Dorina

My second week onboard has been a mix of excitement, learning and settling into the rhythm of life. As the week passed I felt more grounded by finding my place in the unique community. 

The past week was composed of day crew training, facilitator orientation, and cleaning the patient rooms. Getting to met the entire team of 52 day crew was exciting and slightly overwhelming. So many new faces, each bringing their own energy and skills to the team. The day crew are Malagasy  and essential to everything we do. They help bridge language and cultural gaps and assist in every department in Mercy Ships. Getting to know them has been such a joy, but remembering all their names may take me some time. 

After a full week, a group of us took the chance to get away from the weekend before we dive headfirst into the field service. We spent two nights in Mohambo, a town up the coast of Madagascar. The journey to and from was a classic African experience of 10 of us in a van with no air conditioning just a few windows we could slide open for a breeze of humid air. Attempting to exit the city we ended up with several other local people in our van, and traveled through more potholes than solid tarmac. The mix of ocean breeze, lovely food and good company felt like a reward. Stepping away from the ship for a moment made me appreciate both the work we are doing and the privilege of serving in such a beautiful place. 

While the first patients arrived on Monday afternoon at the Hope Center the learning continues in my new role. Surgeries are planned to begin next week. For now I’m taking it one day at a time by learning, serving and embracing the moments that make ship life so unique. 

Auntie duties continue here while babysitting these two little ones while their parents got to go out for the evening.