As Promised

At the beginning, of this month I promised that I would try to figure out how to post the video of a Malagasy opening a coconut. I have since then figured out how to post videos. I realized that I hadn't posted this clip yet. Soooo... the long awaited clip of the Malagasy opening a coconut. 

Christmas Day

Preparation for Christmas Brunch was crazy. On Wednesday we put in a 14 hour day just to try get everything prepared and sorted for Thursday! This morning we worked for a couple hours putting the finishing touches on the meal, made a salad and anything that was running low on the cold side. 

The dining room was revamped for Christmas Brunch.

My roommate Willeke, works the opposite shift as me but does the same job. I don't know why I am laugh so hard! A lot of people dressed up so it was neat to see people out of there work clothes. 

My roomies Willeke and Claerwen

After we had filled our faces then it was time for Christmas Carols in Mid Ships.

What better then to end the day with rain! The British Columbian that I am means I love the rain, so whenever it rains. I get super excited. (Yes, I do run outside and stand in the rain!)

I went outside and stood in the rain, it was raining so hard that water was pooling on the deck.

Life Onboard

I find it quite a struggle to try and explain what life is like on Africa Mercy, I feel that even when I explain this lifestyle it isn't totally right. I don't know if you have ever lived in community living? If you haven't I will try explain, the people who you are share a cabin with you work with, eat your meals together, hang out with, watch movies together, attend meetings together, and so on. You are always with the same people which is different from at the end of the day you leave work and go home, instead I have the kitchen over my head. I don't want this sound like a negative thing it is just a change, that I have adjusted too.

Mercy Ship is built on volunteers and there is the constant coming and going of people. Tomorrow 30 people are leaving here, in this past week I have attended 3 going away parties for 4 people who are dearly missed or will be dearly missed.

So to try a give you a peek at my life I will try explain the last couple of days. The pictures may explain it better than I can. There is always some sort of activity that you can be part of, people to talk to, take a trip to town, read a book in Mid-Ships, or work on your tan by the pool.

Wednesday: 

I posted Wednesday pictures of the market so that filled our morning.

    

New Roomate!!

   

Can't leave your room a mess when you're going leave got to give it a quick sweep. I was very helpful by being photographer of this glamorous moment! 

Rianne, with the Statue of Liberty at her good-bye party! 

On Tuesday it was her last of work in the galley and as per tradition she had a water dumped on her. Soon war was declared and every one was totally went along with the entire galley, the floors that day were super clean. 

Rianne was here 6 months and is going to be missed! 

I was really hungry like normal! :) So Willeke had some white chocolate chips in our fridge so we made white chocolate chip sandwiches and put it in the toaster. Our 11 o'clock snack was delicious! 

Thursday:

Thursday morning I was sitting in the cafe and the primary kids came and sang us the Christmas carols they are had learned for the ward. 

I 

Willeke has taken over Rianne's room and now she has a palace all to herself! 

(I'm planning to do a room picture tour soon)

After our Thursday night we always get ice cream, which is super exciting. The choir did a flash mob of Carol of the Bells it was pretty neat. Everyone was so excited and enjoyed it so much that they asked for an encore and they sang again! 

Friday:

Today was my first day in the galley without having Rianne to fall back on, but it all worked out in the end. 

I can't wrap my head around that it is almost Christmas so today I decided to started a Christmas countdown.

Tonight, we had a bonfire on the beach for two of my friends who are leaving. Yes, I know that is hot outside and I fire will just make it hotter but it was neat to have. The picture above is taken on the beach and the lights across the water are actually the ship. 

What would a bonfire be without some guitar playing? 

Caleb is leaving tomorrow, before we left he had to tell the story of how he fell on coral reef and cut him up. Basically the water wasn't very deep, he tired surfing on a kayak, yes I know crazy! A wave came along and he rode it but at the end he fell onto this sharp coral. One side of him is just scraped open from the coral, if that wasn't bad enough he had to walk across the coral to retrieve his kayak. Robbie was also their and they went back and forth from each others points of view. Caleb is going to have scars to remember his first every surfing experience. Nothing like a goodbye story! 

I don't know if this post really gives you a taste of life here or the crazy busyness of it, but like I said before it is hard to put into words or explain. So I hope this just gives you a glimpse because I can only say so much. 

Tamatave

 

Up keep of the ship is very important. Slowly the deckies are making their way around the ship painting.

 

 Pousse-Pousse is a type of taxi. 

We pay 1000 MGA to be taken places about $0.45

The grocery stores are filled with many western drinks, food, candy, and even beer. There are also Malagasy products but we tend to stay away from them because if not we usually end up sick! 

Many people at home have this pool, however, here is Madagascar we need it a lot more! This pool costs 296,000 MGA or $134.00. During the day it is typically above 30 degrees C, plus the humidity! At night the temperature will reach a low of 23 degrees and the humidity is still there! 

The best way to get around is by tuk-tuk. It's quicker than a pousse-pousse by far, and the little bit of breeze that comes through is exactly what you need in the humidity! I pay the same amount to take a tuk-tuk as a pousse-pousse.

We are home or almost home! It's a 15 minute walk from the port gates to the ship. We do have a tuk-tuk service that runs in the evenings and on weekends. I always seem to miss the tuk-tuk service as I'm either coming during the day or at night with a big group. We pay $2.00 a month to have a took-tuk pass, I know that's a pretty steep price, eh?

It seems that every time I take a shower I go outside. Within 5 minutes my hair is dry and I'm ready for another shower! By the time that we make it to the port gates we are happy to grab a tuk-tuk or pousse-pousse to the bazaar. Today, we bought some cold drinks at the market and in 5 minutes they were lukewarm and no longer refreshing!

 

These palm trees in these pots are a pain. Since we are taller then the average Malagasy person we can't walk side by side down this sidewalk without constantly getting hit in the face with palm leaves. #mercyshipproblems :)

Walk a Mile with Me

07:00

The buzzing of my alarm wakes me and I search around my bed to find my phone so I can turn the alarm off before it wake up my cabin mates. Once, I have turned off my phone I check messages and emails from family and friends that I received during the night. 

07:15 

I climb a flight of stairs to the dining room. Usually at this time there is not much of a line, coming at this time doesn't always guarantee that you will get cinnamon bun, pancakes or fresh biscuit. That is the price I pay for taking so long to get out of bed in the morning. My typical breakfast is a couple pieces of bread with meat and cheese, with some fresh fruit. 

07:30 

If I haven't finished answering emails I will work on that util I get have to get ready for work, otherwise I will sleep for 20 more minutes. Depending on what day of the week it is I might have a meeting to go to before work or a team devotion. 

08:00

Typically we start work around this time. We start by going through the vegetables from the day before seeing how much is left and if it is fresh enough to be served. Rianne, is the team leader of the cold side, will write down on the white board what vegetables we need and how many trays need to be prepared.

In just a few weeks, Rianne will be going home and I will be taking her place. We start off the morning with just a few day crew who help us prepare the meals for the day. 

Before we can serve the vegetables and fruit we must wash them in chlorine water, and rinse them off. This ensures that we are eating clean and safe produce. 

09:45 

We will have a break just before the next set of day crew arrives. After our break we prepare the rest of the rest of the food for lunch, if we are done early we start preparing for dinner. The most emotional part of the day is when we cut onions everyone seems to cry, I am lucky because since I wear contacts I don't cry from the onions.

The vegetables that we have at every meal are:

- green peppers

- lettuce

- red onions

- carrots

- cucumbers

- tomatos

11:30-12:00

Typically, when we are finished preparing everything for lunch we go on our break. 

13:00

Back from our lunch break, we put everything from lunch in the fridge and see how much we need to prepare for dinner. If the hot meal that was prepared for lunch was very popular there will be more leftover vegetables, so we will have less to prepare.

15:00

Around this time we take a break. Usually we are nearly done preparing for dinner. When the cold side dinner preparation is finished we clean up the work area. We have a couple day crew doing dishes throughout the day but now a group will tackle the dishes. We sweep the floors, mop them and emptying garbage. I love moping the floor because we just dump a bucket of soapy water on the floor and scrub. If we have finished cleaning up and the hot side is running behind some of the cold side crew will help. 

16:45-17:00

Around this time we take a break for dinner usually about an hour to hour and half. 

18:00-18:30

If it's my night to the dishes I will have to back around this time to finish up for the day. Emptying trolleys putting away leftover food in the cooler. Usually we finish up around 19:00. 

So there you have it a day in the life of a Mercy Ship cold side cook. 

A Thousand Words...

 On Deck 9, we have an amazing pool. It's open everyday from 6am-10pm. It usually isn't that peaceful.

I have even managed to sunburn myself there!

 

Port Side View Deck 9

Dining Room: Meals are served buffet style. Breakfast from 6:30 till 7:30
Lunch 11:30-1:00
Dinner 4:45-6:30

On the weekends, breakfast is served an hour later and you must prepare your lunch at breakfast.

                                                                   Coffee from the Starbucks Cafe! 

2 Weeks Ago...

I boarded a bus destined for Africa Mercy. Uncertain of what to expect, and if I would this like experience. Then after a 9 hour bus ride you are ushered up the gangway and tossed into ship life. Living on Africa Mercy is all about adapting, trying new things, and embracing experiences that come your way.

Here, I am 2 weeks later totally comfortable here and able to find my way around the ship. I don't question that I live in close quarters with 400 people or that I'm living on a ship. I was surprised at how quickly I adjusted to living here, and it's home. The other night I was in town with a group of people and at the end of the night someone asked are you ready to go home. My mind flashed to the ship not home in Chilliwack. This is my home for now.

Living on Africa Mercy is never dull. There is always some sort of activity going on from a Winter Wonderland Market to Ultimate Frisbee on the beach. Or like the other day, frantically calling the plumber because the toilet in our cabin was overflowing. There is always some sort of excitement going on.


I don't know what is interesting to read about. So if you have any ideas or want to know about something on the ship, please just ask. As I said before I'm already quite used to living here already so what I might find routine and wouldn't think of writing about you might find totally interesting. Feel free to ask questions.

Dinner on the Dock

Mercy Ship is all about celebrating other cultures, as the crew is from all over the world. So it only makes sense we would celebrate the Malagasy culture. I get the chance to work with a Malagasy crew in the galley and I have learned a few Malagasy words.  Salama - Hello. The day crew are trying to teach everyone in the galley Malagasy, we are all willing students so far.

Back to the point.

Tonight, a basic dinner was served on the dock. However, we had Malagasy vendors selling traditional food, baskets, clothing and other goods. We had the privilege of a Malagasy band play, with Malagasy dancers. Unfortunately, I wasn't there for long as I had previous plans, but I still managed to take some pictures.

I have a very interesting video of one of the vendors opening coconuts with a machete, however, it isn't working. If I can figure it out I will be sure to post it.

Veloma - Good Night