Countdown: 3 weeks

So I have a little under 3 weeks before I leave for Africa. I feel like I have a never-ending list of things to do before those 3 weeks are up. But I've gotten accomplished all the "big" stuff that I needed to get done before my departure-- I got my official travel documents to get into Togo without a visa, I booked my plane tickets, told everyone around me that I was leaving. That last bit was a little hard to do, especially since this wouldn't just be a temporary thing: I finally decided on a dental school as well (yay), one that takes me out-of-state (boo). So in one go, I had tell my church kids that not only would I be leaving in April for a 3 month trip, but as soon as I got back in July, I'd be leaving them again for graduate school in August. I've been at this church for the last 6 years, and I've been teaching these kids for the better part of 2, 3 years now. They drive me crazy-- let me tell you, they drive me absolutely crazy at times-- but they're great kids, and I love them (when they're sleeping). If you're wondering... yes, I am sitting on one of them.

In any case, today I went to go get my yellow fever vaccine, the only vaccine required to enter Togo (and many other African/South American countries). I already had a physical and blood work done at my primary care physician's office, but only authorized centers can administer this particular vaccination, so I went to a different office and had to shell out an extra $170 for one measly shot. And now I have a prescription for Malaria pills on my desk which I have to go fill up on tomorrow. It's annoying to take all these precautions but definitely worth it, if only for my own peace of mind. The last time I went on a mission trip (Cambodia), our group coordinators handed out these de-worming pills for us to take after we got home. I lost mine (because I lose everything), and every once in awhile for the next year or so, these crazy paralyzing thought would pop into my head ("Hm, I got hungry really fast and I just ate... I have worms, I have worms!!!"). Lesson: take your meds.

Christine in Togo!

OK, so technically I'm not in Togo yet. But that doesn't mean I can't get excited about it. :)

A couple weeks ago I got the official acceptance letter from Mercy Ships. I'll be serving on the Africa Mercy, currently docked in Togo, from April 13th - July 8th, which ends up being just shy of 3 months. For those of you who don't know about the fantastic organization that is Mercy Ships, here's a little history to catch you up:

Mercy Ships is a global charity that operates a fleet of hospital ships in developing nations, with a concentration of efforts in West Africa. I'll be on the flagship called Africa Mercy, which right now is docked in Togo.

"The 499-foot 16, 572 GRT Africa Mercy is the world’s largest charity hospital ship. The purpose-built hospital includes six state of the art operating rooms, intensive care and ward bed space for up to 78 patients. Originally built in Denmark in 1980, the newest Mercy Ship has a berth capacity for 484. Volunteer crew from more than 30 nations serve onboard."*

Mercy Ships mission statement is to follow the "2000-year-old example of Jesus" by bringing "hope and healing to the poor, mobilizing people and resources worldwide." That mission is achieved through surgeries and healthcare, and by capacity building and field services in the host nations for long-term sustainability. On the board the actual ships, healthcare volunteers provide an extensive variety of free surgical care; examples of departments and procedures include: maxillofacial/ENT (cleft lip and palate repairs, dental, facial tissue reconstruction), urogynecologic (VVF), Ophthalmic (cataract extraction, straightening of crossed eyes), orthopedics (clubbed foot, amputation, Femoral/tibial osteotomy), general surgery (thyroidectomies, tumor excision), and plastics (burns, ear reconstruction).* There's also a ton of field work that goes on within the country that the ship is docked in.

Of course, with all these surgeries going on, my title and assignment for the next three months on the Africa Mercy is... "cook" (dun dun DUN!). Although I'm going to dental school in the fall, I'm technically not qualified for any healthcare job on the ship, as all the positions require education + certification + a certain amount of job experience, all of which I don't have (thanks a lot, ridiculously expensive college degree). So, that's right, I, Christine BlahBlah (oh, the anonymity of the web), will be in the ship's galley, a-workin' away at peeling carrots and mashing potaters to make sure that the good people on the ship are well-fed and good to go.

Hm, that last sentence sounded a bit cheesy (food pun intended). In all seriousness, I don't know exactly what I'll be doing as a cook-- my guess is that there's a good chance I'll end up peeling carrots and mashing potatoes at some point during my stay, but I highly doubt that will be the extent of this experience. If you're wondering why I got assigned as a cook on a healthcare mission, when you think of Mercy Ships, you should imagine what it would take to run a small city: since the volunteers live on the ship, the ship needs to be staffed with volunteers of every capacity-- not just in the medical department, but also in areas such as reception, the on-board academy, housekeeping, crew, and of course, the aforementioned galley. Everyone-- from the doctors to the dock workers-- plays a part in keeping the ship’s operations running smoothly, which is what makes Mercy Ships so unique.

If I haven’t mentioned already, I’m really excited. The reason why I wanted to be a dentist in the first place was in order to become a missionary, but recently the goal of actually going out into the mission field had been put on the back burner, replaced by the ambition of just getting into grad school. No doubt about it, it takes a lot of work and late nights studying to bring your academics up to par, and because I had been so focused on just making it into dental school, I'd forgotten the reason why I was studying so hard in the first place. The work that Mercy Ships does is the type of work I want to do in the future as a healthcare professional. Depending on the residency I take though, I presumably won't be able to return for the next 5-12 years, and since I'm on a gap year now, it's the perfect time to go . And I really do believe that God put me in the position of a cook to learn the lessons that I need to learn— both figuratively and literally— in serving others. (It took me awhile to think of that line by the way. It's a good line.)

And to be honest, one of the reasons I'm so excited to go is because I'll finally have the experience of living in a completely Christian environment. Selfish motivation to go on a mission trip, I know, but after attending the world's most secular university, located in the world's most secular city (I sardonically and kind of aptly call it my little Babylon), I'm just glad to have made it out alive as a non-hipster, non-chain smoker. I don't think anyone will appreciate the simplicity of being surrounded by others of the same faith as I will. It will be great. Thumbs up.

I leave in less than a month! I have a lot of things to get done before then, but I'm so glad to have this opportunity that I'm actually excited about planning ahead. Now, if only my suitcases would pack themselves...

* from the Mercy Ships website, www.mercyships.org

I'm starting a blog.

And my blog will have a rather mundane title. I really wanted it to alliterate, but since my name starts with the most boring letter in the English alphabet, I couldn't think of anything except Christine's Crusade. And that just sounds strange, like I'm a village peasant in the Middle Ages off to pillage and plunder.

So, my blog will be called Christine in Transit. Because I'm in transit. And because my name is Christine.