D' Bodi fine!

Hi one and all, Very sorry for not blogging sooner but i actually cant believe that a whole week and one day has past since I left London! The journey was grand, slept most of the way and managed to meet two people going to the ship so i didn't travel alone. It took only 12 or so hours which I'm told is very reasonable as some people take double that to get here! Went form London to Brussels, Gambia and then Sierra Leone where we got a car to a ferry and then a jeep to the ship! Very efficiently done with hardly any delays!

I had two days of very detailed orientation which set me up nicely for two days orientation shifts on the ward. Got told that as i work and live on a ship and live under maritime rule, I am technically a sailor or seaman!!! So you can refer to me as Sailor Hannah from now on :0)

This week i am now a fully fledged Mercy Ship ward nurse!!!!I will be working on general surgery which can be anything from facial tumors to hernias, hydroceles or growths in weird places. My surgical nursing skills are proving very useful and I am very happy and comfortable with everything I have had to do so far! Wound care, obs, teaching (don't touch the wound, how to roll out of bed and not pop their stitches and make sure they wash their hands regularly!) I am slowly learning Krio which sounds like English until you try to speak it and then you just sound weird! :0) It will come hopefully...the most common phrase is 'How d bodi?'.....'D bodi fine'! Lots of nodding, smiling and pointing have become my way of communication. We have day volunteers who translate and are from Freetown so they are happy to start teaching me and take great pleasure in teaching us! But over all, working on the ward is an amazing honor and i am so happy i have finally managed to get here to Mercy Ship and do something i have wanted to do for so long. I have met so many amazing peple and people from EVERY nation. Americans, Koreans, Swedes, Dutch, Canadians, English and Germans! I'm sure there are many many more but its only been a week!

I have met some precious patients with some very sad stories and very sad lives but i have been so humbled by the love and generosity shown by the nurses and doctors on the ward. It is so nice to start a shift covered with prayer for the day and I love having the opportunity to sing and praise God with the day volunteers and and patients! They sing and clap very LOUD!! I feel so reserved around them which i didn't think i was! We have very busy days but it is all made less stressful by the fun and loving atmosphere around us! We get the opportunity to sit and talk to patients, pray with them and laugh with them which i have been craving and longing to do for so long before i came here! Once my Krio is better i will be more confident to do it on my own but right now i have a translator with me most of the time.

I managed to get to the beach at the weekend which was amazing! We spent the day playing cards on the beach, laying in hammocks, reading and eating freshly caught fish and freshly cooked cassava chips! They were cooked over a homemade fire right in front of us! It tasted SO good! We were all ready to leave at 3 when we found out our PodaPoda (taxi) wasnt going to come so we had about 2 1/2 hours wait until we got home but while waiting we got to sit and watch a tropical rainstorm and watch the ducks waddling around!Yes, they have ducks and chickens at the beach, think its for when they cant catch any fish ;0) lol! I am hopefully going into the market this weekend but life changes and plans are so flexiable around here so it may well change!

I will hopefully manage to get some photos up soon but my computer is not connected yet!

Thank you all so much for your messages andemails of encouragement! I am very well and safe and there is no need to worry for me! But I do like to hear how you all are and hear all the news from home and England!

Love always
Sailor Hannah and Mercy Nurse :0)!(Never thought this day would come!!!yay!!!)