Galley Yearbook

Every time I look at the group pictures that I take with the galley folk, it's always interesting-- and kind of sad-- to see how fast the faces in the photos change. Every couple of weeks I can look at a picture and point out 3, 4, 5 people who have recently gone. I guess it's just a symptom of the nature of Mercy Ships, but it doesn't help that we basically only take group photos when someone is leaving.

This photo was taken the day after I arrived (one of my first posts was about a going-away dinner for someone in the galley; this was taken right before that dinner)-- I was to replace Carol, the woman with the green hat in the center. I remember feeling completely intimidated because she was so loved by everyone in the galley; I had some big shoes to fill.

About 2 and a half weeks after I arrived. Mercy Ships had a group of amazing "day workers"-- volunteers from the World Race-- and two of them came to work in the galley for a month; Allison and Lindsay left at the end of April. They were so much fun to work with. A couple of days after, the last Italian on the ship, Davide, also left our team to fly home.

This was taken towards the end of May: this doesn't seem all that long ago, so it's strange to think that over a month has already passed since Stephanie left (green sweater in the front). She was one of those, beyond-words-amazing type person in that she just had this attitude of constant joy. And what was weird was that you could tell that she was completely sincere-- you know what I mean, some people you can tell are just putting up a façade of bubbliness, but not her. I still remember, the on the day that I arrived, I was all disheveled and gross from sitting on a plane for too long, disoriented because I was jet-lagged and because (duh) I walkin' around on a boat. I had no idea what I was doing or where I was going, when someone introduced me to Stephanie as the "new girl on your team". Her entire face lit up with a smile and she gave me the biggest hug (seriously, who gives perfect strangers hugs these days?). After talking for awhile, she grinned again and said, "I'm really glad that you're here." I've missed her since she left; raspberry vinaigrette has never been the same.

Lorinda, our team leader (next to me), and Kristin, one of the girls from the other team (center, in the African shirt), also left around the same time that Stephanie left. A lot of goodbyes that week.

And this photo was taken just a couple of days ago (end of June). Mary Lou, our wonderful dining room manager is leaving at the beginning of July, so we took a group photo as a souvenir.

A lot of times I get so caught up in the present that I forget that things have a before and after-- that they existed before I came along, and will continue to exist long after I leave. That's how I'm feeling right now about the galley, especially after I've seen all the photos lined up like this. New people will come and take my place once I leave. They'll work in the same place I worked, chop vegetables on the same counter that I chopped vegetables on, squeegee the same floor that I squeegeed, be bugged by the same things that I was bugged by, take photos in the same corridor that I took pictures in. I've been feeling this way about this entire ship as a whole, but especially about the galley since we spend a good chunk of our time there. I don't know... I'm having one of those weird, ontological moments right now.

Or at least, I think I'm having an ontological moment. I forget if I'm using that term correctly. It's times like these I wish I had paid more attention to what I was supposed to be learning in college, instead of just thinking of what kind of bagel to get after class. I'm feeling weird right now. That's right, my ridiculously overpriced college education has given me ability to think of the word... weird. Impressive, no?