Thursday June 26

It's getting close to departure date and yet I feel like I've only recently joined the ship, not been away from home for 3 weeks already.

In order to leave the ship there are a number of signatures that have to be collected on the "release paper", including the bank, the post office and various other departments. Some are on the day of departure and as I want to attend the ward service again I shall not be able to lie-in. Also included as part of the disembarking procedure is an evaluation and debrief with supervisor of your department. I spent about 45 minutes with Alison, my Kiwi supervisor, today in my debrief. The bottom line was that she would allow me back in the department. We even talked about training and professional development needs. Any surprises there?

One of the really good parts of today as there was no eye surgery lists, was being able to go to the dockside to see the patients who had their cataract surgery yesterday. There was a delightful old lady, toothless, with a stick to aid her walking but with the biggest smile I could ever wish to see. it was written all over her face and in her body language. English wasn't necessary to realise that for her, a miracle had been performed as she could see again. I'm sure that had she been physically capable she wold have danced. At this clinic there are day workers who sing and prayer with the patients, telling them the good news of Christ's saving power and love. I had already been to the ward and joined Dr Glenn on his ward round to see the young children we had operated on yesterday too. the eldest was not keen to open his eyes and didn't seem to demonstrate any real sight. Uncertain of how he would do, I found out this evening that having gone to the dockside to get his glasses and to complete a visual acuity test (to see how well he could see) his eyes were working together and he was reaching out to touch and even grab items. We sat among the patients at the dockside and made use of the opportunity to have a "team photo".

I spent the rest of the day helping out wherever necessary, so spent time in orthopaedic OR where they were correcting a severe deformity in a 10 tear old who had a severe deformity of his right leg and elsewhere helping to change a plaster cast on a young boy who had previous surgery to correct a club foot.

A quick trip with a colleague to the tailor who had made a couple of bits for me, back in time for dinner and then a good walk with another couple of friends up to a particular shop which was unfortunately closed when we got there. Peter has very kindly offered to go there for me tomorrow as I'm on call and can't leave the ship. This shop is probably one and a half to one and three-quarters of a mile away so it's no small undertaking. However I shall be giving him a free lesson later on how to put on sterile gloves when he's in the OR....

Sunset happened as we were walking to the shop so by the time we came back it was dark and that's when the streets take on a different life. The braziers are lit and a smell of roasted maize pervades the fumes of the cars. People are pushing wheelbarrows with goods for sale and cyclists are in danger of being knocked off their bikes - no lights on their bikes and passengers rarely look before opening a car door. Traffic drives on the right which has confused me as in East Africa they drive on the left. At what point do they change over and how??

The speaker at the community meeting this week was the patient services co-ordinator. She again reminded us about trusting God and spoke from her own experiences. After the meeting I had been invited to join others from OR who are also leaving over the next couple of days for coffee and cake which another member had prepared. It was fun just to spend time together socially. So tomorrow brings the boring bits I guess. Sorting out laundry, what I need to throw out or give away before I leave and trying to download my photos onto my stick and the organising them. That could take a while......