First Day of Work....

Yes, today was my first day in the hospital and it was a good one! I got to play with babies all day! When doesn't that make it a good day?!?! I am catching on to the paperwork and routines on the ward and even had time to pop into ICU and visit a short while, seeing their paperwork, responsibilities, equipment, and patient. The vents here are older than what is typically seen in Western hospitals but the nurses make the adjustments and do all of the care and treatments with the ventilated patient. In Western hospitals (particularly mine ;0P ) there are respiratory therapists and pulmonologists to do vent adjustments and treatments. Also, the nurses are responsible to draw any labs ordered. The census is lower right now, in part because one of our main surgeons is on vacation. I am told we will be much busier once he returns. I'm looking forward to that. It's a little odd for me to have all of my patients, of varying ages, all in the same room, without curtains or dividers, and them not minding it at all! Their lives revolve around community and sharing and it would be rude not to include others in the room in what they are doing or talking about. I've still got so much to learn when it comes to relating my patients but have worked with some very encouraging people!

So many emotions come with the adjustments to life here and it takes so much concentration at first to move between relating to and teaching patients, talking with the translators, and learning the processes here that I feel very drained and tired. But I'm told that within a few weeks, it will all be second nature! I look forward to that! The staff here have all been very helpful and I'm so grateful. Though I feel stupid and slow, no one has ever made me feel that they believe it true! On the contrary, most tell me that that is very normal and that they all felt the same way when they were starting here. So I oriented to dayshift today (7am - 3pm) ...will orient to evening shift tomarrow (2pm - 10pm) ...then work evening shift for the rest of the week.

Today I got to watch a large ship being led out of the port! It was fascinating! First, this large lumbering giant of a ship had to wade out backwards out of it's place. However, I'm told that large ships are extremely hard to control when going backwards (I can only imagine!), so one tug boat swings by and picks up a line off the bow (front) of the ship and another tug picks up a line off the opposite side of the stern (back) and they start a precise pattern of pulling first the stern of the ship out, away from the dock and the ship behind it, then guide it back as the props propel it slowly backwards. The tug at the bow keeps enough tension to keep the ship from turning too far until the exact moment the stern tug stops pulling it around. At that exact moment, the bow tug starts turning the bow of the ship towards the mouth of the port and the stern tug keeps enough tension so that it turns properly. Then, with loud horns, they signal the ship that they are dropping the bow and stern lines and backing away. The smaller pilot boat then slips out in front to lead it out to sea, navigating their familiar port and bay to get the ship out and safely on its way. Right after leading that cargo ship out, another larger ship started making its way in, led by the pilot boat. I was not able to stay and watch the entire process of it coming in, but saw it go from a toy ship far out to sea to a very large, blue and white monster edging around the dock into port! I'm really liking life aboard ship so far!

God is so good in the adventures He sends, and His mercy and love give me the confidence I need to feel foolish and still continue to work at things until I've learned them! He's really been pressing on me that He not just loves me ("He has to do that! He's God! And God is love!") but that He actually likes me, even when I don't like myself, and offers me His grace out of a heart full of love so that nothing will come between us! Wow! Isn't our God amazing?!?!

Well, it's been a long day and I have laundry waiting in the dryer and I'm sure someone waiting for that machine, so I need to go. May you see God's heart for you this week! I will pray you do!