Saturday 2nd March

The situation has improved slightly this morning in that people are allowed off the ship, but only to certain locations as there are still restrictions. We were supposed to be going to the orphanage this morning but had to cancel as we couldn't have got there which was a real shame as I was really looking forward to it. Hopefully if things calm down by next week we may be able to go next Saturday. So, we spent a few hours playing on the Wii with Nathanael as he was excited to show us some of his games, especially Lego Pirates of the Caribbean! 

After lunch we decided to walk to the supermarket. It was really weird because it was really quiet on the streets. There were hardly any people around which is really unusual as it is usually heaving with people. It was so different compared to when we went into town earlier in the week. Everyone is scared about what is happening so they have gone into hiding because of the riots. It was quite a short walk to the supermarket (which is stupidly expensive - £3.30 for a 1 and half litre bottle of coke!) but by the time we got back we were very hot, sticky and exhausted from the heat and humidity. Stupid really. When we got back we did a bit more Wii-ing!
On our way out to the supermarket, Keith, the guy who had taken us on the tour of the clinics on Monday was just coming in and he told us that the people we had met at the Hope Centre on Monday were asking after us and wanted to know when we were going back to visit them. We thought this was pretty amazing as we weren't even there for very long on Monday. It made us realise how important these visits are to them and what an impact Mercy Ships are having.

In the evening everyone dressed up (some people really smart) and we all went to the International lounge for the 2013 Africa Mercy International Film Festival!

It was such a fun evening. People on the ship make movies, public announcement films, music videos etc for the event. They have to be no longer than 5 minutes each. Some of them are amazing and some real hard work had gone into them. Some were so funny we were crying with laughter! They had a panel of judges from the ship who were going to decide on the winner in certain categories. The audience all had voting slips on their chairs so they could vote for the people's choice award. 


The first film won lots of awards as it was absolutely hilarious. It was in the style of an advert for the Africa Mercy Assisted Living Facility! It was about life on the ship and never having to cook for yourself again etc. It's difficult to explain it without seeing it. 
After all of the films had been shown we all went downstairs to the cafe where they served snacks and mocktails (non alcoholic cocktails) and they showed some films from previous years festivals. Then at the end they handed out prizes for different categories and the people's choice award and the overall winner. Some of the kids from the academy had done films, the galley staff, some of the mums etc. It was really well done and a great night. 

Pepto-Bismol is my best friend at the moment! Good stuff, but it makes stuff go black! like your tongue and poo! Lots of pooing going on around here at the moment along with stomach cramps. Not so good. 

On that note we'll leave you to enjoy your dinner!!