF. It is a very joyful occasion I have heard, the ladies get a new dress, some soap and a Bible, and some tell their testimony. I hope to attend one maybe next week. My befriend a patient is a 70 year old lady who also had VVF.
I find it kind of hard to write a blog, because so often it's about me, which I don't feel very comfortable with, but I will keep trying because I do think people want to know what is happening :)
Yesterday we went to the Hope House with three other girls from my cabin. Quite the experience, first hauling a taxi. The trip cost us $2 American. Driving through town with horns honking, people walking etc. I would have taken my camera, but quite a few cameras have been stolen already so maybe another time I will do that... In the hope house the people who have had surgery recover. We played some games with some of the ladies there, they are so happy when you give them some attention. Many of them don't even speak French so it's hard to comunicate.
Oh one thing that really surprised me is the food on board. It is REALLY good. It's buffet style, and there are lots of choices. Most of the food is shipped from Holland. I've been told that most people gain weight while on board.
This afternoon we have planned a trip to the market :) I am excited to go!