As I mentioned in my last blog post the ship has been
delayed; what should have been a reunion with friends and a return to ship life
became an extended stay in Antananarivo.
As they say in Mercy Ships, the only constant is change! The ship is now sailing through the southwest
Indian ocean and is scheduled to arrive in Tamatave on Sunday, several weeks
late but right on time.
My time in Antananarivo has been very fruitful. I have been able to meet with various
government and medical leaders and put some details in place for our massive
medical training program happening here this field service. It is so massive
that we have brought on another crew member to join my team who will live here
in Tana; so I’ve had some good time to walk through processes, procedures, and
meet some of the important connections she will need for the coming year.
This transition back to Madagascar time has been the
roughest of all my international travel; for some reason it took me well over a
week to adjust! It is beyond frustrating
when you find yourself wide awake and ravenous at night, while during the day
you can hardly keep your eyes open with no appetite at all. In the
past it’s only been a few days and I’ve been fine, so I am not sure if I can
chalk this one up to getting older, or what.
I often try to have a day layover in Europe in the middle of the journey,
which helps me to not only adjust to time but also get my head from one world
into another; I didn’t have that this time, so maybe I will need to make that
more of a priority next time!
Anyway, besides jet lag, it’s been wonderful to be back. It
is amazing how comfortable I find myself speaking French to the market stall
lady arguing over twenty cents for some oranges or the taxi driver in the ancient
vehicle that starts up by winding two wires together and touching it with the
third one. The weather in Tana is
absolutely delightful; dry, cool at night, beautifully sunny blue skies all day
and not swelteringly hot.
I have so much more to share but will leave it at that for
now. AFM family, may the seas be kind to
you, I will see you soon!
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| Today's workspace; Antananarivo, from the balcony of my guest house. |
--k
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