Ship Life

When I explain Mercy Ships to friends, family, and fellow travelers who I meet along my journeys, they are often quite surprised - yet intrigued - by the work of this organization. Fair enough. The concept of a surgical ship is a bit unconventional. If people can wrap their heads around the fact that the crew are volunteers who also pay crew fees (room & board) for the experience of serving, then we often move on to the topic of life on board. Since I receive a lot of questions about what it's like to be part of this ship community, I figure I might as well dedicate a post about it.

In its former life, the Africa Mercy was a rail ferry called the MS Dronning (Queen) Ingrid, based in Denmark. In fact, if you look closely, you can still see the ship's original name painted over in white on the front of the vessel. At first sight, the Africa Mercy seems quite large, but in a few days' time it is easy to navigate.

Keeping the ship's history alive

When you climb the ship's gangway, you will be greeted by one of our friendly Gurkhas, all hailing from Nepal. They provide security to the ship and have been working here on a rotating schedule for many years now. As a member of the patient selection team, I was able to spend extended time with three of the Gurkhas during our travels around Guinea.

After signing in at the gangway, you will enter the ship on Deck 5. The dining room, located at the bow, is probably the best-lit area inside the Africa Mercy. The promise of sunlight was one reason why I chose to serve as dining room crew for 2.5 months in Cameroon. I figured if I got placed in a windowless cabin then I wanted to see outside during work as much as possible. Nearby to the dining room, you will find our Starbucks Cafe (with much reduced prices though fewer options) and a ship shop that sells basic toiletries, cleaning supplies, snacks, Mercy Ships branded items, and items made by some of our crew. Heading towards the stern, you will pass our library. It's actually quite big for a ship, with two rooms of (great!) books and some cozy seating options. It's also one of the quietest places on board. A small prayer room and a one-room hair salon are located at the back of the ship on the same level.

Library

One floor up (Deck 6), above the dinning room, you'll find the International Lounge. This is the biggest room on the ship, hence the location for all our crew meetings and many special events. Heading away from the bow, you will find Midships directly above the Starbucks cafe. This is the main open area where crew socialize. It also houses our Internet cafe, though we do have WiFi throughout the ship. Moving towards the stern, you will run into the youth room, our laundry room, and eventually our crew galley. There are 10 sets of washers and dryers to serve the 400+ people who live on board. It's easy to get a laundry spot thanks to our handy sign-up sheet, but those machines don't get much rest. Crew who want to prepare their own meals or baked goods use the crew galley - think really big kitchen with six stove-tops/ovens, five sinks (one for drinking water only), three refrigerators and freezers plus lots of kitchen gadgets, cookware, and utensils. Despite my love of cooking, I must admit that I have spent few hours in this part of the ship - mainly because I don't have easy access to all my favorite spices, herbs, vinegars, oils etc. 

Midships and Starbucks Cafe + sunshine!

Decks 7 and 8 offer ample outdoor space. Deck 7 has a play area for young children (swings, tricycles, and play houses) and a few tables for those who wish to eat while watching the sunset (a very lovely thing to do). Every afternoon, Deck 7 is also the place where you will find patients getting fresh air.

Deck 7 shaded play and eating area

Deck 8 is home to more tables and chairs situated under a big tent (like you would rent for weddings), a playground + kid bikes, and some adult gym machines (the kind that you might see at parks in the USA). Up a few stairs, is the final stop on our tour - the pool area. It was made, interestingly enough, out of a shipping container. As you can guess, the pool is not ideal for lap swimming, but nonetheless, it is a great place to cool off and relax with a book.

Deck 8 playground with pool deck in the background

Oh, and how could I forget - Deck 2. Here you will find our very small gym rooms (one for weights and another that barely squeezes in a treadmill, two stationary bikes, and a row machine) and our beloved boutique (think thrift store where items are free).

The cabin sizes vary significantly throughout the ship. We have single berths all the way up to a 10-berth cabin. Some cabins have common areas at the back, others don't. Some have windows, others don't. Some have carpeted flooring, some a faux wood. Some cabins share a bathroom; others have private bathrooms. All have magnetic walls, so magnets come in very handy here for hanging things. To a certain extent, where you get placed depends on your length of stay and your role on the ship. Additionally, we have family cabins which look like small apartments. Yes, you read that correctly - we have families on the ship and a school academy too. The families make the ship feel more like a home environment, which I greatly appreciate.

This year I am living with three other girls - one from the UK, one from Germany, and one from the United States. All of us are serving for the full field service, which makes the living situation quite nice. To maximize space, most crew sleep on bunk beds. I am on a top bunk and actually can't sit up in my bed, but the space isn't so tight that I feel claustrophobic either. Thankfully, we have a small common area at the back with a couch that I utilize often. I also have the luxury of a window in my cabin this year - and a fridge and a microwave. I feel like I won the jackpot!

"Kitchen" area + storage	Our beloved lopsided couch
Location for snoozing	2 minute showers anyone?

The commute to work here is fabulous. It takes virtually no time for me to go from my living space to my workspace. The screening team occupies three locations - an office on Deck 3 (where I work), a tent on the dock (where the nurses see our patients when they arrive to the dock), and the assembly point (where patients catch vans from the city to the ship and where new potential patients are registered). Even in the USA, I have always had a fairly easy commute, but this is seriously the best.

Now on to food - always a favorite topic for me. Breakfast is generally cereal/oatmeal, yogurt, nuts & dried fruit, toast, and eggs with some variations throughout the weeks, such as the addition of pancakes, banana cake, or bacon. Lunch tends to be a creative use of leftovers, which probably makes you think of "mystery meat" school lunches, but the galley crew members are quite talented. If you don't want a big hot lunch, there is always a soup option and salad and sandwich fixings. Dinner is the best meal in my opinion. Every night the galley serves rice - sometimes along with another carb like potatoes or pasta. Then you have a protein, such as beef, chicken, fish etc. followed by a hot vegetable. The veggies are usually of the frozen variety and steamed. Fruit is also served at every meal - pineapple, apples, watermelon, mangos, pears, bananas. Each day the options vary. My favorite meals are Africa night and salmon night. Many of my friends love Mexican night too. When we have everything in stock, the galley menu is on an 8-week rotation, so I haven't gotten bored with the food yet. And in case anyone reading this stays away from wheat and/or dairy, like me, its possible to survive if you don't mind purchasing a few supplemental items in town (ex: rice cakes and gluten-free pasta). Soy milk is available on board.

When not working, we pass the time by playing games, completing puzzles, reading, calling family/friends, blogging & journaling, swimming, cooking, attending community groups, exercising, watching movies, and visiting places in Conakry. From this port, we can actually walk to restaurants, clothing tailors, a local outdoor market, and grocery stores within 10-15 minutes. While we do have an exercise class and our small gyms on Deck 2, many people head into Conakry for workouts too - running, biking, basketball, soccer, and even swimming at one of the local hotels. On the weekends it is common for crew to visit nearby islands via motor canoes. Farther away, there are some hiking options and waterfalls (best to go in rainy season) as well.

View into Conakry from Deck 8 port side 

All in all, I feel life is much simpler on the Africa Mercy compared to life in the USA. My stress level is lower too. I work long days periodically, but I don't waste time commuting. My chores are fewer. Food is prepared for me. My belongings are minimal, and I don't really miss most of what I left behind. My news intake consists of headlines on NPR with an occasional read-through of interesting (often positive) articles. I don't have to travel across town to see friends. My work team is cohesive; we care about and encourage one another. I live with people from nations that touch all corners of the world who enrich my life in unique ways.

But are there challenges? Yes. To name a few...Many people feel it is difficult to "get away" for some time alone to rejuvenate. Secondly, we have to be deliberate about soaking up some sunlight/vitamin D since most of us live and work in low-lit areas. And despite being part of a physically close-knit community, it can take time to find "your people" - those who you connect with on a level deeper than colleague or acquaintance.

To be honest, there were moments when I questioned my decision to serve for the full field service - mainly during bouts of illness and loneliness early on. However, now that the ship's time in Guinea is winding down, I am so glad I committed for 10 months. With just four months to go and all the up-country patient selections completed, I am reminded about how important it is to live intentionally and in the moment - soaking up all these experiences and truly appreciating the privilege of living this ship life.

*Anyone who is curious about the outcome of our recent patient selection event in Labé, click here to visit my prayer and praise points page.