Wow I am exhausted!!! Today is a ship holiday- I think it is because it is a public holiday in the US for the 4th of July and as the ship is US I think we get it off. Whatever the case i'm so glad to just be oncall as i'm so tired.
Yesterday was a day of excitement (or should we say drama). The power failed 4 times and the emergency backup power didn't kick in straight away. Thanks be to God that the surgeons had finished some surgeries and had just anethetised the next patients so there was no cutting in the dark. The machines in the lab didnt cope well with the power outage so that was a bit stressful. We all took a tea break while the poor engineers worked hard. We have had 2 more outages today. I think we have some sick generators. A little flooding in the wards added to the excitement- they were cleaning 2 wards to reopen them now a few more surgeons are on board.
I collected my first 2 blood donors with huge 16 gauge needles. I flet like a nasty vampire but a fistula patients was in need of transfusion. We don't keep any blood in stock. We transfuse whole blood only so we can't use O Neg in an emergency. Instead as the blood needs to be group specific we have a list of donor's and their groups and call them up as required. Currently our only B Neg donor is in Ghana for the weekend so i'm hoping not to require any B Neg blood. I'm sure somewhere on the ship is someone who is B Neg (maybe a needle shy person who hasn't volunteered).There is no refrigeration and no wastage- it goes from donor almost straight to patient.
My second obliging victim of the giant needle.
Today I went for a wander into town. It is oh so hot and muggy. The wharf today was swarming with people. A goods ferry had arrived in front of us and all the store people from town had arrived to pick up there goods (so far as I could guess). Any walk down town sends all your senses crazy. The first step of the gangway and you smell a gross mix of human waste (from the local fishing village and town) and rubbish from the mounds that line the roads. Within moments your nose has acclimatised. 
Zimiejohns zoom past tooting their horns to indicate they are overtaking. The guards sit out in the hot sun. The end of the wharf greets you with the smells of African home cooking coming from the huts along the road. Today is super busy the streets are chaotic. It has been raining so everyone is dogging puddles. Some roads are mud, others a flood. (See below). There is never and inch of road available and foot paths( or drains as they are better described) are also shared with cars and motorbikes. Below some typical streets in the city of Cotouno. We enter a food market- it's not the place for grabbing a few things after work. It is like a circular maze of fruit and vege. The noise is deafening. People and dogs. Small toddlers wandering around. I find myslef at a dead end right in the middle of the raw fish sections- I hate fish. The stench is overwhelming. There is no refrigeration so the fish sit out in the sun. Heads must be a delicacy. They are strung out looking charming.
Zimiejohns zoom past tooting their horns to indicate they are overtaking. The guards sit out in the hot sun. The end of the wharf greets you with the smells of African home cooking coming from the huts along the road. Today is super busy the streets are chaotic. It has been raining so everyone is dogging puddles. Some roads are mud, others a flood. (See below). There is never and inch of road available and foot paths( or drains as they are better described) are also shared with cars and motorbikes. Below some typical streets in the city of Cotouno. We enter a food market- it's not the place for grabbing a few things after work. It is like a circular maze of fruit and vege. The noise is deafening. People and dogs. Small toddlers wandering around. I find myslef at a dead end right in the middle of the raw fish sections- I hate fish. The stench is overwhelming. There is no refrigeration so the fish sit out in the sun. Heads must be a delicacy. They are strung out looking charming. Today I experienced my first supermarket. It is tiny but otherwise not that dissimilar to ones at home. Even the brands of shampoo are the same - just not in English. It is an airconditioned haven- particularly as the locals don't shop here so it is very desserted.
Housing in and around Cotonou is a world away from what we are familiar with. As a picture paints a thousands words see below:
From the top deck we watch dumper waves hit the beach. Not many beaches are good for swimming. The beaches are so steep. (see below) The currents are deadly- you can see them swirling in all directions somwhat like a whirlpool on a bad day. It's wierd been so close to the beach yet been unable to swim.
Well my washings finished (still getting used to rostered washing slots) and its dinner time- designated meal times is another thing i'm still getting used to.
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