Veronica in Togo

8/8/2019 Veronica in Togo

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Memoires of a first-time missionary in Togo Page 1

Nurse Veronica

Weatherhead s Adventure on Africa Mercy, Togo

A collection of emails and photographs sent/received/taken during Veronicas trip ,collated by her sister Rebecca Bond.

n.b. No spelling has been changed in the production of this document

Feb/March 2010


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Received Sunday 21 st February entitled From Veronica

Hi you two,I have arrived and its hot! The journey was uneventful ,I met up with about 10 other

girls at various stages and we are now trying to get to grips with it all. Well I am,perhaps they are already ok.

The fist thing you need to know is that my bunk and I'm up the top is in a room aprox 6'by 10 . I'm finding that more confining than I thought I would. It has no window butdoes have a wardrobe that doesn't take long things or if it does the clothes fold over atthe bottom, a folding wooden chair and a desk with 4 shelves above it and all this isbetween 2 of us.My alarm closk is stuck at 11.30 so I didn't get up untill 10am today...yes I slept soooowell. That would have been fine except I was due at breakfast at 7.....to be followed by aships tour. Missed it!Things are meant to happen aren't they. A dentist called Ruth who was here last yearwas re-touring the ship on her own so I joined her and I'm much better one to one. Sheand I had lunch together, which I was suposed to make from the breakfast bar afterbreakfast, yes the one I missed, so thank goodness for me and my well known pic nics.I'd a sandwich I'd bought at heathrow for 'just incase', I found an apple and a biscuitand thats me done. I'm starving!

Togo is all you see of poor African countries on the news. Its dusty, dark, higgledypiggldy, concrete walls with people millimg around. I really havn't the words to describehow awful it is. So aimless and poor. I was horrified to see what I thought was a log on

the path and it was a body. I was in the landrover coming from the airport to the ship sodon't panic I didn't need to resusitate him!!!! the path by the way wasn't like the pathsalongside the roads in England they are just higher patches of dirt.The ship was 20 mins from the airport and as soon as we got onboard they took ourpictures for security,I was most upset as I looked like the back end af a bus now myperminant Africa Mercy picture is of some ghoul.

I am very controlled. Its coming naturally I think because this is the bigest change in mylife that has ever happened to me and its a big one.My first reaction last night was....what have I done? 7 weeks seems a very long wayahead. Then I think to myself well I can't do anything about it , go with the flow and

work through it which is exactly what I'm doing. Another thing is to stop myself sayingMy God to everything as the wall of silence is deafening each time I utter it.

My place of work is not on the ship itself as the broken generater is too noisy , we are intents alongside the gang plank of the ship.I've only seen them not been inyet.Apparently they are air conditioned and I really hope so as the heat is somethingelse.I have to work through interpreters. The patients have been selected, arrive the dayprior to operation and I prep them....history and bloods is all I've gleemed so far but Iget a full orientation tomorrow Monday and I'll Email more then.

I am using one of a bank of computers in the Village. The village is the central area of the ship with Starbucks, the SMALL shop, tvs lounge chairs and about 15


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computers.There is a library that i found calming but all the books have a religioustheme even the fiction is religious fiction. I'm going to be a biy careful with where i readmy book about Vampires.

Will somepne please call Mark and tell him I can't receive his phone calls on my mobileor texts as there is an election due and all mobiles are off air untill it sdone..no I don'tknow when that will be.Tell him I'm here and would rather be there but Its such early days and I'm so out of mydepth thing will be better once I get a routine going. Tell him I'll Email Sue L and that'llbe our form of contact.Tell him he'd love it here the port is busy busy and yet more busy

I'm off to explore the ship again and try and get my bearings. Don't you dare fret aboutme as its all fine very modern on the ship just really ropey off.

Will be intouch soon Veronica

Received 24th February ent itled Veronica in Africa

Hi everyone, its Me! A much happier person than the last time I probably Emailed you.

We are working.This month its Ortopaedics and Facio Max and the screeners have been out to thedesignated football stadiums and churches weedling out the 'I have a headache' patientsto the Burkettes tumors protruding from faces.The patients then go off to the Medics who further screen them 'can they be helped ornot? is there a better case further down the line will this take too long to do and be of less value....the criteriers go on and on. Then we see them, the day of admission whichis the day before their operation. We do a full workup and my phlebotomy skills havecome in very useful tho' we do only the very bare essentials and I daren't look to see if the bottles are in date....There are 3 of us nurses 3 translaters and 1 doctor.The patients are everything youimagine ,,,gorgeouse. Well the little ones are the adults are just adults aren't they? Iwant to bring all of the babies home with me and I've only done 2 days.Last night Isabelle my boss and I set up our TENT it was right up my street you peoplein Nuc Med I'm having a ball organising the filing system (difficult when one can't spell),cadging equiptment, soursing water barrels, rolling chairs and tidiing everything in my

wake...The air conditioning is in at last , and stip lights, a sink - Mum its worse than the one inthe hut!!!- they are lining the tent as I type to keep out the heat. It was 40 dgs today.O and this sink is outside the tent alongside the port but water comes out of the taps sohey....We had a ships evacuation today at 1.30 pm and we did it all in 45degrees heat.

Nobody moans, nobody complains , everyone looks at you with pleading beautifulwonderful eyes and I love then all. They have nothing.some can signe their consentsothers give a thumb print. The 5 year old today who looked terrified as I went to takea blood test was robustly told to behave by her mother and you know what? she did!

EDWARD wEATHERHEAD COME ON OUT HERE FOR A SESSION!


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Life onboard is getting easier. the cabin is a bit confining and the 3 s you cant be are:claustraphobic,untidy,or noisy I fit the first 2 the noisy bit eludes me sometimes.Sarah , my bunk mate who is ward nurse coming from America is nice and has got up agroup to go to church this Sunday in a small fishing village just down the road from here

so we are off at the crack of dawn.Everything possible is done early due to the heat .Saturday Ruth a Dentist from Glouster and a group are going to the market and on to ahotel that has a swimming pool and they've asked me to go so that'll be different.The food on board when I say is wholesome mean no frills.this morning we hadbluberries with pancakes for breakfat and this evening we had bluberry gravy with roastbeef. Nothing is wasted , ever.Salads, and ruit for puddings.Evenings are spent doing your own thing but no one need ever be alone. There is amedical lecture each evening and believe me they are high powered some of thesesurgeons are fantastic ....there are 3 from London here at the moment doing theorthopaedics and very nice they are too. Everyone sits with everyone there is absolutlyno higherachy, everyone talks to everyone and no one is left out. You want peace andquiet you have to find it.

I am tired now, its been a long day but longer for the screeners who have to be out andin the landrovers for 5am.I'm off to have a shower and bed possibly.

Love to you all from a 'feeling better equiped to cope' Veronica

Received 24th February (mum and me) entitled Veronica

Hi you 2,how are you? I've just sent a newsy Email but just wanted you to have a

personal one.I'm fine and I really mean that. Things seem to be sorting themselves out here. Well weare finally working and that helps.Sructure to a day.I am constantly hot nt 'My Age' hot but sticky hot.As I said it was 45 dgs today and Iwas out in some of it checking patients who had arrived at 8am and still hadn't beenseen.We give them water and at lunchtime I went to the canteen and made bread andbutter sandwiches one each and a piece of watermelon. Noone complained.The mother who came with her little 5 year old daughter this morning came with her

entire house it appeared, she had her stove on this huge suitcase.We give every child a knitted toy...Mum just like the ones that lady you know knits. Theylove them.

Mum you wanted to know if I go down the corridor to a bathroom..no we have a showerin the cabin between the 6 of us and up to now its working well no one seems to need itwhen I need it so thats ok.

Aha I need to tell you something.here it ok to show your boobs..its nothing. But to show your knees is just like showiingyou boobs in GB.Well I have been asked to lengthen my shorts..impossible so I'm in my

3/4 trousers of which i only have 3 pairs. Difficult times ahead. Wehave to wear dresseson Sundays and the one I've bought just touches my knees, we'll just have to see.


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Its hot. I'll catch up again tomorrow or the day after. You know how long it takes forme to type so think of me doing that long Email and now this one.Love and kisses veronica

Received 27th February: The swimming pool

Well everyone....here I am alive and doing well.

Today 6 of us braved the Togoan highway and wandered around the market which wasan experience! to say the very least.Jenny, an Australian ward nurse here couldn't understand why the chickens were all sodocile till we pointed put they were all tied together..about 15 at a time, then thiswoman came along flung half of them in a metal dish put them on her head andwondered off. Bizare...

around the next bend was the man shaving the womens eyebrows with a razor blade, hedid a good job too. The girls pulled me away AIDS...All the clothing for sale seems to have already been worn by who knows who but thebeaded jewelery and polished carved ebony is just a delight.It was immence, dusty and very very hot so I lasted an hour and then had to hit thelocal hotel and have a coke.. no glass, no ice and drank it through a straw. I'm learning.

Then we went to the other hotelspool....I was in 7th heaven here.I havefound my comfort zone.Mark it was just like the place we usedto go to in Dubaii. Remember?This had a beautiful hotel foyer, (a bar),fabulouse manicured lawns leading tothe rollers of the sea and the onlyolympic sized swimming pool in Westafrica.Sunloungers under wavingcoconut / palm trees and on-tap cooldrinks, non alcoholic I might add. Whenasked when we were leaving my answerwas 'April 10th'. I think every, body not

working on the Africa Mercy today wasthere and one poor girl was feeling veryguilty that it was so lovely and that wewere here to do Gods work and not liearound a pool. That girl was not me!We walked bachk had a 2min showerand I'm getting really good at that, hadsupper and booked a washing machine

for last sunday.....yes last Sunday so I've to go back up to deck 7 and rebook fortomorrow.


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Going to a Tongolese church service tomorrow in a fishing village somewhere on thecoast there is a whole crowd of us in a M.S. landrover going. Watch this space as theytake anything fron 2 to 3 or 4 hours even but its more of a spectacle to watch than toget board I'll write you all and let you know how it goes.

I am off to starbucks for a coffee right now so adieu VERONICA

Received by mum and me on Sunday 28th February:

Hi you two, just thought I'd drop you an Email as I wait for my linnen to finish...yes we

have to do our own laundry including bed linnen and towels...

I skipped church this morning, Its all getting a bit wearing this constant reference to HisLord. Every on board comunication is ended with a quote from the bible(should that start

with a capital B?) and its origin.ie Genisis 2 v3-10 etc. etc. Golly.So i hab a couple of extra hrs in bed and did my washing and read a newspaper thatsomeone bought with then last night. A new group of about 10 arrived looking about asawful as I must have done last Sat.Work again tomorrow. I work mon to Fri 8 - 5 nice as I know where I am. We beginplastics so it'll be the cleft lips and paletts all gorgeouse little children who smile nomatter what.I've got my camera out had a good look at it and will endevour to send some pics nextweek for you to see.

Going now love to you all Veronica

Received Sunday 28th February: photos


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(above photo) for Berny Dear (fellow nursing colleague in UK) SPOT THE TEDDY! (it inspire Rebecca)

Received 4 th March

Well helo everyone , it's nurse Nightingale in Togo again.....Yep I'm still here.Its still hot, so hot infact all our scrubs stick to our bodies most of the time, this is whenwe go outside not on the ship .The ship beautifully air-conditioned. Unfortunatly I workoff the ship, I think I told you in a previous Email, and I have to go out in the sun atleast 100 times a day...escorting patients I've admitted to their wards (Aron,somethings happened to the type face ,what have I done?) or taking blood samples to

the labs. Is it only me who isn't aboard? Oh...and to get into the ship I have 40 steps tomanouver boy am I going to be fit when I get back, you'd better all notice.

We have the presidential elections going on here at the moment and we, Mercy Shipsare in a state of readyness to make a quick getaway if things get out of hand. Thats all very well but i'm on the port alongside the ship so I asked the captain yesterday that he'd better give me enough warning to get onboard before they sail off. He looked at mefor a bit of a while and said he'd make it his personal buisness to make sure I wasonboard but seeing as it takes 3 hrs to get going he thought I might make it on my own.Well no one told me it takes 3 hrs.I felt a bit silly. For the past 3 or 4 days there has been a ships curfew of 6.30pm and now its Lock Downas the Togoans are voting today.They are not allowed out of their home except tovote,no one works, the airport is closed , things like that. Our outreach workers, nurses


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and Drs who go to the clinics inthe towns and villages are all wandering aroung withnothing to do.Its all very well having days off but there is only so much one can do on aCross Channel Ferry sort of boat.! Tomorrow is the same as is Monday I'm hoping wecan go off the ship on Sat and Sun as I want to go to the local Hotels swimmingpool for

some light relief.

Due to the elections normally we see about 5 to 8 people a day taking an hour over eachone sometimes if they speak an unpronounsible dialect like Noam or EWE (pronounced EVEY). I try English then French then get a translater who does English from me thenwhatever the patient speaks and then back to me. Some game this is! Actually I'm quiteglad I have a translater sometimes when it gets to the personal stuff, never mind what. Yesterday because none of the translaters who are all Togoan were allowed out today wedid all the patients for Thur Fri and Mon in one hit just working through till we finished.There were 25odd but we got 2 extra nurses who did it last year (what are they still doing here?) so it wasn't all that bad but really I shouldn't have done the very last

patient of the day as I was so so tired exhausted infact that it took me twice as long and I had HIM down as pregnant at one time! The kids are coming now with facial deformaties.You will never see what I've seen over the past few days as it would all have been treated ages ago.Its quite gruesome, Awful

pain and disfigurement, the villagers cast these people out and they are so lonley.Thisone man with a mandible protruding about 8" from his face with ulcers all over the gumand tongue. Oh it was such a shock to me when he lowered the scaf he had round thelower part of his face, this is when age and proffesionalism come to the forefront you

just don't react but it took me a while to compose myself and covered the few momentswith writing SOMETHING, anything.He had been a successful footballer with a wife and

children , his wife left taking the children,he lost his job so no money and hes been livingconfined to one room with old friends and local churches bringing him food. He is 32yrsold. He had a mandibulectomy 2 days ago with then taking 1.5hrs just to intubate it was sodifficult to get round the tumor as it went down his throat (benign I might add).He went into icu for 36hrs, he is now on the ward smiling as much as he can with paracetamol ashis pain relief.That is another thing,no one complains.He looks like a different person. Othe sad thing also was the evening before he was operated on, the 1st night in hospital (we don't waste bed space for days on end with all sorts of tests just cbc (for those whowatch E.R) group and save HIV and sickle cell.) he was having supper and wanted us to

join him. He had been so isolated he just wanted someone to be his dinner companion.

I've seen him since and he smiled...24hrs post op!

The cleft lips are just the sweetest little scraps so undernourished because they can'tfeed they are no bigger than a doll. That is if they are allowed to live.The villagers believe the village to be cursed if a women has a cleft baby and if sheleaves him/her unatended for a moment, the elder will commission someone to burrythe baby in a box alive so the curse is lifted.Those that reach us here love their babies so much they run with then to Christianorphanages who pass them on to us. They are put then on a feeding program as theyare too underweight for surgery but with help these babies put on weight so fast theyare done and dusted in a matter of days and the difference in their looks isastonishing.The mums go home with the hugest of smiles and I'm usually crying hugingthem and trying to say good bye.


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Dad, this where your contributions go so I can tell you it is really really worth every centyou send.

I must say the praying is getting me down a bit. We do a lot.

Each patient gets a donated bag, rather like the ones we get at conferences, the onesthat are emblazoned with company logos and are of no real use.These are full of toiletries as they bring nothing with them.Well actually i don't think they have much tobring and if I'm really honest they don't do much in the toiletry line anyway.Actually Iknow they don't know how to use a toilet as there are signs up in all the ward loos with aperson standing on the toilet bowl 'spending a penny' with a big red line through it.Showers ,we have to show them how to use them too. This all part of the admissionprocess, I have a ball here!I spent a good couple of hrs this afternoon happily filling these bags and now I can't findmy glasses!!!! I think they fell out of my scrubs pocket and into one of the 1.000 I'dspent the afternoon packing. Luckily I have a spare pair but these I trod on the 1st day Iarrived my accomodation being so confined I didn't see them as I turned around...yepI'd dropped them earlier.This spare pair are scewiff.

I am on the top bunk, who would put a woman 'of a certain age' on a top bunk anyway!If I catch my bottom on the ladder handle coming down once more I'll go mad.That or Ifind myself swinging in mid air as my nighty is caught. My room is aprox 6foot not apro.It is 6foot across and 12' long in it as bunk, wardrobe, desk,4 shelves above the deskand a chair....for 2.I have a curtain as a door and there are 3 areas like this and ashower room.

I am on a ship not a boat. You can put a boat on a ship but not a ship on aboat....deffinition.

There is so much to describe I'll save some for another time a toasted cheese and hamsandwich beckons.

Love to you all Florenceno its me Veronica

Received Friday 5th March entitled Ho Downing:

Oh my god (and that I must try harder to stop saying that as there is general silenceeach time it comes out of my mouth) I just have to tell you all just what I have beendoing this evening in 40 degrees of heat, accompanied by several bloody greatcockroaches and watched by the bemused crew of the Korean container ship offloadingalongside us....

Square Dancing with the 'Gay Gordons' thrown in for goodmeasure!

Well you should have been here (no don't let me temp you, you stay where you are and

just read about it) the speakers were full on,the caller was great and as long as youstepped over the railway line that passes down the centre of the port you were all right.


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Laugh? I had a ball but the state of me now is something to behold.

Wish you were here Veronica

Received by mum, Ed and Becci on Sunday 7th March:

From: [email protected]: [email protected]; [email protected]: Saturday.Date: Sat, 6 Mar 2010 19:42:16 +0000

Hi Mum Hi Ed,Hi Bex,I've just come back from the Saracowa hotel swimming pool just down

the road...actually the Mercy Ship security dispatched several landrovers to pick us up asthe election results are out and the rallies are stsrting so it was thought better that we

came back onboard. Luckily its 4pm and we, a group of friends I've made andmyself had been there since 10 oclock this morning. I've swum on and off all day,caught the sun mostly on my back as I slept on my front and have drunk bottles of Pomplamoose fizzy grapefruit which is just so lovely. Now I'm back on board drinkingGinger and Lemon tea before supper which starts at 4.30pm!!!! Sounds early but asbreakfast is 6.30 to 7.30, lunch 11.30 to 12.30 a 4.30 supper isn't too out of the way.

I get up at 6ish and wet my hair and dry it as its all flat one side where I've slept on it.I start work at 8 in my tent with banging on the door to frighten any rat that might bearound...but before I reach the door I greet the 20 or so patients that have alreadyarrived and are waiting to be seen and admitted to the ship for an operation thefollowing day. I do this in French and English with a huge smile and a hand shake hereand there.I cuddle the kids they are so gorgeouse.Once inside in the cool airconditioning I ask hundreds of questions about the patientspresent illness, their family history and start to examin them, blood pressure, temppulse etc. height, weight and I ask when they last had Malaria. I still find that an oddquestion to ask ' when did you LAST have Malaria?' the answer is usually a couple of months ago...bizarre as with us in England we'd be hospitalised in an instant.Then they go and sit out side on the long benches again in a little sideless tent untill I'vefinished them all. I then take them onboard where the wards are and give a 'handover'tell the ward nurses all I've found out about them and I go back down to my tent and do

it all over again.Inbetween times I do my washing which is an experience too. We have a hugewindowless room with 2 walls with a washing machine underneath a tumbledrier on eachwall.You get an hour...1hr to wash and 1 hour to dry As I take my washing out and put itin the above tumble drier the next person put their washing in my used machine. Get it?If you do you are a better person than me it took me ages to fathom it out, infact I hadto get a chair, sit down and eventually find someone and ask how the system works.Now its easy but you have to book the time well ahead, with 400 people it gets kind of crowded.Then I do my ironing. I like all this it makes me feel at home.When I leave work at 5 I go straight to my cabin and shower all over and buggar the2min ship shower business....I put my nice clean clothes on and I have supper which isself service and someone always joins you so its a nice chatty time.


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Then I sit and Email.I love that bit in the evening its contact with you all and its probablythe only time in the day when I don't have to talk to someone if you think about it.

Jenny an Australian nurse who is my age comes and finds me and we natter, read and

she shares her endless supply of chocolate covered peanuts in coloured chocolate...Edyou know what they are called you buy them all the time especially at the cinema not tictacs,not minstrels but.....buggar as my Grandma used to say what are they called? M & Ms thats them. We go to bed about 9 or 10 having accumulated a few mor to natter withand honestly I try and read but end up asleep almost imedeatly. My bunk is really reallycomfy. Then the next day I start it again. Mon - Fri.Sat Sun I don't work and so far I've only ventured as far as 15mins down the road for aswim but I'm going to venture furthe afield perhaps next week end. Not too far Mum andwe always go in numbers.

A group of about 20 have just this minute left for the airport to go home and I actuallywould have liked to have gone with them, its that time of my stay that just happens, theexcitement has worn off. My friend went this evening, Ruth a dentist and I'll missher.Still onwards and upwards.

It rained today and it was so refreshing.Sorted the dust out. Its now muddy!

Ed the Ghurkas that look after us stand at the top of the gangplank 24hrs a day interribly smart uniforms. Extra whit uniforms, black seamed trousers, very shiny blackshoes and stripes depending on their rank on their shoulders and Yes a gun on theirhips. They make us scan our I D cards and sign to say where we are going everytime we

leave the ship and each time we come back on board....I have special dispensation as Iwork off the ship but its best to follow the rules as the ship always knows whether youare onboard or not and if they need to leave they know just where everyone is.TheseGhurkas are nice but efficient and don't let people get away with anything.

They play a lot of cards here (well there is little else to do) The women play fun gameslike Squares don't ask...the American men play poker just like on all the films. I mighthave a go tonight. No not the poker but squares.

There might be a film showing.Wednesday evenings its In-house further education which is really great as the surgeons

take it in turn to go through what they do for certain deformities and how we nurses areto help with the care and dressings afterwards.

Thursday is a huge meeting to distribute any necessary information about anything andeverything

Friday is Ho down well not every Friday.

Sat the Starbucks opens extra long and we drink all sorts of fruit concoctions and just dogenerally what we do best natter

Sunday is Church somewhere off the ship in the villages with the Africans and theservices are long 3hrs often and hot and dusty but really good fun with lots of singing


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banging drums and general chaos. We take lots of clothes and toys with us and have aball distributing them well that really means we put them in a lge dustbin and the peoplehaul them out and put them on.

I'm off for a Frappachino now...chocolate and a fruit syrup blended in a whizzer with Icecubes and its delicious.

There you all are so now you know what I'm doing most of the time. Hope its all well athome thinking of you often.

Veronica, Mum RR.

Received Thursday 11th March entitled For Everyone

Hi everyone,

I'm still here and doing OK. Actually I'm really very tired this eveningI've worked so long and very hard today. Not only have we seen all the patients andadmitted them all but I've got documents ready for every patient next week.We'll seenow wether my filing system works or not....

This week has been made difficult by the air conditioning no working so much so we hadto take turns in taking half hours out of the tent to hydrate and just recouperate in mycase. Its going again (on and off today) so fingers crossed for tomorrow and into nextweek.The orthopaedic surgeons from London are flying in next week so most of the cases arebone orientated at the moment and one thing really makes me MAD its just sopreventable...Kids who are perfectly normal walkers, nothing wrong with them at all geta Oqinine injection at certain ages. Its a large volume and there in the West we'd give 2injections one in each buttock upper outer quadrant and no more than a mill in eachotherwise it saturates the Syatic nerve and causes foot drop and permenant damge tothe Achilies tendon.Here they give over 5mills in one buttock and dead centre right over the S nerve. Doh!Doesn't someone just realise this? NO it seems. This has really got to me these little kidsrunning, well actually they can't run but want to hence they are here with us, they arewalking around on tip toes, throwing the hips out and on and on it goes.They're lovely kids and have to come back to have their plasters changer by the physios

which is next door to My Marquee! These physios have set up a kids paddling pool anddunk the kids all together in it till the plaster is all mushy and it nealy falls apart. Theylove it and for 2 pins I'd be in there with them.I had a little Albino baby in today.Funny sight to see a little black baby who is as Englishskined as I am.She has to be so careful in this sun poor thing and could see very little.

I was off to Ghana this week end, staying in the village of one of our translaters whoesGrandfather is the village Chief. There were a crowd of us going so nobody is worryabout me! but because of the political situation here shore leave has been curtailed.Actually we couldn't even get to Benin to get the visas necessay and if we had, andgone, we were likely to have got into Ghana OK but not out again. So instead its the

hotel with the olympic pool and grass down the road ..


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There is great movement here in the port with ships coming in from offshore wherethere are up to a dozen waiting at any one time. They come in, off load their containersand go again in about 2 or 3 days at the most working 24hrs a day it seems. Its reallyvery interesting I never though anything like that , cold, steel ships would be.

That bloody Tweeting Bird I bought out here to amuse the kids Anne!!!(Stonehouse) isdriving all of us bananas...it doesnt seem to stop ever because the kids love it. Theybecome transfixed by it. Ahhhh. For those of you who don't know, its a magnet in theshape of brightly colourd bird that chirups every time you move it even slightly. The kidswatch then pick it up and then turn it over and over and it goes on and on and on...

We attempted to go to a Lebenese restaurant the other evening. There were 10 of usand only me French speaking so when we tried to get a taxi I did the negotiations andgot the price to 1,500CFAs instead of 2.000. I saved us a good 70 pence there!Then when the name of the place was Maison des Glaces I should have queried it thennot at the end of the evening. Maison des Glaces means Ice Cream House (parlor) notvery Lebenese. Sure enough it was an Ice cream parlor, very nice Ice creams but notquite what we wanted. and it was the other side of the docks which was out of ourcurfew area so we were all a bit nervouse.No wonder the taxi driver had wanted 2.000CFAs he said it was a long way and I hadbeen told it was near and so told him not to be so silly it wasn't as far as all that.. TheLebenese restaurant is near we now find out we could have walked.I think its safer to eat here in future even if every meal is a diguise for the previousemeals left overs.

We have Church this evening, its Thursday. After this servise eveyone gets Ice creamwith every concievable topping that America produces.I never normally like coffee icecream but this one is lovely. You have to get there quickly though as the longer youhang around the more the ice cream melts.

Tomorrow I am going to take a couple of hours off at midday to go with my translaterRuth to the market to buy material and have a dress made. Yes it will be African but I'mhoping to find a slightly less extravigantly coloured material than the usual Africanpatterns.Lovely as they are, and I mean that, Royston would be dazzled and mightnever recover.They sell material in 3 or 6 metres lengths, I can't remember but it is always the same

length which ever it is. This is to make a full length dress, a shawl / baby carrier and aturban. Royston here I come. Mark watch out I might feel the need not to waste thepapoose thing.

We have a photocopier here the same as Nuc Meds and I'm just a useless at using it as Iam when I'm there but here there is no Liz or Christine to sort me out. O woe is me.

We are going up to the mountains the week end after next, staying overnight andtrecking to 'the' wterfalls which are suposed to be just fantastic. I say trecking but in allhonest I've heard you can get these little motorised things like they have in Tailand .Theones with the washing machine engine in them and I'll sit in the back and be driven Icouldn't walk all that way in this temp I have difficulty getting up the bloodr gang plankon a regular basis.


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I really have to go as Church is starting. I'll Email again soon.By the way inbetween all these outings I do work you know... Veronica

11th March 2010: sent from Pam. V wrote: This is me exhausted sitting under the stairs at work

11 th March, 2010:

sent from Pam with message Hello there Veronica, Well, how many days yet before you return tothe comfort of home?? I'm not sure how to send photos in mass so bear with me.............Miss seeingyou and hearing about your day You have a great spirit!! Hope this finds you well and happy ..I keepdreaming that I am on the ship All the best, Pam

V wrote: This is me exhausted sitting under the stairs at wo rk 15th March 2010 Hiya....

Things have and havn't changed here on bord. I am getting more confident and as we have asecond admissions nurse started today and one that was in the same position in Benin so knows the

job probably better than me.....I'm feeling the pressure is off and its nice. We are still gettingbetween 5 and with add ons from the screening clinics 8 patients a day life isn't too too hectic.I spent Sat on the Crystal Palace beach which is glorious te waves are huge but theunderrrents arereally dangerous so no swimming.I have to admit i have badly burnt the backs of my legs factor 15 isnot really enough for temps of 40degrees up.Sunday I made my way to the Saracowa (for a change!). I think I slept for about 4 of the 6 hrs I wasthere and I slept that night too.I am exhausted a lot of the time .Ruth m

wholesaler that she uses and I'm afraid I went a bit berserk buying 5 6yrd bolts of material mostlygreens and blues my favourit colours and not too African in pattern so I'l hopefully wear them back home in Cambridge. We then went on to her dressmaker and that was when I got tired and nowhave very little idea what I said to do with what material. Mark and I have been invited to a ParishMercy Ships Charity doo on the Tuesday that I get back and as things stand right now I'll be wearingone of the dresses. I supose they'll be finished before April 10th and I can bring them home!


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A crowd of 15 of us have hired a mini bus and are going up to the waterfalls next Sat and Sun,it'llmake a change from the Saracower.

I have joined the choir and have moved from Alto to Soprano. Its really lovely. Easter Sun morningwe have a Sunrise service and we are singing at 5.45 as the sun rises and again at 9.30 for theorigional service. I'm looking forward to that. The choir is Sunday evening after the church serviceand for a choir that is constantly changing its really very good. Hope I don't kill it.

There is a wind here these days, ans we have had several small bursts of rain. The rain really coolsthings down though generally I don't feel its as hot as when we arrived. The only thing I have againstthe rain is that it makes the dust turn to mud.

Wave had a high powered visit today of the Health Minister and lots of his officials .They all arrived inhuge great 4 by 4s all shiny and new.They ate then toured the boat. They always seemed to be justwhere I wanted to go and we'd been asked to keep the place as clear as was humanly possible soI've now found lots of back stairways I'd not known existed.

I'm baking cakes this week for a couple of birthdays we have in admissions its just like being at NucMed I've introduced this concept of goodies for special days and its going well.Its my turn tomorrowso I'm cooking a carrott cake wish me (or them) luck.

I have just under 4 weeks here now.Its not gone quickly but it has,all at the same time its a funnyfeeling.Tuesday I have been selected to go on a Crew Training Curse for 2 days which appears to includeoverviews of the off ship programs visiting prisons, orphanages and the such ike, vision/media andpublic relations, function co ordinating and hospital management. I wonder why? I'll let you knowonce I've been. Wierd and I'm bemused.I'm off to an orphanage next Monday to cuddle the babies and A womens refuge for HIV women andtheir infants. These are all run by Mercy nuns and they do a really fantastic job with very very little

funding. Again I'll let you know all about it once I've been.

To end on a light note, and this is not UNtypical you should have seen my face....The fater of a liitle boy I was admitting wanted to take his Kawasaki motorbike into the ward withhim, he was prepared to put the bloody bike in his alotted position under his sons bed, which iswhere all the caregivers usually parents or a relative of somekind sleep whilst their child/relative is inthe hospital and he said he'd sleep in a corner somewhere! I ask you!!!We compromised by me finding him a huge piece of plastic to hide the bike and we put it with thecrews motorbikes on one of the decks.....

Another patient was found waiting for us to treat her at the Airport instead of the Maritime Port.Don't you just love 'em?

Will be intouch again soon I'm off to bake a cake now. We had fire drill so I know we all know whatto do if I have an accident and set fire to anything.. Veronica

16th March 2010I hate not being able to use a computer.....

I have spent a couple of hrs with an american nurse just now learning how to make a folders and putmy photos in these different folders.Whilst he was there I had a ball, the minute he left I can't find the 2nd stage to making a folder allthe instructions I wrote down seem to be different to what I wrote..(poor English I know but it goeswith the spelling)

AND I have pictures downloaded from my camera which he did I'll tell you how later,and I havefolders I want to put them in but I can't cross over the page to get them in exicisting folders.He used a mini usb drive and said I ought to get one!!!!!When I get home If I ever do, I want you and me to make a Coffee Table Book with some of the


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photos in and all the Emails I've sent you (within reason) so get doing whatever you have to do tomake the Emails fit the book, my dear lovely sister.

I got hold of Mark your Mark this evening on face book,no not face book MSN how I did it is acomplete mystery to me and as soon as I tried to answer him I cut me off. How do I do it again bex?

The rainy season seems to have started. oh whoopee...I don't think. It may be cooler but its bloodywet too, yep you got it nothing could please me tonight, except a great big glass of wine, preferablyred and very strong.

And as for the spelling of on bored board bord which is it? I really must try harder everyone iscomenting on it,is it really that bad? Don't even bother answering that one.

Actually they've stopped comenting so its either getting better or they don't care any more. I wonder.

I'm off to do my ironing and I know I can do that so....bye bye Ronky Roo

16th March, 2010from Pam w ith message Veronica.You are sleeping and I am just thinking about it!!! This was takenat the Sunday Church Service...........quite sweet!! Cheerio,Pam

From Pamwith messagePeace to

you!!!

Enjoy............Pam

From Pam with message: Bought a bag from this lady!!! Wish I had taken more photos!!


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Message from Pam: Veronica,

So loved your wonderful note........weather is better here so computer is up and running again. Busydays as I prepare to visit my sister for a long week-end. Am excited to hear you doing so many wonderful things..........my short time there did not allow forsinging in the choir or having garments made Sounds positively wonderful..........am almost enviousuntil I remember the 2 minute showers. That early sunrise service might be a bit rough!!! But inspiring,too Rollers must be huge waves???..........great you are out exploring I have thoughts of returning to the ship myself.......had such a wonderful tho shortstay..............perhaps our paths will cross again

Anyways.......not quite sure how to send more than a photo at a time but will work on it!!!......I think ofyou and SMILE Love to you from Boston, Pam

Sent: 23 March 2010 19:06:58Hi everyone again. Yep I'm still here and battling with the computer as usual. Its getting near toleaving and we are all trying desperatly to move our hospital photos off the ship computers to oursticks (I call mine 'My magic Stick') and again on to our personal laptops. Then move our cameraphotos to one anothers laptops and its got really very complicated.

You should see us all trying to help one another and if we were honest we'd all admit we hav'nt thefaintest idea what we are doing. Yes we are a gang of women all 'of a certain age'. They have evenasked for my help!! Fools.

The weather is hot in the 40s still , very humid but all the same overcast and muggy.The rains areintermittant but when it rains YOU HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED ANYTHING LIKE IT. Africa seems to

have global warming just like us as these rains are not supposed to come 'until the ground underyour feet is hot'....May.No wonder its all so very green here and believe me its green.This week end 15 of us went up into the mountains to Tpalami (pronounced Parlamay) a smallishtown that has beautiful waterfalls and a long mountain treck that took half our party 5.5hrs tocomplete and in this climat that was no mean feat. They were more than exausted when they gotback and I think a couple are still feeling the effects. They drank 4litres of water EACH.we left the ship at 8.30 Saturday morning and I nearly didn't go when I saw the state of this 'sort of'vehicle.It was or had been a VW van supposed to hold 11 but they had added 4 folding seats thatlooked as if theyd come from a cinema somewhere in europe these seats they had welded to thefloor and to keep them upright had tied them to the seat neat to it with sort of chicken wire!Mum you'd have had a fit....I did but the others all 14 of them thought this was part of being in Africaand it was only a 2 hr drive away so I got in!Three and a half hrs later we arrived but only after having stopped 6 times to put air in one of thetyres, you could see the road through the floor boards which meant the red dust was all coming upand chocking us then some of the luggage fell the roof thank God one of us was looking out theback window and saw it. I was completely exhausted by now and we had only arrived I had thereturn journey to go.The hotel was really really good, by African standards,It had intermittant electricity and therefor aireconditioning and a swimmimng pool and that was where it stopped being really really good. Therooms for 2 meant 2 people in one bed admittedly they were bigger than a single but not quite aslarge as a double and these Americans are not small people.I shared with Jenny an Australian girl andshe worked the aircon as I got up to move the wastepaper bucket which was catching the airconcodensation that began dripping about 3am...we didn't sleep much.


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The food..well unbelievable. I ordered lamb cuttlettes which was rather stupid as looking back Ihadn't seen a single sheep let alone a lamb in all the time I've been here I must have got the GreatGrandma sheep of all time, it was so dreadful we took photos, I'll show you when I get back.I wasexpecting some delicate french type cutlettes with perhaps a frilly chefs hat on the end of the

bone....was I mad? Laugh, we nearly died crying. I order nothing but Spag Boll now no one canbotch that up, can they?The waterfalls were really lovely, huge clear falls tumbling from miles above through banana andmango trees and flowing from a pool into the village below.Where it was imediatly contaminated withall the effluent .Such a great shame for those villagers if only they could get the concept of sanitation.I don't care that they live communially in poverty, according to us here in the West but if they could

just get a surrage system in place they would all be so much healthier and the smell that pervadesthese place would go.I got into my cossy and posed for photos under the waterfalls but I won't be showing you them!The journey home was uneventful and took only 2hrs as the 1st van had given up the ghost we think so we had a different VW, it was blue.Still had attached cinema seats tho'.I am doing nothing this week end then its Easter and then I come home. Wow its gone quickly.

Did I tell you I am in the choir? Well if I didn't I am and we have a full program over Easter.We havea sunrise service on the top deck ,deck 8 at 5.30am followed by the normal service at 9 and againthat evening at 7pm. This all takes place on Easter Sunday and I'm looking forward to it. Don Stevensis arriving next week and he is giving the address, again another thing I'm looking forward to as he isquite a charismetic character. I've seen him on a couple of videos and listened to practically everyword.Don Stevens is the man who bought Mercy Ships into being in 1973.

I have been baking again, peanutbutter cookies this time and I'm going to make a whole load beforeI leave. I'm going to wrap half a dozen at a time in knapkins tied with colourd string or wool,whichever I can get hold of at the time and give them to my translaters as a thank you for everythinggift. Well there really isn't a lot else here and at the very least they will be home made.Today I did the bread and butter for the patients who wait hrs in this heat to be seen and thenadmitted and I thought you Mrs.Madam....I had the butter right up to all the edges. Tell your Mum Ihope she's still doing this for you.

I attempted to admit a 15 year old child/girl for a facial tumor operation yesterday.She was with hermother.She had a positive pregnancy test and when I told her,yes that is part of our job here shewas destraught. There is much much more to this story but what I want to tell you is this.Mercy Ships

admitted this young girl to the hospital to give her time to become calm and think about herfuture.Her mother went home in the belief we needed to do more tests. How kind can anorganisation be.

A young man of 38 arrived 2 weeks ago having had treatment with M.S. in Benin last year.He wasvery near to death and crawled from a taxi he had hired, begging for help to make him better. He toowas admitted and we are giving him palliative care with so much care its overpowering.These people are the most unselfish, compasionate, lovely loving people I have ever met and it hashad a profound impression on me.

I am on the slope towards coming home and I must admit I am looking forward to it.

Be good and look forward to seeing me as much as I am looking forward to seeing you all.That is notsaid in sarcasm I really am looking forward to seeing everyone. Much love Veronica


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Sent: 24 March 2010 22:53:33Hi Everone,

I have just got back 9pm from the local university hospital of Lome here in Togo. Wewent to talk to the parents and entertain the kids and spread the good news.

I am Emailing because I have just had a truly life changing experience. The hospital is all on onelevel, I didn't see a medical person of any kind the whole time I was there.It was dark concreted wards of 10 to 15 iron beds with no form of identification that I could see forany of the patients, no wrist bands, no bed numbers, no charts, no names anywhere.

Metronidazole (Antibiotic) I/Vs hung by several of the beds with the needles exposed to the elements just waiting to be used over and over again.Dressings were being tidied by mothers, who were then cooking the meal on a stove next to the bed,alongside the next beds bucket being used as a toilet.

There was a little boy called Amen, they have wonderful names out here who was a post op spinabifida, I understood he had walked but could no longer.

Blessing was waiting to go to theatre tomorrow for his huge spina bif lesion to be closed, he was justlying there waiting with this hydrocoel protruding from his back. He is about 3 so what has he beendoing for the past 3 years?

Passion had had a colostomy performed a week ago I couldn't quite fathom out why and the stomawas just there, no dressing , no bag nothing. His mum had washed him and was just putting hisclothes on over the stoma.

Then 11 of us from the ship arrived and livened things up a bit.I made origami boats, blew bubbles and generally cuddled and nattered with all the kids and their

mums who stay sleeping under the childs bed and are there 24hrs a day doing ALL the care. Othersblew up balloons and tore pages from a colouring book giving the children a crayon one at a time.

You daren't give them a whole book as they won't give them back and if one family has a book andanother doesn't its war.....Same with the bible story books which we gave them to follow as we told the story about Peter in hisboat in the storm which by the time we'd finished the more able kids were enacting along with me. Idid look a fool swishing around in a storm pretending to be frightened but they did a really good joband had a ball.. They loved it all and so did I. I acted as a translator and got a bit of a laugh when Itold one girl to mice instead of smile Souris is to smile and mouse is a similar word and I can't spellit...so what new there I hear you all saying.

the hospital was filthy, decrepit and falling down. None of the ward fans seemed to function and half the lights were out, I found it all a bit depressing when I first entered but came away hoping they

had had a good time and hoping a lot more that I'd never,ever have cause to be admitted.

Then to cap it all we ended up in a riot on the journey home...yep they may not be able to affordhealth care here but they do have riot police all done up in what looks like the latest gear. Hugebatons, face shields and loudhailers.There were rocks flying across the road and actually it was all a bit disconcerting. What did we do?locked the doors and drove like the wind ignoring any signs and lights. Actually that 's how theynormally drive here but this was a bit different. We are home and safe but exhausted well I am but Ihad to get this down before I forget it. No photos were allowed so this is all I shall have to go on inthe future.

O I must tell you though...who took all the money she has with her? I had to put my purse down myknickers so thank God I wear huge ones.I also looked a right sight in an aertex tee shirt and a midcalf sort of nylon skirt with an elasticatedwaist and flat sensible shoes. No offence to anyone but I looked the epitome of a missionary..


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I'd like you all to know I got this outfit from the 'Boutique' here which is a second hand shop downbelow sea level on deck 2. and as I've told you before they dress code her is skirts and below theknee at all times so I had to buy them all my shorts are just to the knee and get shorter when you sitdown...no go.

Well now I'm going to bed having got that all down on paper and off my chest.

Love to you all Veronica

Sent: 26 March 2010 20:47:11Get this...am I affronted? you bet.

well you know how I love the camera, having my photograph taken and all things that project meinto the lime light well ...we have a Dutch film crew here doing a documentary on The Mercy ship.They want to follow two patients from the beginning which is me in Admissions to the end and themgoing home.

All expectant and excited and trying to keep my lipstick on my lips and not down my chin I went towork (my tent on the dock).Do you know what....they wanted to film a Dutch nurse doing my job and so without a by your leavepulled me out from behind my desk where i had got myself all readdied AND then had the audacityto ask me to teach this DUTCH nurse what to do. Phuh! (fugh pronounced like that but spell check didn't have anything that matched not even near)

Just thought I'd impart this to you.off to my bunk now to get over it.

Love to you all Veronica a deflated DIVA

Sent: 31 March 2010 17:23:15

Well....get this!I have just been introduced to the President of the country. Yep he shook my hand and thanked me forcoming. He seemed a little aloof but then I suppose you cant go round being jolly if you are a president.That's one up on the Dutch nurse.

We have been anticipating his arrival for a good week now but it was only 12 hrs ago that his itinerary wasannounced over the ships tannoy. We were told exactly what was going to happen and how it was to happen.What is rather nice here aboard is that they don't hand pick people to meet and greet , the upper echelonsdon't get all the photo calls and the rest of the crew kept out of sight. Yes of course the Captain and DonStevens would be there to the forefront but otherwise everyone is just working as normal and he visits.Rather nice.I can't say its been without small changes though and one of them that made me laugh were the handsanitizers. The ones The President were to use were all wrapped in lovely Togolese material and looked reallysmart whereas the rest of them haven't changed a bit and are still san boxes nailed to a unrefined wooden postthat is sort of fixed to the floor somehow and ours wobble...his didn't seem to. Funny that.Last night about 5pm it all started with these massive security guards trooping around the docks and sleepingon the ship.This morning cars and land rovers were moving all over the place, machine guns mounted on the roofs of oddlooking anti something vehicles, and a plane flew over a couple of times.

This morning we awoke to snipers at the ready on every available rooftop.....and all the computersunresponsive to log on. It took me several attempts to realise they'd been purposefully turned off for thePresidents visit.


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When you think about it, it must be really difficult to secure a place like a dockyard .

Fascinating to watch it all progress.We had extra Gurkers in their smart white and blue, State police in blue camouflaged fatigues, the Nationalarmy in Kaki green and the personal body guards in smart navy suits and lighter blue shirts and ties...in this

heat. At the bottom of the gangway was a metal detector walk through thing, like you have to pass through atan airport, you know the one where the man stands at the other side with a wand and it makes a racket if you've left your penknife in your pocket.It all looked a bit incongruous as the electricity cable ran from a plug in the side of this walk through andwafted up over the dock and through a window (porthole) on the ship.We knew he was coming from the racket the sirens made and the fact that there was an air of readinessaround the place .Once he was onboard the gang plank was hoisted and no one came or went until he left 2hrslater.This was a bit difficult for us in the tent on the dock as we were trapped with no lunch and no loo.Theloo was more concerning.We survived to tell the tale as here I am.

Well that was /is today, now Sunday I went to church and the vicar collapsed...We were sort of honoured guests at a half built, tin roofed ,sandy floored, church in the middle of a desolate

'housing estate' in the slums. Right next door to the, well one of many, rubbish dumps. It was a bit wiffy.Anyway being guests 4 of us nurses were sat in the front row on real seats the rest of the ships groupincluding several surgeons and a couple of anaesthetists were on benches and plastic garden seats at theback. God alone knows where they got them from.At African services no one sits still for a minute. Everyone is constantly standing up and then sitting down,

dancing and clapping and praying out loud and above all this the drums 'oh the drums' beat on and on. Theboys who beat these drums are situated by the guests! You must know what its like at sometime in yourlife been sat at a wedding reception by the speakers and the disco starts...Along to the drums beating are the hollowed out coconut sort of things with a fishing net affair wrappedaround with buttons sewn to the net. These are then beaten by the hand and sound a bit like Maracas, quitedeafening.Above all this and once the women have sashayed to the ongoing beat around the church, followed by the menwho are followed by girls and then the boys then the babies and then the guests the pastor is praying as loudas he can, calling out to Lord and all in French Ewe and a bit of English.Well no wonder he collapsed...

Us 4 on the front row sort of watched it happening in slow motion, not one of us moved as each one wasthinking the same we discovered afterwards. "There are at least two anaesthetists in the audience". I have toadd each of us was also a bit reluctant to do Mouth to mouth and that's what it looked as if it was going to be.We had nothing at all with us, why would we.I will also admit the average age of us in this front row was advanced and therefore more experienced andknew the new younger nurses would be rushing forward to help. Which they did. Whew!He was revived with a bucket full of water and although he sat out for a half an hour he was back up there toclose the service some 2 and a half hrs later...Yep you read it right two and a half hrs.At the end we mixed with the children who all this time had been outside in a separate tin hut doing Sundayschool. I took photos and they loved seeing the stills.

In amongst the adults was a mother with a tiny tiny baby who was so emaciated. The baby turned out to be14months old and weighed 4kgs. We know this because I handed her over to the Feeding Program Nurse whowas with us and we took the mother and baby back to the ship with us to see if we could help. Long storyshort of it being the mothers milk just wasn't good or enough and they started he off with formula andsupplements. We did a whip-round and got enough to get her paid up for the Lomo University Hospitalsfeeding program and then the drivers took her home. Her husband had left her and she lived on the very edgeof the rubbish dump.Mercy Ships couldn't keep her and her baby onboard as, yes we have a fabulous feeding program here butonly for the babies who are undernourished due to clefts and the suchlike and need fattening up (operativeword) prior to a surgery. Now we'll keep an eye on her every week end as someone goes to this church everySunday.

I've just had a break to do some work and in the course of 'my duties 'I have been introduced to a Mr.LouieGohmert. Know him Mark? He's an Americam congressman. What a day....Nice man. He was looking at our workstation and asked loads of questions and like me looked very hot.We have a full ship of celebs at the moment it seems, with Don Stevens the founder of Mercy ships arriving


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last night with his wife and my new best friend Louie the congressman. Thank Goodness my Mum and Dadgave the thorough grounding on how to behave that they did,its come in really handy in the last fewhours alone.

Now I'm off to the Lome University Hospital again like I did last week, remember me telling you all about the

grim buildings and even grimmer nursing care or rather complete lack of it?. I'll keep you posted on tonight.

The ships air conditioning is working at 50% would you believe? Its been like this since Monday and its nownearly as hot inside as it is out,luckily my cabin is on a different circuit and is fully operational so I'm spendinga lot of time on my bunk a)cooling down and B) reading the Telegraph which someone kindly bought withthem on Saturday. Nothing much seems to have happened or have I missed something? Never mind I'll catchup in 2 weeks time when I'll be back. Oh God......bare with me won't you when I see you all.

lots of love as always Veronica


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Afterwards An em ail from Eva, the translator .

Date: Fri, 25 Jun 2010 19:27:11 +0000From: [email protected]: GREETINGTo: [email protected]

Hi Veronica, this is Eva, I have my email addess,I realy like all your talks about Mark and Ed.It wasvery wonderfull to read from you.I felt like I were beside you and going all this with you.But in factI've never been a cold country to understand everything.Likily I got what you meant. You just guessa mum with her kids and have an idea of how they play.

Oh dearest Veronica I miss a lot; sometime when i'm coming to the work it seems that I'm going tomeet you,and I just wait for you as if you'll come.It got so long before i realised you left.These 2 lastweeds we were very busy because we are getting to end and many doctors are leaving the ship.For

2 days this week i havn't been to work for there was a demonstration in the city against rise of theoil price. People were very agree and bloc all the roads.It was like a civil war.

Lovely Veronic when would i meet you?You showed me how to take care of patients and specialychildren.To day i realy want to be a doctor and kids' life.I've never forgoten your story of the black baby you met in your country with his mother.

I love you . Eva

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Veronica in Togo

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