Timor Leste

The days are flying by! We set sail from Timor after I participated in what I felt like two very productive, three-day clinics (A.K.A. MEDCAP #1 & 2). Well, I only worked one day at MEDCAP #2, but we saw almost six hundred people in half a day, so it felt like I served the three days. We had to stop seeing patients and start tearing down all of the tents and packing up at noon that last day to allow everything time for transport back to the ship for the long sail to Micronesia.
Of the thirty thousand or so patients seen so far by Pacific Partnership 2011 (the greater mission that Project HOPE is a part of), I’ve heard the Timor sites saw somewhere between five and ten thousand patients! And working on these sites is not the air conditioned, padded floor, community pharmacy or clinic of back home in the States. I saw the sun come up every morning, and we didn’t make it back to the ship until well after dark most nights. We work under a tent or canopy, with a few tables set on a dirt floor to hold the limited medications we have give. It is hot, sweaty, dusty, and all around uncomfortable work. But it is was a great experience etched forever into my mind, one I could never forget, nor would I trade it for anything.

The people of Timor were gracious, our interpreters were amazing, caring people, and all of the U.S. and partner-nations we worked with made the whole operation very satisfying. I hope things continue as such, and that our efforts made Timorese lives better.

Now, back on ship, we will prepare as best we can for our next set of clinics in the Federated States of Micronesia, specifically on the islands of Chuuk, Yap, Kosrae and Pohnpei. It will take us about a week of sailing to reach those islands, so we will have plenty of preparation time it seems. Ship life is still slow, and relaxing, but my fellow Project HOPE’ers and I are making the most of it. We get to spend a lot of time talking with Navy and partner-nation health professionals, and we get to learn more and more about the amazing sacrifices our military and others make serving around the world. We also are getting to see some amazing feats of United States Navy logistics in their RAS OPS (Resupply At Sea Operations). We watched as a Navy helicopter picked up pallet after pallet from the resupply ship, carried them over to our ship’s flight deck, and dropped them off, while never touching down once. Then, the resupply ship pulled alongside ours, and the two leviathans were attached with lines so that a zip-line of sorts could be strung up and used to transfer goods, which would fuel the ship, feed its personnel, and support all of the missions to come. It was amazing! Now that’s logistics. I heard from a Navy officer, during the operation that the ability to perform a RAS set us apart during World War II, and helped us win the Pacific campaign. If you watched the skillfully orchestrated operation I did, you would see why, in this single and small, yet incredibly complex piece of Navy life, we have the best military in the world.

Later today, I’m off to get a tour of the helicopters, the ship’s bridge (command center), and possibly later this week we’ll make it down to engineering to see what drives this great steel beast. It’s hard to believe that we are already in the second half of the mission, yet there is still so much left to do. Until next time…

Land Ho!

Well, we did it. We traveled halfway around the world, boarded our ship, and figured out how to find our beds, the showers, and food - the necessities. Now, after only a little more than a day's sail, we are anchored off the coast of Timor Leste, where the first of our medical missions on this rotation will take place.
According to the schedule, I'll get to work at two different sites on the island in the next week or so, both of which will be around the capital of Dili. If it works out, I might also get to run in the marathon race (well, I'll run 7K, while others run the full marathon), which is a piece of the partner-building mission here in Timor. Plans change daily around here, so I can just do what they ask me, and wait for the next "brief" to find out what is new.

Ship life is great though, apart from being away from my family. Eating, sleeping, exercising and reading compose most of my day. Last night was special though, as we celebrated the 113th Hospital Corpsman's birthday, and suprisingly enough we have US Army on board, and so it was a dual celebration of the Army's 236th birthday as well. There was a really touching ceremony commemorating those who have served before, all long with all of the niceties such as cake, a juice-like drink, and some fun and dancing.

Another part of ship-life is the struggle for communication. So, whenever the internet or phones are working I try and contact my family back home, but neither are very reliable. Today, the Navy is busy with the current operations, which allows us civilians band-width enough to get some things done. After tomorrow, life should get quite a bit busier (and hotter) as we hit the shore and get to work. Until then...adieu

All Aboard the USS Cleveland!

It’s official! We’re aboard the USS Cleveland, all checked in to our “racks” (beds) in our berthing units (rooms) and briefed and ready to go! Our first few days were adjusting and getting used to the Navy ship life. To get around the ship you have to go through quite a few narrow halls and be able to move through the different holes and ladders. Balancing and maneuvering through everything is a task in itself- then you have to actually figure out where you’re going. It’s not too difficult to figure your way around the ship since it’s a little smaller than some of the Navy hospital ships, but the trick is to remember which level or deck you need to be on. Everyone is really nice and will not only direct you where to go, but will also escort you there on the way. Every morning we muster (meet) on the flight deck at 0700 to delve out the days plans and answer any questions anyone may have. It’s VERY windy out there in the morning, but it’s nice to see the sunrise off the ship deck. So far there hasn’t been much to do since the crew pre-packed and prepped everything prior to docking in Australia so they’ve all told us to just familiarize ourselves with the ship and become accustomed to the Navy life. I’m in one of the top racks in my berthing area so I have to learn to climb a little more gracefully than normal in and out of bed since there aren’t ladders and I don’t want to squash the people below me! Everyone has been really nice about it though and even the seniors understand the difficulty of getting in and out of the 3rd rack. Showers are very quick and sometimes a little chilly- there was no hot water the other morning, but at least that makes it easier to take a fast shower! We get three hot meals a day and get to enjoy some down time to read, exercise in the gym, or socialize with the crews on board. There are people from the Navy, Marines, Army, Project HOPE, and other volunteers to socialize with and each person has their stories from home/ life on the ship. I felt a tad lost for the first day, but realized if I just got over being afraid to ask questions and start conversations, the people on the ship are more than happy to help out. We got a nice tour of the ship and got to see the LCH that will take us to shore on our MEDCAPS. It’s in the well deck (the part that is even with the ocean) of the ship where after people are aboard the compartment will fill with 9ft of water and the back will open up to let the boat out into the ocean. I’ve heard that after the first few times on the LCH the excitement wears off, but as for now I’m really looking forward to venturing out! My first MEDCAP is tentatively scheduled for June 22nd , but I may also have a chance to go on shore to run a 5K or volunteer medical services for a marathon on the 18th of June in Timor Leste (our next stop). We’ll find out soon if we’re allowed to run or not, but either way we’ll get to go ashore and help. When we go on shore we have to muster at 0430 and be on the LCH by 0600, which is going to be an EARLY day, but I’m down and ready for it! We’re supposed to get underway today at 1530 and head out to the open sea. We get to see the ship off from the upper deck, which is really exciting for us civilians that have never experienced it before! I’m so excited to get this journey started to help the people of Timor! I hope you enjoy my journey so far and the bit of pics I can get to upload J More medically pertinent stuff to come soon! YAY! G’Day Mates!

Good Day Mate!

HELLO from Australia! Tomorrow is our final leg of our journey to head up to Darwin from Sydney to get ready to board the ship! I'm really excited to see yet another part of the world I've never been to! After 21 hours on a plane I'm really glad Andy and I decided to spend a few days in Sydney before another 6 hours of flying, although the movie selection was pretty good I'm not sure how much more sitting I could handle. We decided to stay in Bondi Beach to get in some scenery and experiences. We walked the coastal walk, met some people from all over the world, and got to see some amazing views! Since we've been staying in hostels I'm hoping this will somewhat prepare me for the ship life I'm about to lead for the next 5 weeks. Although the "racks" we're gonna stay in will be different then the bunks we're in now, at least I'm getting used to having to crawl and climb to get in and out of bed and share spaces with people I've just met. It's tough to get used to the routine of living out of a suitcase and sharing bathrooms and living spaces with strangers from all over the world, but I'm starting to like it! Everyone has their stories from where they've traveled to and where they came from. In just a couple of days of met people from Italy, Holland, Britain, France, and Brazil. I can't wait to see what the rest of the trip has in store for me. I'll send another shout out when I get to the ship and have more interesting things to blog about! I'm off to explore more of Australia!!