My past 72hours

I've been on board the ship for just over 4 days yet it feels like 4 weeks! So much to learn, so many people to meet, so many things to do. I am in a cabin with 3 other crew mates, which I've been told is rare and I'm very lucky that it's a 4 berth and I'm not sharing with 7 people. Our cabin's nickname is the Taj Mahal (due to it's size and grandeur compared to other cabins) so I feel very blessed!

#ourdailyview #notcomplaining

Day 1 - I was taken on a tour of the ship and it's 8 decks, shown important places, introduced to many different groups of people and told I would soon know the layout of the ship like the back of my hand. After spending 15 minutes walking up and down similar looking corridors trying to find my cabin I decided it was going to take me a while to find my bearings...

I met the lovely ward nurse educators who gave me an introduction into what shifts are like on the ship and what to expect while nursing in Guinea. The day flew by and before I knew it I was crawling into my bunk bed and lying there with the sound of the ship engine serenading/soothing me to sleep.

Day 2 - My first day shift had arrived, I inhaled porridge from the kitchen, donned my scrubs and made my way down to the hospital deck. The wards have 20 beds for patients and 20 mattress under the beds for the patient caregivers to sleep on. When you haven't been told this information it is surprising when you find someone holding your ankle and talking to you at french from on the floor...

Each shift starts with a handover from the previous staff, a bible passage and prayer which is the best thing and such a wonderful way to begin work! Wednesday's are "Worship Wednesdays" so we gather around to sing a song together, the patients and crew join in which is just beautiful to be a part of.

Very much like nursing in England the routine of breakfast, washes and med rounds occurs however it all happens in French, Susu, Malinké and English which makes the whole process much more exciting. Just after lunch we take our patients up to Deck 7 where they can sit and see the sea, have some fresh air and chill time out of the ward.

The 8hours were busy, hot, tiring but all done with a smile on everyone's face and love in their hearts for the people we were serving. I was so ready for a glass of ice water and to collapse into a heap on the floor by the time we'd finished.

Day 3 - Today I had the morning off so spent my time exploring the ship further and bumping in to friendly people. I also took this opportunity of free time to sit in our ship library just gathering my head and heart and giving the day to God.

My evening shift began at 1400 and was similar to my day shift, busy hot but a lot of fun. The air conditioning went down at about 1600 so we all just melted even more while our patients sat in their beds with ice packs on their casts looking quite smug. Evening shift finishes at 2230 and again all you want to do is a drink a liter of water and sit somewhere quiet to end your day.

There is so much more I could share but I'll save it for another day as lunchtime calls! x