I'm just over half way through my time on the Africa Mercy. Time was moving really slowly at first, but now it seems like it's flying by! I think that's partly because the wards are much busier these days. I'm still taking care of patients after their reconstructive plastic surgery and really enjoying it! It's mostly pediatric patients, which mean the ward is much livelier now! In general the patients feel crummy for the first two days after surgery and require more nursing interventions (lots of pain meds, assistance toileting/repositioning as they usually are on bed rest for a couple days, learning how to use crutches while they are in a cast, NG feeds to improve their nutrition and help with wound healing, dressing changes). But once they are a little further out from surgery and more independent, it lots of hanging out playing Uno, making friendship bracelets, coloring or like last night, I walked into another ward and everyone was sitting around the computer watching a movie! It's a good mix of having some busier and more chill days. The first block of patients mostly came and went within two days of their surgery, but we have yet to send a plastics patient home, so they've all been here at least two weeks and it's fun to get to know them! I'm looking forward to the next couple weeks as we start to remove their casts/dressings and see the transformation that's happened!

The ward is so different than the US in that it is waaaaay more communal. While I assume this is partly because the patients don't have their own rooms (we have 6-8 beds in a ward plus their care givers sleeping below), it's more than that. Each morning everyone goes around to each other's bed and greets everyone. Taking the time to greet someone correctly is a very important part of Senegalese culture. I often have trouble working out which caregiver is with which patient because anyone will pick up a baby who is crying (not just the mother) or help someone to the bathroom or discipline a child who is misbehaving. I love the way they look out for each other!

It's good that the ward is so lively because unfortunately it's on a lower deck so there are no windows. It's weird working all day and having no idea what the weather is like! I can't imagine what this is like for our patients. We do take the whole ward up to an upper deck once a day for an hour so they get some time outside. We go from 2:30-3:30pm, so by the end, all the nurses who aren't used to this weather are hot and sweaty! But the patients and families seem to enjoy it- someone will start playing music and all the women get up to dance- maybe one of these days I'll join in!!

some random photos:

The ship pool

The fun part is when the ship is rocking, you get some good waves in the pool!

evening volley ball on the dock

this is at the end of the pier, they are storage containers that act as lockers for all the guys working to unload all the supplies from the ship

eggs being lifted onto the ship