The sail...so far...

So...as you all are aware, we set sail for Togo on the 31st of January...and yes, we are still sailing. I think that we have been sailing for 7 days now...and have about 4 more to go. Some of you may wonder why it takes so long, and the reason being is that this Danish ferryboat can only go so fast! I do believe that we are sailing at about 12 nautical knots per hour (times that by 1.51 to convert it roughly into miles, or to get kilometers, times by 1.852 for the exact measure).

According to Murray's Facebook status, we are somewhere in the Atlantic off the coast of Cote d'Ivoire, getting closer and closer to Togo. And, you can tell. I think that the humidity and heat set in a few days ago. When we were closer to the Canary Islands, the air was cooler and it was easy to get a chill from sitting outside for too long. Now, as soon as you open a door out onto the decks, you get hit with a wall of mugginess...and you can feel it. To say it in a cliché, it feels like you can cut the humidity in the air with a knife. Welcome to the weather I will be experiencing for the next 6 months.

Currently, the seas are calm and ever so blue...deep, deep blue. (It's beautiful.) I have confessed many times my desire to jump off the side of the ship to cool off, even if only for a moment. However, I am sure that the captain would not appreciate the man-over board lesson many would have to learn, even though we've done it in drills. The ship gently sways side to side now, and I have become ever so accustomed to the swaying motion that I can walk in straight lines without knowing that I am compensating for it. Yes, I have my sea legs. And, I am pretty sure that I've had them for awhile. It's funny how you adjust to things without knowing it. I didn't realize that I was used to the rocking of the ship, until the night before we set sail, and I was on land, still thinking that I was moving.

But, let me tell you...the seas were not always this calm, the gentle rocking of the ship, not always this pleasant. The sail started off a bit rough, as we hit a low pressure system that was moving towards the Canary Islands (which also caused quite a bit of flooding for them). The swells that we encountered caused the ship to rock from side to side, upwards of 25 degrees. For those of you who have a hard time understanding what that means...look at the picture of the protractor...now imagine everything in the area that you are in suddenly shifting to the left by 25 degrees...and then to the right 25 degrees...and so on, and so forth. This is the reason why we spent the week before sail running around and securing things throughout the ship...and trying to do it well.

However, despite our best efforts, things still ended up crashing down...especially on Monday night. That's when we hit the swells the hardest, and had to change our course twice to avoid even more swells. It was quite alarming for me, as I was up late when it got bad...so bad, that I ended up falling out of a chair as it slid across the floor in the mid-ships lounge. Lucky for me, Sarah was there to break my fall. Lots of people on the ship were seasick, and if you think about what we were dealing with, you can understand why.

Luckily, I have been spared for the most part for the seasickness. A lot of people had to stay outside, or avoid being on the computer or reading. I spent my days pre-packing, staring at counting trays and counting pills. Definitely a great way to get sick, if you were prone to it. The only time that I didn't feel 100%, was when I went to bed on Monday night with all the rocking. It's funny, because they say that laying down can help you if you feel seasick. Yet, I wasn't feeling nauseous until I laid down to sleep (but, no vomiting...yay!). Thankfully, after much prayer from myself, people back home, and I am sure others here on the ship, Tuesday morning, the seas started to calm, and they have only gotten better since. (Thank God!)

My week has been pretty mellow. I was lucky enough to spend some of my time orienting with the ward nurses, as they had orientation together all week. (I have also been dubbed an honorary nurse!) I got to sit in with them as they learned about the surgeries that they do on the ship, how they are done, and what we are likely to encounter. I also got to watch a video depicting the life of women with VVF (Vesico-vaginal fistula), and how surgery greatly changes their lives. There are a lot of things going on in West Africa that we would never see, or dream of having to live with in North America, because they are usually taken care of right away within our health-care system. Things that could've been nipped in the bud years ago, fester into big problems in Africa, because basic health care isn't available to everyone. I am slightly jealous of the nurses here, as I see that their jobs of ahead of them, while challenging, will be greatly rewarding. Yet, I also know that I can't do what they do, and they are quite admirable in my mind. When I wasn't sitting in on their orientation, I was pre-packing in mid-ships, and was ever so thankful for the hands that have helped me thus far. I am no where near done, but I also know that I am pre-packing for the entire outreach. I don't have to have it all done within the sail, as I will also have time when we get there. But, I also know that the more that I get done now, means the less that I will have to do later, so I have been trying to get as much done as possible.

The nights have been filled with getting to know others here on the ship and random activities. One night, we played a game of sardines...and I had a blast. There have been numerous card games and board games going on, as well as movies.

Yesterday was my first "day-off" on the ship...with no where to go. At first, I wasn't so sure what I should do with myself. But, my day filled quite easily. Waking up late sure helped! But, after lunch, while I was on the hunt for cinnamon rolls, I ended up in the crew galley, and kind of just ended up helping out with frosting cakes for a little girl's birthday party here on the ship. Do I know the little girl or her family personally? No. But, can I help out and be somewhat involved anyways? Yes. You have to love the little things like that about living in community. After dinner, a few of my new friends and I hid away in a cabin and watched a movie, and later on laid out on Deck 8 to watch the stars...and sleep under them.

Otherwise...things that have also filled my week have been...
- I have moved bunks in my cabin about 3 times now. We were at full capacity (4 persons), but then one of our cabinmates, Rachel, moved out, as she has been here on the ship for longer than 6 months and got an up-graded 4-berth room on Deck 4...with a window! I started off with the bottom bunk closest to our cabin door...then traded with Annette when she came in (and we had 4 people) to the top bunk (still closest to the door). Now that Rachel has moved out, I moved into her bunk...which is still a top bunk, but farther away from the door. At least now, my pillow won't fall off my bed so easily!
- I have read a book called, "Foreign to Familiar"...a very interesting book about cultural difference...and how to relate to others from different backgrounds than you, rather than to be offended by them. Understanding cultural differences sure helps, especially when living in a closed community such as this, and when going to a country that may have different customs than you, like we are.
- A few friends and I have started a work out group! Trying to do ab work-outs or video workouts is quite interesting when doing it on a rocking ship! Sure adds an extra element that you normally don't encounter on dry land.
- I am trying to learn French. For those of you who know how awful my French actually is...please don't laugh. I am hoping that after this, I might be able to sing the tubing/rafting song properly.

Well...I think that I've rambled long enough for now...hopefully, there was something in there for all of you to enjoy. :-) Happy Sunday, to however is out there...