Ellen On Mission

Eleven weeks down, three to go!  Ship Life While this week was still busy in the OR, I was able to make it off the ship a few times after work and enjoy time with friends! There is a group of people who plan bonfires about once a week at a nearby beach. This week, the bonfire was on Monday evening and I was not on call so I was able to join! I biked to and from the beach with a couple of friends which added to the adventure.  Madagascar celebrated their Independence Day on Thursday, June 26th! The main celebrations were the night before, so I enjoyed watching the fireworks with my friends and then going out for ice cream. It was so great being with my Malagasy friends for their country's special day.    On Thursday night, the Communications department hosted the "Mercy Shorts" film festival for the crew onboard. Crew were invited to create a short film of any topic for a chance to win an award. The creativity shown blew me away! It was a fun evening filled with many ...

Ten weeks down, four to go!  Only one more month onboard the AFM... wow! It is hard to believe that 2+ months have already passed by. It has been an amazing experience already and I know the following four weeks will be filled with more wonderful memories.  Ship Life  This week was quite busy in the OR, so I did not have much time after work for activities or going out. I did enjoy two morning runs, but not much else happened during the week nights.    On Friday night, I was able to attend a praise and worship night at the Hope Center, where the patients stay before and after surgery. The band "Reko," a popular Malagasy group from the capital Tana, was invited to perform at the service. Unfortunately no photos or videos were allowed to protect the patients' privacy, but it was a beautiful night worshipping and enjoying community together. I even got to see some of the post-op patients and their families from that week!  On Saturday morning, I went on a cult...

 Nine weeks down, five to go!  Ship Life  The beginning of this week was a bit rough, but I am grateful it ended on a positive note! I did not feel well Monday-Wednesday, so I pretty much just worked and then went to sleep. Thankfully I started to feel better on Wednesday afternoon and was able to join some fellow OR crew for dinner and gelato. We went to a local Chinese restaurant and ate a tonnnn of delicious food, all shared family style. The total cost per person for the dinner was 20,000 Ariary which is less than $5 USD. We then went to the local Gelateria and enjoyed a sweet treat.  The Wednesday night dinner, gelato, and improved health inspired me to go for a run on Thursday morning that ended up being the furthest and fastest run I've had in Madagascar yet!  This weekend, six of us adventured away on Saturday-Sunday to Le Vacoa Village. We had come for the day a few weeks ago but decided to stay the night this time! The weather kept attempting to thwart...

 Eight weeks down, six to go!  Ship Life    This week flew by, like they all do. It was a busy week in the OR and my weeknights mainly consisted of me eating dinner and then going to bed. I still did find time to squeeze in some fun though. The Go Getters (Overseas) had the last round of trivia on Monday night. We put up a solid effort, but overall finished 4th (out of 5 teams...). While the competitive side of me was quite disappointed, I had to remind myself it was still a fun time with friends and that I hopefully learned a few new things!      Winter in Madagascar has begun, which means cooler temperatures in the 70s-low 80s! It has been great running weather in the morning and I have even worn a sweatshirt outside in the evening a couple of times. It is still raining a lot, but typically doesn't last long. I enjoyed two morning runs this week with the prettiest sunrises and views. There are many Malagasy people running and exercising in the mornin...