Ben Abroad: busy busy!

Blog 8 13/03

Last week I attended dental sterilisation for the first time. The dental team is based off ship in a 3-storey compound about 10km away. This makes it a hotter work environment than I am used to. Nevertheless, I was able to wear scrubs! I worked with a lady called Rosemary and Abdullah who taught me as we went. It gets confusing, some things are bleached and others go in the autoclave! I’m sure I’ll get the hang of it next week. When the last patient was on one of the six beds, the generators or the compressor ceased to work. This meant the saw could not be used in a molar extraction. The patient returned to the ship so that the extraction could be completed and save him the pain and trouble the following day. Mark, a retired London dentist, invited me to view the extraction in the crew dentist practice. He was so good at explaining as he injected local anaesthetic, took an X-ray, sawed the tooth in half and then extracted it and sutured the gum. I felt privileged to have been invited and educated somewhat by him.

I also got up early to do a 10km run one morning last week. I went under the pace of a marathon runner who ensured a steady run. We returned in 52minutes, which I was pretty happy with. My painful feet and ankles that remained that morning reminded me that my shoes are at their two-year lifespan! I will prefer not to exceed 5 km runs in future.

On Friday my roommates and I were surprised to learn of a new arrival the following day (normally a few days notice is given). Hospitality had made the only free bed and also the best on in the cabin (Darren had only just vacated it to his couples cabin).

This meant the bed, with all its creative and welcoming adornings, was moved twice. Thankfully I ended up on the top bunk of the end of the cabin. This has a lot of space, which I need. I will no longer be moving to a four berth! The communal space in those does not appeal to me and I would be on a top bunk there as well.

Due to there being minimal work to do in the galley on Friday, Matt and I were tasked to bake 600 muffins for the crew to take for their packed lunches the following day. We found a basic recipe and then made three different kinds; Choc Chip, cranberry (or craisons as I have heard them called) and then nuts. They went down very well and it was good fun making them.

On Saturday there was a late pool party to say goodbye to two crewmembers - Emma and Emily. There was an underwater camera so hopefully some pictures will materialise soon. I have also been visiting Moukaela most nights. His wounds have not healed well and I gather that the surgeons are waiting for healing before contemplating further surgery, perhaps to widen his small mouth. He has been aboard two weeks today and it is good to see how his keenness to run around and his confidence increase daily.

Yesterday three others and myself went to the Benin embassy to get visas for 8 others and us. This was a long and painful process, which didn’t surprise me. Thankfully we had a French speaker with us. We had to add in, change and even invent many details! Our passports will be ready for collection tomorrow and we will leave for Benin on Friday afternoon for the weekend.

So my workweek went by without any trouble and on Sunday afternoon I even felt fresh and energetic! My moustache is getting to the gross and unclassy point… luckily I saved some face by having my bushy and previously-unevenly-cut hair cut yesterday- for free! Still 17 days before the ‘tash gets a cut!

Tonight, Matt and I made butter chicken for 15 people and it went down very well! There are even leftovers J again, this would be near impossible without access to the galley spices and other ingredients. We also went up to the pool and played what began as water polo. Until my mini soccer ball went overboard L then it turned into ‘ultimate Frisbee’ with a stress ball that proved more successful.

Please pray Moukaela’s wounds to heal so that the doctors can make a decision and that his spirit does not grow weary. Amen