Tour of Teror.

Today I went with some lovely friends to the little village of Teror (pronounced tare-ORE) which was a most quaint little place.  The trip took about an hour by bus, and on that note, huge kudos to the public transport on this island. It's amazing, and I don't think that's just from an African perspective - I feel safer and it's much easier to get around than probably anywhere else even in the States, and I don't even speak the language.  But I digress... The bus ride redeemed my view of this island - until now, I've said the beaches are nice but the rest of it isn't beautiful. Well, this part was!!  Enjoy living vicariously through me as I take you on the tour....  (Sorry the photo quality isn't great - I have to compress all my photos to be able to load them or it would take a week to get them all up...)

 



The countryside was beautiful here.  I can only imagine how lovely it must be when it rains - as it's all very dry right now...

The little village square centers around a beautiful Catholic church (to the right).  Sunday morning there's markets set up all around the church.  The inside of the church is beautiful and very ornate. (no photos... I peeked in during mass and didn't think it appropriate to take out the camera!)

Beauty all around.

Lunch! They had this sauce to put on bread (as demonstrated by the ever lovely Paula) that was really good. Might have to try to get some to share when I'm back in the states!  The waiter said, "very Canarian"(meaning, of the Canary Islands)

I had wine and cheese (the two main food groups, right?) and Marsha ordered Fish Tacos. This is what she got. (where's the taco? Never did establish that...)

This place was so cute. This was one of the side streets - fountains going right down it! I climbed up this staircase to see from above...

And this is what I saw. Seriously, it was like we were on a movie set or something. It was so adorable!!

Sigh. I love this.

Little booths were set up around the church - some selling Catholic stuff, plus jewelry, clothes, bags, etc. 

Chimney cake - never heard of it but I think it's like a European version of a funnel cake or something. It was good. (Can't go wrong with fried dough and sugar, can you?)

We sat much of the day at a little café, eating, drinking coffee (that was delicious too) and talking.  By the time we headed out the streets were empty and the market was all packed up!

Just a random street! I love the colors of the buildings here...

Another random street I walked up!  How do you like this tour?

Paula, Me, Penelope, and Marsha took the picture.  Sigh, a beautiful day.

The ride home.

Shipyard photos

They tell us the shipyard work is going well. Apparently the shipyard workers don't take Saturday off, because instead of a relaxing quiet day here on the ship I was awakened by jackhammers at work. Awesome.  Yesterday I snapped a few pictures of what we see here in the shipyard.  It's interesting thinking about the fact that I was born and raised in a large port city, and I remember our second grade field trip to the port terminal of Duluth. I wonder if any of the ships here have made a stop in my hometown...

 

Shipyard.

We're definitely in Shipyard.

I often feel as though I should be wearing a hard hat just to walk through Reception. The deafening noise begins around 8, I think, and goes all.day.long.  I'm super grateful for the work they're doing - but wow, it makes my brain hurt a bit! They've completely torn out the walk-in fridges and freezers in the Galley, and so a pretty continuous metallic grinding sound fills your ears pretty much the entire forward section of the ship.  Then down in the hospital they're jackhammering up the flooring to have it replaced - not a quiet process either. A few (bad - ipod camera) photos of the work....

Stuff I don't normally see in the hallways.

The long Hospital corridor... I was wearing flipflops and no hard hat so didn't want to go any further...

the galley - on the left used to be walk-in coolers and freezers.

There are people coming and going every day, lots of shipyard workers and huge bins of construction garbage full on the dock.  The IS guys are working hard to upgrade our TV systems all over the ship, as well as the wireless internet connectivity.  Other random projects are going on here and there, too... So anyway - I'm really thankful for the work they are doing.  But I will also be thankful when they are finished. :)

~K

Gran Canaria in photos.

Here are some of the photos I've collected over the last week on Gran Canaria.  The island is lovely!  We arrived on Thursday night, June 6th.  Most of the treasured friends in the pictures below left on Monday, Christina left on Tuesday, and Becky arrived on Wednesday. In between the beach time, tapas and sangria, I've actually still got work to do, so I apologize for the quiet blog.  I do have many thoughts brewing on my time here, living in the first world, the idea of culture shock, etc... but I'm still chewing on those words. In the meantime, please enjoy this short tour of Gran Canaria.  Love to all! Krissy

We love grass.  Squishy grass, that's mowed, and smells good, and feels good in your toes. The night we arrived in Las Palmas we all went off the ship and when we found this grass, you would think we had gone completely mad, we were so excited.

The little things you appreciate after life in Africa.

The sunset was stunning that night.

Treasures.

The best pizza I've ever eaten in my life. Seriously.

And an awesome person to eat aforementioned pizza with :)

Joys of the first world: Flowers!

Another beauty of a sunset over the Atlantic.

Christina enjoying her ice cream.

We celebrated this lovely treasure's birthday with tapas, wine, and blessed conversations. Each of those balloons she's hugging have blessings for her inside! It was an epic evening, to be sure.

Sangria with Missy.  Love that girl!

There are a lot of wind farms on the island. This was taken out the window of the bus on our way to Maspalomas on the south side of the island.

The Last Supper done in sand. How could I not take a picture?

We had a lovely day on the huge, long, sandy, filled with people, beach in Maspalomas. Unfortunately, clothing is somewhat optional and there were TONS of people, so I will not post any more photos from the beach. :) It was a lovely day that included a beach waiter bringing us mojitos! Becky got a bit sunburned but overall, a successful trip.

Our lunch in Maspalomas. I had a banana split and she had a tiramisu sundae thing.

The water was super clear! This was on our walk up the shore a ways, where the sand gives way to rocks.

Near the beach at Maspalomas, a big lighthouse. It was a beautiful area.



This sign is near the port in Las Palmas.

This gorgeous huge cathedral in Las Palmas.

We wandered through Old Town Las Palmas, all the streets look like this. I could totally live here.

Treasures. (This photo is out of order and should be up at the top... but I can't get it to move!)

A few thoughts on "Goodbye".

Ask a few long term Mercy Shippers what the hardest part of living in this community is and I would guess the majority would respond, “goodbyes”… followed closely by “change”.

We’re warned about it before we arrive; they covered it in Gateway, articles are passed around and discussions are encouraged about how to deal with the ever present, low-level grief you can feel in such a transient community.  The only constant here is change; we move from country to country and project to project, with people coming and going every day. Part of me wonders what kind of crazy we all are to live like that… And then part of me thinks it’s actually, in fact, the healthiest place to be.

I’ve been with Mercy Ships for a year now (total), and I can honestly say this last six months have been the richest of my life. I am surrounded by some of the most incredible men and women one could ever hope to get to do life with.  I have found a fulfillment in my work I had only dreamed about in the past; not only am I doing something I’m good at but my heart is alive and passionate about the mission and calling.  I have found myself not just surviving the community culture but thriving and growing, with a circle of deep, sweet, treasured friendships that truly is an embarrassment of riches.  I’ve loved Africa ever since moving here nearly four years ago, and this year in Guinea has only increased that love.

In the last week I’ve had to say goodbye to Guinea; to the French speaking world, plantain chips and running in sewage and the joyful songs of patients and malaria ridden mosquitoes. I’ve had to say goodbye to friends I’ve come to love dearly – some I will reunite with soon, and some I may never see again.  In the next few weeks I will say goodbye to the ship and Europe and my work here… if only for a short, but significant, time away on vacation.  And when all of this is gone, when I’ve said the last goodbye, there is only one thing that remains:  God.  His calling on my life – wherever, with whoever, doing whatever. 

My life is richer because of the relationships I’ve had and the people I’ve worked with and walked with, danced with and cried with; and my life is richer because of the places I’ve seen and lived and experienced.  My story is well flavored with cultures, languages, stories, smells, accents, colors, tastes, and journeys.  And I am so very grateful for it all - but my life is not defined by those things.  Those things are wonderful, but they are temporary.  Some are more temporary than others – but ultimately, my story is not defined by them, it’s defined by God, and choosing to walk in the freedom of that life to the full.

I’m blessed this year because I don’t have any hugely dramatic, heart-wrenching goodbyes.  But I’ll be blessed next year, too, when I do have them; blessed because those treasures have flavored my story, blessed because I knew them, and blessed to be able to send them off into the next chapter with love, knowing I will see them again if not in this life in the next.

I no longer dread the goodbyes – I choose to bless those who are leaving into the next great thing.  Some of them I know it’s unlikely I will see them again… but that doesn’t make the relationship any less valid, or our time together any less special.  It was a special gift for a season – and while I might miss that, I know and trust God to fulfill all my needs – so instead of holding them, and myself, back in grief, I can release them with joy into the next season.  Some of them I know I will see again, there’s no getting around it – and those are the special ones.  Special friends like Becky, Rachel, Emma, Josh, Lisa… People who I have met all over the world who I knew within the first few hours together that they were someone I wouldn’t ever have to say goodbye to – it would always be ‘until next time’. 

Lest I sound arrogant, let it be said that I don’t have this thing figured all out.  I know I will cry and grieve and miss my friends and ship and job and continent… saying goodbye is still hard.  But instead of sitting alone with my grief in the dining room for the next three weeks, I want to embrace the season and sit with someone new, a treasure waiting to be discovered; embrace and experience the joy of new friendships unfolding and stories being told and flavors added to this incredible masterpiece God is writing.

k

Sea voyage.

Just some photos I took of our departure, sail, and arrival... enjoy!

The dock... empty.



The pool is drained and all the deck chairs are put in it.



The deck is full!

My lifeboat.  They tested it and it works great. 

Our escorts out of the port. (two tugs and a pilot boat)

Goodbye Conakry.

The last thing we do before departing is a fire drill/muster - just to make sure everyone is accounted for. This is my lifeboat muster station!

These crates were on the dock and they remind me of the movie Madagascar - do you think there are animals in them?

How many men does it take to release the mooring lines?

 I love sailing, the open ocean, the color of the water out there... amazing.

 

I love this view on the bow.

 

Land!  (Gran Canaria)
 

Friends at arrival!

The tug that escorted us in!

Our current parking space for the next 6 weeks.

Sailing

We departed Conakry just after noon on Saturday.  It was a bittersweet goodbye to a country I've come to love.

The afternoon and evening of Saturday was spent trying to find my sea legs again.  I didn't do so well, as I spent the entirety of Sunday in bed... but today, Monday, I'm doing well, am back up and around, and I think it was actually the anti-seasickness meds that kept me in bed - 'cause once I quit taking them, I was fine!

Photo credit to Ruben Plomp

 

 

The seas have been kind to us; it's been a smooth sail, with dolphins, whales, sea turtles, and flying fish... I heard someone saw a pod of sharks, too!

 

As we speak we're somewhere in between Senegal and the Cape Verde islands.  Estimated arrival in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is Thursday or Friday!

 

The final drill before departure - Lifeboat 1.

K