The Arrival

Well, almost two weeks have past since we arrived in Benin and at last I sit to write about it all. Time just seems to be flying by right now. I can hardly believe that February is almost over.

The sail here was amazing. Smooth seas and beautiful sunrises and sunsets. Sometimes it was hard to tell that we were even sailing. We made great time and arrived offshore of Benin on Monday morning. We actually thought that morning that we would arrive early for the ceremony that the Advance Team had planned for our arrival. The captain came on the PA in the morning and said that we were just waiting for a few technical problems to be fixed in the engines and then we would head in. Well, we dismissed school at 13.45 thinking that arrival and ceremony would be soon (it was scheduled for 14.00) and lots of people were outside on Deck 7 and 8 when the captain came on the PA again. He announced that the problem was larger than they thought and it would take longer to fix. So we put down anchor and sat waiting (and praying). I think the ship moved and rolled more in those hours than it had on the entire sail. When it started to get dark around 18.30/19.00 I think everyone realized that we would not be making it in on Monday. So there we sat, engineers working like mad down below, people praying up above and everyone waiting and hoping.


the view while we waited - so close and yet so far away

That night was the most the ship had moved in awhile. The captain made an announcement around 22.30 that the problem had been figured out and he hoped to have the pilot come aboard around 7.30 the next morning. I woke up around 3.30 in the morning and had trouble getting back to sleep because of the movement. Talking to other people later, there must have been some big ships passing or a change in the tide or something because there were a bunch of people waking up between 3.00 and 4.00 who had trouble getting back to sleep -- some favorite non-secured coffee mugs were lost as well :)
Finally, Tuesday morning, as the whole crew sat in the International Lounge for morning devotions, we pulled up anchor and started to move. Needless to say, as soon as we could see that we were moving, it was a little hard to stay focused on the speaker. We finished a bit early and everyone headed up to Decks 7 and 8 again. I collected most of my class and then headed out as well. It was fun to be with them at that time. Preschool has not be in class the last few times we have arrived or departed, so I got to see all their reactions. We were watching the water, the fishing boats sailing by, the other ships in the area and then watching the dock and the people there to welcome us -- all in the humid African heat that we were really feeling for the first time. There was no large ceremony like they had planned for the day before, but the Advance Team (4 people who went ahead to organize things) and other Mercy Ships people (there are volunteers living in Benin during this outreach) were there singing and waving and that was enough to make us feel welcome.




So, it took some extra time to get docked, but we are here and enjoying ourselves. It is so different from Liberia, which had been my home for 2 years, it will take some time to get used to it all. But the 10-month outreach we have planned leaves plenty of time to discover all Benin has to offer :)


the fishing village near our dock ------------------------- a hazy sunrise in Benin

Sailing, Sailing

So we have been at sea for about a week now and the weather has been amazing. A couple days it felt like we were hardly moving at all. One day the water was so flat, it was almost unbelievable to see. The calm weather is great for sailing on a ship full of non-sailing people though - very few people have gotten seasick, which really helps to build a relaxed and fun atmosphere in the ship. It helps me as well because none of the students in my class seem to have problems, even in rough seas, so I still have to have enough energy to catch up with them. Because we have to have at least 180 days of school in a year, we have to teach during the sail. I am all for changing our schedule to sailing during the summer months, which would be great for the school, but I am not sure about everyone else :)

I was able to take my class up to the bridge on Thursday, which was fun - what other school has a sailing bridge that they can visit whenever they want?! We had several discussions about what to touch and what not to touch before we went up :) but the kids did a great job. There are also two little glass squares on the floor on either side of the bridge that look down into the water. Most of the kids realize now that they can stand and lay on the glass and love it - although one did refuse to even put a toe on the glass for fear that he would fall into the water :) They also each got to 'drive' the ship -- well, turn the wheel, which really did not do anything because the computer was driving, but they did not seem to notice. I think a couple times the waves rolled the boat a little bit at the right moment and they thought they really were turning something.

We left Tenerife last Saturday in the afternoon and will arrive in Benin on Monday. It is one of the longest sails that the Africa Mercy has taken since leaving England. It should be exciting on Monday when we dock. There will be a welcoming ceremony and hopfully lots of people will be able to get through security checks in the harbor and be able to greet us. Somehow a crowd always makes things more exciting. I should be able to get some pictures and put them up next week. The dock in Benin is supposed to be very different from Liberia, so I am sure there will be new and exciting stories to share soon.