A Day in the Life

I meant to write this blog post back in September, but I was experiencing way too many exciting and unique things to write a blog about a typical day. But after 8 full months on the ship, I've been here long enough to tell you about what an average day is like for me.

Breakfast in the Dining Room

6am - Alarm rings

6:10am - Get up and get ready for the day.

6:30am - Eat breakfast in the dining room which consists of oatmeal daily and depending on the day something else like scrambled eggs or pancakes.  

7am - Arrive in the Academy. My commute is a 2 minute walk from the dining room. Last minute lesson preparations.

7:45am - Teacher's Meeting

8am - School begins. The first 20 minutes are spent with the entire junior high/high school for devotions.

• Period 1 - Bible (7th/8th grade)
• Period 2 - Geometry
• Ship-wide Coffee Break (I love this midmorning break. People from all departments go down to the cafe to get coffee and chat for a few minutes. It helps me not get lost in my work. Sometimes I'm tempted to work through it, but I try really hard not to.)
• Period 3 - 6th Grade Math
• Period 4 - Algebra 1
• Lunch in the Dining Room or back in my classroom so I get work done
• Period 5 - Pre-Calculus
• Period 6 - Off Period
• Period 7 - Off Period

Eating lunch with friends

3:20pm - School day ends
5pm - Teacher work day ends.

In the evenings you might find me reading a book in my cabin, working late in my classroom, up on deck 8 swimming laps in the pool, eating dinner on the dock and watching the exotic fish that swim nearby, going to small group, reading bedtime stories to my favorite kids on the ship, attending the weekly ship-wide community meeting, shopping in the Boutique (the ship's free thrift store), or participating in the ship's Art Journaling group.

I'm not the only one who loves swimming!
(with Hannah, age 4)

On a typical weekend I usually need down time after such a busy week. My favorite way to spend Saturday mornings is sitting by the pool doing logic puzzles while listening to podcasts. They don't serve lunch on the weekends (although you can pack a sandwich at breakfast for yourself) so I often go out for lunch once on the weekend. It's a nice excuse to get off the ship and spend intentional time with friends (and Malagasy food is amazing!). I also get out on a bike ride at least once every weekend. One of my favorite things to do is ride to the beach and go swimming. On Sundays I sometimes attend church at the HOPE Center with our patients or the evening on-ship service for crew.

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Jean; Photo Credit: Justine Forrest

Meanwhile, while I'm teaching math, just a few decks below me, miracles are taking place everyday.

Miracles like Jean who received surgery for his bowed legs. And Serah, who will be able to walk because of the treatment she is receiving for her club feet.

Serah & her Mother; Photo Credit: Katie Keegan

The healing taking place every day is a reason to celebrate. Watch the video below and celebrate with Hasina. (I'll attempt to actually embed the video below, but if it's not working, you can see it here. Trust me - it's worth the extra click).

Sometimes a dance party is just what the doctor ordered. #MercyShips
Posted by Mercy Ships on Friday, January 29, 2016

Rarely does my daily routine as a math teacher intersect with what's happening in the hospital, but one day it did. It was just before morning break, when my principal came looking for me because one of our orthopedic surgeons had requested to see me. He was preparing for an upcoming surgery and was using trigonometry to calculate some of the angles required in the surgery.  He asked for my help working out the angles and of course I was delighted to oblige. I wonder if I can list Orthopedic Surgery Consultant on my resume now? After all, it's all in a day's work for a teacher on a hospital ship.