Thursday 7 November 2013

Down Under

I don't often get homesick.  But sometimes I just miss stuff.  Is that the same thing?

I miss sipping Sav Blanc with Mum while Dad cooks a Sunday BBQ in the backyard.  I miss watching the sunset from the front porch.  I miss clean white sandy beaches.  I miss my gorgeous niece, Indigo.  I miss cricket & AFL.  I miss Ice Breaker Iced Coffee.  I miss comparing medical stories with my sis from our day at work.  I miss the endless summer & wearing pluggers all year round.  I miss having to run from shade to shadow because the ground beneath my feet is burning.  I miss going to the movies.  I miss my brother greeting me by picking me up & throwing me over his shoulder.  I miss the place where thongs are the things you wear on your feet... & bloody isn't a swear word.  I miss lemon, lime, & bitters.  I miss driving (on the left hand side of the road).  I miss being able to order a (proper) flat white.  I miss meat pies, dim sims, fish & chips, & chicko rolls.  I miss milo, fresh milk, & strawberries.  I miss working in children's emergency.  I miss being able to go shopping for new clothes.  I miss hearing the Kookaburra's sing while I hang the washing on the line.  I miss Frangipani's & the Jacaranda's flowering in the Spring.  I just miss grass.

The grass is always greener.

Actually, I don't believe that for a second.  In Australia the sun is hotter & the grass is browner.

The truth is, the grass is greener when you water it.



Recently I have had to say goodbye to more than one friend, as they have unexpectedly had to return home for various reasons.  I have stepped into new roles with only a little notice, quickly getting my head around various education projects, & all the while I have continued in my role on the plastics team.  It has been a hard long month here in Congo, but I am convinced more than ever that I am exactly where I'm meant to be.  & I wouldn't switch my life here for some missed comforts from home.  Not even for Sav Blanc.



Why on earth would I choose to live in a six berth cabin on a boat in West Africa?  I'll tell you why...

Because Eliezer has had his hand reconstructed.
Because Grace has had a tumour removed from her face.
Because Brenda & Sabrina have had congenital deformities to their feet repaired.
& because of Josi, Kiminou, Jessica, Ilaura, Abrahm, Davilov, Graci, Julie, Geril, & so many others.

Lives changed.  Hope restored.  I do this because it's not about me.  It's about them.

Grace's story...
http://mercyshipscanada.com/2013/11/05/grace-a-transformation-in-process/

Check out this 12 minute story from a French media crew, direct from Pointe Noire, Congo.
http://www.france24.com/en/20131024-down-earth-hospital-vessel-health-mercy-ships-africa-training