Week Thirteen! July 7-13

Thirteen weeks down... ONE to go! 

I'm just trying to enjoy every moment I have left here in Madagascar, this time around. It is such a surreal feeling trying to process that something I've dreamt of for years is coming to an end (for now). Even though I plan on coming back to the ship in a few months, preparing to say goodbye is still really really hard...! I am beyond thankful that my time here has been so meaningful and special. Praise God! 

I am planning on writing one more blog post next Sunday from the hotel in Tana while waiting for my flight back to the US that will include final thoughts, memories, etc. 

Ship Life

I was able to spend some time with friends after work this week. I've so enjoyed going for walks around town, getting gelato (of course), and having meaningful conversations. I went for a run on Thursday morning and actually avoided the rain for the first time in a couple weeks. 

Friday was a ship holiday, so there were no scheduled surgeries; however, I was on call so I was required to stay on the ship. I enjoyed a restful day and read my book, watched a movie, and (sadly) started the packing process. In the evening, I joined some people on the dock for a game of volleyball! We played for almost 3 hours, and even stayed out in the rain to finish our game. 




Saturday was truly a perfect day. The weather was glorious and I spent the day surrounded by so many of my favorite things & people. In the morning, two of my cabin mates and I walked to the market to do some souvenir shopping. On the way back to the ship, I stopped for a bubble tea and sipped it in the sunshine. 

I was invited to spend the afternoon with my day crew friend Esperalda and her family. It was so so special being invited into their home. Her mother gifted me a beautiful Malagasy dress, prepared a Malagasy meal, and taught me a traditional Malagasy dance! They were so welcoming and loving and told me that even though I am American, I am also a part of their Malagasy family. We even started talking about plans to get together when I return in the fall and have a big party with lots of dancing! It was definitely one of the highlights of my trip. My face hurt after smiling so big all day! 






Sunday was an exciting day because my sweet Aussie friend Imogen returned to the ship! You may recognize her from my first few blog posts while on the ship. We traveled from Tana to Tamatave together and she was officially my first ship friend! She is back for two weeks to work in PACU and I'm SO glad we have an overlapping week! I was on-call on Sunday, but Imogen and I spent most of the day catching up like no time had passed. As I've said numerous times, time is soooo strange here on the ship. It's hard to wrap my head around all the things that have happened in the "in-between" while also feeling like I just got here... weird! 

Surgery On Board

This week, I was primarily working in adult general surgery. I have been working quite a bit in that service in preparation of coming back as the team lead in the fall! There are definitely more things to learn about the surgeries, preferences, and processes... so I am trying to take advantage of the time I still have. I have really enjoyed scrubbing into the cases here. At home, I really only scrubbed vascular cases, but I have loved scrubbing the various types of cases here.

I will miss the work environment here on the ship, where everyone strives to support each other and provide hope and healing to our patients. I still feel so honored to be a part of this mission here! 

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