I will post from the beginning...delay due to wifi issues...constantly having to restart the router and change the password because it got out to Navy personnel...this is the only access NGOs have
Lesson #1, 2, 3....ALL THE LIFE LESSONS from the Comfort = LOGISTICS is really the mission
Family: Earl may force me to spend $20 on a calling card to use on the pay phones and call home so you know I'm alive...email is still fine however---I'll get to it...when I get to it
JULY 4, 2015 SUNDAY:BLOG POST #2
Transportation Day #1: OPERATION GET TO THE SHIP!
So my day
started at 0300. Got upto do some last minute packing and double checks. My
parents were driving me to the airport so we left at 0330 to get to Dulles. I
had already printed my boarding passes doing the online check-in the night
before but I went to the American Airlines counter to check my bag (I would say
its a Large Reebok sports bag). The attendant made a big deal about proving
that I am leaving Panama so I showed my return flight information…even though
its from Barbados and in no way does any of my paper work prove that I am
leaving Panama. Once that got settled I then went through security…where I got
my hands swabbed…for gun/explosive residue or drugs…who knows? There were only
a few other people getting on flights that early in the morning, one being the older
couple in front of me who hadn’t flown in years so they were confused at how
basically everything gets put in different bins, you take off your shoes, and have
to pull out laptops and such…so that was a nice process…then of course there
was the TSA body scan. Once I got through security I waited by the train for
Emily since she was only about 10 minutes behind me and we headed to the B
gates together.
We got to the gate with over an
hour before our 0600 flight so we grabbed a quick breakfast and took our
malaria prophylaxis. We boarded the plane to Miami and then would board another
plane to get connected to Panama. In Miami our connecting flight was all the
way on the other side of the airport but we didn’t have to rush we had about an
hour until the flight. Luckily I got to have the aisle seat on both flights so
I didn’t have to worry about climbing over anyone…on both flights I also just
fell asleep listening to my headphones. I woke up and SURPRISE! Found customs
forms on my lap…no one explained how to fill them out and it has been a long
time since I’ve seen one…it was in Spanish with a little bit of English
translation…annnd it was in 6-point font. I’ve made plenty of study guides in 8-point
font but this was pushing it…even with my “young eyes” I was squinting and my
face was about 4 inches from the paper. Once we got to customs/immigration we
showed our“Navy letter” but it really only confused people more…Emily’s agent
didn’t really know English…mine did but there was confusion about how we were
students but military and how we were only staying at the hotel for 1 night.
Showing the hotel reservations and saying repeatedly we are leaving on the ship
tomorrow was good enough for them to stamp our passports into Panama.
It took us
a good while to find the shuttle to the hotel…we just were told to go down to
the end…but that’s where the employee shuttles were…this was at about 1200 so
it was about 97 degrees and it was HUMID…oh god so humid…as soon as we stepped
outside we just hit a wall of dense heat…we looked like idiots and everyone knew
it but then after about 20-30minutes we saw the van pulling up with the Riande
logo all over it! The drive was only about 5 minutes and when we pulled up we
realized this was a RESORT…we knew it was a hotel/casino but this place was
definitely NIIIICE...big pool, 2 bars (1 pool side), sushi bar, and restaurant.
The room was pretty big as well…note to self: INSTALL RAINFALL SHOWERHEAD
IMMEDIATELY (Family: write Danilo and tell him he better have the $ ready after
basic because its necessary). All jokes aside we knew that we were going to
have limited access to “the finer things” so we definitely took advantage of
the Internet before we knew what we would get into on the ship. Our preceptor Dr. Earl Roger’s flight was just
a couple of hours behind us so we waited to see what the plans for dinner were…we
met him at about 1700 in the lobby to discuss some expectations about what we
were going do and how the process worked. Earl has been with Project Hope and
Continuing Promise missions several times so he was a great asset explaining
his past experiences. Next Emily and I decided it was time to eat dinner at the
hotel restaurant…I had the filet mignon with mashed potatoes and it was
definitely worth it since we didn’t know how the galley or MRE situation would
be. I also had what seemed to be the tap water…we know we were supposed to just
drink bottled beverages in foreign countries but this seemed like a perfectly acceptable
and clean place…and I haven’t gotten sick so there…
JULY 5, 2015MONDAY:
Transportation Day #2: OPERATION GET TO THE SHIP!
Today is THE day! Emily and I get
to start our adventure for Rotation #2 of our last year of pharmacy school
aboard the USNS Comfort. So my day started out at 0600…the plan was to meet for
breakfast around 0845 or 0900 so I was of course over doing it (although you
can never be too early). I packed up my backpack since we had eaten a few of
our snacks waiting for dinner and rearranged some things…and of course took
advantage of the Internet one last time. We went and had the free breakfast in
the lobby where we met: Earl, Jennifer who is a nurse and was on the ship
earlier and had just taken a break to visit home and travel with her family to
Ireland, Casey who is a NICU nurse from Alabama who was joining Project Hope
for the first time, and Gerline who is a pharmacist but is with the University
of California San Diego Dental Society. We all met back in the lobby at 1000
with our bags to take the shuttle back to the airport to meet the Navy to get
picked up at 1200.
Soooo here’s where the whole hurry
up and wait thing comes in play with the Navy…though I’m sure its with all
branches…we got dropped off at departures and then waited around…ok sure we
were there early so we knew we would be waiting…. then we waited some more…. we
ended up not seeing anyone else that looked like they were going to the same
place so Earl took a couple of laps around the airport and asked several
information desks…we waited some more…eventually we met Alyssa who is with UCSD
dental society as well who is a NEFTA, which is basically a PA of the dental
world. She had been waiting in the airport since 4am that morning since she had
cancelled and delayed flights, which made for a very long flight from Maine.
Not long after a Colombian woman who is with the German military as a surgeon
or physician found our group…4 of us wearing our Project Hope shirts made it
pretty easy to find us and from looking at Facebook pictures on the Continuing
Promise page you could tell what other NGOs would be on the ship…after waiting
some more…since our pick up time of 1200 game and went…. we all went downstairs
to arrivals and found a huge group of UCSD undergraduate kids, 2 World Vets,
and a random assortment of military, RNRN, and Latter Day Saints groups all
waiting to get picked up for the Comfort.
At around 1330 we finally saw a
big bus and personnel…of course they had us wait some more before we could get on
the bus. Next we packed our bags on the bus (all of us Project Hope people were
the last ones which paid off when we got off the bus since they were the
easiest to grab right away)…we waited around some more since some people still
hadn’t arrived…the rumor was one Project Hope member who got off and went to Ecuador
didn’t get an entrance stamp in her passport so they wouldn’t give an exit
stamp. Eventually the higher powers decided that we actually were getting on
the bus and headed to Fleet Landing. Once we got to Fleet Landing they
collected all of our passports to get exit stamped by immigration. Immigration
consists of just one man who lives in a tiny shack right by the pier…as soon as
that happened a team of police and would could have been detectives hauled a
body in a body bag into the back of a van literally within 5 feet of us…and
that’s all I have to say about that (there were many merchant ships out there
since it is not far from the Panama Canal so the person could have died on one
of those ships). Ittook around 45 minutes-1 hour to get all of our passports
stamped…surprisingly fast because it could have taken all night.Finally we boarded
a tender boat and got on the Comfort…our bags were searched but just barely…we
walked through CASREC (casualty receiving) and then wewere taken to berthing to
get assigned an area for a bunk and lockers…I chose the bottom rack, which is
only about 6 inches off the ground. We each were assigned one locker (2’ x 2’ x
2’) at the end of our rack which consisted of 3 shelves and 1 small drawer…I
was able to fit everything in there and just used the second locker (half of a
skinny high school locker) to hang laundry bag and put laundry detergent and
other extras in there. The extra stick-on LED lights I brought have definitely
come in handy because its dark most of the time and my locker is on the back
side so there’s no extra light from the hallways. I actually seemed to have
packed a smaller bag than everyone else…could’ve packed an extra pair of shoes
but I thought that part of the list was excessive... The day ended with a trip
to mess deck to eat linner (lunch/dinner), exploring the ship some, and a
meeting for NGOs and new people to the ship.
·
Packing list:
o
Followed the provided packing list pretty closely:
§
3 Project HOPE t-shirts
§
1 Project HOPE polo shirt
§
1 Project HOPE hat
§
1 Project HOPE name tag
§
4 pairs of 5.11 tactical pants (2 provided by
the SOP, 2 of my own)
§
1 nylon belt (provided by the SOP)
§
2 long sleeve dry fit shirts
§
more socks/underwear/bras than I care to admit
but you can never OVERPACK those J
§
crocsàuse
for the shower/around berthing
§
1 pair of sneakers…should’ve brought another
pair (everyone’s shoes got smelly pretty fast)
§
4 workout gym clothes…lets get real these are my
pajamas
§
1 rain jacket
§
2 sets of civilian clothes (the above mentioned
workout clothes and a pair of jeans)
§
Toothbrush w/ protector
§
Toothpaste (travel-sized)
§
Floss
§
Razor
§
Deodorant/antiperspirant
§
2 shampoo (travel-sized)
§
2 conditioners (travel-sized)
§
2 body wash(travel-sized)
§
2 face wash(travel-sized)
§
1 lotion(travel-sized)
§
Tweezers
§
Nail clippers
§
Brush
§
Q-tips
§
2 XL and 1 M microfiber towels
§
Make up: the essentials
§
Small first aid kit
§
Pill box: Advil, Aleve, Benadryl, Excedrin,
Zyrtec, Dramamine, Pepto Bismol, Meclizine, Immodium…
§
Chapstick
§
TONS of eye care: contact case, 3 types of eye
drops, solution, extra pair, glasses
§
DEET
§
Sunscreen
§
Malaria prophylaxis
§
Purell
§
Small sewing kit
§
Ziploc sandwich bags
§
Baby wipes/ Clorox wipes
§
Laundry detergent pods
§
Laundry bag
§
Travel alarm clock
§
3 stick on LED lights! Berthing is dark most of
the day so extremely helpful! Small flashlight and headlight...ALL THE LIGHTS!
§
2 locks/keys
Thanks for sharing your experiences, Heather! The picture is gorgeous! Hope you and Emily are having a great time!!
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