SO much LOVE!

I have been SO bad at blogging since I've been here! I really need to be better because I know people enjoy reading about my experience but also because I want to document my time so I'll remember.  I have had such an amazing time here in Guinea. The people are amazing! When I think back about my last two months, I just remember the love. I have felt so much love! From the patients, the day crew, the team, and awesome group of friends. Just so much love.
I have had so many incredibly strong and brave patients, that have each come with a different story and I feel so blessed to be a small part of their story and experience here at Mercy Ships.

I just found photos of one of my favorite friends, Drissa. He is such a sweet boy, and SO much fun. He brings joy and laughter wherever he goes! Drissa had a surgery to release scar tissue from his neck for better range of motion and use of his neck. He didn't need much physical therapy but I'm glad I got the short time with him I did!

Drissa before surgery.

Look at that grin! It never left his face. 

Pre-op measurements done by the rehab team👏👏

Drissa with his papa

After surgery, playing with friends on deck 7.

Checking out his reflection after wound care.

Fitting Drissa for a pressure garment 

Hold still!

Checking to make sure the pressure garments haven't irritated his skin.

Going home!

Such a joy to work with this guy!

SO happy!

Drissa with papa 

The good news is that Drissa's surgery was a success. The bad news is that all of our patients are going home! It is SO sad! My two favorite girls went home within the last week, I am so happy for them but goodbyes are so difficult when you know they are forever. They both had surgery to release burn contractures for more functional use of their arms and are doing so well.

Makoura, Mami, and their mothers with the rehab team and their favorite nurse.

Makoura! Fato means silly or crazy in her language, so I called her Makoura Fato and I became Cece Fato.

Saran-the hardest working, strongest, bravest gal I know. 

I have had many more amazing experiences, on and off the ship.

We celebrated Easter last weekend and it was such a great experience.  Holidays on board are so amazing; every culture, nationality, and denomination is celebrated. We were able to attend communion, a foot washing station, a Seder meal, Tenebrae good Friday service, Sunday morning sunrise service and a full service later Sunday morning after coffee and pastries.

Seder Meal with a historically Jewish Passover meal setup

Tenebrae service

Sunrise service

Serving Pastries after sunrise service

Easter with my great friends!

I haven been so excited about the blood donation program here on Mercy Ships. We don't have access to any blood banks so the crew is the blood bank! When blood is needed the crew with the matching blood type is called to the lab to donate. I wasn't able to donate in Cameroon because I got a parasite but my blood was needed this time! I was asked to give blood late last Friday night for an emergency surgery because my blood type matched the patient O-!! Well, turns out I'm an O+ and it wasn't used for that patient. But someone else will need it!

We also ran a 5K, in matching singlets provided by the race with our race numbers individually printed on them. The petrol station Total, offered to sponsor all of us so we didn't have to pay to participate. A few of my friends ran 12k or 21k, but I barely finished the 5k, the African heat/humidity combined with low blood cells made for a poor runner!

Before the run!

A bunch of local kiddos wanted in our pic!

After-sweaty and hot!

We Made it!!

All of the Mercy Ships runners before

Some of us after!

Just as I did last year, I have over purchased fabric and have been visiting numerous tailors for some new outfits :)

Anyway, I'm sure you're tired of reading! I have more patient stories to come!! I'm so grateful and amazed by this experience. I'm SO glad I'm here!

Week One Guinea

I love it here already!

I'm HERE!!

I worked with Tracey in Cameroon and she left the day I arrived but we got to wave at each other at the airport.

I arrived in Guinea on Sunday, thankfully I arrived around dinner time so I could eat a sandwich and go to bed. I woke up Monday morning and did a short orientation and spent my first afternoon in the rehab tent. Everyone in rehab is new to me, but they sure are great!  My favorite part of my first week was meeting the rehab team and working with such wonderful therapists. We have such an intelligent, skilled, hardworking, and fabulous team! Unfortunately two PT's left on Saturday, and two more leave this Saturday so the rehab team will be completely different next Monday! The women on the team have been so welcoming and inclusive and took us out several times. I'm so sad I only get 1-2 weeks with them!

All the Rehab Gals

With the Ghurkas, some of my favorite people from Cameroon. 

The rehab tent has been so fun, the ortho kiddos are almost discharged and we are beginning to see the plastics patients. There are SO many fun/cheeky/energetic/sweet/kind people here!

The location of Mercy Ships in the port makes it really easy to leave the ship and walk into town. So we have already left the ship several times. Last year the ship was so far within the port that we had to ride a shuttle out of the port and then take a taxi, so we rarely left the boat.

Wednesday night we went on adventure and had dinner out as a team. Per the usual, the traffic was unpredictable so we went to a nice little Italian place. Thursday night I went for a walk with a few girls that I met at orientation and tried to navigate Conakry. We made it out and about and saw some of our temporary home, but then hurried back to the ship to make it in time for dinner.

Friday night we went to an African dance class, with live drumming at the cultural center. It was SO fun! I was horrible at it, but it was a great workout and my calves were a bit sore the next day.        

In the Taxi on the way back from African Dance class, there were 7 of us in one taxi...when in Africa :) 

Saturday I went on an adventure to Roume Island with 3 other girls from the ship. We took a Pirogi over and the driver stayed on the island with us until four, when we were ready to return. Another group of Mercy Shippers had gone to a few islands and ended at Roume, they left before us but broke down so our boat had to try to tow them back. We towed them about half way then left them off the coast of Cassa Island. They had to wait until another boat came to rescue them. It was quite funny, and so typically Africa. Roume was beautiful and the people were so kind and sweet. The kids in Guinea are so gregarious, wanting to make friends with everyone. They all yell "Foté" when you walk by(Foté means white).We made friends with several people on the island, bought some local crafts, and even found two guys that had lived in the US.

Map of the Island

path marker

Our friends on Roume, excellent craftsmen. 

View from lunch restaurant 

Delicious Monkfish

Lunch with the girls after a swim.

Governor's Beach

Our boat

Towing our friends 

Towing selfie, we rocked the boats a bit taking this...woops.

Last year, I narrowly missed Mango season, but i'm here in prime mango season this year and I couldn't be happier :)

The languages here are even more difficult than in Cameroon. There are so many more languages, and I'm excited to learn as many new words as I can.

I am so excited for my time here in Guinea, I miss the good friends I met last year, but this time has been so incredible already.

I hate goodbyes!

I'm not sure what I expected leaving the ship to be like, but definitely didn't expect the goodbyes to be THIS hard.

Over the years as a travel therapist I have said good bye hundreds of times. I've gotten pretty good at good bye, but because I also stay in touch with a lot of people I know its not goodbye it's "See you Later".

I think that's what makes this goodbye particularly difficult, I know it's Goodbye...like forever. Goodbye, not see you later.  Finite

I think that being in rehab we have the best job in the hospital. We see the patients from before surgery, throughout their recovery, then we get to see them 1:1 in rehab, and we are usually the last ones to see them before they leave the hospital. Getting this much time with our patients gives us the opportunity to build meaningful relationships with them over the course of their treatment.  All of this time and these sweet relationships that develop make saying goodbye an arduous task.

I started to tell patients that I'm leaving last week, I've cried tears thinking about leaving but I wasn't prepared for the tears others have shed over my departure! I feel so loved! I'd forgotten that this must be difficult for them too. Building relationships and seeing so many crew go home, all the while yearning to go home themselves.

I think for my last blog while in Africa I will reminisce about the amazing things I will miss!

I will miss my patients! This week I had an extra day off so I got to go to the Hope Center to craft and dance with the kids. It was so fun to be able to just sit and enjoy them vs. making them work or working on them!  We sang Bumbalea, heard a Bible story, and did a craft to go with the story. I'm so thankful for this extra time with my adorable little kiddos!

Oh man, check out how hard Zidane is laughing!! Love that guys laugh

Bumbalea

My sweet gal Assiatou

"Hold somebody, tell them that you love them, put your hands together, and praise the Lord"

Assiatou, treasuring the last moments with this silly girl

I got roped into doing someone's craft for them

So excited to see us at the Hope Center

I hope that the love this gal has felt here, has changed her for a lifetime.

I will miss opportunities to volunteer, and get involved in the Mercy Ships ministries. My last weekend here I signed up to go to the New Destiny orphanage again, what a change in 2 months! The kids clothes were new, they all had good shoes, they all looked taller/healthier, I'm so grateful for the people of Mercy Ships supporting these children. They are almost done with building a new home for everyone, once it's done they'll be able to live rent free!! We heard this weekend that their building should be done before Mercy Ships leaves Cameroon.

Matis speaks English and was really proud of his school work!

Oh baby Isaac was so sad this visit

Teaching Matis how to take a selfie, valuable life skill

Teaching the boys some new moves 😅😂

1,2,3, WEEEEEEE

The babies have grown so much since last visit

Football with Jovan

Group Photo!

I will miss these beautiful friends! We've started a tradition(for the last month) of getting schawarmas for lunch on Saturday. We went to the craft market then got lunch as a group, it was delicious. We'll probably go twice before we go too!

Cheers to Schawarmas!

I will miss being a part of this inspiring life saving hospital. Before I go I want to share some incredible before and after photos of some patients I got to interact with! They weren't rehab patients but the pictures demonstrate a bigger picture of what Mercy Ships does.  I want people who have supported me along the way to be proud of their contributions because it has literally saved lives. Tonight I went to an inservice and Dr. Parker, who has a ton of great quotes, said "Don't do this operation unless you have the Africa Mercy with you." This is such a true quote-this ship does AMAZING things :)

Djenabou Before

Djenabou After

Kaltoumi Before

Kaltoumi After

Baby Paul a cleft lip patient, had to work with the infant feeding program for quite sometime  prior to surgery to increase his weight for surgery. 

Paul after surgery, whoaaaa look at that fat baby!! SO cute- hard to believe its the same child!

My favorite little friend Ousmane went to the Hope Center last week, I have seen him in the rehab tent almost every day since then and he is getting SO much better!! He's almost ready to go home and is a changed boy!!

I just learned this week that my favorite baby Marimou is being re-admitted. Pray for this sweet baby as she is re-admitted, that if surgery is an option she will thrive!

I am excited to go home but I will miss this place!  I have had the joy of working with extremely talented/God fearing surgeons, wonderful/loving/caring nurses, and an incredible/fun/loving rehab team! The purpose, the patients, and the people! I love working with likeminded loving professionals, what an easy work atmosphere! I think it will be a shock to return to western medicine/working with people with various personalities, away from the Mercy Ships love bubble. 

The last thing I will miss is the daily language learning! I committed to learning a french word a day, I'm not sure if I know 120 French words but I gave it my best effort! And I learned so many words in tribal languages along the way, all taught to me by patients! I've had an ongoing list of words in my phone I want to share, you never know when you might need to know Fulfulde, Bamoun, or Mafa :) I have no idea how they're actually spelled but I spelled them phonetically on my list so I would remember how to say them.

Fulfulde

Aboo-ey:  POOP 

AFuutie: fart 

Asilly: Pee

Adanina: sleep 

Lumo: walk

Usoko: thank you

Saiyeso: Later 

Bow ojay: good bye 

Me eed demah: I love you 

Useku: shoe 

Budum: good job 

Bamoun 

Poutsana: how are you

Pokari: all is well 

O’yama: good morning 

Mushashu: salut 

Poket lienju: have a good day 

Poshina: bye 

Mafa 

Sayama: bye 

Baling guy A: good morning 

amba: good job 

How are you: Kan Sa ging AY 

Cameroon slang 

I learned this one because a child fell in therapy the other day and about 4 adults turned and said-

Ah-see-ya: it’s ok 

Goodbye for now!! I'll be back in Guinea!

Right now I miss all of you at home! I can't wait to see you all!

I fly out Saturday evening and I arrive back in the US Sunday and 2:20 PM :) So happy to see my sisters and their families!