The Lake Village of Ganvie

In the midst of the hospital opening and the daily comings and goings of school and life on the ship, I was able to visit Ganvie, a stilt village on Lake Nokoue, a large lake north of Cotonou. "Village" is actually misleading, this city of over 30,000 people is constructed entirely on stilts in the lake, several kilometers from shore.   Here the only mode of transportation is by boat.  The men are primarily fishermen and the women take the fish to shore each day to sell.

According to our guide, a native of Ganvie, the village began 300 years ago in the 1700s.  At that time, the powerful and numerous Fon tribe sought to conquer other smaller tribes for the Portuguese in an agreement to keep their own people out of slavery. The Tofinu people, in a clever move to protect themselves, built homes in the middle of a lake, knowing that religious practices of the Fon forbade them from pursuing an enemy on water.

Market Day

Typical Ganvie Home

A pirogue with a sheet of plastic as a makeshift sail

It took about 30 minutes to get to the village by boat. And our boat had a motor!

 

A beautiful and peaceful way to see more of Benin

A New Cabin and A Classroom with Windows!

This post is especially for my friends back home so you can see where I'm living and teaching this year. So let me give you a tour...  As you enter my cabin, you'll see a long hallway with 3 sections or pods, as we call them.  Mine is the first pod.  No more bunk beds this year.  I have my own little space all to myself.  I loved decorating it and making it my own. 

 

Even more exciting then my new cabin was my new classroom. Every day I am grateful for the windows! Even with the small space, I managed to set up the desks in my traditional U-shape. My teacher friends in the States will remember how much I love my U-shaped desk arrangements. 

Waves, Mountains, & Penguins!

After a fun and restful summer break I headed back to the Africa Mercy for my 2nd year. I arrived in Durban, South Africa to join the ship as it finished its preparations for the epic two week sail around the Cape and on to Benin. Armed with a supply of Scopoderm Patches (for sea sickness), I enjoyed every minute of the sail and our weekend stop in Cape Town. We started our voyage in winter and as we traveled North, gradually the weather grew warmer as we approached and then crossed the equator. 

The beginning of our voyage with Durban skyline in the background
 (Floor from Holland, Sveta from Russia, me, and Shea from the US)

I made this contraption so my students and I could see the angle measures of the ship's rolls as we sailed.  Our biggest roll hit 20 degrees. Last year I always heard people talking about the sail when plates slid off the table and people fell off their chairs in the dining room and now I finally got to experience it myself!

After 4 days of rocking and rolling, all of us were so glad for a short weekend stop in Cape Town.  I just wanted the world to stop moving around me.

My cabin-mates this year: Stefanie from Germany and Shea

The sunset one night on the sail

Arriving in Cape Town with a view of Table Mountain

Train ride to Simon's Town about 60 minutes outside of Cape Town

African Penguin Colony at Boulder's Beach, Simon's Town, South Africa

 My favorite part of stopping in Cape Town was getting to see penguins up close. There is a colony of several hundred African penguins that in South Africa.  We saw penguins up close - swimming, waddling on the beach, sleeping under bushes, and with their babies. I loved seeing penguins in the wild.

A penguin just walked by me while I was on the beach

                                                                               

My other favorite part of stopping in Cape Town was hiking Table Mountain. It was a pretty challenging 7 hour hike but the views were amazing.

At the top!

We were all super excited to cross the equator. The captain announced our approach on the P.A. system and we all rushed up to Deck 8 to countdown to the big moment.

Below is the ship as we crossed the equator.  Can you see the equator line in the picture?

And finally, after 14 days at sea, we arrived in Cotonou, Benin on August 18!

As you can see in the pictures, we are pretty excited!  All the while, school was in session this whole time! Next blog post: new classroom, new cabin, and the start of the Academy.

Coming Up...

My first year of school on the Africa Mercy is completed! Today is the first day of summer for the students!  After several required teacher work days (in which we do all the normal end of year school stuff and secure the Academy for sail) and a few last days traveling in Madagascar, I head home! First to Houston (arriving on June 7) and later to Wisconsin (at the end of June).

My top priority while I'm home is spending time with friends and family. So if you're in Houston, let's make plans! After that, I'm hoping to rest, take my dog to the dog park, eat all my favorite foods, drive a car again...

Speaking of cars, I sold mine before I left Africa, which seemed like a great idea at the time (and still is, except for the fact I will be car-less while in Houston). So, Houston friends, do you have, or know anyone who has, a car I could borrow for part or all of the time I will be home (June 7-18)? Maybe you're going out of town and you need someone to drop you off at the airport?

While I am super excited for a break and time to spend back in the States, I am also sad about leaving Madagascar.  When I return to the ship at the end of July, it won't be in the same place anymore. Right now, Mercy Ships and Madagascar are synonymous to me, but that is about to change...


About Benin

When school begins in August, we will be en route to Benin, West Africa. Benin is a French speaking country of about 9 million people. It borders Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Togo, and Niger. The ship will dock in the country's largest city - Cotonou, whose population is about 3-4 times the size of our current port city.  I expect life in Cotonou will be more "urban" and less "tropical island." Also, the weather is supposedly hotter (how can that be?).

I can't wait to see many of you soon! Happy summer!

The Animals of Madagascar

One of my favorite parts of exploring Madagascar is the amazing wildlife I have gotten to see. Hiking here is like a treasure hunt with exotic animal sightings as the reward for the patient and observant hiker. Seeing as how I am not particularly patient or observant, I've been lucky enough to tag along with others who are! The pictures below are from a hike at Andasibe (rain forest) with an excellent local guide who was able to spot the tiniest of creatures even in the dark!


Did you know chameleons sleep on the ends of sticks and leaves? People come to Madagascar to see the lemurs but the chameleon is my new favorite animal. They are fascinating! The thought occurred to me that I could get a pet chameleon one day when I'm back in the States. I did a little research and it sounds like a great idea...except for the part about feeding them live insects.  I think I'll just stick with a dog.

A well timed rest in the forest allowed me to get a glimpse of this gigantic spider's web way up in the trees. A zoomed in shot shows you how big the spider is. There are a lot of spiders in Madagascar. It felt like 50% of the wildlife we saw were spiders! It was not exactly what I was hoping for, but sometimes you take what you get.

                                                                             This frog was so well camouflaged I didn't even see it from just a few feet away. Even after I knew it was there, it still looked like leaves!                                                                                                                                            If you're still looking for it, it's just below and left of center. You can see it's black eye on the right side of its head.                                                                                                               Below is an interesting bird we saw, but I have no idea what kind it is!

Zebu (the type of cattle found in Madagascar) are all over; you see them whether you are in the forest, on the beach, or in town! Their horns are used to make jewelry, home decorations, and cutlery. 

Last but not least are the lemurs. There are between 50 and 100 species of lemurs (depending on the classification system used) and they are found only in Madagascar.  The nocturnal mouse lemur (below right) is the smallest primate in the world. On the left, you see a common brown lemur (I think) and an indri-indri. 

Seeing all these beautiful animals helps me when I really miss Sophie (my dog back home)! I can't wait til I'm in a place where I can have a pet again! If only we had a ship dog - a hypoallergenic poodle would be just the thing. I could train it to run errands around the ship and it could be a therapy dog for the crew. There's nothing like a fluffy dog to pet when you're feeling sad or stressed! If only! Well, at least I get to see Sophie in just a few short weeks...when I come home for a visit! More on that in the next post...

Mosolo

When I met him back in October or November, I didn't know his name. I was just starting to venture off the ship and hadn't figure out how to communicate in Malagasy enough to say, "What is your name?"  But I remember that he was one of the very first patients I met at the Hope Center.

At the Hope Center with Mosolo and friends

That Sunday afternoon, when we first met, a gaggle of young boys was running around the Hope Center with nothing to do. Their energy level was off the charts, so I thought some outdoor games would be just the thing to keep them occupied (and give the rest of the patients and staff a little peace!). Without sharing a language, I couldn't explain the rules to any game, but I did manage to set up an obstacle course using a tree, an old chair, a large rock, and some lines drawn in the dirt.  The boys were so excited to show how fast they could complete the course while I timed them.


Monsolo (in the red shirt in the photo above) had severely bowed legs. I was impressed he could walk at all, let alone run through an obstacle course. But he did it with as much gusto as other boys. He wasn't as fast, but the fact that he didn't sit out or shy away from an activity which highlighted his disability is what impressed me the most.

After having surgery in November, Mosolo wore casts until February. Last time I was at the HOPE Center, I was delighted to get to snap a few shots of Mosolo showing off his stair climbing ability with fellow crew member Keith.

Now it is April and Mosolo has finally gotten to return home to his village. Surgery on the Africa Mercy may be free, but our patients still pay a large cost: the cost of being away from home and loved ones for many months, of missing work or school, and many days of difficult travel from remote areas of the country.

But what little I know of Mosolo from my visits to the Hope Center, I have a feeling that the cost was worth it and with his newly straightened legs and his indomitable spirit, he will go far in life.

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.

i 

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.