This is Raoul. You can't tell from the photo, but he showed up with a crooked foot. I looked after him yesterday in the ward, and today I watched him go home on his crutches, all wide-eyed and grinning. This morning I looked after three patients and they all came back to me from the operating room with casts on both thier legs. The three year old squealed and moaned and cried whenever I came near. Mako, the 8 year old girl, came back silent with red, teary eyes. And Koffi, the two year old, came back with a tootsie roll half eaten in his fingers and cried only when I wouldn't let him get out of bed and play with the toy truck. These children are delightfully different.

The crew of the Africa Mercy is also full of variety. A few of my favorites are the four security guards who are all Nepalise Gurkas. They made dinner for a few of us one night: tasty lentils and fish that they insisted we eat a painfully excessive amount of. I went for a run one morning -my first run in Africa- with one of them and when I told him that if we went any farther he'd have to carry me back to the boat he said, "Ok," and on we went, a bit farther.

There are lots more things to say... but it's dinner time! We eat on schedule here and it is too tasty to miss. Mangos for breakfast. Crispy lettuce for lunch and dinner -from I have no idea where. Starbucks coffee on tap. Ice cream every Thursday after community meeting... good thing I have Gurkas to make sure I run far enough :)