Ellen On Mission

 Five weeks down... two to go!  Ship Life Even with the busyness of work, I was still able to find some time to get off the ship and enjoy beautiful Madagascar. Tuesday morning, the unofficial "AFM OR Run Club" ventured out for another casual run. The discovery of this paved road next to the beach has been one of the best surprises of this trip. Sections of it are still being paved and finished, so there are no vehicles and very little foot traffic.    On Tuesday evening, some of the OR team went out for dinner at La Verandah. We piled into two tuk tuks and set off for the restaurant. It was an evening well spent with good company. It was somewhat of a "last hurrah" for Heather and Benedicte (anesthetist from Belgium) as they departed the ship Friday afternoon.   The anesthesia in-service on Wednesday morning was led by Dr. Maggie Aures, an anesthetist from Germany. She spoke about "fatigue among anesthesiologists in Europe" and the importance of good rest...

 Four weeks down... three to go!  Ship Life This week was pretty busy in the OR, but I still managed to squeeze in some fun activities and time with friends. I started the week off with a Monday morning Mada run, joined by two fellow OR team members Ali and Karin. Madagascar is entering into their summer, with early sunrises and hot and humid mornings. We left the ship at 0545 and still ended up running in the heat and sunshine. The discovery of this paved road a couple weeks ago remains one of the highlights of my time here. I like running in town as well, but this path definitely beats dodging holes and road traffic!  For Tuesday's OR devotional, maxfax surgeon and magician Dr. Leo Cheng performed a few magic tricks accompanied by a Gospel message. It was an entertaining and engaging way to approach sharing the Gospel. After work on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, I spent time with my friend Chiara playing games and eating treats. She was unfortunately bed bound for a c...