Week Eleven! June 23-29

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 laughs.

The weather on Friday morning was quite disappointing for my only run of the week and I just ran around in the port in case it started pouring rain. Unfortunately, the photo below was my sad excuse for a sunrise photo this week. My performance was also sub-par, but at least I tried lol. That evening, I (kind of) redeemed myself with a 5 mile walk around town with my friend Tasha, of course finishing with a stop at the gelato shop.

Saturday was another rainy day, but I got a tour of the city via motorbike with a friend and then had lunch at Marina Beach Hotel. Had the weather been nicer, it would have been the perfect spot to relax by the pool! However, we took in the view from the comfort of the hotel lobby. On Saturday night, two of my cabin mates and I went to a nearby food court type place for dinner. It was nice spending time with the people I live with! Our schedules often don't line up, so it was nice to take advantage of the time we had. 

Sunday was another on-call day so I stayed around the ship. I worked on my computer for a couple hours in the morning and then soaked up some sunshine on deck 8 while waiting for my laundry to be done. I was able to play volleyball on the dock for a bit in the evening as well! 

Overall, it was a very good week with a lot of memorable experiences! :)

Surgery On Board

This week, I worked primarily in the adult general surgery room. We performed hernia repairs and lipoma removals. One of the surgeons I worked with was from Michigan and an MSU alumni, so that was a fun connection! I sadly had to say goodbye to Catherine, one of our team members who was here for nine weeks as the max fax team lead. I hope we can cross paths again someday, like nearly
everyone I've had to say goodbye to. 

 

Working in the OR here on the ship has given me so much confidence, especially as a scrub nurse. At home, I think I fell into the habit many of us had of "I haven't seen/done this before, so I cannot do it on my own." On the ship, 90% of the surgeries I'm assisting with are new to me and I'm learning as I go! It has helped me rely on the training I've received and expand my knowledge of various surgical procedures. Just another reason to be thankful for my time here on the AFM! 

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