Life has carried on, it doesn’t seem like much has changed since my last entry, and yet so much has. It was very anticlimactic, but something that I can now check off my bucket list.
Last Sunday (23 May), we had a very special visiter come aboard the Africa Mercy. President Denis Sassou-Nguesso, himself, came aboard for a tour of the hospital ship which many people call home.
It started out as any other Sunday morning would, wake up for breakfast and pack your lunch. The only difference was, there was already an under toned hum of business. The main lounge area where everyone chills out, was closed from 9am until 7:30pm. Everything had to be set up and arranged so those areas were off limits for the day.
What was even more amazing to me, was that this busy port we are docked in was shut down for the day. They weren’t loading and unloading containers, freight, and other goods. The road leading into the port had no traffic when usually traffic is backed up for half-a-mile!
The president arrived around 4:30 that afternoon. I will now answer the question that I know is burning in your mind, ‘did you meet the president?’ The answer is a very simple and honestly, ‘no, I did not.’ What I did do, was watch him walk up the gangway stairs while standing outside on the deck. I can now say that I’ve seen a president in person security and all.
While all the major people were talking and the tour was taking place, what did I do…I ate dinner and then came back to the cabin and took a nap. It was great!
