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 :)