Veloma Madagascar

I left the ship two days ago and it feels like I have gone on a day trip from the ship. In my mind I know that I am going home. Both don’t seem real on the one hand I feel like I will be back on the ship soon and on the other I know I am going to see my family soon. I think that once I see my family it will help this all set in. It was the same way when I arrived on the ship it wasn’t until I was onboard a couple days that reality set in. 

I knew that I had good friends onboard and that they meant a lot, but I never realized how much they had impacted my life. Relationships onboard develop quickly and you become so close, and then it was time to leave and I realized I love these people they mean the world to me. I got many letters, hugs, and words of encouragement and they care so much for me as I do for them. As you may read this it may sound absurd, you make question me on how I am able to feel such strong emotions for my group of friends in such a short time but when your family is absent you make your own. The letters that were given to me touched my heart and I will never forget how you all impacted my life. 

Saying the goodbyes were tough and when it all sets in it will be some adjusting for me, but I now have friends from all over the world that I must go see again! Everyone on the ship is in my thoughts and prayers. However in just 15 hours I get to see my family again which I am very much looking forward too. 

I left the ship on Saturday morning at 6:30am where I took an 11 hour bus ride to Tana it was a nice ride, Madagascar is so beautiful. The pictures I have taken don't even show half of the beauty! I spent the night in Tana and the next afternoon flew out of Tana to Johannesburg. When I arrived Johannesburg I was asked if I was willing to stay the night and collect 250 Pounds. I opted not stay the night as once I start travelling I just want to get it over and done with, especially as Madagascar is so far away. I have 25 hours of just straight flying, excluding the time for layovers. I was able to get on my flight to London, we took off almost an hour late that didn't bother me as it just took some time off my 12 hour layover in London. I debated whether I should go and explore London while I had the time, but then I heard it was 3 degrees with 15 km/h. Yes, I know that isn't that cold, but remember I am used to summer, and just the night before I had been shivering in my hoodie with 20 degree weather in Tana. It has been a nice time of relaxing, processing my trip, and catching up on some reading. 

These awesome people got up at 6am to see me off!

Tana Airport!

I now just have one more 10 hour fight home! 

A Fancy Pants Dinner

With just two nights left in my bunk, my bags half packed and good bye notes written you would think that it has set in I am leaving. Yes, I have moments where the reality sets in but then I am off running to dinner or sharing cheesecake with my roommates. On the other hand I have gone the motions of leaving so I would just like to leave and start the crazy long journey home! But, when I think on the past two days the great memories that I was still able to have with my friends was fantastic!

Fancy Pants Dinner - Dressed up in the fanciest clothes we had on the ship, we headed out for an amazing dinner off ship! It was a great night with friends, and the zebu was amazing. 

Willeke, one of my roommates, makes a cake whenever one of our roommates leaves and now it was my turn. Tonight, my cabin mates and I dug into this amazing cheesecake. We literally dug in as the graham was too thin so we couldn't scoop out of the pan! 

I know I need to go home and back to work! Exciting news I was accepted at UFV for a Business Degree in the fall although in the past couple of weeks I haven't felt like that is what I want or should study anymore. I don't know if that is because I am here and disconnected from life at home, or in actuality it is that I am no longer interested in that type of study. Either way September seem like months off but it is not at all. So going home will give me the chance to figure it out; for instance what I want to study or if I even want to still study. I feel like I will still end up studying as an education is never wasted, the question is just what am I going to study. This time away from home has allowed me to learn lessons that I would have never been open to learning home, now being without my security blanket I learned to just let myself feel, that it is ok not to be ok and let others help me through what I am going through. Opening doors to careers I never thought possible before.

I don't think that I can ever put into words how much this experience has impacted me. I want to thank everyone who encouraged, prayed, sent packages, cards, and donated giving me an opportunity to come here. Not only did I have the chance to in some small way to help the Malagasy people, but they changed me through their words and love. THANK YOU to whom ever you may be, I can never thank you enough for what you have done for me giving me this life changing experience!

Last Day in the Galley

As per galley tradition on your last day water is dumped on you. Yesterday, all day I knew what was going to happen it was just a matter of when. I am the only crew girl on the team so with 5 guy crew I could easily be over powered by them, so there was no chance for me to fight this fate I just had to accept. Around 4:30, I was washing the tilt skillets and all the crew and day crew seemed to have disappear so I knew they were all plotting against me. One of the day crew asked me if they could take a picture with me and I knew it was going downhill from here! Emma took a picture and then Joel took my hat, shoved an egg on my head and then dumped water on me. Ben, my team leader acted all surprised like he hadn't planned this at all, and it was disgusting that they put and egg in my hair. Ben asked if we could help carry the white compost buckets down to the dock, but there wasn't one for me to carry. Joel was like just come along anyway it will be nice, as we are walking down the gangway he puts his arm around me and says how much he's going to miss me. One second he is telling me how sad he is to see me go and then next he is dumping flour on my head, and Belinda is pouring water on me. The entire galley team gets to the bottom of the gang way and Robbie gives me a hug or so I thought but he was actually holding me so I wouldn't run away. Next thing I know they have opened the compost buckets that they have filled with water and dump 5 of them on me and then some more flour. It was a great send off from the galley! Everyone on the dock was just staring because I don't think they know the galley tradition so they were all a little confused. After being egged and floured I then had to climb the gang way and walk through the dining room I looked hilarious bits of egg shells stuck in my hair! Even after I showered and used more than my allotted 2 minute shower time I still found flour and egg and stuck in my hair!

I loved working in the galley! The crew and day crew is was what made the job so bearable on the awful days and filled it will fun, joy, and great memories! I couldn't have asked for a better team to work with! I will never forget you all!

How About a Reality Check?

"Marlayna, you're leaving."

"What do you mean? Of course, I am leaving I can't be here forever."

"No, you're leaving in just a few days, less than a week!"

This is the conversations that I have had with many people as well as in my head on a daily basis.

I am leaving the Africa Mercy in just a handful of days. I don't want to say back to reality, or back to normal as I have found normal here. Being on the ship really secludes you from the rest of the world I couldn't tell you what is happening at home or anywhere else in the world. I am in a community of people who can relate what I am going through and spend my days with. I am so looking forward to seeing my family in the airpot and giving them all a hug.

What about all my friends here? I am so sad to leave them here and even if I don't see them again they needed to be in my life through this experience. They helped me learn many lessons, helped and encouraged me through the bad days and most of all loved and laughed with me. I have such an amazing group of people here I was able to share this journey with. So even if they were just a part of my life for these short months I will treasure their friendship and the memories that we made together.

Surgery

This past week I had the opportunity to observe a tumour removed from a patients throat! It was an incredible experience as I stood right next to the surgeon as he operated. He answered any questions and explained the procedure as it he went. The tumour that was removed was the size of baseball, there was a bulge in the patients neck but the tumour didn't look that large until after it had been removed. The surgeon was surprised at the size of the tumour, as they kept finding more of it. Being allowed to have the chance to observe this surgery has been a highlight of my trip, as being in the galley you sometimes forget about what is happening 3 decks below you. I can get so focused on preparing dinner and stressing because our shipment didn't come in so I have to try make a salad with eggplant and celery root. Now stepping back observing this surgery it brings everything back into perspective again. Everyone on the ship has an essential role that without the surgeons couldn't operate and change lives. I may be a couple decks above in the galley but I still am helping contribute  to those life changing experiences. So even on the tough days in the galley it was all worth it because of what was happening in the operating rooms. 

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

9 Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.  10For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.

This verses speaks about teamwork and Mercy Ships is a team because without the doctors we couldn't operate, without the nurses who would care for the patients, and without the day crew who would translate. These are just a few examples but we needed!  

A Touching Moment

A moment that touched my heart!

Every afternoon the patients that are able go up to Deck 7. They get the chance to run around, play and get some fresh air. Yesterday, I just happened to be leaving the crew galley as the patients were coming down the stairs. One adorable girl came running down the stairs and seeing me rushed over to me and wrapped her arms around me in a huge hug! She let go, gave me quick grin and went down the rest of the stairs to the hospital. This little girl was probably about 4, I had never visited her down on the ward before but she gave me this awesome hug. This quick hug from her in the hallway meant so much! I don't know whether she mistook me for someone else, but either way that was the highlight of my day! I am going to go see if I can find her on the ward, even if I don't it was moment that filled me with joy.

Ship Struggles

The entire time I have been in Madagascar I haven't figured out how to make this experience relatable to everyone back home. I mainly have posted about the highlights of the week, adventures, or amazing experiences what I haven't mentioned are the days where I questioned myself as to why I came here, if the stress of the day worth it, if I should have made this trek across the world. The days of stress, homesickness, regret and questioning where all worth it now as I can look back, what makes this experience so challenging is that your security system that I have in place at home is gone. I have made my own security system here will my friends, and they have filled the place of my family for a short while.

Respect Mercy Ships Core Values in their service and employment.

• Love God,

• Love and serve others,

• Be people of integrity, and.

• Be people of excellence in all we say and do.

These core values were good reminders for me not only on the good days where it easy to remember why I was here, but on the days when I really questioned what I was doing on a ship in Madagascar! A lot of this trip was being out of my comfort zone and when making decisions not thinking about much it terrified me to go even though I knew would enjoy it. For me making the first step couple steps where the hardest, but once I made the first few steps it would too late to turn back so I would have to put my fears and concerns behind me and just enjoy it! 

One of the toughest parts of being here is saying goodbye to someone you have become close with, and the next day the new arrivals are here trying to make friends and fit in. I really struggled with this at the beginning of January. I said goodbye to one of my really good friends, and he had just been gone 24 hours and someone new is trying to be my friend. In my mind I'm thinking I haven't even had the chance to process that he's gone, just leave me alone please, I don't want to be your friend. However this new arrival is trying so hard to fit in and feel welcome, and confused as to why I am being stand offish. To this day I struggle to be friendly to this new guy, because in my heart it feels like he's intruding on the memory of my old friend, but in reality he's just trying to feel at home. It has been over a month and half and on a daily basis I have to remind myself to include him, be friendly, and make a point to have a conversation with him. It isn't this guys' fault that my friend left and he arrived the next day, it just the circumstances and part of ship life. 

I don't know how to put this into words or explain it well, my bunkmate posted about the same thing and is letting me leave the link to her blog. She does a much better job of putting into words the experience of people coming and going! So check out her post! Locks and Locks of Love