proof of shipyard

The ship is noisy. Really noisy. We’re in “shipyard” mode.

What does that mean Michelle?

It means I get to awaken to the sound of birds chirping jackhammers jackhammering. You see, the hospital deck is getting an extreme makeover ‘ship edition.’

Once upon a time, the Africa Mercy was the Dronning Ingrid, train ferry. When they converted to hospital ship, they covered over the train tracks with concrete and placed a floor on top of that. Now, after 7 years of use, the tracks are starting to come up through the floor. Cumbersome. The jackhammers are to tear up the floor to repair the floor.

They’re also turning OR 1 into the PACU and PACU into a new ward. So the ship is very noisy all day long. Ooh! We’re also having a planned power outage on Saturday. Not really sure what they hope to accomplish in the dark? Stay tuned!

Love… Michelle
Philippians 1:20

the night the lights went out

Last night I was sleeping, minding my own business when suddenly the noise stopped. Then the alarms rang to signal the fire doors were closing. You never really comprehend how noisy the Africa Mercy is until the power fails. Deafening silence.

I jumped out of bed. I made my way to the cabin door. I threw open the door. The hallway was lit by the emergency lights. It was actually brighter than I thought it would be. I looked at my watch. It was 2:30am.

I went back inside my cabin. I phoned reception. Nobody knew why the power failed. I tried to go back to sleep, but I was too excited to find out the scoop. I made my way up to reception I offered the night receptionist a bathroom break. The lights came back on.

As the ship powered back up, she made all kinds of weird and creepy noises. Crisis averted, I made my way back to my cabin. I made a note on Facebook, crawled back in bed, turned the lights out, and went back to sleep. Estimated time of power failure = 1 hour.

Love… Michelle
Philippians 1:20

Panorama of the beach today

weekly photo challenge: curves

Seen around the shipyard. I’m fascinated by the enormity of it all. For more photos on this theme, visit The Daily Post. Happy Sunday/Father’s Day!

Love… Michelle
Philippians 1:20

receptionist’s log: 15 June 13

There are some fundamental rules and roles for reception on the Africa Mercy. The first rule of reception is quiet in reception.

Why Michelle?

I’m so glad you asked! It’s because one of the most important roles of the receptionist on the Africa Mercy is to watch the fire panel. When the prewarning alarm rings, it makes an almost inaudible beep one needs bionic ears to hear.

Now imagine a large crowd or even 2 people having a loud, boisterous conversation. Throw in some jack hammers for giggles because deck 3 is getting new floors and you have the making of a disaster of epic proportions because the receptionist cannot hear the fire panel!

Don’t you think you’re overreacting just a wee bit?

Um. NO! I’m responsible for the safety of every person onboard. I have to hear the alarm, acknowledge the alarm, and track down the duty officer to investigate the alarm. If there’s an actual fire or, God forbid, explosion, I have to sound the crew alert to get people off the ship!

So how do you get everyone to be quiet in reception?

Well we have a cute little desk bell of course, decorated in sparkly pink rhinestones. (I did find an air horn I’d like to blow some time.) The real trick to getting folks to simmer down is to exude friendliness and hospitality to each and every person who walks into reception by always radiating welcoming smiles to said individuals.

The irony is anybody who knows me knows I’m not always that charming. When I’m not smiling people think I’m downright intimidating and fierce looking which actually comes in quite handy for combat situations and loud reception area loiterers.

So today, the fire panel did its little beep. I looked up to see it was an actual warning. My heart skipped a beat. I contacted the duty officer. I gave the location of the alarm. Thankfully, it was an alarm in the crew galley. The nerve of those galley workers cooking dinner for us! (I love the cooks and thank them tremendously for feeding me 3 meals a day!)

Now you know why it’s important to be quiet in reception. Any questions?

Love… Michelle
Philippians 1:20

the fire panel

new Michelle’s Ikea adventure

Since we arrived in Gran Canaria, I’ve wanted to go to Ikea. Nobody onboard went to Ikea until last Saturday. Of course that was my first day of a five day stretch in reception. So I’ve been impatiently waiting to go all week. Today was finally my day to go! Nothing was going to stop me!

All week I did my research. I located the store in Telde. I got a bus schedule to find a route, which was also handy for fun touristy things too. But then I heard from one mercy shipper the bus doesn’t go to Ikea. No problemo! I found another mercy shipper going to another location further south and hitched a ride. I figured I could get a taxi to the closest bus stop after I was done shopping.

So off I went! Ikea, as usual, did not disappoint. They had exactly what I was looking for. What were you looking for Michelle? I’m so glad you asked. Shelf organizers and a shower curtain and 6 white clocks. What are you going to do with 6 white clocks? They aren’t for me, they’re for the OR.

After successful shopping, I stopped at McDonalds for a slightly less than nutritious cheeseburger and fries. I had to energize before figuring out how to get back to the ship. After lunch, I went back to Ikea and asked for a taxi in slightly less than conversational Spanish. No problemo!

I went to the taxi stand as the taxi pulled up. I got in, explained I speak a little Spanish, and asked for the nearest bus stop. As we drove out of the Ikea parking lot, a Global bus turned the corner to enter. What? The taxi driver then asked in better English than my Spanish, Excuse me, but why didn’t you just take the bus from here? Hahahahaha! Well, I didn’t know I could! Needless to say, I arrived back to the ship, safe and sound.

Moral of the story: ask for the bus! Happy Friday!

Love… Michelle
Philippians 1:20

Ooh! Organized! Ah!

a Brit, a Canadian, and an American walk onto a bus

Today was a supremely fun day. I went out with a couple of ladies from the ship to a town called Agaete. I wanted to locate an archeological site I found on the internet. I didn’t find exactly what I was looking for, but what I did find was spectacular all the same.

We left the ship at 8am. We made it to the first bus station by 8:45 and hopped on the bus to the next bus stop in time to catch the next bus at 9am. We reached Agaete by 10:30. We wandered around the tiny village for half an hour, enjoying the stunning views all around us. By 11am, we were ready for a bite to eat and coffee. While we were in the cafè, I asked for tourist information. The kind lady directed us to the botanical garden. It is small, but pretty.

At the botanical garden, I discovered a brochure for the archeological area called Maipés. It is an awesome prehispanic burial area with 700 tombs, some of which were constructed 1300years ago! Jackpot! This is my kind of touristy thing. The tombs are constructed of volcanic rock. There are 3 volcanoes just in this area of the island alone!

After Maipés, we headed back into town for another coffee and the bus back to Las Palmas. As we waited for the bus, we discussed Spanish greetings.

Canada – there are 3, right? Buenos días, buenos noches, and buenas tardes?
Me – that’s correct.
Britain – well, what is buenos aires?
ME – a city in Brazil! Hahahahaha!

(Turns out, my geography is wrong. Hahahahaha! Buenos Aires is in Argentina. In my defense, I did major in nursing, not geography.)

We had a really great day! Tomorrow, Telde!

Love… Michelle
Philippians 1:20

receptionist’s log: 12 June 13

Working in reception has made me realize, all the more, my lack of certain people skills. I know!? Hard to believe since I work in a people industry! But don’t forget! I work in the operating room, where the clientele are only awake for 5 minutes. I can tolerate almost anything for brief periods of time. Customer service is not my gift. I’m working outside the box here. But God knows what he’s doing, of that I’m sure. I know this summertime job is for my own good. I know it will teach me things I desperately need to improve on, like good phone etiquette and patience. There’s no such thing as too much patience. You never hear anyone complain about how patient someone is.

Exciting moments in my day included:
- all the fire doors mysteriously alarming and closing on decks 3&4
- talking to the duty officer on the radio
- embarking crew
- disembarking crew
- figuring out how to call the UK from Spain

I’m learning new things at every turn. It’s fun to learn new things. It’s fun to be informative. Tomorrow, I do touristy things. W00t!

Love… Michelle
Philippians 1:20