#ReentryReady- Day 3

What are you leaving behind? 

This one is easy. But still painful. Saying goodbye to crew members is part of life here, and saying goodbye to patients is actually great because they go back to their homes with a big smile, a heart full of love and a new chance to have a better life. But there is a group of volunteers that work with us the whole field service, that have become a steady and familiar face for me in the ward, that warm my heart and that have helped me to learn a lot about Guinean culture. 

Our day crew are the local translators that work in the hospital with us. They translate between the patient and us, and they help in many many ways, day and night. They left their jobs and/or studies to serve their own people with us, and I admire them so much. They wake up very early to come to the ship, they go back home and still fulfill their roles as parents, siblings, sons and daughters. They work with us with grace, strength, patience and always a good sense of humor. They support and encourage our patients and us, too. They love sharing about their lives, their families and their culture. Some of them are Christian, others are Muslims, but none of them shows judgement or criticism about others’ beliefs. They always join us to pray, they cry with us and rejoice with us. 

I will miss them dearly, and have no idea about when I will have another chance to see them.