Oh the joys...

...of community living.

I have often sat and wondered where all my time went. And, last night, it became clear to me...and in a way that I can actually explain in a blog!

One of the joys of community living (and some times, a frustration) is that there are always people around. I have a feeling that when I return to Calgary, I could be very lonely for awhile, as I will not be surrounded by so many people from so many different walks of life.

So, yesterday...started off like any other Tuesday...alarm goes off at 7:10 am, breakfast, followed by community meeting at 7:45 am. My work day began as usual at 8:30, with no real plans beyond work for the day, aside from maybe some time sitting in front of my computer...and possibly doing at least 20 minutes of exercise with Hannah.

However, by the end of my work day, I was signed up to go out for dinner with a group of people and had committed myself to helping Linda decorate the lab and cabin door in lieu of Naomi's birthday on Wednesday. We were set to meet at 9 pm in my cabin.

We left for dinner at 5:30 pm, and checked out a highly recommended burger joint, followed by ice cream. We got back to the ship just shy of 8 pm..."perfect", I thought. Just in time to maybe play on the internet, and sign up for a washer unit, so that I could have some clothes to pack to take to Ghana this weekend. Should be easy enough, I thought. A quick 5 minute stroll up to Deck 6 from Deck 3, and I could be back in my cabin, either reading my book or reading blogs on the internet, and I'd be there, ready and waiting for Linda in my cabin.

Not exactly how it played out. On my way up to the laundry room, I ran into a friend. He hailed me over, so I plopped down in the seat next to him, just intending to do some idle chat, and head right back on my mission. Fifty five minutes later, it is 8:55 pm, and I realize that I have to wrap up our conversation, sign up for that laundry unit like I originally intended to do, race down 3 flights of stairs, and be back in my cabin by 9 pm.

"Not a problem!", I thought...only to be proven wrong yet again. I did successfully sign up for my laundry spot for the next night. But, on my way to my cabin, I went through the dining room...only to encounter another friend...a friend that I remembered I wanted to bug about something. After my joshing ended, he and I chatted for a bit...until I looked up at the clock, and realized that it was 9:05 pm...and I was late to meet with Linda in my cabin!

I quickly excused myself and raced down the stairs and burst into my cabin...only to find out from one of my roommates that someone had come looking for me while she was in the shower. Bummer! I missed Linda! And, now it was my turn to seek her out.

Up and down the stairs I went, to midships through the hospital...I checked out the lab, the dining hall, her cabin, my cabin...and proceeded to do the loop again. On my second go around, I ran into another friend at the top of the stairs in midships. He asked what I was doing...I told him what had happened, talking at 150 miles per hour, none-the-less, and convinced him to walk and talk with me while I continued my search for Linda.

9:45 pm rolls around...and I have all but given up looking for Linda. However, the conversation I had with my friend while walking around turned a bit serious. But, it's really hard to find privacy on the ship to sit and chat. So, giving up on looking for Linda, my friend and I hunted for a quiet place to chat, where hopefully not too many people could eavesdrop on our conversation.

I knew of a few places that are typically quiet and people free. The first place was previously quiet, but by then, there were other people who knew it was a great place to chat...so we went to the next spot. And lo and behold...there was Linda!

We ended up helping Linda with the birthday decorations (she admitted that she was direly in need of it). Half way through it, my friend decided to leave and head to bed. Linda and I headed to the lab and started decorating...only to be interrupted by Ben, another lab technician (Did I mention that Linda is a lab tech, and so is Naomi? We are all a part of the hospital auxiliary team.). Apparently, Ben had been paged, as he was on-call, to find a B + blood donor for a patient that needed a unit of blood before his surgery the next day. Since Ben is fairly new to the ship, Linda started to help him out...only to discover that Ben himself will have to be the blood donor.

So, Linda and I put aside our decorating schemes to help collect the unit of blood. Well...let's be honest, Linda helped to collect the unit of blood, I just took pictures for Ben and provided some moral support. When the unit of Ben's blood was collected and delivered to the ward, Linda and I continued with our decorating schemes.

When all was said and done, it was past midnight by the time I finished all my tasks for a day that started off task-free. And, what should've taken maybe an hour to an hour and a half at most, somehow got drawn out to 4 hours!

I understand how this can be entirely frustrating. Something that shouldn't take so long, magically morphs into a never-ending task here on the ship. But, at the same time...how else would I have found out about someone's story in joining Mercy Ships? How else would I have learned that a friend who came here unsure of what he believed in, accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior over the weekend? Only in community living. And, only in being willing to participate and be a part of that community does it happen.

So...that's where all my time goes it seems. When I'm not being anti-social or overly task oriented...my time goes to into building and living in community. And, I'm perfectly okay with that. :-)

It's all downhill from here...

As it has been pointed out more than a few times to me...I have reached the half-way mark of my time here with Mercy Ships. Pretty crazy to think about how the time has gone. Most times, I still don't know where it went. Yet, looking back, time seems to be doing this impossible thing in my head, where it feels like the days are passing by fast, yet I also feel like I've been at this for a lot longer than it has been...all at once. I realize that the hospital has been open for less than 2 months. But some days, it doesn't seem that way.

Thankfully, a schedule of sorts had been hammered out for me in the last few months (those of you who know me, know that I like structure.). Work is from 8:30 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday. Hospital devotions at 7:30 am on Monday mornings, Community devotions at 7:45 on Tuesday mornings, and Auxiliary team devotions at 8 am on Wednesday mornings. We have Community meetings every Thursday night at 7:30 pm, followed by ice cream and fellowship. Monday and Wednesday nights at 5:15 pm, there is soccer (or fútbol), which I normally play. Not to mention ultimate frisbee on Friday nights, also at 5:15 pm. Breakfast ends at 7:30 am (please note that I don't know when it starts.), lunch is from 12 pm to 1 pm, and dinner is served between the hours of 5 pm and 6:30 pm.

Weekends, I am usually left to my own devices...but, since I'm on call every other weekend, what I do varies. I usually try to get off the ship just for a change of scenery, even if it's just to the Seamen's Mission (When on call, I can leave the ship, as long as I can get back there within 30 minutes if needed. I just have to carry a cell phone with me.).

People still ask me and want to know what it's like living here on the Africa Mercy. And, still after all this time, words fail me. I feel like I cannot adequately portray this life for you...it's something that you need to experience. Yet, I recognize that for the most part, people are trying to live this experience through me. So - what can I say for it? I usually say, "It's a weird life, this ship life.", and most of my friends here agree.

Don't get me wrong - I'm not saying that it's bad...but for the most part, it's not the way we would normally live in North America. We are a living, breathing community...with members from 40+ different countries. In essence, I feel like we are a village in a metal box. We are like any other community you may think of, be it your church community, your network of friends, your co-workers...here on the Africa Mercy, we are all that in one.

Where else would I willingly choose to share a bedroom with 3 strangers? Please note, that I don't willingly share a bedroom with my little sister, Neysa. Where else is your work place less than a minute walk away...at any time...from either where you lay your head, eat your meals, or take your leisure time? Where else would you learn so much about other cultures...and realize the culture that has been engraved in you without you really noticing it?

There have been lots of things that I have learned. I have found that often times, I can be really quiet (contrary to my stepdad's nickname for me, "Crash, Boom, Bang".) in efforts to be considerate of my roommates. I have also learnt, that it's usually when you are making the effort to be quiet, that gravity takes hold and noise is unavoidable. I have also learnt how to sleep with ear plugs (which is great, because I am a light sleeper)...although, most mornings I find that I somehow managed to take them out in the middle of the night. Sometimes, my bunkmate, Bernice, is picking my earplugs up off the floor for me (usually when I can't find them in my bed sheets). Other mornings, I remember how I took them out, thinking in my sleep fog that holding them in my hand is the best way to prevent Bernice from having to pick them up off the floor (which, is not always true...and also better than waking up from dreaming that they are croissants, as Hannah has once pointed out to me).

I know that a few of my friends were concerned about me coming here...and for 6 months. Which, at one time seemed like a long time. Now, it seems like just a small snippet of my life. Some voiced selfish concerns...about them not wanting me to be so far away from them or so far away for so long. And, others were concerned that I wouldn't make friends so readily...and some were concerned that since I am so community/relationship oriented (in their minds)...that being away from the community that I had set up in Canada wouldn't suit me. However, being here...it's just a matter of finding a space for yourself in this ever changing community, and making friends isn't as hard as it once seemed.

Everyday, it seems there is something new to learn about living in community. There are pros and cons, but for the most part - it's been thoroughly enjoyable, and I think that I am learning fast... ;-)