Wednesday, May 26, 2010

16 days...

I leave in a little over 2 weeks and there's so much to do! I'm in the middle of applying to 6 different graduate schools and attempting to get all the documentation forms, reference letters, personal statements, and transcripts going to the right school. I'll be studying for the GRE test while I'm in Togo and will take it during the first few weeks of school; that will be the only thing needed to complete the applications.

It's been a little weird to be home for the last two weeks. Everyone here is starting to plan their summers, think about family vacations, or start summer school and it's strange to be on a different track! I've reconnected some with friends back home, but it's hard to invest in those relationships when I know I'm only home for one month.

Last week I had the chance to shadow a physical therapist and a physical therapy assistant at a local non-profit therapy center. One of my church deacons was the center's director and he got me connected to the physical therapist. I learned a lot about creatively using 20 or 30 year-old equipment to treat patients, and it was neat to see a clinic that "doesn't do it for the money." It really translates into everything they do!

Right now I'm back in Coppell, the suburb of Dallas where we used to live, shadowing a physical therapist. I've pretty much exhausted the different therapy varieties that East Texas had to offer and so I called a PT friend from our old homeschool group who referred me on to another lady. So I'll be at Goddard Orthopedic and Sports Therapy for three days. Today, it was interesting to see younger patients, different scar-tissue treatment procedures, and a more workout-related type of therapy. It also made me happy to see patients that could walk in on their own and were mostly self-sufficient! Such a change from the large hospital system I shadowed in last summer.

And as soon as I get home I need to start on the wonderful process of packing, weighing, repacking, and reweighing luggage...

Finishing a friend's mission of mercy, part 2

This story is part two of one I posted earlier. It's totally worth the few minutes to read... :-) When this came in my email yesterday I almost started to cry. It's so neat how the one friend followed through on the shared dream and has now found a place for her friend's treasured mementos to rest. She got delayed by the Icelandic volcano, but is now aboard the Africa Mercy and I cannot wait to meet her!

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

powering the heart of the "big white ship of hope"

I came across this article thanks to Google Alerts. :-) MAN Diesel & Turbo Engines is providing 4 new generators for the Africa Mercy. These generators will increase overall efficiency and decrease CO2 emissions and fuel consumption. The ship was designed as a rail ferry in 1980 and now needs newer equipment to keep up with the increased demands for reliable power. I've heard from old crew that the generators are incredibly noisy and they cannot wait for the new ones to be installed! :-)

After its field service in Togo is up in August, the Africa Mercy will sail for South Africa to install the new generators. Abi, Jenny, and I won't be sailing with them to South Africa; our school semesters are starting soon after we're scheduled to return on August 15th. :-( We won't get to experience the ship's new powerhouse, but maybe next summer???