medcap pics!

Going to do community service (COMSERVE) with the seabees today and help paint buildings that they have been working on. I'm also hoping to shadow HOPE's anesthesiologist in the OR and see surgery, then teach my first yoga class tonight!  The yoga instructor is desperate, can you tell?! well, she really is, otherwise she would have to cancel class... wish me luck!

helo shot!

i asked the pediatricians if they can let me see anything they thing might be interesting.  this little girl had a severe, systemic dermatological condition.  I thought it was epidermolysis bullosa based on what i've seen before, but it's hard when you are given 5 minutes to see a patient and don't have anything to work with.  We couldn't do anything for her, so sad.

a girl getting her teeth extracted in the dental clinic, and the kids watching by the window

me on the HELICOPTER! =D 

before i almost got trampled... still so much fun!

pics pics!

playroom

Project Hope Sunday fun day

The OR team - night before crossing the line where each service had to perform for the shellbacks

project hope Sunday fun day by lifeboat 6

ternate mission reception

with santi and ayu

peds nurses - katie, me, and lt jg baker

...

We cleaned house today after discharging all the kiddies home.  The peds ward is secured for sea again.  This means we had to tie up everything, just in case we hit rough seas.  We also locked up the beds. 

I'm really amazed and humbled by these young men and women who make this whole mission happen.  This includes the NGO volunteers and military personnel.  We've helped over 6000 people between the islands of Tobelo, Morotai, Ternate, Jailolo, and Sofifi.  Watching the kids play in the peds ward today gave me a warm sense of achievement.  It's as if I won some sort of lottery and the price was to have this once in a lifetime opportunity to meet people from all over the world, and from many different backgrounds.  We all seem to have one common goal, which is to help others.  I have seen diseases that I would probably only see in these parts of the world.  There are kids who come in with malaria, TB, scabies, active worm, etc.  We had a little girl who threw up a live worm after getting albendezol (de-worming med) as part of her admission process.  One of the nurses took a pic... it's wicked!  We also had little Cindy, a 7 year old girl who came in with a bone infection that turned out to be a huge osteomyelitis.  The pediatric team discussed plans for a picc line but everyone was worried about infection and complications so we after Cindy had an I&D of her shoulder, we discharged her to a hospital in her home town.  She will be receiving her IV antibiotics with peripheral iv's instead. 

We cleaned and closed up shop by 1500.  I took a yoga class, changed, then ran upstairs to eat dinner.  I contemplated whether or not I should go to the gym, take a shower and call it a night.  I went outside to the weather deck with Laura and we saw an incredible view of Ternate.  I knew Ternate was surrounded by volcanoes, but I must have missed the one that was shaped like a perfect up side down cone.  Laura had to go back to work but I stayed out and saw Lucia, one of the latter day saints volunteers, we took some amazing pictures.  We also saw a few people fishing.  Lucia and I borrowed one of their her hooks and "went fishing". 

July 24, 2010

Last night was the reception party for the end of the Ternate mission.  Laura and I weren't invited so we crashed after work.  There were a lot of party crashers after 2030.  We were escorted by one of the pilots... .whoo-hoo! lol.  We asked him how we would be able to get up to the flight deck, he asked us to wait 10 minutes and we got in.  Since our days our counted before we leave the Mercy in Australia, I bluntly asked, "So, seriously, how do we get on the helos?".  To my surprise, they didn't turn us down, but told us that one of the helocopters is broken and it's harder to bring an extra personfor now.  They didn't promise us anything but they weren't against the idea either. 

I'm off today, but then again, we don't have patients in the wards so all the NGOs are off.  I'm savoring every minute of my day off after working 5 12-hr shifts in a row.  We're leaving Ternate today at 1500 for Ambon.  I think surgcaps are on Sunday or Monday, and surgery starts Tuesday.  I really want to see a surgery so I'm going to try to catch one on the 27th (day off).  I was scheduled to work 6 or 7 days straight but thankfully my commanding officer got me on a medcap for the 29th... how exciting!

end of ternate mission

island tour in Tobelo

on the band-aid boat en route to the opening ceremony in Ternate

Sultan's palace in Ternate

Mid-week into the Ternate mission with medcaps in Jailolo, Sofifi, and Tidore. Other Hope volunteers (Randy, Vanessa, and Allan) are in a 7-day medcap in Jailolo. The Helo is going there today to drop off materials and Kathryn got the last seat, lucky girl!

I am currenlty sitting in the middle of the post-op ward, listening to one girl who is crying coz the nurse had to change her clothes. There’s two boys in the play room playing soccer, and our little Santi who has gained the title as the muse of the peds ward. We’ve been so busy these past few days that I haven’t been able to jot anything down on my blog.

We started admitting kids in pre-op on the 18th, and 10 of them had their surgery yesterday (20th). Some of them went home today -- mostly kids who had inguinal hernia repairs. I admitted two kids on the 18th for cleft lip and palate surgeries. A 5-month old boy who, to me, looked “syndromy”. He had low set ears, eyes a little wide, and a mild pectus excavatum. Besides being “syndromy”, I noticed that the kid had symptoms of URI. When I asked mom about history of recent illness, she said that her son was not sick, but perhaps the bath (the one he had two minutes ago as part of the admission process) made him sick. As I looked back on the pre-screening exam, anesthesia reported that the kid has had URI for the last month. When prompted, mom said, yes, he was sick for a month with a fever but since they do not take temperatures, she has no recollection of how high it was. Parents are desperate for surgeries so they do not tell us certain things, in fear that they will be denied for surgery. I made the pediatrician aware of my concerns. When I heard that a kid was admitted in the ICU, I knew exactly who it was.

The other kid I admitted, a 9-month old who needed a cleft lip repaired. At this point, I questioned if I was over-assessing these kids, and perhaps thinking too much into things. I questioned my own assessment skills as I told the pediatrician that I thought the kid looked malnourished and dehydrated. Apparently mom stopped feeding him milk and switched to tea because the baby “didn’t like milk”. This kid, like other, also had symptoms of URI and recent fever. I passed it on to the night nurse -- my clinical findings and that I made the pediatrician aware. When I got back to work two days after, I found out that the baby did not have his surgery because he was DEHYDRATED and MALNOURISHED. His chemistry came back abnormal They had to get a full nutrition consult, hydrate him and give him calories.

I was so frustrated last night, contemplating if I was right, wrong, or over-analyzing the situation. It drove me crazy. I went to bed upset and confused, heartbroken and frustrated. In the states, we look down on mothers who neglect their kids but these mothers aren't neglecting them, they just don't know any better.

July 22, 2010
Another day of discharges and admission in the peds wards. We got one girl who is s/p neck mass resection and seems to be doing well. I love kids, and I say this with complete sincerity and honesty, but I have a
2-yr old s/p cleft palate repair\who has not stopped crying since… probably since birth. These are the times I miss ativan (kidding!). Santi left on the 0710 boat this morning, and catching a flight back to Jakarta. We all miss her. She came in with minimal vision to both eyes and left with a brand new vision, new glasses, and new sunglasses =). Katie and I took her and another 8 yr old girl (who had a palatal fistula repair and full upper teeth extraction) outside to see Ternate from the ship. Santi caught the helo, waved at them and yelled “HALO!!!”.

1st time my feet touched land after 2-week sail

view of the Mercy from land

Between yesterday and today I’ve had to stick infants for blood draws, and I have to say, I’m pretty proud of myself.. lol. The only kids I would try to place an IV on are the big kids or the ones who are well sedated.

all in a week's worth

Written July 17, 2010 (Saturday)
The Tobelo/Morotai mission is officially finished! All of the kids, minus Santi (8 yr old left cataract removal), got on the band-aid boats this morning and went home. I really enjoyed taking care of the kids. I got to know some of them before their surgeries. Most of the kids were cleft lips or palates, inguinal hernia, and two eye surgeries. I worked in the peds wards and took care of pre and post surgical kiddies, which meant I didn’t get to go on any medaps. That was a bummer, but I was able to go on an island tour yesterday with 16 other shipmates. It was absolutely worth more than a medcap or comserve. Initially, I said that I would rather go on a medcap or comserve even if I had to give up the island tour, but I take that all back. We left the on a band-aid boat, then got on a smaller boat to the island. The island seemed like it was completely inhabited and people only go there during the day for the tours. It cost $3 to rent snorkeling gear and $5 for a meal, which consists of a plate of fried bananas, peanuts, and fresh young coconut juice. Did I mention that they also had 22 ounces of beer for $3?! We convinced the local folks to get us what we’ve been craving…local food. We gave them $15 for four dishes, which also paid for the boat trip back and forth. The food were wrapped up in waxy, brown paper and secured with rubber bands . Randy (one of HOPE’s primary care NP’s) was shocked that they brought back a whole, fried, head-on fish. You ask for fish, you get the whole fish! As cheap as it was, we knew we paid too much, being in Indonesia and all, but we didn’t care… we had a blast! For snorkeling, we didn’t have to go far into the sea. We were able to see bright corals (sea blue and yellow), brain corals, sea turtles, eels, different kinds of fish, and BLUE starfish! Kathryn, Randy, and I walked down the shore and found an Indonesian couple who was grilling fish that they caught. The whole day was heavenly. We got back to the pier and found out that we just missed the boat, and had to wait 2 hours for the next one. Randy and I walked by the street stores with one of the translators, tried a snake fruit (picture to follow next time), and almost missed the boat...again! We sprinted to make the boat as we were the only two everyone was waiting for.

July 18, 2010 (Sunday)
Just got back from Sunday mass and I definitely had an “ahhhh” moment . The first two weeks were physically, mentally, and emotionally challenging. Physically because of the endless amount of stairs we had to climb every day. Mentally and emotionally because we didn’t have anything to do during the time we were sailing, except questioned why we came in the first place. It became a bit depressing. During the briefs and musters, it seemed like our help wasn’t needed, that they had more than enough people to do one job. Meal times became the focal points of our day. We ate, not because we were hungry (wasn’t always the case), but we did because it gave us something to do… sad, but true. At the confirmation brief last night, Commodore Franchetti talked about the success of the Tobelo/Morotai mission, the number of people we saw and treated, the animals we helped, and the communities we served. All of a sudden, it all made sense. We are all needed. I felt a sense of accomplishment and a proud moment to be a part of this mission, and excited for the upcoming islands that we are visiting. In the homily, during the mass, the priest talked about “less is more”. It hit a soft spot because I have been struggling with the fact that people were emphasizing numbers - over 5000 people seen on meddencaps, 53 surgeries performed, over 400 animals treated, and 3900 sunglasses handed out (to prevent eye damage since this part of Indo is near the equator). It seemed like all people cared about were numbers. In reality, every little treatment we provided were a huge deal to each and every single person and family we served. I heard that people were so eager to receive any medical treatment at the meddencaps, and most times, they didn’t require much. The people of Tobelo and Morotai knew that we were not be able to treat everything, but at least we could provide SOME kind of treatment, whether it was de-worming medication, anti-malarial prophylaxis, Tylenol, or sunglasses. The hardest part was patient teaching with medication. Although we have awesome translators (most are med-students or nursing students from Jakarta), it was still difficult to cross cultural differences. While discharging patients home yesterday, we found out that people were “trading pills” in the MESDEC, before getting on the band-aid boats. We had to revise our patient teaching and add not to exchange medications, not to give them to their other children, and also not to take it themselves. One mom asked, since she was breastfeeding, can she take the medicine instead of her son, who doesn’t like the taste. I never considered that before but I’m glad she asked. We had to clearly explain that pain medication for the belly should be given by mouth and not rubbed on their bellies.
Last night we had a karaoke night… great fun! Everything is coming together and I definitely love every minute of this experience. A part of me cannot wait to get to Darwin, and to get back home to NYC, but there is also a part of me that is dreading to leave. I have met amazing people on this trip, such generous and selfless individuals who have all volunteered their time to provide care and treatment to people and animals. In that sense, I am with the people who love doing what I love doing… and it really doesn’t get any better than that.

finally, pictures!

me and gabby, watching the sunset in Tobledo (yes, that's a volcano!)

this was from the flight deck, while watching the USNS Byrd, who met us in the middle of the Bandah sea, to refuel the Mercy.  The Mercy helo also dropped off all the non-biodegradable materials (plastics), and picked up materials we need for the remainder of the mission.

steel beach party on the flight deck after the crossing the line ceremony

Today we arrived in Tobledo.  We were told that the ground is too deep for the ship to drop anchor so it's basically floating around the ocean, and everyone is swaying in different directions.  Kathryn (Hope’sPAO) and Lynn (Hope’s medical coordinator) went to the opening ceremony, where they arrived in-land via the band-aid boat and came back via helo… very cool!  April (pediatrician from California), Dawn (FNP student from FIU), and Brian (a Shenedoah university’s pharmacy student) all left for their 5-day med cap.  They will be staying in the Australian ship that is closer to land.  Gabby and I spoke to Brian before he left and asked him if he had his necessities -- baby wipes, toilet paper, and immodium.  He said no to all three… ummm? Lol. Gabby and I left and came back with toiler paper and a mask, in a ziplock bag.  Needless to say, he was grateful.  

49 patients + their escorts arrived on the ship today, and more to come in the following days.  Everyone who comes on board gets a mandatory chest x-ray to screen for tuberculosis.  I’m off today but went down to the peds ward for a mock code run by pediatric navy residents.  Jane (the other PICU nurse in the wards) and I asked to go through the code cart and had a bunch of “what if” questions and “just in case” scenarios.  We were told that the code cart wasn’t used in Vietnam and Cambodia, and not expected to be used in Indonesia  as they made sure, in pre-screening, that we were only taking healthy patients (besides their needed elective surgery, of course).  I think it’s embedded in us (PICU nurses) to expect the worst and hope for the best since codes and arrests happen at any given time, to any given patient, regardless of how healthy they were prior to surgery.  It’s always good to know what drugs are on board, and what resources we have.

I  saw our 2nd peds patient, a boy (approx 8 yrs old?) cleft lip patient.  Our first peds patient came on board in Jakarta, another 8 year old girl who has severe bilateral cataracts.  Sheila (one of Hope’s volunteer nurse) told me that she is almost legally blind in one eye, and her visions is severely impaired in the other.  I also saw a toddler running around in the CASREC (casualty receiving).  I’m not sure what the wards will be like in the upcoming days, but the OR schedule is booked for the days that we are in Tobledo.  I’m off on the 19th, and have asked the anesthesiologist and surgeon from Project Hope if I could observe a surgery on that day.

Katie (one of the other peds ward nurses from LDS) just told me that there are 17 kids in the peds wards who are all pre-op, some clefts, and probably inguinal hernia repairs.  The thought of taking care of children and working again is making me very excited.  It’s like being in my comfort zone, as weird as that sounds.  I mean, taking care of children is the only thing that I really know how to do, and LOVE doing.  I’m excited to interact with them, teach them and their parents new things, learn from them, and most importantly, be a part of this amazing change that will improve their lives forever.  With that said, I am off to bed, I need energy for tomorrow!  

p.s. I hope you guys appreciate these rare pictures before it literally took me 1.75hrs to upload them.  I have to run back to berthing before taps at 2200 or else I will be fumbling around since I forgot my flashlight.
(that was until it all got deleted... argh!grrr!!!

p.p.s. make that 3 hours!

from a slimy pollywog to an official shellback

(blog written on july 10th, 2010)

The much awaited Crossing the Line ceremony started this morning at approximately 5am. The shellbacks (people who have previously passed the ceremony) initiated the pollywogs (new recruits). Basically, it was boot camp from hell! The shellbacks barged in berthing (sleeping quarters) and gave us 5 minutes to get ready for a series and hours of obstacles. We had to walk up 49 steps and down the hallway, chanting navy songs, while on our hands and knees. In summary of the initiation, basically, there was s a bunch of times where we had to do jumping jacks, push-ups, and sit-ups (those were the easy stations). We also had to sing navy songs like sponge bob, anchor‘s away, or row row row your boat throughout the stations. We were washed down with a firehose while laying on our stomachs, duck walked to different stations, got moped with jello, sang more navy songs, went up and down the ramp (on our hands and knees), went over barrels and nets while on our backs, submerged in pools of nasty water, passed spaghetti down the line after mushing it in your face, ate breakfast on the floor (literally,without using our hands and on our stomach), and much more. The worst part was bobbing for whistles after everyone had their mouths in the same bucket and whistle. I almost threw up after that part. Yes, it sounds disgusting and why would I want to do it?? Because, in retrospect, it was sooooo much fun and quite a bragging right. Crossing the line used to be strictly for the military, not only til recently have they allowed civilians to participate. We get a very cool certificate and pin, and as shellbacks, we get to initiate pollywogs in the future.
I took the longest shower ever after that, then a good nap. Woke up only because it was time for steel beach bbq on the flight deck. So cool to sit and chill on the flight deck, seeing everyone in their civilian clothes, and having fun. Today seems like a very laid back day for all -- no muster, no 1000-1600 taps (lights off in berthing), etc. We had the usual confirmation brief at 1900 where they showed a recap video of the ceremony - hilarious! of course i'm going to try to get my hands on a copy.

first week re-cap

Since we have a lot of downtime, I figured I’d update on the cool navy stuff we’ve done on the ship. A few days ago (sorry, I have lost concept of days), we had an “abandon ship” drill where we mustered in our departments, put on life vests, and headed outside, to our designated lifeboats. The drill lasted about 40 minutes as we had to wait for everyone to be accounted for. While waiting, I got to talking to a 23 year old girl who is an EMT in the air force. She said said that in the air force, she has learned how to intubate, place chest tubes, and perform needle decompression. She was so excited to tell me that she’s had the opportunity to “push epi”. I told her that pushing meds gets old, but doing procedures, that’s cool stuff!

I emphatize with these young people in the military, and often wonder what made them join the service. You can find them out on the water deck, staring at the ocean, and pondering. Being in the middle of the ocean can drive anyone to think about life. We all question why we are here, what we are doing, what are we leaving back home, and what are we coming home to, or if we are coming home to anything at all.

Commodore Franchettie's NGO brief was interrupted by the “manning of the rails”. If I have not mentioned before, other military services are on the ship – air force, army, even military from partnering nat ons like Canada and Australia Basically. All the military personnel line the ship and man the rails as a sign of respect while the Japanese Kunisaki ship (that has been securing the Mercy) separates from us. The coolest part was seeing the hovercraft or LCAC (landing craft air-cushioned) spin like a wild tazmanian devil. I wish I could post pics but the NGO internet connection is soooooo slow, but it is worth watching on YouTube.

Today, we are scheduled to have an Indonesian culture and language brief. The translators are on board and all 60+ of them are staying in the wards.

The talk of the town is the crossing the equator ceremony that starts at 530am on the 10th We are told to wear a sports bra or a bathing suit (I’m guessing getting wet will be one of the dares/obstacles). Wes should also wear our clothes inside out, and something about putting your flip flops on your knees??? And if it gets to a point where “you can no longer taker it or in too much pain”, you can opt out. Hymmm… I’m a little apprehensive, but I know that I will regret it if I don’t go through with it. We have the steel beach party to look forward to in the afternoon =)

I can't believe it's been a week since I left home, and I still have a month left. The culture shock is slowly wearing off and I'm getting used to life on the ship. The end of the mission seems so far away, but I'm sure once we start anchoring on the remote islands, time will fly. There are moments where I am challenged mentally and emotionally. I wanted to cry on our first night but Ambien saved the day! I was assigned to the top bunk (highest of the 3-tiered bunk bed), and felt so claustrophobic. A thin sheet of metal separated me from the other bunk, where a girl from the Pre-dental association asked if I was okay. I told her that I wasn't sure if I would get through this. I had to take the ambien laying down due to limited head space, I thought for sure I was going to aspirate. Instead, I started whining, saying, "I can't even fit in my bed, and now I spilled water all over my mattress!". She must've thought I was insane. What was I thinking, joining a 5-week mission on a ship, where there is no way out but to swim to an inhabited land? I have to remind myself that there are people who are living in worse situations that I am, and currently suffering, and seeking humanitarian help... duh, That's why we are all here! During the MEDCAP (Medical Civic Assistance Project) brief, we were reminded that this is a humanitarian and civic assistance, not a medical mission. Our goal is not to perform extensive surgeries that require long recovery, or treat patients with severe medical conditions, such as cancer, but we are here to provide basic healthcare -- treat what we can, provide medication to acute illnesses, and serve the communities... DUH!

Java sea-sick

July 6, 2010

Oh boy, talk about motion sickness!  I took hydramammine last night coz I’ve been feeling sea sick since we left shore.  I fell asleep straight after project hope’s brief last night at 1930.  I hope my body adapts sooner rather than later coz this isn’t fun at all.  I am currently thinking of ways to amuse myself esp since we will not have anything in our agenda until we anchor in on 13th.   One of the girls working in the ICU with Laura is another yoga teacher.  I hope to take her up on her offer to do some anusaria yoga.  I need something to do while on board.

Sitting in the berthing lounge, waiting to muster in the peds ward at 0730.  The pediatric team is very…. Pediatric.  Everyone has a friendly face, childish behavior (in a good way), and “cutesie” personality.  There are two nurses from Church of Latter Day Saints.  One of them worked with Marnee, who is a travel nurse that started in the PICU at CHONY before I left.  There are also corpsmen - one navy and one army reserve.  From my understanding, we are sort of training/educating these corpsmen on how to care for pediatric patients.  Most of the pediatric care we are providing will be pre and post op care.  In all honesty, it does not seem intense at all.  Two of us are PICU nurses who are used to the crazy, hustle and bustle of one 12-hr shift.  All the nurses are eager to go on medcaps (Medical Civic Assistance Project), which are off the ship missions.  The coordinators are trying to get us rotated out, so at least we can see life beyond the ship in Indonesia.  It would also be very cool to go on the Helo (helicopter).

So far I’ve learned to incorporate some of the navy jargon into daily conversations, such as muster, berthing, scuttlebutt, the chow, the head, the deck, be lay my last, etc.  It seemed weird at first, but we’ve all got the hang of it by now.

The food they serve on the ship  is pretty good.  Although, I have had to “man-up” and eat fish, milk, even eggs to supplement my protein intake.   My veganism is slowly turning into full blown vegetarian-ism.  My mom is right, can’t be picky while on a navy ship.  It’s either you eat what they serve or you starve, and by the countless amount of stairs we have to walk up and down, I will need energy.  Speaking of, I woke up this morning with muscle cramps as if I worked out yesterday.  My belly, or should I start referring to it as my “abs” felt achy from all the cardio I did (going up and down the stairs).  Even to go on the flight deck, to see the ship sail off yesterday, was an intense elliptical course.   I had some “serious swass”.  Laura, the PICU nurse form Boston children’s taught me that word, which means “sweaty ass”… cute, egh?

Last but not the least, saw the beautiful java sea sunset at 1915... absolutely breath taking.  pictures do not do the scene justice.  besides, it takes an hour to post one pic.  we're running on a verrrrrrrrrrrrrryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy slow internet NGO connection.  that's also why i haven't been able to go online until now.  i had to wake up at 530am to use the internet, argh!

p.s. we're crossing the equator on july 10th, and there's going to be a steel beach party with a "crossing the equator ceremony"... should be interesting.  i hear participants have to do a series of dares that takes about
2-3 hours.  if you pass, you get a fancy certificate acknowledging that you have crossed the equator.  i think i may just do it =)

2 days in Singapore

july 4th, 2010

Tonight I ate the “fattest” meal I’ve had in months.  I’m pretty sure that I made by mom proud by eating… EGGS with a side of french fries! I went with two other Project Hope volunteers to a diner outside the ship, but within the base. It was our last meal before set sail tomorrow morning.

These past two days in Singapore have felt like a vacation.  Since we are not scheduled to “work” until we anchor in Indonesia, I took the time to see the city.  Singapore is definitely the cleanest city I have ever visited.  They have very strict laws on littering, jay walking, spitting, wearing revealing clothes, even chewing gum!  I had to nudge Kathy and pointed out the sign for a “$500 fine for eating/drinking in the train station”.   If they could only see our NYC subway stations, we would be in for a lot of caning… ouch!  

We had our first Project Hope meeting tonight and discussed the schedule for the upcoming weeks.  Turns out that we are making a stop in Jakarta.  Unfortunately, we will not be able to leave the ship as the stop is mainly for restocking medication and picking up translators.  The islands that we are visiting were not mentioned in the itinerary either, but we were told that we are making 3 stops in Indonesia, Papau in Micronesia, and finally to Darwin, Australia.

I am listed as a peds nurse, but during the meeting it was mentioned that we are short of one ICU nurse.  So, depending on the acuity or needs-basis, my role may change.  There is no PICU, therefore, the ICU nurse takes care of both adults and peds.

 

26 hours later

don't have much time or energy to write a good blog but here are some random thoughts:

- 26 hours is the longest time I have ever traveled from point A to point B.

- when in japan (even though it's only Narita airport) eat Japanese food, so I had Udon =)

- I was looking at the map for the location of our plane in relation to where we were headed, and we passed the Philippines - that was a bit weird..

- checked in our hotel room in Singapore (nice surprise that each of us have our own rooms). It's bittersweet because the room is so pretty (as you guys know, I travel by way of hostels so any hotel room is fancy for me).  Here's a pic, can you see my bathtub?



- my biggest fear - a possible sinus infection is on the rise.  should I jump start the Cipro?

- met some of the girls and everyone is super nice.  Laura is a PICU nurse from Boston Children's, Gabby is a  PNP from Seattle Children's, a burn/wound care nurse, and another lady (can't recall her title).  Volunteering for Project Hope is the first for all of us except the Gabby.  One of the ladies is a yoga instructor... how lucky am I!?  After getting situated in the Mercy tomorrow, we will "galavant" Singapore and make the best of it until we leave on July 4th or 5th.

- going to take a quick shower then sleep.  Wake up time is 7am, so I have about 4.5 hours.

- i keep thinking about what my mom said to me before i left.  She said, "just eat whatever they have, don't be picky!"... hehe.  So I bought packets of miso soup while in Narita to substitute my protein intake.  

No idea when I'll be able to post another blog so til then... toodles!

Day 0 - NYC to Singapore

everyone has asked me to start a blog -- to share and update them (friends and family) on my experience while volunteering for the Pacific Partnership mission in Indonesia.

I'm sitting in a terminal at JFK airport, waiting for my filght to Washington. From Dulles airport, I will catch connecting flights to Tokyo, and then Singapore. I have no idea what I am about to experience, except that I will be touching lives of people whom I have never met and will never see again, and the mere thought of that is filling my heart with joy.

I will arrive in Singapore at approx 11:55pm on July 2nd. The morning after, I will meet the rest of the volunteers for rotation 2 of the Pacific Partnership 2010 . We are scheduled to check in the Mercy on July 3rd and have liberty in Singapore until we set sail on the 4th of July. Did I mention that I will be spending Independence Day on a US Navy ship?

The USNS Mercy is a 1,000 bed hospital ship with 12 operating rooms, and an 80-bed intensive care setting. She is the same ship that was used to aid victims of the tsunami in Bandah Aceh, Indonesia. Rotation 1 recently finished their mission, where they provided healthcare, minor surgeries, and education in Vietnam and Cambodia. Rotation 2 will do that same for the people in 3 cities in Indonesia.

I am excited and anxious for what I am about to see, experience, and learn in this mission. I have to say, that the most rewarding part of being a nurse is being in the presence of change in people's lives -- seeing the sick get better, giving people hope, and making them feel good about themselves. Participating in missions, such as this, is self-gratifying. I am doing this to show that there are people who truly care for the well-being of others, especially children. Such cliche as 'the heart wants, what the heart wants" is very true. My heart wants to help anyone, everyone, anywhere, and everywhere.

See you on the other side of the world =)
xoxo