• Musu was my first knitting student. Since then, we’ve visited with each other twice. Her son, Semean, came for another check up on my birthday last week. We were thrilled to see each other. Semean had hypospandia, but after his operation is able to urinate properly. There is more work to be done on his testicles, but it is inoperable until he is older.
• Dehne, the mother of 7 year old Musa, has come back to the ship several times. She is friends with a Dutch family that is onboard. Musa was in a major car accident in 2006 that tore away half of his cheek. He had facial reconstruction surgery on the ship. His skin grafts have healed nicely. Dehne came by last week and brought me two cucumbers and a bunch of bananas. During the time that she was here, she was not feeling “too fine” (as she would say) herself. She had a limp that seems to have worsened, but her spirit remains undeterred.
• During her time in the ward, I visited Joanna daily for three months, with two exceptions where I skipped one day. When I would return the following day, she would complain and say, ‘You are very expensive! I been missing you!’ Now that she has been discharged, she doesn’t seem to miss me as much, though I do see her every two weeks or so. It is always nice to see her, and she is faithful to her friendships (by evidence of her coming by the ship and saying goodbye to some departing crew members, etc.). Her daughter Angela, six, caught malaria and is slowly recovering.
• Of all the ladies I met, I felt that I bonded the most with Comfort during her time here. During her post operative visits, she was much more interested in me getting her 20 year old nephew get a job on the ship than seeing me again. She had previously vowed that through rain or shine, sleet or snow, she would come visit me again in September before I returned to the States. During my last conversation with her, Comfort asked me again if I had gotten a job for her nephew. I said no, our slots are filled, and very unlikely would any Liberian give up their job on the ship (which is the truth). We said goodbye, back then as I do now, I felt that it would be the last I saw her. She has not come back for post-operation with her son nor have I heard from her again.
• I was not able to mobilize any sort of monetary collection to help the Bong County Hospital. Without any official documents to prove that the money would be received by a trustworthy agency, the ship did not feel that it was a wise decision. I tried to procure documents, but with no luck. Nonetheless, some months passed and another group went back to the hospital and donated a lot of medical supplies! I’m glad we as the crew could do something for them. It is a very good hospital.
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