14 days

For the last fourteen days of my stay here, I will post one photo that describes a highlight (or lowlight ... lowdark?) of my day so that you can see my time as it comes to a close.

As for today... I'll title this The Science of Knitting.



In an effort to pass on the knitting skills, the ward supervisors asked me to teach the fifteen ward nurses who will sail with the ship to Benin this year. They have progressed so well, so easily and in one afternoon, two of the eight who came today managed to finish two baby hats. I passed onto them a standard hat pattern, as written on the white board.

It might not be calculus, but I'm sure it still looks like gibberish to some!

Updates

I am 14 days away from leaving Liberia, West Africa. With that in mind, I thought it would be a good time for some updates.



• 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.

China

The United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) has involved the largest deployment of UN troops in the history of the UN. The outbreak of war under Charles Taylor caused over 150,000 deaths and almost 1 million displaced persons. Soldiers from over 35 nations sent their troops to aide in peacekeeping. During its initial phase, this involved disarming over 100,000 people. Now, UNMIL is still a part of the peace keeping process in Liberia, but they have divided up their duties amongst various battalions.

On Saturday, I had the pleasure of being a guest at UNMIL China.



They have the largest vehicle inventory numbering over 150, and approximately 200 troops. Their peace keeping mission involves water and sanitation, building roads, education amongst others.

Major Liu gives shares a Power Point presentation about the efforts of UNMIL China.

Everyday, some number of troops will travel significant distances through unpaved roads to aide in rebuilding. Troops typically leave by 6 AM and return by 11 PM. It is arduous work.



The Commanding Officer, Lt Colonel Wang, took a photograph with the Chinese crew members. From left to right, Dorothy, Eddie, Mr. Wang and myself.



We took a tour of their grounds. The barracks are very modest, but very well kept. We met some of the lower-ranking soldiers, who received us with hospitality and humility.

Belongings are at a bare minimum. Each of them own one towel, as you can see.



Can you guess how many soldiers are in each room? Eight, of course!



True to Chinese tradition, there was, in the middle of the African tropics, a Chinese garden, complete with some Chinese greens and bamboo. On a small concrete block, there was also a tree stump which served as a table and four smaller stumps which stood in for chairs. If you have ever been to a park in Chinatown San Francisco, Hong Kong or China (amongst a few places!), this would look familiar to you. It is a common place for elderly Chinese men play Chinese chess. Other recreational activities include table tennis (of course), racing/running and also UNMIL Idol (singing competition) with other bases.

There was even some landscaping art done with weeds!



There is a Level 1 doctor at the base. Level 1 simply treats the soldiers. Level 2 would treat soldiers and have more medicines. If a UN base hospital is Level 3, the community are allowed to visit for health care. The Chinese base has, what else, Chinese medicines!

The doctor tried the traditional cup suction technique on Kelly. But apparently, it doesn't work well on hairy arms.





The biggest delight was being treated to what I would call a 'combat dance'. The soldiers performed traditional kung fu, tai chi as well as some close quarters combat techniques choreographed into a dance routine. It was very impressive!

Did you watch the opening ceremonies for this year's Olympics? 2008 Tai Chi Masters took center stage, doing Tai Chi in concentric circles. Many of them were in fact part of the Chinese army and some of them will be deployed as UN troops. They were all so orderly, and all their motions were in synch. Unfortunately, I think these were the ones that didn't make the Olympic try-outs. (Notice the level of the arms for each soldier).



As I said the close quarters combat soldiers were my favorite. Ironically, the slogan behind them mentions world peace. Maybe world peace through CQC?









After the performance, we took many photos together. Before we said our goodbyes, they presented us with gifts! For the ladies, beautiful bracelets and for the men, bookmarks and CDs with Chinese music.



We might return to the base for the Moon Festival next weekend. If so, it would be lovely to celebrate with our fellow Chinese. I could tell they really enjoyed having visitors and they were really proud of their work, their nation, and their traditions.

31

Yesterday was my 31st birthday. I didn't expect much in the way of celebration, but as it goes in Africa, expect the unexpected.

Is this the look of 31?



A mosquito gave me a birthday kiss the night before. And if you know me at all, you will know that I am allergic and very prone to mosquito bites.

Don't worry, its not Quasimodo from Hunchback of Notre Dame. Just me.

My roommate Ellen had printed out a beautiful card for me. She had my patients in wards A and B sign it. All the VVF ladies, Kossie, his mom, everyone. Even Baby Fiumo in Bed B11 signed it. Suddenly, this baby is more literate than most Liberians at his tender age of six months. Hm, maybe it had something to do with dayworkers who helped?

What a surprise it was when I opened my door! Kyung Jin and Ji Hee from Korea had decorated the hallway and left brownies for me.



It was so beautiful and so much thought was put into it.

Arriving at my office....

Different people started signing the stars. I received so many well wishes.



I received visitors all day long. Eddie the baker dropped by twice. Once with some really fancy looking rolls....



...and then another time with a creation that took my breath away. Now this is ingenuity!



A star-shaped Chinese egg tart with a caramel shell over it, complete with a sugar-cinnamon twist. My taste buds thanked him later.

It was so heart warming to open up my email and receive all your wonderful birthday wishes. Chris sent me a song that he wrote, produced and recorded. It was very special. Thank you so much!

During lunch time, I fixed myself up some noodles that my mom so lovingly sent me in a birthday care package. Noodles represent 'longevity' she wrote on a post-it note. I made myself a nice hot bowl and sat in the open air and watched the falling rain. It was a moment of gratitude indeed. (Thank you, Mummy!)



In the afternoon, I visited the ward. I was greeted with some really fancy and colorful works of art from the patients!



Each of them in ward B had colored a birthday cake for me. Sekou and his little friend started singing Happy Birthday to me right away. Their joy was so uplifting to me. In retrospect, I think I was speechless. I don't quite remember the moment. But I remember how great they made me feel.



The day ended with dinner at a local restaurant. About seven other friends and I enjoyed a really tasty Lebanese meal. Eunok baked a cake for me. As you can see, Ji-Hee is quite proud of it, and so was I.



When they cut the cake for me at the restaurant, they sang to me in four different languages (Korean, Dutch, German and Liberian English).

I went to bed with my heart and stomache full. Birthdays always remind me how crucial good friends are to me. On a day by day basis, it is so easy for me to take others for granted. I am so humbled by all of you who always go the extra mile for me.

Thank you for giving me your love. Because of you, I call myself blessed.

Knit Club

My friend Dani and I threw several Knit Club parties back in Los Angeles. Every now and then we'd get together, throw open our doors and just invite about 20,30, or 40 people to come to one of our homes, eat (junk) food, chat and talk about knitting and crocheting. On several occasions, we'd find ladies realizing through some six degress of separation type magic that they knew one another, had mutual friends, dated the same guy, etcetra. During colder days, we'd put a log in the fireplace and curl up to a few hours of knitting. It always ended up with a good laugh and I'm sure some Knit Club devotees can vouch for that.

'Knit Club' on the Africa Mercy in Liberia is, well, different.

How different? Sitting-on-lime-green-linoleum-floors-under-fluorescent-lighting -with-half-dressed-women-in-their-hospital-gowns-and-their-urine-drip-bags-leaned-against-their-beds-while-knitting type of different.

Still, we are chatting, eating, knitting and crocheting.

Some of them speak English (well, Liberian English) and some of them don't speak a word of English especially if they are from the interior villages. All of them don't know how to knit, but they are hungry to learn something. Anything.

And while knitting may seem like a foreign language to some of the girls I've taught back in Los Angeles, I don't think that I will ever have as much prodding with a knitting needle than I do here in Liberia, as is the case with Nyamah. She speaks Kpelle with a smattering of English.

'EH! LIGH THEEEE?' She's shouting at me: Hey! Like this? She pushes me forcefully with the palm of her hand or taps me on the shoulder with her knitting needle.

'Yes, that's right,' I answer.

Moments pass.

'Oh, I make mistake!' Nyamah insists. She pushes me again.

' NO, YOU FINE-O!' I answer in my best Liberian English. I give her a firm smack on the shoulder. She cracks up and so does the woman over the next bed.

She refocuses herself, eyebrows furrowed. Most of the VVF ladies wear their gowns open in the front so they can clean themselves up more easily. She is fully naked underneath. She sighs as a stitch slips. Nyamah grabs the ball of yarn and shoves it between her legs in her bare crotch to hold it in place.

Now that's something I will probably not experience at Knit Club in Los Angeles. (And don't anyone dare try.)

Something very simple

It is and is not really about knitting. It is about knitting, because a lot of Liberians don’t know about it at all. The other day I took four different balls of yarn and knitted as one yarn on a huge needle. During this demonstration, the ladies watched as various colors were woven together and in a short amount of time, a piece of material was made before their very eyes. It is the most popular project so far – for its simplicity, its brevity and its usefulness.

‘What else can we do with this?’ I asked my students.

‘A table cloth,’ Doris suggested. They love table cloths. I have nothing against table cloths, but I was thinking along the lines of something practical, in the likely event that one in Liberia doesn’t have a table.

‘What else?’

Silence.

‘What if I had four balls of twine…’ I said. The wheels started turning in their heads. ‘If I had four balls of twine, we could make floor mats. Something to sit on the floor with.’

They began to nod their heads and it began to make sense to them. I want to get them past the idea that knitting was just to make things for vanity. I want to them to understand that one skill can be adapted for other things.

And then again, it is not about knitting. Knitting is just an excuse to be able to sit with them, talk to them, encourage them and love them. It opens them up, stirs up excitement and builds a bridge between languages, continents, oceans and lands. It is a very simple way to tell them a very simple truth:

You are valuable. You are unique and one of a kind. You have a purpose. You are no accident.You have a Creator who loves you very much.

Students

Knitting class on the ward consists of three main students who are all Liberian medical dayworkers. By teaching Zoe, Doris and Lucy, my goal is to leave something that will remain here long after I leave.

Lucy is like my Liberian mother. I will write more on her later, because she and my relationship with her is a whole blog entry unto itself. We have developed a great bond and whenever she is working, I make time to see her. She is originally from Nigeria and the mother of four children. She has a nursing degree from Nigeria and is well read and quite educated.

Doris is a comic. She is the mother of a toddler and a little baby girl. I recently met her husband and his boss when they visited the ship. A sharply dressed fellow, her husband smiled from ear to ear when I thanked him for welcoming me to his country. Initially leery of me, she took a while to warm up to, but now we have the greatest laughs.

Zoe is the sensitive one. She is shy, kind, and pensive. Nonetheless, she has a wicked sense of humor, though it is usually Doris who brings that out in her. She is also the most productive of the three and recently completed a beautiful wallet that I helped her make out of some nice deep red wine Rowan Nice yarn. It closes with a snap button.




She told me that others don’t believe that she made it. I ask her if she believes she was able to do it and said no. Still, I said, you did it. She smiles. I ask her when she will use the wallet and just any woman would do she smiled and said, ‘Next Tuesday. I have a really fine skirt to go with it.’