Life At Sea

Life at sea is amazing and I marvel at human adaptability!  I see it everyday with our patients and their families.  From living in cities, and small outlying villages; to living in a ship, with no windows, no trees, none of the support system they are used to in their community.  But they create community wherever they are.  I think it is a testament to human nature.

For us American civilian landlubbers, we have a lot to adapt to also.  A military environment (albeit much more lax and flexible than on a true military ship); stringent hours for certian things, working in units unfamiliar with unfamiliar equipment, procedures, and ancillary personnel...and while well-stocked...there are many things that when you go to use them are only half there, or not working --- and once you are our of stock on the floor, the true Central Supply is 100's of miles away (or in some cases, 1000's). So you improvise, and laugh at each other.  I guess, that's really not too much different than home sometimes!

After 7 days on board ship we have become accustomed to certain things.  The first few days our cameras never left our sides and at the sound of the helos (multimisison Seahawks ...or "sky stallions") blades powerfully stirring the air around us (you can feel the percussion from the blades in the mess deck, two below flight deck ... everything reverberates ....and if you are outside...man it's invigorating!) we'd all go charging off to get a photo as they took off.  Now, though I still thrill at the sight, I am no longer scrambling for the camera...but I always stop to watch.  These dancing helos are monstrous pieces of machinery that look graceful in their powerful dance with the wind.  How they continually land onto a moving deck is beyond me. 

Refueling in the open water was fascinating.  I came up on my dinner break to watch.  Two huge tankers ships tethered by Rope only 100 feet apart for over 2 hours, with navy swift boats and German ships providing protection.  Oh! here's a real life at sea note:  We have German soldiers on board our ship for their R and R!!!!  Same ocean, different ship, different food is a TREAT for them.

This mission is really a beautiful international effort ... when we first arrived there were Austrailian and German ships out here as well as us, providing support for their land based personnel ...we are the only hospital ship here.  I'm still learning the politics about this all, but many feel there has never been a truly centralized effort, and some feel the military presence was a deterrent, (and perhaps an insult to the government).  Too bad people can't learn what I have (and this from a wild Berkeley girl) that the military CAN be a benign force of highly disciplined, intelligent individuals who understand the meaning of sacrifice, self-denial, and RESPECT.  They have the logistic knowledge to gather quickly and deploy efficiently.  The Mercy crew had 5 days notice to prepare and deploy.  The MERCY was due for drydock for upgrading, etc. and instead was outfitted, supplied and hands on deck and out to sea in less than a week. Pretty amazing. 

Back to life at sea...it's peaceful for those who don't like change or who strive on structure (hmmm, who DOESN'T that sound like?) it's a wonderful pace.  There is a set routine that is essential, but offers few options.  On board ship I've found different places to go to enjoy my time before work, and marvel at what goes on if you look past the large scale.  A small butterfly just landed on the life perserver in front of me.  What a tale his journey could tell!

Perhaps routine is beneficial to our patients and their families - for this lifestyle is extraordinarily different from their life on shore. I think routine and rules provide them structure that they can build around. 

We're sailing close to some veiled mountains and island shore.  These misty mountains contain mystery for me --- intrigue and a desire to know more.  Such veiled grandeur that a few months ago was a shroud.