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| My home-to-be during the coming month! Already moved to Navantia warf in Cadiz, good to go |
So, just one day left before I get on board Global Mercy, and prepare for the long sail from Cadiz to Sierra Leone. I will be working as deck staff on the way down, and will also work as Firefighter during the whole duration of my service.
The past days have been spent travelling in Andalucia, with a detour to Gibraltar and North Africa. I've been to both those places, yet I never experienced them like this time - there will be blog posts about that too.
Since I already had left home, I had to bring the luggage for the month on board, as well as for the travelling in Spain, which is two different sets of gear. The rules on board Mercy Ships include a dresscode, where very modest clothes are used at times when uniforms will not be worn. There is a full guide when it comes to what to remember, and the general life as a volunteer, that can be found here.
Many countries where the Mercy Ships serve have a conservative way of dressing, where showing bare knees or shoulders is taboo. In some of the countries, women are expected to wear skirts rather than trousers. In many places, very tight-hugging clothes are also frowned upon. Heels should be reasonable, however regular sneakers can be too casual for some occasions.
Normally, I wear combat boots or running shoes due to their function - you never know when the situation requires you to run, or maybe march for hours, possibly with heavy gear. When I'm fairly confident that I will not be required to do much physical activity, I enjoy wearing heels (and have quite a few high-heeled shoes that I easily can run or walk long distances in, too). So as far as shoes are concerned, I had to give it lots of good thought before deciding to bring boots for working, trail running shoes for workout and trekking, flipflops for any beach activities, and actually getting a pair of second-hand formal shoes for any activities that require wearing them, like community meetings, Church attendance or any celebrations.
About the same goes for clothes. I normally wear cargo pants because they combine function and the aesthetics I like. Often I'll have a t-shirt or tank top to match. Whenever there is a fancy occasion, I like wearing dresses - and have dosens. Yet, not many of them would be considered good enough for the dresscode. Usually, if a dress is long, then the neckline would be a bit deeper, or it would have spaghetti straps that do not conceal the shoulders. Or, if the dress has long sleeves and a high collar, it would finish right at the knees or up, which also makes it inproper. Lucklily, I had quite a few dresses that were both long and concealing enough, so I packed them for the occasions that will require them. Likewise, they could also be used in Northern Africa, because the dresscode for women is conservative there. Sure you'll see a few Western tourists with bare shoulders and legs, and people that live in large towns are used to it - but for myself, I believe in respecting a country's codes as far as it is practical and possible.
There are more rules about dressing, for instance what you may or may not wear during workout, or what the bathing suits may or may not look like. It actually sounds very nice to have a set of rules that everyone follows, so different people from different cultures and societies can work together without offending each other, or shifting focus away from the work that will be done. Everyone is there as a volunteer, sharing a similar set of values, and it makes sense that decency is expectd on board.
As for the uniforms, at the moment I'm not 100% sure what's expected there, so I have a few options. The black Swedish M-90 pants are a must anyway - I wear them casually at home because they are mighty practical.
When packing, I made sure not to bring too much, and not to pack stuff that is very dear to me. I'm thinking that I will be able to leave much of what I brought, to help other volunteers or whoever needs it on location. On the ship, there is a small shop selling hygiene products and a bit of food ingredients and the like, so there is not much of a choice when it comes to shopping. However, there is also something called "The Boutique", where people may donate or leave stuff, and somebody else who needs it may have it - for free. Sounds like a lovely reusing/upcycling possibility!
As I have no idea about how much free time I will have, I'm bringing my computer, a couple of books, and not much more in terms of entertainment. I count on a fair bit of workout in the ship gym, and a bit of Wifi being provided so I can read updates or do research. I got the Sierra Leone guide book, but the latest edition is still to be released this year - so it's the 2018 one. There is still a lot of background and important information to read. Much of it is about the nature and culture of the country. But a lot, too, is about the war - because to understand today's situation, one needs to understand what has happened prior to this.
It is a bit difficult to sum up how Sierra Leone came to be where it is. I think it's much better to read up on all history, including the colonial years and the slave trade horrors, and do some proper research on the war to build a base of knowledge. One thing is clear - the Sierra Leone war was extremely cruel, with a lot of different factors adding up to that. Use of child soldiers, drugs that were given to combatants, torturous training, different factions and complex relations between them, blood diamonds, systematic attacks on civilians, and the system that has been rotting from the inside with corruption, lack of education, and very little respect for human rights have all contributed, together with many other factors for sure.
It's been a heavy read about torture and rape, amputation raids and other atrocities. It's also been a read about hope and reconciliation. Sierra Leone reached peace and started having democratic elections, and the country's development could start towards a brighter future. The health sector, road infrastructure, electricity supply and many more areas started to develop, and the economy picked up. Then, Ebola came.
The Ebola years saw the decline of economy and development again. It's been very tragic, with many deaths including those of health workers, as well as many caretakers, leaving many orphans - and the survivors faced stigma.
I'm looking forward to reading the new pages of the country's history. Mercy Ships are involved in training health professionals, which is direly needed. The lack of healthcare creates such an unnecessary suffering. The surgeries performed by the health professionals on board during the coming year will change many human lives. But many more will get a better health, better life and a hope for a better future for themselves and others as the training will strenthen the country's ability to provide own health care.
One thing is to read, pack and prepare. Another is to experience this in real life. I'm looking forward to it. I know there may be several intense moments, but I think it's good for me to experience that for my future professional resilience within both rescue operations and nurse work.
August is one of the wettest months there, and it will also be an experience in itself. As the guidebook says, Sierra Leone will redefine your understanding of "wet". Roads become rivers, cars get engulfed. No wet weather gear will give any protection. Anything made of leather will get moldy. That, together with about 27+ C heat, will make it interesting to explore.
And I'm definitely looking forward to exploring Sierra Leone's nature and culture. The beaches, the bush, the cities and cultural places. I'm extremely excited about the dozen different kinds of monkeys, and the chimpanzees! Also, there are lots of sea turtles, crocodiles, hippos - and also the pygmy hippos, stoked to try and see one. The leopards, honey badgers, aardvarks, different antilopes, forest elephants, wild hogs, servals, chameleons, pangolins... Many of them will probably be hiding away and not be seen at all, but it's nevertheless exciting to be on the same turf as them!
I'll try to update a bit more often the coming weeks, and share photos on my Instagram. See you later!
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