Safe Arrival

Well, I've made it. Thank you God, and thank you everyone for your prayers. I will spare you ALL the boring flight details, but basically I left Chicago at 5:15 pm on Thursday and made it to Cotonou around 7:30 pm on Friday. As soon as I walked off the airplane I felt like I was breathing in water it was so humid. I have 2 words for the airport in Cotonou: total chaos. I think it's a miracle that I got my bags. There was one little conveyor belt for the baggage and everyone crammed up against it with their luggage carts, trying to shove everyone else out of their way. It took about an hour to get all of our stuff.

I met 7 other people headed to the ship on the flight from Paris, and we were greeted by Mercy Ships drivers in Cotonou. Trying to maneuver our way through the airport parking lot reminded me of the type of traffic jams that occur at sporting events - a very crammed lot with lots of shouting and honking. I give Daniel, the driver of the vehicle I was in, a lot of credit for not taking out any pedestrians or Zimmee Johns (little motorcycles that are EVERYWHERE). Many times I thought "This is it! Poor guy!"

We arrived at the ship (which is docked on the port) and as soon as I walked up the gangway and into the lobby I forgot for a second that I was actually on a ship. As I sit and type this I can just feel the slightest bit of rocking if I really pay attention.

So anyway, we were all checked in, got our badges (yes, I had to have my picture taken after traveling for over 24 hours), had dinner, and were shown our rooms. I live with 4 other girls and the room is set up like this: you open the door and straight away is the main hallway, the bathroom is immediately on your right, then there are 3 cells in a row also on your right. Each cell has a bunk bed, a closet, and a desk. It's quite small but very nice! I sleep in the first cell and currently I have it to myself. We are expecting to get one more roommate within the next couple weeks.

This morning the other newbies and I had a tour of the ship. It seems large, but everyone says it starts to feel very small after a few months. There is a cafe, a library, a fitness center, and a pool on the top (it's very small, I think it's mostly for kids). After that the Hospital Director took us on a little tour of Cotonou. We saw the Hospitality Center where patients can stay before and after surgery when they have no medical necessity to be on the ship. We went to 2 hotels where many crew members spend days off at the pools, and drove through a large market.

Well, I realized once I was on the plane that I forgot the charger for my camera battery and the cord that connects it to the computer so.....unless I can figure out how to jam the memory card into this card reader in the computer area (it ALMOST fits!) I won't have any pictures to share with you until I get back. And I will have very few. I don't think the battery lasts too long.

Church tomorrow, then unit orientation on Monday!

.....

30 minutes later: I went to my room and started complaining to my roommates about my camera troubles. One of them said "I have the same memory card, I'll show you how to upload your pictures!" and another said "My friend has the same camera, I'm sure you can use her battery charger!" So I'll add pics!

At the airport

My bedspace

The vehicle we got our tour in

M/V Africa Mercy

The hospitality center - notice the bedspace underneath the beds for a caregiver to sleep

Cooking food at the Hospitality Center

The market

Benin Marina Hotel