PRESIDENT FAURE ESSOZIMMA GNASSINEGBE VISITS THE AFRICA MERCY
March 3rd, 2010 – Saturday at 11:35pm
Location: mid bunk in the belly of the whale
Saturday, a night that ends one of the busiest weeks I have had on this ship. Am I still loving it? Yes. Am I ready to go home? No. Does every day get better than the day before? Absolutely.
Africa has always been so wonderful to me. Africa suits me. I am not sure why it does or how it does, but it just does. I feel at home walking down the streets. The only challenge I have had on this journey is not knowing enough French. I butcher the language when I try to create a sentence. More often times than not, I throw in an occasional Spanish word in there too. I can understand it quite well, but it’s difficult for me to produce the sequence of phrases. Ideally, there would have been a chance that I could have driven in Lome too, but I do not know how to drive a standard transmission. My Honda back home is an automatic, and I desperately, miss jumping in my car and going for a drive.
Today was Jen Niño’s birthday. Dulce and I began the celebration last night by singing to her all the birthday songs we could think of and giving her a big strong hug. In the morning we headed out to Crystal Plage. We chatted and chatted some more. As the afternoon sun sent us to sleep we made the mistake of accepting the invitation and sleeping ourselves into a mild sunburn. Ouchies. But I am definitely a tanned girl now.
This day was a mild one, since most folks are traveling during this holiday weekend. Many friends went to Benin and/or Ghana for the Easter festivities. A group of us are heading out somewhere next weekend, but we just haven’t quite figured out the plans just yet.
When we came back from the beach and Jen introduced me to a good work out down in the gym. It kicked my butt, but it did feel really good afterwards. What a sweaty mess I have been in Lome. From the natural humid air to the kick butt work outs. After the workout, we got ready to head out to a local Lebanese spot. They make some of the most delicious hummus known to man, and the taboulih is so yummy. I had the beignet de crevettes for dinner, it really was an appetizer, but after all the other appetizers it was a delicious treat.
There are so many cool people on the ship and unfortunately many are soon heading home. Rachel will be heading out next week. Gwen will be heading out the week after. And many more soon after that will head home too. Sigh. We have all become such quick friends and we are now all quickly departing. That’s the sad part of Africa truly. But the memories, laughs, and conversations have shaped me anew. I’m thankful for their arrivals and gifts of friendship. It’s truly been a treasure.
This week was one of the busiest for our team. Our final stories were due at the IOC. The founders of MS arrived, and within 24 hours of notification the President of Togo would arrive on the ship. Busy? That is an understatement.
The day before the presidents’ arrival I followed the founders and special guest from the House of Representatives and in the middle of the photography time my flash burned out while documenting the anasthetic conference. Yikes. It’s the only one I had. So a dear friend of mine, writer, Joy, offered me her flash, and I’m so thankful. The IOC is mailing me soon. Otherwise, I would not have been able to photograph the President the next day.
The night before the arrival we changed up the International Lounge a bit, and the images were simply outstanding of the President and everyone that had been invited to speak. We make a good team. Polished in the final outcome. The paparazzi had arrived moments before the presidents’ arrival, and tried to shove me out of the way. I said to myself ‘I’m a big girl, and God made me like this for a reason’ so I got in front of the crowd and pretty much became lead photographer, snapping away in front of the other media/paparrzi. I leaned on the President’s armed guards arms and snapped snapped snapped away. Got some great shots of him too. I have never photographed a president before; I also photographed a member from the US House of Representatives, US Ambassador, Prime Minster to Togo, and quite a few others.
The next day we went out to photograph a continuation of a patient’s story, and stopped to pick up a newspaper. I’m in the photograph! I kept the copy. It’s so cool.
The days have been one event after the next this whole week. I have taken several photos. It’s been good. But today was a day to rest on the sandy beach of Lome.
I sat on the chaise and began to think about my relationship with Jesus and how Easter was always an important season in my life. How God so gently revealed Himself to me as a little girl, then as a teenager, and then as an adult, and then when I was a grown woman. Many times it was through a song, painting, poem, prayer. As a child it was in the Portuguese mass as His statue, hung on a cross, looked down at me. At 8, when the camp teacher taught me a song to Romans 8:38-39. When He blessed me with the gifts of tongues at 13, because the English prayers were not sufficient enough, and when he met me in the waters to baptize me and give me a new life. How tomorrow we will honor Him all over the world for 24 hours. We will honor his Resurrection! He is Risen! He has conquered death and the grave! He is Risen indeed.
Happy Easter dear friends!
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