Back to School

John Simpson - the man with the donkey - of Gallipoli legend was from South Shields and is celebrated with this statue in the main mall

Those of you who have followed our journey with Mercy Ships from the start will know that I came to South Tyneside College (STC) in the UK five years ago to complete my bridging training between the Navy and Merchant Navy. Well this year I went back to school in South Shields again.

South Tyneside Marine College

I am working towards my Second Engineer's licence and between September and December took two classes - Electrotechnology and Naval Architecture - at Chief's level and prepared in my own time for two others - Applied Heat and Applied Mechanics. This was a pretty full on load but I had covered most the work before albeit 25-30 years ago! The benefits are that if I pass all 4 exams I will only need to return for a six week Engineering Knowledge (EK) course, two exams and an oral exam sometime in 2016. I was hoping to also sit the EK exams in December but the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) would not exempt me coursework for EKs. In fact I was hoping for exemptions from the exams for Heat, Mechanics and Electrotechnology as I covered all of these to a higher level at Uni. However the MCA only recognises UK and EU member states degrees so it was back to school for this little black duck.

Why am I doing this? Whilst I have enjoyed a season of less management and more hands on as Third Engineer, I realise I have more to offer. I have had 7 Second Engineers in my 2+ years onboard the Africa Mercy and when I left in September, Mercy Ships were employing a contracted Russian Second Engineer to meet our minimum manning requirement. From my experience and training in the Navy, I know I can do the job. I now need to jump through the hoops again to get the licence.

I won't beat around the bush. The farewells in Madagascar were tough. Some, because by the time I returned, some good friends had completed their service and returned home themselves. The family was tough because it had been 5 years since we did such a long separation and the boys are that much older now. However God has led us this far and looked after us so I was  convinced this is part of his plan and he would be with me for the 3 & 1/2 months I was away.

Dr Winterbottm Hall

I stayed in Dr Winterbottom Hall, the accommodation attached to the college which make some things easier. I didn't have to cook for myself or shop for food and there was pretty good wifi. Plus the library was literally 100 metres away. The down side was some of the fellow residents - mainly cadets - were far from the cleanest people in the world to live in community with. Sometimes it feels more like a fraternity house.

B Block

Scene of much study

I bought an old second hand clunker bike to get around campus and into South Shields. I bought it from a pawn shop for £35 and have a £18 lock to go with it. Unfortunately this is a fact I learnt living in London that you need to spend almost as much on your bike security as the bike.

The old clunker

Last time I was at the College I bought and sold a road bike on Ebay and rode with the Sunderland Clarion Cycle Club. I hooked up with them before I arrived and a club member very kindly lent me his beautiful Bianchi ViaNirone7 road bike. 

The Good Bike - a loaner

I joined the South Shields Velo Cycling Club and went out riding almost every Saturday covering on average 100km around Durham and Tyne & Wear. Amazingly every Saturday except two were dry although some were a bit chilly at anywhere as low as 0 degrees C.

Alan Harris' Saturday morning ride - where "it's all downhill from here"

On weekends they only serve brunch in the College so I would have a pub dinner at The County where students get 10% discount. 

The County

I've watched a few Rugby World Cup games there but for the big ones - Wallabies v England, Wales and the All Blacks - I went to the Westoe Rugby Club with some friends from the Velo - Steven & Nicola. I copped a bit of crap when I was the only Aussie among about 500 Geordies supporting England but they were quiet when the Wallabies won! I looked at going to watch one of the three games played at St James Park in Newcastle but the cheap seats were £80 - way out of my budget.

Westoe Rugby Club

Westoe Rugby Club watching RWC

I also attended a local church - Westoe Road Baptist. This was recommended to me by Jan Tuinier and they have been really welcoming. I am not a great theologian and like a simple straightforward sermon, something I like about Westoe Road. Simple messages that speak to my everyday life.

Westoe Road Baptist Church

I also spent a week in Glasgow during the mid term break at South Shields. I needed to do a Human Element Leadership and Management Course and there was not one running at STC so I traveled up to Glasgow for the week to do the course at Glasgow Maritime Academy. Not much of the course was new material to me having done months of leadership and management training through my Navy career, but it was another box ticked. Glasgow looked lovely but I did not get much chance to explore.

In early November I took a study break heading South to visit my cousin Katie and her family which was a lovely break. They treated me to dinner out and Spectre at the movies.

After that there was about 5 weeks more study and then exam week - 4 x 3 hour exams in 5 days. i hadn't done that many 3 hour exams in a week since 1988 so it was a bit stressful. anyway I had prepared well, had a legion of people praying for and encouraging me and blitzed the exams finishing them all well within time and leaving early. Results are posted in February.

It is now December and I am back onboard for 8 weeks. I will be returning to the UK in February for 8 weeks to complete EKs course and exams plus my refresher courses for Fire Fighting and Personal Survival. The refreshers are a new requirement which come into effect for all mariners on 1Jan2017 so it is prudent to do them whilst in the UK this coming time rather than returning for a third time. And then if I have passed everything I can apply for my Class 2 (Second Engineers) Motor Certificate of Competency which I hope to receive by 1 August 2016 when we sail from Durban to Cape Town.

Minette

I've befriended a patient onboard this field service. I still have a soft spot for the VVF ladies after my time with Annie in Congo. Last field service, I was focused on my job. This field service, Mick left 10 days after our arrival in Madagascer to study in England - he'll be back in 3 weeks time after 3.5 months away. I didn't think I'd be able to commit to befriending a patient whilst Mick was away - however, once you listen to a patient's history, in your heart,  you're already committed.

I remember as a 14 year old thinking how hard  life was - probably based on what someone else was allowed to have or do - or the amount of homework I had. Perhaps some chores were not to my liking. But my concerns were of a child still being a child and acting as such.

My patient is 14 years old - her name is Minette. She has an obstetric fistula after mis carrying very traumatically a few months ago. She was very malnourished - weighing only 28kg when she arrived. She also had some nerve damage in her legs as a result of the birth and has just started to walk again without the walking frame - but with a supportive arm. it is a long road ahead and full recovery may not even be possible. 

I visit her on Wednesday and Sunday because she is in the Obstetric Fistula Clinic operated by Mercy Ships in the grounds of the local hospital. I ride my bike over when the boys are in school - or on Sunday, when the younger two are at karate. So today, Jack and I rode over and it hit me: how blessed we are to have grown up in Australia and all that means.

Seeing Jack - side by side with Minette :

-They are the same age and approximately same height

-He's in his 9th year of school - she's had 5 years

-He weighs about 40kg and she's gained some weight but probably in low thirties still.

-She has an obstetric fistula and the possibility of Hope and Healing for her incontinence through Mercy Ships

-Jack has Asperger's syndrome and we accessed every therapy recommended for him when he was diagnosed.  He made huge improvements immediately.

It wasn't until they were sitting side by side today that I realised how much we take our medical system for granted. We don't need to hold out hope for help in Australia, we just need to make an appointment. Sometimes we have to wait a few days, weeks or months. Rarely - years. In Madagascar - the help you need may not even exist in your country. 

Obstetric fistulas are a big problem here somewhat due to the culture of marrying very young in some people groups. It is estimated that there are 50000 women with this condition in Madagascar with up to 2000 more occurring each year. Mercy Ships has partnered with Freedom from Fistula to train a team of nurses, set up Operating Room and clinic to leave behind when we sail away in June 2016. It's awesome to be part of this.

I don't mind admitting that I've struggled with my own little pity party these last few months whilst Mick has been away. It's hard being remote from friends and family - especially with the turnover of volunteers onboard. It's hard single parenting - even with daily phone calls. And all jobs have days when it's not great.

However - imagine living with incontinence from a fistula from age 14, for the rest of your life.  

What does that do for your dreams of the future - for family, employment, community. 

How do you feel about yourself?

Minette and the other patients at the OBF clinic bring our purpose in being here in Toamasina into focus - we are here to bring Hope and Healing, one patient at a time.