Swab the decks

I've broadened my job description since coming to South Africa.    Pretty extensively broadened, in fact.  Last year I had varied jobs as well, but mostly within nursing.  Pediatric nurse turned into hospital floor-waxer, expert ward bleacher and bedmaker, pre-surgical screener, adult care, ICU, PICU, and IV team depending on the need.  But I'm used to that.  It makes me feel right at home.

It's been a bit different this time, with my job description extended now far beyond "being a nurse".  I've joined what is the not-so-secret society of incognito nurses...(nurse by day, deadly ninja by night!).  Except in this case we're not ninjas exactly.

Since the hospital isn't open yet, most of the nurses have been assigned to jobs in other departments for now.  Along with a few housekeepers and several other hospital staff, I'm swabbing the decks...and the bulkheads, and the deckheads, and quite a few just plain heads.  (Translation for the non-sailors - we clean and mop the floors, clean walls and ceilings and bathrooms...but it sounds much more fun using sailor lingo :-) 

All it takes though is the loud ring of the emergency alarm or an overhead or beeper page to send me into the nearest phone booth to magically and instantly transform back into an emergency nurse.  While I'm eager to get to Sierra Leone, I'll enjoy the more relaxed role while I have it.  After all, this is my first 8-5 job (unless you count the on-call bits)!

Because where else can I watch from my softly rocking hammock as the sun drowns in the sea, join my fellow sailors for worship on the bow, catch my food flying off the table, stand pirate watch at midnight with a friend, dream of roller coasters and wake up still believing that I'm on one, swab the decks and the heads not out of duty but because this too is worship for my God, and still be a nurse at the drop of a hat?

I'm telling you, this is gonna be quite a cruise :-D