(Reported images of Las Palmas online)
Life in the shipyard
20 June 2013
Greetings from Las Palmas, Gran Canaria (one of the small
islands off the coast of northern Africa that belongs to Spain).
Life on board the Africa Mercy in the shipyard is
different from life during field service.
There's a completely different feel to it, as you might expect--sort of
a combination of "resort vacation", living in a construction site,
and working full time at strange new jobs.
There are only about 150 people on board, a mix of long-term crew,
temporary volunteers who come for the renovation work, and shipyard workers who
speak only Spanish. Some of our families
are still aboard; children in the shipyard freak out the port authorities, so
kids have to be driven to the port gate before they can set a foot down. That's reasonable--most ships in the shipyard
are not occupied even by adults, much less children. We are an "unusual case," so they
have to figure out how to make it work for us.
Resort vacation:
This is a gorgeous island, a popular vacation spot for Europeans who
want a beach holiday. A couple of us
drove around the northern edge of the island and then through the mountains in
the middle of the island. Fantastic
views of the ocean, sheer cliffs of lava rock, and quaint little villages that
were all impeccably clean and inviting.
The beach here in Las Palmas is a beautiful expanse of
clean sand, bordered by a boardwalk lined with little shops and eating
places. The food is delicious, the fruit
is lovely, and the prices are reasonable.
What more could one ask?
Construction site:
Jackhammers batter the eardrums all day long. They are renovating the floors in the
hospital. This ship used to be a railroad
ferry, so the floors have rails embedded in concrete. Great for trains, but not so great for
hospital patients. It will certainly be
an improvement...once they finish hammering.
Then there are occasional blackouts, water turn-offs, and so forth, to
accommodate other renovation projects.
One of the trickiest projects has been the replacement of the CT
machine. The original machine was installed before they finished building the
bulkheads. Now, how to get the old one
out and the new one in? Limited space in
a "floating box" makes it a challenge to replace such a large, heavy
piece of equipment.
Strange new jobs:
As I mentioned last time, I was assigned to work in the galley for the
summer. Feeding 150-300 people is a big
project, and very hard work. You are on
your feet for nine hours, leaning over a sink or a counter, chopping food or
washing dishes. (I never made it to the
"hot side" where the cooking is done...). Well, by the middle of the second week, I was
so exhausted I could hardly put one foot in front of the other, even after a
night's rest. I must have looked as bad
as I felt, because my boss decided that maybe I needed a different job. Bless
him!
So, now I am working in "sales." We have a small "ship shop" on
board, where we can purchase cleaning products, personal care items, comfort
foods, and a few other assorted items.
We also have a Starbuck's cafe where we can purchase coffee and
snacks. (Starbuck's donates the coffee!) I am
learning the language of coffee...frappachino, cappachino, latte...as well as
how to make them and how to ring up the sales.
Hey, this job is FUN! Maybe I've
found my next career.
One of my cabinmates has left the ship. My two remaining cabinmates decided that
since I was their mother's age, I should have a bottom bunk despite the fact
that normally it would be Maryke's turn to move down, not mine. That was quite a sacrifice on her part, to
spend the next year in a top bunk for my sake.
I must say, I sure do enjoy the new arrangement, the ease of flopping
down for a quick rest now and then, or getting up to the bathroom at night
without clamoring down a ladder in the dark.
Maryke (South Africa) and Remy (Holland) and I certainly get along well
together. Hopefully, my new bunkmate
will be as pleasant as they are, whenever she arrives. Living in such a small space, it matters a
lot how well you relate with your cabinmates, and especially with your
bunkmate. Meanwhile, my two cabinmates
are both on vacation, and I have the entire cabin to myself! How's that for luxury?
Well, time for lunch, and then back to work.
Marilyn
This is a running post about her work in Africa as a nurse. Click here to learn more about the nurses and doctors on board the Africa Mercy.
Wow, your friend is on some adventure! It sounds fascinating.
ReplyDeleteI get itchy feet reading her posts. Thanks for stopping by, Kimberly
ReplyDelete