Team members met up at Dulles International after traveling from many parts of the US – Hawaii, California, Florida, Oregon, Louisiana and Pennsylvania. This was a chance for those who had worked together to catch up with old colleagues and those on their first Rotaplast mission to make new Friends.
Veteran Rotaplasterians Sharron Newton, Head Nurse, and Tom Fox our Mission Director.
First time on a Rotaplast mission is Jackie Cunningham-Hill and John McCoy sharing a joke at Dulles International airport.
Our route from Dulles was to Brussels, a 5-hour layover, and then onto Monrovia with a brief stop in Freetown, Sierra Leone. It was early evening when we arrived at Roberts International Airport, everyone was tired and we were looking forward to bed and sleep. Just one final challenge getting through immigration and customs and all the concerns that brings… will I find my yellow fever certificate, has our luggage and all the Rotaplast boxes made it? We shouldn’t have worried as we were met by Liz and other Rotarians helping us sail through immigration to be greeted by our luggage and all 34 Rotaplast boxes of mission equipment and supplies.
With the help of the local Rotarians, Tom, Dennis (Quartermaster) and Jim effortlessly got all the supplies through customs! More help got the boxes, our suitcases and ourselves onto a bus and a truck. It was a tight squeeze but everything, and everyone made it to Monrovia one hour away! Tom even managed to have a team meeting on the bus (see below):
Once we arrived at the Hotel we were greeted by more local Rotarians who had arranged dinner. Late, tired but glad to be here everyone headed to bed with anticipation of the next day at St Joseph’s hospital.
Signing off for now,
Mark Cunningham-Hill