Life

A quick glance at a friend's new blog reminded me that I need to update everyone on just all the little things that have been going on here in Liberia.

Amazingly enough, the 10 month outreach for Mercy Ships is actually drawing to a close in the next few weeks. We will be sailing to the Canary Islands (about a 5 day sail) where the ship will be in dry-dock (out of the water) to be checked for anything the needs to be repaired. That hopfully will only take two weeks and then the ship will head to a different island to spend a few weeks of restocking and relaxing before headed off to the next outreach. During the time in dry-dock, there is actually no running water on the ship, so everyone is encouraged to take vacations during these weeks in December. School will also be having holidays from 7 December to 7 January, so I am taking that time to head to Germany and visit friends. Marcel and I have plans to fly to Basel together, spend a few days in Freiburg before he heads up to Solingen and then I will join him there sometime around Christmas. I am really looking forward to this time as a chance to catch up with friends, do some shopping and take showers for longer than 2 minutes :)

Before all that happens though, I need to get through the next five weeks of school :) Things have been going well up to know, so I have nothing to complain about. I have six girls in my nursery class and it has been fun to see them grow up over the last few months. The youngest turned one in July and the oldest just turned 3 a few weeks ago. I also have Miss Ellie helping me which has turned out to be an amazing blessing - having so many little ones around means an extra pair of hands really helps. Right now in nursery, we are learning colors - so far we have done a week of red and a week of yellow. Preschool is going well too - everyone seems to be settling in and Page (the head preschool teacher) is great at what she does. Not every day is perfect and there are still many things which are frustrating or always changing, but that is true anywhere :) I am seriously considering trying to continue teaching here Fall 2008, so things cannot be too bad. If you are interested in more weekly information about what we are doing in class and pictures, check out the blog that Page and I have - it is on my list of links on the right on this page.

Pictures: Preschool and Nursery at a pool party on the deck, Miss Page with the kids

Birthday Thoughts

First of all, let me say thank you to everyone reading this that sent me birthday wishes in one way or another - it made for a very special day.
This was my first birthday with a boyfriend, which also made it special :) He left a note for me in the morning and then picked me up after school, blindfolded me and tried to confuse me by having me walk around the ship before ending up in cafe where he had organized a little party. - Very nice, although I was not too keen on the blindfold idea. It was also nice to have a time with some of the people on the ship who have become special to me. There are so many people coming and going here and so many people get busy, it is easy to lose track of friends sometimes. The teacher I share the classroom with (preschool and nursery are together in one room) was also really great and had the kids make a card for me. Her birthday was on the 1st of October, so we had a little group celebration on Friday. Some of the older kids also came and sang to me and a couple of the high-schoolers whom I have never even really talked with wished me Happy Birthday. I don't if their teachers put them up to it or not, but I enjoyed it anyhow. A dinner out with friends to celebrate and a phone call from my mom capped off a great day.

Someone asked my what I was doing last year for my birthday, which put me in mind of all the different birthdays I have had over the last few years. Not that any one has been more special, but they have each been different. A late night party with a hastily made cake and a present of Kraft mac and cheese from the cupboard (remember that Becky?), a present of a sweatshirt three sizes too big (thank you Terry - it is still in my closet), a cookie cake with so much frosting it was almost inedible (thanks go to Kenio and Marik), dinner with mom, sister and brother for the first time in years, a surprise party given by a boyfriend -- each one has been unique - thank you all.

The Two Minute Shower

There are many ups and down to living on a ship (especially one as special as the Africa Mercy) but one thing that I have unwillingly adjusted to is the '2 minute shower rule'. Now to some of you, you might be saying that 2 minutes sounds like more than enought time for a good shower, but for me, it means giving up one of my favorite things in the morning. In the past, I was usually good for at least 10 minutes under the water, more if I just need some time to wake up.

Before we left the Canary Islands in May, the Captain made the announcement that we would begin to conserve fresh water because we were not sure of the supply here in Liberia. This meant one load of wash per week per person (not too bad), paying attention to how much water we were using for teeth brushing, hand washing, etc and finally the 2 minute (or less) shower. Some people out there might be wondering how a woman can get through everything in 2 minutes and let me say that it has been a challenge. You turn on the water for about 20 seconds to get wet, turn off, shampoo hair and soap up body, rinse for 40 seconds, conditioner in hair, soap and more parts that need it, wash face and then rinse it all off in another minute. Shaving is something that I have not really figured out in the 2 minutes - usually that is a sink thing where I hopfully am not using as much water. I have never taken so many showers were I counted the seconds that I had the water running :) If I don't count, I have found myself just standing under the water because it feels so good - especially last Thursday when the air conditioning was down for a couple days and we finally got a taste of what Africa is really like. The Captain claims that his record is 40 seconds and someone at one of the NGOs here claimed that they were down to 30. He thinks we should be working on breaking this record, but I don't think I am going to worry about it.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

I was trying to figure out what to write and had something happen on Thursday that made me think I would write a couple stories about the kids here. --- With Marcel and I dating, many of them see us together at dinner or when we spend time in the evenings, but are not really sure what to make of the time we spend together. I did not realize how confusing the idea of 'dating' was to the little three and four year olds until I had one child approach me one day at lunch.
"Miss Elizabeth, where is your brother?"
"My brother? Well, he lives very far away in Ohio, in America. He lives with my mom - actually I have two brothers. Do you have brothers?"
"I have Lucy, she's my sister."
At that point, the conversation changed and the subject was dropped - the conversation continued later at dinner.
"Miss Elizabeth, where is your dad?"
"My dad, well Emily -- why do you want to know?" -- Was not sure what to say that did not go into a conversation about death, seeing as my dad died about 4 years ago. I was really confused for a minute, then it clicked.
"Emily, do you mean Marcel?"
"Yeah."
"Emily, Marcel is my friend, we are good friends."
She was good with that answer, and I just started laughing. I heard another story later from a mom that her son was watching myself and Marcel walking on the dock on evening when he said that he thought Marcel was a good dad. She tried to tell him that we were 'dating', but was not exactly sure how to explain it.
On Thursday, I had a fun conversation with the grade 1 and 2 students I was picking up for Gym class.
"Miss Elizabeth, do like Marcel?"
"Yes, I like him, why do you ask?"
"Well, I see you together all the time and . . ."
"We are dating, he is my boyrfriend."
"Ohhh." (You know those ohs, that imply so much more)
At this point another student pipes up with "I like she loves him!"
I did not really have to reply to that one because before I could, one of the other boys turns and in a really serious tone says
"You can't say that to a teacher!"
The rest of the conversation on the way to a field near the ship was about boyfriends and although not embrassing, was interesting with seven and eight year old girls.
The whole thing just makes me laugh. Being in a dating relationship is not something I try to hide from them and I would rather they asked questions and tried to understand. Life is so different here on the ship - even the kids know your 'private life.' :)

That time of year again . . .

. . . when the leaves start changing color, the days get shorter and the kids head back to school. Well, actually for me, the first two things don't change when you live this near the equator, but the kids are headed back to school in about 10 days. I think most of the kids are getting excited and the parents even more so. Here on the ship, school is not just a place to learn, it is also a way to get out of the cabin, spend time with your friends without parents being around and be challenged with new things. There are no parks to play in here, no sports to play after school, not too many extra clubs or groups - which can be hard for the kids. But on the other hand, they are in a country that few people from their home countries will ever visit and living on a ship with 350 other people from all over the world. Pretty amazing.
Getting ready for the school year has kept me pretty busy the past two weeks and I think things will continue to be a bit hectic for the next month or so while we are all figuring things out. Even with all the work, I am excited for the kids to come back on the 21st. Officially, I am the nursery teacher and a woman from England, Rachel Page, is the preschool teacher, but because we are sharing a classroom space, we decided that we will work together with all the kids. It has been really good having Rachel here finally. We had met briefly in England before the Africa Mercy left Newcastle and she arrived in Liberia about two weeks ago. I think we are a great match together - she has some amazing experience with preschool teaching in London and with traveling and is much more organized than myself, which will be great to help me stay in line :) The roster right now is at 15 kids for nursery and preschool (ages 1-4) which is going to be a big group, but between myself, Rachel and one mom who is going to be helping, I think it will go OK. Rachel and I will have 9 preschoolers for about 2 hours before the 6 nursery kids come for the last hour and a half. The young ones can be a little squirrely sometimes, but they are all really good kids, so it should not be too bad :)
Please keep the school, teachers and students in your prayers the next few weeks as we try to get everything going for the first time here on this ship.

It has been too long again

So, I don't think three weeks has ever gone by so quickly - suddenly the summer is half over and the new school year looms ahead :) Many times in the past few weeks I have thought, 'hm, I should put this on my blog' but always seem to get distracted, so here are a couple thoughts on the last weeks:
*The Anastasis left Liberia on her last sail at the end of June. She is sailing around Africa on her way to the scrapyard in India. She has been a good ship and worked hard for the last 30 years with Mercy Ships, but it would have cost too much money to bring her up to code, so there was a decision to end her service and focus on the Africa Mercy. There were lots of tears the day she left because many people had lived on her for awhile - years for some people.
*Had my first African dress made two weeks ago. I was able to get out a few weeks ago with a friend and we went fabric shopping together. I really like the color (a dark purple) but I am still wondering if the 'pattern' on it is a little much - there are yellowish sun shapes and some white lines. Everyone who saw it this past Sunday when I went to church said it looked good, so I guess it is not too bad. It has a top and skirt, so I am able to wear them separtly as well. I worn the top with jeans Sunday afternoon on the ship and it worked out nicely. I am still hoping to get something a bit tamer that I could easily wear wherever I end up after this and people would not think immediatly that I just got off the plane from Africa. I just have to get out fabric shopping again. The best part is that you can get enough fabric for about US$10 and the dress made for US$10, so I can get several things made while I am here. I don't have a picture of me in the dress yet, I will try to get one and post it sometime.
*Have been able to visit a couple churchs here in Monrovia. Everything from one church that was almost like sitting in church in the States to one of the local Episcopal churchs to the United Methodist this past Sunday that was a great mix of local African and traditional Methodist. The Episcopal was fimilar, but very traditional, which was a little long after two and a half or three hours. All the churchs have been really nice though. I have a couple more to visit and then I hope to find one that I can attend regularly and get to know people. There is also a small Sunday evening service here on the ship and one on the hospital ward in the morning. Sunday evening is usually nice because you can get off the ship in the morning, but still have fellowship with crew mates in the evening.
*Summer program is still going - one and half more weeks. Right now I have eight kids, four who are not three yet, two who are three and two who are four. It makes for an adventure some days. When the summer program is finished, I will have about a week to start sorting things out before we start a could weeks of teacher training and school on the 20th. It looks right now that there will be 15 kids in the nursery and preschool (ages 1-4) this school year which will make things interesting. The teacher for preschool will come at the end of the month which is exciting for me. I was able to meet her briefly in London and I am looking forward to seeing her again in two weeks. It will be nice to have another teacher in the Academy to 'talk preschool with'.
*Down to one roommate after yesterday. Three of my cabinmates headed back to the 'real world' yesterday afternoon leaving only Amber and I in the cabin. On the one hand, it is nice to have a 6-berth cabin with only two people, but on the other hand, I really enjoyed the three girls who were here and I have no idea who will be moving in next. One more thing to pray about and hand over to God :)

It's been awhile . . .

I realized the other day that it had been over a week since I last wrote. I then thought I needed to write, but it has taken me a few days to actually get to that point :) At least I can say that I have been busy lately and really busy since the middle of last week. The summer program started on Monday and the couple who were coming from the States only were able to come last Wednesday night. They have done summer programs before with Mercy Ships, but have never been in Liberia and never on the Africa Mercy. The weekend was a mass of trying to get things together and figure out plans for this week. On Monday I had 9 kids come from 9am-12 for the preschool age group. I thought it would not be too bad, but when you get six 2/3 year olds and 3 four year olds together, it can get a little crazy. I think the first day was also hard because I was not completly prepared the way I should have been because I did not really know what to expect. Yesterday was great and today went well. The summer program is a little like Vacation Bible School, so there are Bible lessons that I am trying to teach. It is a great series - Kids Believing God, but it is a little too old for my age group, so I have to think every night about what I need to say and how to say it in the simplest way possible. Ah, well, life continues and I think that the kids are having fun and learning about God as well.

Monday was a big day because the summer program started but also because I got my hair cut. I signed up for the appointment weeks ago and have been debating how I wanted to get it cut. There is a woman on board whose job it is to cut hair for the crew. You would not think that it was very important, but having her here is such a blessing and since she open a few weeks ago, she has been full. In a place like Liberia, there would be nowhere to go off the ship to get your hair taken care of. Anyhow, I finally decided on short and just went for it. Lorah did an awesome job and everyone has been saying that it looks good. I like it and it is fun to have a hair cut that people actually notice - when my hair was long, I could get four inches cut off and no one would even say anything. Now, it comes to around my chin in the front, but the back is really short - a couple inches. If I put the right cream in, I can also make it really curly which is nice.

The Differences

Recentally, I have been frustrated by how worldly this ship seems -- I don't know, that may sound a little stupid, but somehow I thought that working with Christians would somehow be amazingly different from other jobs that I have had. I was frustrated to find out that I was working with Christians who were human :) Several times today though, I was reminded me of how this work environment is different.
It started by being reminded of was how I need to depend on God for my strength - that I cannot survive on my own. I was talking to someone about Alaska and how I had gotten so stressed by the end of the second year and just was not enjoying it any more. The more and more that I think and reflect on my time in Alaska, the more I see that I tried to do everything on my own and that when I couldn't do it, I got stressed. I was praying the prayer of Jabez (oh, that you would bless me indeed, you would enlarge my territory) but forgetting the second part (that your hand would be with me, that you would keep me from evil so I would not harm others). In talking with this person about my time in Alaska and then with a gentle reminder from Marcel this evening while we were talking, I was reminded to be turning things over to God and trusting Him for everything. In all the other jobs that I have had, it was so easy to walk away from other Christians and not hear what God had to say to me through them - all the little reminders He has to give me. Here, it is impossible :)
Then, the community meeting here tonight was amazing. Community meetings happen twice a week - Tueday morning and Thursday evening. It is not required to attend, but it is highly suggested and I hope that I never get to the point where I have trouble getting up the motivation to attend. The meetings are not always exciting, but to be in a room of 300 people who I work and interact with every day and know that we are all worshiping God is amazing. Tonight was just a reminder that even though we are all human and become frustrated with each other and do things that are frustrating to other people, we are all Christian and because of that, there is a hope that God is still working on all of us, especially myself. Since I got here, God has been changing my reason for being here - yes, I am here to be a teacher, but I am here to love God and in loving God, he will work in my life so that I can work in the lives of others. I think that is the biggest difference in this 'job', I am encouraged not to focus on the job, but on my realtionship with God knowing that if I focus on God, everything else will fall into place.

It has been a busy week.

I realized over the weekend that I had not written and then after an email this morning from someone saying I should write again :) I am finally getting around to it.

Last week was busy because we moved boxes and equipment for the Academy from the Anastasis to the Africa Mercy. On Monday, we were told that we had until next week to get everything together, but then on the next day we were told things were ahead of schedule (good) and that the movers could move boxes that day (bad). There was a bit of a rush for about two hours trying to get things into boxes and then the moving started. Some of us were on the new ship trying to figure out where to put 200 more boxes, some were on the old ship saying which boxes needed to go and some were still packing more boxes. By the afternoon, people had helped us to move about half the academy, but it still took until the next afternoon to get everything over. The next two days were spent sorting through boxes, trying to figure out what went where and what needs to be gotten rid of. The high school science teacher spent an entire day going through all the old science equipment, textbooks, materials and chemicals trying to figure out what would be used, what could be donated and what was just so old there was a fear that it would catch fire if plugged in and used :) Over the entire ship, there is a sortage of storage space and shelving, so everyone is trying to figure out where to put things. I think it is just a matter of the ship being new -- I can't wait to see what this ship will look like in a few months and wish that I could see it in like 10 years. It will be turning from a ship into a home.


Was able to go on a trip on Saturday into the country. Every other weekend, they have tried to organize a trip for people on the train up to an old quarry that is now filled with water and makes for great swimming. The train ride is about 70 km and takes about 2 hours - it is a really pretty ride through the 'busch' - junglish areas of Liberia. The two Land Rovers are strapped onto a flatbed rail car, a passenger car and engine are attached and off we go. The way it works out, people can actually sit on top on the Land Rovers for a good view of the country as it goes by. The weather was a little wet on the way out, but on the way back, I climbed on top just for the fun of it. It was fun to see the people come out and wave to the train as we went by - the kids were especially excited. They would wave and yell as the train went by and everyone would wave back. It was pretty amazing to think that I was sitting on top of a Land Rover, on a train going through Liberian busch headed back to the ship that I live on -- What an exciting life I have :)

Homesick

Been feeling a bit homesick the last few days - which is a little weird considering that I have not 'lived' anywhere for more then two years recentally :) I think it is that pattern when moving to a new place - first there is the high of being there and the excitment of something new, then comes the down time when there is that 'what am I doing here feeling' and then things start picking up again. I think it is also a little about being in Liberia. Although this is a really amazing country, there are a lot of security issues and you begin to feel a bit trapped on the ship. To go out, there needs to be a group of at least two people and they highly suggest that women go out with a guy - so you cannot just go take a walk somewhere by yourself - and even if you wanted to, there are not really any places within walking distance. Then, you need a car, but there are a limited number of those and you need to have a 'Mercy Ships driver.' Usually you can find someone going somewhere with a free spot in the car, but there is a limit on freedom of movement here. It does not help either that there have been so many changes right now with changing ships and adding crew. Lots of changes for everyone gets a little trying.

I was able to get out yesterday, though. Heard someone at breakfast talking about walking about 40 minutes to a market down the road and asked to go along. It was good to go along and the walk was nice, but HOT! It is the rainy season here, but yesterday the sun was out strong. I was looking for some fabric for a dress or skirt, but didn't see anything that really caught my eye. I need to get some 'African' dresses for church and just for wearing around (although it is changing a little bit, most Liberian women wear skirts - and skirts that cover the knees) but I want to get something that I would actually wear when I am not in Africa as well. This would mean that the pattern would have to be a bit tamer than most of the fabric I have seen so far. I just cannot see myself covered head to toe in a bright yellow with crazy print on it or something like that. Once I find some fabric, I am thinking about making a wrap-around skirt myself and then getting a tailor to make a dress. I have heard a couple people mention people they know here in Monrovia who would be recommended. Ended up at the beach again in the afternoon - really, I did two of the three things that there are to do regularly in Monrovia - shop, go to the beach and church on Sunday :)

Changes

So, the changes have started :) After two months of living alone in a six-berth cabin, I finally have roommates and neighbors. Last week, I didn't realize that two people had moved in next door and so woke up early one morning to the sound of muffled voices. At first, being half asleep, I thought there was actually someone in my cabin - it took me a second to realize that it must be coming through the vents. The noise is not too bad between the rooms, but because I have not had anyone living around me the entire time I lived here, it takes getting used to. Then about 15 minutes later, the vacuum for the water in the bathroom started working and I was not sure if something was broken and it was just going a little crazy. Someone just fixed my shower and sink after a month of not working, so I was worried that something might already be wrong again. Because the two bathrooms share one system, every time someone uses water or flushes the toilet, the other cabin can hear it. It is not too bad once you get used to it and you keep the bathroom door closed, but the first time it happens, it is a little weird.

Two of my five roommates moved in a few days ago, sisters who come from Ohio as well - the Cleveland area. My bunkmate will move in tomorrow and two other girls will move in on Monday. I know that it will be full, but I hope that everyone has a good attitude about it. From what I have seen so far, I think there will be hard days, but everyone will be able to work through it. It is also hard for some people because they are moving from rooms on the ANA which are a bit larger. Even little shelves or drawers that they have may not fit into the space that we have now. A few of us who live on deck 3 were talking this afternoon at lunch and someone mentioned trying to have a 'deck party' sometime soon - like a block party that they have in the States. Just a chance to see who is living on the deck right now and be able to recognize who is who. People are constantly moving in and out here, but I think it would be a good start at trying to make a community here. We could do this on deck 3 because it has about a quarter of the people that many of the other decks have because the mid and aft sections of the deck are for the hospital. Hopfully we actually do something and not just talk about it.

Oh, I have heard that there are some good pictures and videos of the things that have been happening this past week online at the Mercy Ships website - check it out - www.mercyships.org. Just click on the USA flag and that will take you to the International site, which has the most info and video. This past week has had the arrival of the Africa Mercy in Liberia, last community meeting on the ANA, the president of Liberia visiting on Monday and the passing of the torch (from the ANA to the Africa Mercy) that happened Wednesday morning.

In Liberia

So after a few days in Liberia, life continues as normally as it can :) We arrived Wednesday morning to tears and songs praising God that the Africa Mercy had finally left England and arrived where it was meant to be. Thursday night was the last community meeting on the Anastasis - it was pretty cool to have 400 people praising God and worshiping together. In walking around the ANA (short name) it is easy to see why people are attached, but it is so exciting to think about what God has planned for the Africa Mercy. Please be lifting everyone up during this time in your prayers - there are many people saying good-bye to an old friend and home, which will be very difficult. I guess my prayer is that they would have a time to grieve and say their good-byes but God would also allow them to let go and move on with what he has planned for the Africa Mercy. She is a great ship and will be so much better for living on once we get settled in. She is a little too clean and orderly right now, but I am sure that wil change after next week when everyone will have moved onto the ship.

I was able to get off the ship yesterday, see a little bit of Monrovia and go to the beach. There were a couple people with birthdays, so there was a little party at CeCe beach which is about a half hour drive from the ship, depending on the traffic. As we were driving, it was easy to see that this is a poor country (they are two years out of 14 years of civil war) but it was good to hear how things have improved even from the last time Mercy Ships was here about a year ago. The beach itself was nice - nice sand, water that was refreshing but not too cold and a place to sit in the shade so I did not fry up in the sun. In the evening there was a group of about 25 eating dinner together which was a great way to start meeting people - most of the group was crew that I have not met yet (because they still live on the ANA). Several even worked in the Academy (school) so I was able to meet some of the people I will be working with in the fall. They told me that they have actually heard my name a lot because I have been on the staff list since last fall when the Africa Mercy was orginally going to arrive in Africa. I guess my name came up many times in staff meetings saying that I would be there soon -- and now I finally am :)

So much to say . . .

We've made it! This morning the Africa Mercy arrived in Liberia and docked beside the Anastasis, creating history. Only by the grace of God, we left Blyth on 4 May, sailed to Rotterdam, Tenerife (Canary Islands) and now on to Monrovia.



The sail was good, except for a couple rough days going through the Bay of Biscay. We knew that the weather was going to be bad, but we ended up with waves three meters high and force 10 winds with gust up to force 12. I am no wind expert, but I think force 12 is nearing hurricane strength. Being in an untested ship was also interesting because we had no idea what to expect. I have heard in the past that the Anastasis cut through the waves more, but the Africa Mercy rides on top, which makes the ship roll more from side to side. We had cabinets empty onto the floor and things spilling, but outside of a mess and lots to clean up, the only permenant damage that I heard of was a broken copy machine. The cabinet in my classroom dumped onto the floor twice (it takes me awhile to learn) which was not too bad except for the neon green paint that opened and spilled all over :) All the chairs in the dining and meeting rooms had to be pulled together and laid or tied down to keep from sliding across the room. I heard stories the first rough night at dinner that a couple kids were not heavy enough to keep from sliding across the floor when we really started rolling. Eating and walking became interesting as one learned to hold everything down while eating and to walk without hitting the walls on each roll.



Anyhow, luckily the whole sail wasn't so rough and once we got through Biscay, the weather was great. It was nice to see the sea change to this amazing blue color and the air to get warmer. One system on the ship that has not failed us yet is the air conditioning - thank goodness. I knew it would be warm here, but the humidity is a killer. I am also now thankful for a bed on deck 3 because it always seems to be cooler down there - usually between 15 and 20 degrees C. I don't know if the air is just working better down there or if it is something about the hospital being so close, but I am not complaining :)