Saturday we decided to give island life another try. On board there is something called the “Activities Notebook” where people can post of upcoming trips/excursions that you can sign up for. We signed up to go to the island Kassa. The fact that this trip was in the notebook already gave us more confidence, since clearly it was more planned out than the last one. There is a crew member on the ship named Vitaly that helps book these kind of trips. He finds the boat, best prices, coordinates the departure/arrivals, etc. This is how he fundraises and supports his time here on MercyShips. He’s got a distinctive look. Tall, black, and always has large black and red headphones just above his ears. He looks like a character straight out of a movie or a game. He is so good at blending in with the locals that on our first trip to Roume we didn’t even realize he was a crew member. It wasn’t until we started seeing him around the ship that it dawned on us. He procured for us a boat and we set out. It started off a little windy and wavy with what felt like, at least to me, decent sized waves rocking us back and forth. I watched as Kate closed her eyes, relaxed, trying to catch a nap as I gripped the sides of the boat. She slowly drifted to a blissful rest as I uneasily watched the waves rise and fall. She reminded me of Jesus then, when he is asleep during the storm on the boat. Guess we’re off to a good start of imitating Christ this time around!
Once we arrived to the island we were greeted by a man who asked if we wanted to tour the island with him as our guide. There were 15 of us there and while some were expecting the trip just to be another day at the beach we were all in agreement that we would explore around the island first. He showed us the way and it was good to have him there and tell us about the island.
We went through a village and got to see what school was like for the village children. Anytime we passed by some of the local children they would chant out “ fikhè” or what sounded like "foto" which means “white” proclaiming our ethnicity to everyone in earshot! It was all in good fun and you could tell that this was a rehearsed act as they all seemed to chant it to the same melody, we wondered how often they practiced, in jest.
We stopped at a local bar/restaurant. The guide told us about another place on the other side of the island, about a 40 minute walk or so, with nicer beaches. Much to our relief, our group opted to first get a refreshing drink at this bar first. This was a good way to give them some business and rest a bit before the hot trek to the other beach.
We found out they had fresh squeezed juice and all had to try; pineapple, orange, or grapefruit. I got pineapple while Kate opted for the orange.
As we sat there we watched our surroundings. One common thing to see in Guinea is the sad sight of hungry dogs laying around. Usually assaulted by flies they lay in the hot sun with no energy to do anything except scavenge for food every once in awhile. What passes for food typically is whatever trash is left behind, like a can of sardines of some variety that the dogs lick the leftovers clean off for some nourishment. Once again we’re reminded of the differences between here and home and what we take for granted, as simple as having a pet that you can regularly feed and water. It is just one small thing coming out of the larger poverty in the nation.
After our R and R we walked to the beach on the other side of the island. The walk wasn’t too grueling but it got hot quickly in the sun. As we walked along a smell began to burn our noses. The further we got the fouler it smelled. Finally we stopped in front of a ton of tables with what looked like blankets laying across the tops. We guessed it may be an animal market of some sort, with the animals underneath the tables kept in cages. Upon closer inspection and an explanation from our new guide friend we realized that it was not blankets or an animal market, but thousands of rotting fish sprawled across the tables.
People on Kassa will fish and then cut up the fish and lay them out in the sun to rot for 15 days. They take the fish to a bunch of different places where they turn them into flavor cubes. These cubes can be thrown into soups or different meals for flavor additives. My mind went to bouillon cubes as the closest equivalent. The smell, however, was putrid and quite literally stinging our nostrils. It was hard to imagine wanting that to be anywhere near my food. It was all around us so we couldn’t get a clean breath until we had finally passed them. Luckily my gag reflex has improved, but it was certainly tested.
When we arrived at the other side of the island we could tell it was more of the touristy part of Kassa. A restaurant sat up a little bit inland of the beach, with a couple people selling clothing and jeweler. The restaurant offered many tables along the sand to sit at and enjoy a meal after walking alongside the ocean for a bit. Yes, we definitely made sure to get food this time around! Even though the menu was all French, with the help of our new Swiss-French friend, Lydia, we managed to order after learning some key words (Chicken, beef, etc). I ordered the steak and Kate ordered the chicken, both with fried plantains on the side, which I could get used to. We exchanged stories of our homelands with our group, a range of various nationalities including some from Denmark, Singapore, Switzerland, Germany, and others. It is always interesting to see the differences in culture and also creating a bond when we find similarities too. After a few hours it was time to head back.
On the journey home a family came to greet us. Knowing we were from MercyShips they brought their little boy to have us look at. A common thing seen here in the people are large tumors that grow out of the skin, mostly due to being malnourished and having poor hygiene, among other attributes. The boy was said to be about 10 years old but he didn’t look older than 6 or 7. He had what looked like a large tumor growing out of his left shoulder blade (it might have been a spinal deformity and therefore would not be operable) and he had very thin legs. The family presented him to us, hopeful that we would be able to show the doctors on the ship. It’s so hard when someone comes to you out of hope and there is just nothing that you can humanely do to help. We did not want to instill false hope and the nurses with us told them it would likely not be able to be operated on, due to the position of the tumor or the complexity of it being a spinal issue. They insisted still that we take a photo to show someone on the ship. Someone took the picture and we continued on our way, slightly disheartened. Kate and I found a private spot later on and said a prayer for him and his family. That was about all we felt we could do.
The tide was much lower now, probably down by nearly 8-10 feet by what we could tell. This meant we had nowhere good to dock at since the docks now sat up much higher than the water. Luckily Vitaly came to our rescue! He organized for us to dock alongside 4 military marine boats all in a row. We walked from boat to boat, crossing their width until we finally felt the stable ground beneath out feet. It’s always an adventure here and you never quite know how a day is going to turn out, but we are blessed to be back home on board the Africa Mercy.
There’s no place like Kassa. Unfortunately, this is not true. Kassa is just as impoverished as the rest of the majority of the nation. It is such a weird thing coming from the US to a third world country and seeing it through our eyes as poor . Those who live here, however, go on with their daily lives and live the best that they can. The effects of poverty are mostly seen in their health and in their homes, but it is not seen in their hearts and you can tell they are strong in their struggle. As seen on the island of Kassa, so many locals were friendly and inviting, letting us even visit the school and see where the children learn. Our hearts go out to them. MercyShips does a great thing in coming to heal those that they can, but it never seems enough and there will be a gap when they leave in June. We can leave them the lasting hope that is the hope in Jesus and an afterlife free of poverty and pain. The same faith that I hold to in the hope of what is not seen, eternity, I pray they find it as well.