A little adjusting

I have been back less than a week and Im slowly starting to settle back in. I think it has been a little harder than I expected. I think there was a part of me that just expected to slip back into where I left, instead I have felt a little lost and have been trying to find my place here again. I have had a couple of days when I have felt quite overwhelmed at the amount of new people that are around and just trying to adjust to being back here. Im sure it hasnt been helped by the jetlag and not sleeping properly.

I have had a few shifts back on the wards and that has helped to remind me of why I am back here. I was able to sit with one of my patients the other day and colour in with her and speak some of the small small Fon that I learnt last year in Benin (she has come to us from Benin and Fon is one of the 52 languages spoken there). She had me laughing so hard when I was trying to teach her how to count in english, she was copying the way I was pronouncing it and she started to sound like she was a New Zealander the way she was pronouncing it. Its the small things like that, sitting with her and trying to speak Fon, colouring in in a colouring in book and teaching her how to count in english that make me realise how blessed I am to be here and why I love it here so much. Where else can you go to work and sit and colour in with one of your patients?

I got to go out and off the ship the other night for a drink with a few friends. It was great to get out and see a little of Lomé. The main city centre is about an hours walk away or a 15 minute taxi ride, they dont seem to have as many zemijands (motorbike taxi's) here as they did in Benin so I think it might be a little harder to get around here. In the short distance we walked I was able to experience lots of the things I love about Africa. Like the African Mama's walking along with their babes strapped to their backs and all sorts of goodies for sale upon their heads. I got a little of that african dirt on my feet too. Oh it was great and I am glad to be back.

Im back

After around 32 hours of flying half way round the world and around another 10 hours of waiting in between at various airports I made it to Togo! What a long and tiring journey! I dont think I would ever choose to fly straight through like that again. It was great to meet up with my friend Maggie and have a travelling companion for the last few legs of the journey.

Its good to be back and to see some familiar faces again but then there is also a bazillion new faces that are around as well. Its been a little overwhelming the last couple of days trying to readjust to that as in some ways it feels like I never left and I keep walking around seeing all these new faces thinking what are you doing in my house?? Im sure its not really helped by the jetlag and not sleeping properly yet either. It might just take a little longer to adjust to than I thought.

The port is different as well, I keep looking outside expecting to see the same port as last year but its not. This port seems much busier than Benin. On one side there is the Togolese Navy which consists of 2 rather small ships and maybe a few speed boats? On the other is the main port, I havent been out to explore it too much yet as we have been without shore leave since I arrived due to the Togo elections last week and the risk of unrest. Hopefully we will be able to get out by the weekend so I can go out and get my head around being in this new city.

I start back in the wards on Tuesday, Im looking forward to getting back into it and being a nurse again and also getting to love on some all too cute african babies.

Gratitude

I had my coffee and dessert evening last night and I have to say I am totally overwhelmed and humbled by the support and encouragement that was shown to me.
I raised far more than I ever expected and I just want to say a huge thank you to the person who anonymously donated to me over and above anything I could have ever asked for. WOW. You made me cry. I am in awe of your servants heart. What more can I say than thank you? I pray that God blesses you just as abundantly as you have blessed me.

I feel so priviledged to be able to use my nursing skills in such a unique way and to be a part of an organisation that enables me to do that.

4 sleeps left in my own bed.... The coutdown is certainly on.

Quick facts about Togo

Togo is ranked as one of the poorest nations in the world, its ranked by the human development index at 159 out of 182. Access to health care is inadequate, the under five mortality rate is 140 out of 1000 babies born. Life expectancy is only 58.

Capital
Lome
Area
56,785km2
Population
5,285,501
Language
French, Ewe, Mina, Kabye, Dagomba (plus many more)
Currency
CFA
Government
Currently in the election process
Religion
Indigenous beliefs 51%, Christian 29%, Muslim 20%.

If you read my last post you'll know I cant wait to get there. I leave home in a week today!

I cant wait

I leave in two weeks today. With much less apprehension in my heart and far more peace than the last time I was heading off to Africa and off to the unknown. Because this time I know this is where I am meant to be, not that I didnt know that last time but there was all the 'unknown' that went along with leaving.

You wouldnt believe how excited I am to be going back. I just cant wait. I cant wait to feel the heat of the african sun beating down on my face, to get some of that african dirt on my feet and breathe in that not so fresh african air, to feel the sweat dripping down my back, (well maybe I can wait for that). I cant wait to see those african Mama's walking along the street with their babes strapped tightly to their backs with brightly coloured strips of fabric carrying all sorts of wares for sale upon their heads, to feel the weight of one of those babes in my arms, to step out into the chaos of an african city and soak up all the sights, sounds and smells that my poor senses can take in and that I know I will be assulted with once I step off that plane and back onto african soil.
Oh I cant wait.
I cant wait to see what is in store for this new outreach, the new patients that are going to step onto that big white ship and walk back out with not only physical healing but also emotional and spirtual healing. The ship is docked in Lome Togo this year and Im sure the need there is just as great as it was last year in Benin.

I fly out on the 4th of March and head to London where I get to meet up with my awesome friend Maggie who I met on the ship last year and who is also returning to the ship. We have a night in London and then we fly on down to Togo together.
Oh I just cant wait.

On a sidenote I am having another coffee and dessert fundraising evening on the 27th of February at my church 51 Lane Street Upper Hutt 7pm onwards, $15 for singles $25 for couples, I would love it for you to come and hear all about what I have been up to over the last 7 months and see more of what I will be up to once I get back.

Home...

So I'm back home. I'm excited to be back but I must say it feels a little strange, almost like I never left, but I know I did leave and that I changed alot during my time away.

So the things I missed the most other than my family and friends?
Having the freedom to just hop in my car and go for a drive
Fresh cold milk
Poached eggs on toast
New Zealand chocolate
My queen sized bed
Hanging my washing outside on the line to dry
Showers longer than 2 minutes!
Waking up to natural light in my bedroom

So while I missed all these things while I was away and I am enjoying having them back while I am home I learned to live quite happily without them while I was on the ship. I think the biggest lesson I learned while away was to be content whatever the circumstances. I was content living in a dark cabin with no windows, sleeping on a narrow bunk bed and sharing my living quaters with 5 other females. I was content while I was there and have never had such a peace about something like I felt while I was there. I knew it was where I was meant to be which makes it a little hard being back home.
But... For those of you who dont know, I'm heading back. Back to where I felt utter contentment and where my heart was filled with so much peace and joy. And I'm excited about that.

Sailing Day

Today is the day we sail. After spending the last week and a half double bleaching everything in sight in the hospital and packing and tying everything down we are ready to go.

Walking along the hospital corridors feels a little strange now, no patients around, no singing or dancing or children running along the corridors or any general noise, just silence. Its a surreal feeling seeing everything packed up and not having patients there.

My job during the sail is to scan all of the patients notes, all 10 months worth. Thankfully Im not doing this alone and alot of them have already been scanned. Once they have all been scanned onto the computer they are then incinerated. I think it may become a little mundane after a while but in some respects its kind of nice having a job that I dont have to think to much about and I think it also might be kinda cool to come across patients files that I remember looking after and just be able to send up a little prayer for them.

Because we are leaving today my heart feels a little heavy, heavy for selfish reasons tho because Im leaving behind so many people that have really touched me while I have been here, friendships that I have made and so many thousands of patients that have passed thru the hospital that have left an impression on me. I feel like Im leaving a piece of myself behind in Benin.

Over 6000 operations were performed onboard over the last 10 months and Im so excited, grateful and a little proud to have been apart of that, so many lives have been transformed because of the work that has been done here.

So on we sail to Tenerife. After 10 days of sailing I will spend 2 days in Tenerife before heading back to England to spend a few weeks and christmas with family there and then heading back home to NZ on the 12th of Jan! I must say its been a long but certainly awesome 6 and a half months with lots of ups and downs but I would give anything to do it all over again.