For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

—Romans 1:16

It’s been another week and it’s gone by even faster than the last. It’s week 3, and I’ve made some pretty close friends, a few of which are already leaving the ship to go home. :( I’ve gotten to see and interact with the people of Guinea at the HOPE Center Sunday service, and I went to this day-long training called Equipping to Serve which taught about the culture on the ship, the culture of Guinea, and we even got basic language phrases to learn in a few of the local languages.

Getting to Know Guinea

One of the disadvantages I’ve found while working in the lab is that we aren’t patient facing. Almost all draws we perform are on crew, whether for blood donation or crew clinic labs. We’ve drawn one patient only; he was a special case as he was a polycythemia patient. Part of his treatment was to have him “donate” units to lower his hematocrit (unfortunately, the units have to be discarded). I already knew this would be the case—most labs are not really patient facing anyways—but I didn’t really consider the impact that would have on my experience with desiring to know and build relationships with the people in Guinea. Since we aren’t patient facing, we don’t have an operational need for day crew to help with translations and the like. Day crew are locals that are hired by Mercy Ships to help with the ship’s operations throughout the field service. We have about 400-450 “ship crew” and about 200 “day crew.” As such, I feel like my exposure to Guinean culture has to be a lot more proactive since I don’t have a natural avenue to interacting with day crew, patients, or their families. I’m looking into ways I can get more involved with interacting with locals, and one of the things I did was attend the HOPE Center’s Sunday service.

The HOPE Center (Hospital Out-Patient Extension Center) is a place for patients and their families who come from farther in the country. Since their homes are far, it isn’t really feasible for them to return home while being treated by the ship’s services. The HOPE Center a safe, clean, and secure place to stay while they or their family get treated on the ship (somewhat similar to a Ronald McDonald house for a hospital). Usually Mercy Ships will borrow and outfit a building to be used for the HOPE Center, and it gets “returned” after the field service ends. Each Sunday, the HOPE Center (and inpatient wards) host a Sunday service for the patients and families who stay there, and everyone is welcome to join, so I’ve gone to a couple of the services. They use the “Simply the Story” to share Bible stories with congregants. A story is shared, then they interact and ask questions to reinforce the teaching. There is a lot of singing and clapping as well!

The services are delivered in and translated into five languages! The message is given either in English or French, then translated into the other as well as into the three main ethnic languages of Guinea: Pular, Susu, and Malinké (of the Fula, Susu, and Mandinka people, respectively—more on that later). It’s really something to see one person speak a verse and then three or four people all translating into another language. There are so many people talking at once that usually by the end they’re all shouting to be heard by the people who listen to their translation. It’s a pretty funny sight. Our translators are oftentimes day crew. The day crew provide us an opportunity to connect with the community as well as help channel some help into the economy by employing locals. I quite like how we’re able to really work alongside the community rather than bringing in a shiny ship with shiny people to swoop in and save the day as a temporary fix.

Anyways, what really caught me off guard was that the kids and their families were really warm and welcoming. As in, no stranger danger AT ALL. I had never met any of these people before, and as soon as we walked in, a lot of kids were running up to us wanting to get picked up and play with our badges or wanting to sit in our lap during the service. It made you feel really loved, but then you realize that THEY HAVE NO LOYALTY AT ALL!!! Once they get bored of you they clamber down and run off to someone else to get picked up and played with. Either way, it’s still a very lovely experience to see the warmth of the culture here in Guinea. Right now we’re in ortho and max fax season, and all the ortho patients are pediatric, so many of our patients are much younger right now. I’ll definitely be going back.

I think I’ll also try to sign up for the hospital’s “Befriend a Patient” program. You get paired up with an inpatient and do visits and things with them. I hear that it’s a great way to connect with people and build deeper relationships with them. I’ll keep you all updated on that in a bit!

Also while we were wandering the streets of Conakry after service on Sunday, WE FOUND A CHINESE SUPER MARKET WHAT. There’s actually a lot of Chinese expats here, because China is investing a ton. But it’s caused some tensions because rather than working with and employing locals, they’ll bring workers from China and keep the money in Chinese hands.

Equipping to Serve

On Tuesday, I went to a day-long training provided by Mercy Ships called Equipping to Serve. The first half of the training was about Mercy Ships as an organization, the structure, mission, values, and policies. The second half of the training was more about Guinea, her people, culture, and customs.

I took a lot of notes on more details about Mercy Ship’s operations and put it on the About Mercy Ships page if you want to read more about the different departments and how they work, including some patient photos so you can also see for yourself the kind of conditions we see in Africa due to the lack of accessible healthcare. A lot of the conditions tend to be quite severe as people usually go years without getting proper treatment.

The other purpose of the session was to ensure that everyone had a more realistic, human, and dignified outlook of Guinea (and the country of Africa). They started by showing us the following parody about how the West’s view of Africa can be skewed severely to thinking that all of the continent of Africa is in extreme poverty, as well as the problem with “voluntourism” and focusing on ineffective ways that people try to “help” which ends up being motivated by self-glorifying and ignorant mindsets. I have a lot of thoughts about tension that I experience while being here, wanting to do my best to do good by the people here, but also not wanting to do harm.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymcflrj_rRc&w=560&h=315]

We got to sample some Guinean food, which was organized and prepared by some of the day crew and his friend. It was tasty! We had rice, a type of cereal thing (not dry cereal like we have for breakfast), a meatball and fish stew to eat with the rice, a cookie that kind of tasted a bit buttery (I think it was called cuti(???)), and a sesame snap. They also served two of the most popular drinks here—bissap, which is a sweet juice produced from the African hibiscus flower, and ginjamb (aka “ginger jamboree”), a SUPER SPICY ginger drink. It burns all the way down, but you can feel how good it is for you. It’s like chewing on super concentrated, raw ginger. Lord have mercy it was so spicy. I can only drink like, a tiny shot with sips over a long time, ahahahahaha.

Other things to know:

As a hot-culture climate, it’s extremely focused on relationships. You’ve read about how the kids here have no stranger danger, but I’ll give you an even better example: greeting.

When I walk in the city, it would be customary to greet every person that: 1) I make eye contact with, 2) greets me first (even from across the street), 3) walks by or is seated within a 5 feet radius around me. To not do so would be impolite, rude, and/or come off that I don’t like them or don’t respect them. If you dress inappropriately or you have the disapproval of people, they will not greet you.

It’s been a challenge adapting to this cultural “expectation.” Especially as someone who is a bit socially shy when talking to new people, it’s kind of hard to greet people. It also gets super awkward when you’re just trying to be friendly and they try to strike up a more extensive conversation and you have no idea what they’re saying and you awkwardly just wave and walk away.

There are three main ethnic groups in Guinea. Pular people who speak Fula, Susu people who speak Susu, and Mandinke people who speak Malinké. Many people also speak French, and many of the educated people will also be fluent in English. It’s quite impressive.

Most people here are Muslim. As a woman, I have to be aware that some of the more conservative men will not greet me or take my hand when I extend it, and it’s not something personal, but just a cultural thing. We also have to be aware of their traditions and beliefs and respect them as we work and interact with them. It’s quite an interesting dynamic.

We also learned some greetings!

Susu (most common language in Conakry) greeting:

I mama (when greeting a single person) or
Wo mama (when greeting many).
This is used when you don’t really have time for a follow up conversation, hahahaha. Because if you use the other greeting, expect a conversation.

The full conversation greeting goes like so:
I nu wali. (greeting)
> I nu wali.
Tanu mu xi? (“Did you spend the night without misfortune?” — if morning) or
Tanu mu fen yay? (“Did you spend the day without misfortune?” —if afternoon or evening)
> Tanu yo mu xi. (“The night was without misfortune.”) or
> Tanu yo mu fen yay. (“The day was without misfortune.”)
Denbaya go? (“How is the family?”)
> Tana yo mu ay ma. I tang go? (“There is no misfortune. And you?”)
Allah nu wali. (“I thank God that you are well.”)

Fula greeting:

On jaraama. (“I greet you.”)
> On jaraama.
Tana allah ay ma? (“Is everything well?”)
> Jahm tun. (“Everything is well.”)
Hii-hi allah jaraama. (“Yes, thank God.”)

Malinké greeting:

In ee kay (“Hello.”—when greeting one) or
Ahl nee kay (“Hello.”—when greeting many)
> In ee kay.
Tana tee lah? (“Are you fine?”)
> Tana cee tay. (“I am fine.”)

I’m still practicing. It’s already been put to use a few times! but I usually freeze up after the “hello” line, ahahahahaha.

Small Groups of Fellowship

We have a Bible study group that meets on Mondays. We took a photo since a few people were leaving this week (more on that later). We’ve been meeting in Dr. Gary Parker’s cabin, buuuut he’s not even on the ship. He comes back after Christmas and New Year’s, so we might need to find a new place to meet. I voted that we just absorb him into our small group so we could keep using his cabin (it’s super nice!)

A few of us in the Bible study are still getting together to pray as a group after Bible study, and it’s been good to have a place to process and talk about things.

Our department (hospital support services) also does a weekly devotional together on Wednesday mornings before work. We had “Carols and Croissants” this week. What a treat! So good.

You come to love the people you work with most often.

Saying Goodbye

I’ve been here three weeks and made some close friends already. There’s a thing with Mercy Ships with having this revolving door of people who are constantly coming and going from the ship. This week there was a mass exodus of people who have finished their field service terms, and long term people who are going home for Christmas and New Year’s holiday. It was really tough to say goodbye so soon, and also to realize that the entire field service will be filled with constant goodbyes.

My friend April told me that there’s this “friendship link chain” of sorts that goes on—as friends leave, new ones will come, and the group will persist, though ultimately everyone’s time will come to leave and go back home. It’s reassuring, but it’s a bit of the sad reality of this kind of missions work where everyone’s stay feels too short.

We held a party for a handful of people who were leaving: Tim and Ruth, a lovely couple from the UK, Jill, a wonderfully wise woman from the UK, Jackie, our big hearted brave girl from the great nation of Texas. We had dinner in the mess hall, then went out for ice cream.

On Saturday, it was finally time to say goodbye. A ton of people gathered on the dock to say goodbyes and help load luggage. Like a ton.

Finally, they piled into the three vans and we sent them off with a bunch of waves and they said goodbye in good old-fashioned Guinean excessive honking.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVSzLXlo5Ro&w=560&h=315]

I’m a bit sad, but I know I’ll see them all again in Heaven.

Lab Life

I drew two donor units!

The first was Irik from Canada, who our Chief Engineer. He said I did a good job, and that he would give me a tour of the engine room. His veins are great, he pumped out the unit in no time at all, and said he recently got a little thing in the mail saying he had donated 75 times in his lifetime so far!

AND THEN TIM CAME AND DONATED BEFORE HE LEFT AHAHAHAHA. We are sometimes the only place on the ship that has Coca-Cola, so it’s a fair exchange, you know.

Anyway, thanks for reading! I thought this was going to be short, but of course here we are at the end of yet another long, long update.

Merry Christmas to you all! Send me pictures and updates of your Christmas festivities. :)

Cheers,
Jasmin