Arriving and Ship Life

I feel bad it’s taken me so long to upload a post to the blog.  It took us a while to gain access to the Internet and it takes patience and quite some time to upload (I spent over an hour one day just trying to upload this blog…and it still didn’t work).  Therefore, I have written a very long entry.  I would recommend reading it in sections!

Traveling to the USNS Mercy

Dayna and I left Dulles on July 3^rd and arrived in Manila, Philippines on July 4^th after 2 flights that totaled over 18 hours.  Our Project Hope adventure truly began on July 5^th when we caught the bus to take us to Subic Bay to catch the ship.  We survived the terrifying experience of driving through Manila with 6 lanes full of crazy drivers.  The rules of the road, such as stop lights and turn signals, only seemed to be a suggestion.  Sadly, our bus did not fair as well.  Not too far into the journey, we began to smell burning rubber and the air conditioning stopped working.  Then about 2 hours into the 3 hour bus ride, our bus began smoking in the back.  It was so thick I could barley see the people sitting in the back of the bus; the smell so intense that I could taste the burning rubber on my tongue.  The bus driver told us to just open our windows.  We knew something was wrong and opening the windows would not be much help.  Not too much later the bus died.  It was actually quite a comical experience.  To top it off, there was a spider the size of my fist on the bus.  Thankful someone shooed it down the aisle and off the bus, but not before I stood up on my seat in fear of it going on the offensive!  We had to wait about an hour for another bus, but we had a gorgeous view of some mountains and a breeze to cool us off!  When the other bus arrived the group showed awesome team work moving the bags to the new bus assembly line style.  The experience bonded those of us riding the bus!  I knew this trip would be full of unexpected adventure after this kind of start.

View from the Broken Down Bus

Getting Settled into Ship Life

Once on the ship we signed in and received some initial information, including our bunk and two lockers.  I ended up with a top bunk, so two bunks are below me.  It was a bit challenging at first without a ladder, but now I can get up and down without too much fear of falling (which is quite a feat for someone as clumsy as I).  Getting up there makes me feel like an acrobat flying upward before falling onto a soft cushion of mattress.  I will admit however, having the top bunk is not conducive to making the bed.  It is really challenging, so I generally just sleep on top the covers in fear of having to go though that whole experience again!  The food in the mess hall is pretty much just like any other cafeteria food.  Some days are better than others…  Breakfast is generally pretty good and I would be perfectly happy to get breakfast sandwiches and chi tea for all three meals!  They really have packed so much into every nook and cranny of the ship.  There are 3 gyms (they even offer workout classes), a library, barbershop, chapel and more aboard.

There are around 1,200 people currently living on the ship.  There are only 35 members from Project Hope and we span over the entire US from Washington state to Washington DC.  California State University and the Church of Latter-day Saints have quite a few people on board.  In addition, there are military personal not only from every branch of the US military, but from around the world, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, and Chile.  I am really looking forward to getting to know more people and learn about their countries as the mission commences.

Liberty Days

Our first few days on the ship were liberty days (aka free days).  There were free buses to various places around Subic Bay.  A few Project Hope people and I went to the mall and various street venders.  Subic Bay is beautiful and all of the people I met were so friendly!  Also, they are very good at selling their wares, especially to me!  We couldn’t walk more than a few feet without someone attempting to sell us something from sunglasses to unofficial UNSN Mercy t-shirts.  Savvy shoppers barter with shopkeepers to get the best price.  I paid the stated price for most of my items because it was still a rather cheap price and I know the people don’t make a lot of money.  However, I did get a rather good deal at the last place we stopped.  I was interested in buying a dress, but didn’t have enough money.  It only took me saying sorry and turning around to leave for the price to suddenly drop down 50%.  It was kind of thrilling to know I’d gotten such a good deal!

Sailing to Vietnam

The ship left Subic Bay on the 7^th.  We went onto the flight deck to take some photos and see the action.  It was really cool to see the 2 ships pushing and 1 ship pulling the Mercy to help get it out of port (they were so small compared to the Mercy).  Of course we also took this opportunity to take photos.

Departure Photo (Back: Andrea and Brittany, Front: Dayna and Ravi)

We arrived in Vinh, Vietnam on the 10^th.  The pharmacy team, including me, got started the same day inventorying and packing the medications needed for each MEDCAP.  This process occurred on the pier in a large, gray storage container that provided some “air conditioning.”  We have to take a 45 minute boat ride to the pier.  After the use of my seabands and some meclizine, I find the ride quite enjoyable.  The wind plays with your hair and occasionally the ocean sprays upward to give you a kiss on the cheek!  It’s quite refreshing after a day of work in over 105 degree weather with heavy humidity.  After three full days of packing, the medications for all 5 MEDCAP sites are completed!  I may have sweated more than I even had in my life, but it was worth it to help those in need.

Pharmacy Team Packing Medications for the MEDCAPs

In the Upcoming Weeks

I received my schedule for the next couple of weeks.  I will be working the first of my three night shifts tonight from 11pm until 7am.  The night shift offers more opportunities to make IVs and I’m looking forward to gaining more inpatient experience.  I am then scheduled to go out with MEDCAP 5 from the 18^th until the 20^th.  In addition, on one of my liberty days I’ve signed up to go on a tour of Ho Chi Min’s childhood home and some temples.  I’ll have lots to experiences share in the upcoming weeks and I’ll do my best to get updates posted!

Pharmacy in El Salvador

Sorry for the delay, as Emily has said, the internet situation is not ideal on the ship. In addition, google had decided that because I am in Central America, I must be able to speak spanish. So all of my google pages load in spanish...I'll do my best to continue posting!

18 Julio 2011

Last night at dinner I met up with Emily after our day out at the separate MedOps sites. She had just come to the Galley from the pharmacy and told me that I might be going on a pharmacy tour in a nearby town the next day. After a few phone calls by the pharmacists, I was cleared to go. The four of us left at 0745 in a taxi with a Police escort. I really never thought I would be in a position to have a police escort, but it happened today! I was with two doctors form the US Air Force and a pharmacist from the Netherlands. After a 25 minute ride, we arrived at the Sonsonate Hospital in one of the nearby towns. The hospital itself was actually very beautiful. There were lots of folering plants on the property and the building was one of the cleanest I have seen in the country thus far. However, some of the larger rooms with 10-20 patients each were not air conditioned and you could tell that some of the patients were uncomfortable. We made our way down to the pharmacy to ask them some questions about their products and services. This particular pharmacy actually had a substantial variety of medications, but they often experience shortages.

We had a chance to sit down with the pharmacist and go over some questions with her. Members of the USNS Comfort crew tour pharmacies in each country to see what medications as well as what services are abailable for citizens. This information is given to the providers who prescribe medications at the MedOp sites. This allows them to make proper recommendations so that their patients can continue treatment after the Comfort's mission here is complete.

After our hospital tour, we went across to a retail pharmacy. These are completely different than anything in the US. Patients can get nearly any medication without a prescription. They simply walk inside, tell the individuals behind the counter their symptoms, and walk out with what is deemed to be the proper medication. It is definitely an interesting system with fewer regulations than what we have in the United States. Below is a picture of just a few of the drugs available at the retail site, with the previously mentioned Dutch pharmacist in the background.

We left the retail site and had lunch in town before heading back to the ship. We invited our police friends and taxi driver to eat with us. I really have to say, everyone we have met in El Salvador has been wonderful. Even with the language barrier, you can tell the people are very friendly and really are happy to see us here. The policemen recommended a Mexican restaurant and it was delicious. I have attached a photo of my fajitas. It was nice to eat a meal outside of the noise and bustle of the ship's galley. Tomorrow I will be out for another MedOp and will try to blog about the experience soon!