I need a scalpel and a spatula

Here at Floating Doctors my role up until now was the Director of Public Health, which meant all health education and public health aspects of our project went through or were generated by me. However, Sky and Ben recently asked me to the the Galley Coordinator and chef for the Southern Wind! I am so excited!

I have alway loved cooking since the first time I learned how. I remember watching my dad cook for holidays and helping my mom on weeknights, but one of my strongest memories was learning how to cook when I was in the fifth grade by a babysitter that had come to stay with us while my mom was in the hospital. She was teaching me how to cook french onion soup, and I remember her telling me the best way to help and take care of someone was to know how to cook really well for them. From that moment on, I have always enjoyed cooking for my family, friends, neighbors...anyone! I love being able to be flexible with recipes, experimenting with new spices and foods, and ultimately, being able to make something that makes everyone feel good. There is just something that is so comforting about being in the kitchen...if I hadn't decided to go to school for medicine, I would have gone to culinary school! After this trip I plan to write a cook book... I have a crappy little notebook (I really need to get a nicer one) that I write down recipes that I make up and that people teach me along the way and I hope to turn that into a global cookbook when I return, with recipes from around the world.

It's been quite an experience learning to cook for 12 people (sometimes more) for breakfast, lunch and dinner but I always joke that I feel fairly confident that I could raise a giant family now! It's going to be so different cooking on the boat, but I look forward to the simplicity of it, and the challenge of having to get really creative with what little we have. There is so much planning that goes into setting up and outfitting a galley, but I am definately up to the challenge. I have even kept one wall of the galley blank so that I can paint a mural on it! :)

Any ideas, recipes, tips, etc greatly appreciated! I have my hands full with the World Health Survey, but the added responsibility of the Galley is a lot to handle, so I am accepting all the help I can get!

Bottom line is...... I've never been happier. Heres a picture of me one night cooking for all my boys.

Great Success!

It's been a stir of excitment here in Palm Coast as things are progressing quickly with our boat and the Floating Doctors cause. First off, we have all been pushing hard to get contact information for corporate sponsorship, as well as more donations and funds to ensure that we leave completely prepared and equipt for our mission. I'm focusing on clothing and accessories for our trip, trying to make contacts with Ray Ban sunglasses, Rainbow sandals, Helly Hansen, Swiss Army, etc to see what kind of sponsorship they could provide for us. Some of my other crew members are looking into sponsorship from eco-friendly groups, airlines, sailing groups, office supply manufacturers, energy plants, etc.... The possibilities are endless and I am so excited to see the connections that we can make!

I also worked on creating a flyer for a fundraising event being put on by David's shoes, a great show retailer in socal. On Oct 1st, a percentage of the sales from David's shoes will benefit our cause. I decided to call this day "Heels to Heal"! I think it will be a great opportunity for all our fashion saavy supporters to help us out! And the shoes are super cute!!

And last but not least....

OUR ENGINES GOT STARTED TODAY! Hearing the roar of our twin engines was a huge milestone and gave me shivers. It's all becoming a reality!

So many words left to say, but there is little sleep to be had and I have a very full day tomorrow, so I will pick this up again another time.

Paz y amor!

Book Wish List

Ismael - Daniel Quinn

A Thousand Splendid Suns- Kalahead Hosseini

Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair- Pablo Neruda

The Essential Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson- Brooks Atkinson

Self Reliance and Other Essays- Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Waste Land and Other Poems- T.S. Eliot

Things Fall Apart- Chinua Achebe

The Prophet- Kalil Gibran (I've already read this, but its my favorite book and is tattooed on my side as well...and i left my copy at home!)

Beloved- Toni Morrison

A Farewell to Arms- Ernest Hemingway

Run River- Elizabeth Gilbert

Will take any more book suggestions...my brain is aching to learn everything! :)

The end is just the beginning!

Its amazing how fast things have progressed here in the last few days. Sky and Ben and some of the other crew ventured back to California to visit their familes, and while home, Floating Doctors got some great news! We were given all of the money that we need in order to finally set sail! The grant was given to us under the condition that we keep our haul-out date (either the first or second week of october) and leave within 2 weeks or so after that. This is such exciting news because we all were starting to think that we were never going to leave Florida!

It's crazy to think that I have been living on the east coast for 4 months now. Floating Doctors has been nothing like I expected, but every minute of it, even the hard times, has been such an incredible learning experience for me. I have gotten the opportunity to help build a non-profit from the ground up and I feel like Floating Doctors is now my organization, just as much as it is Dr. Ben's. All of us have had such a big hand in creating, changing and growing with this project, and I feel so proud to be a part of such an amazing team of people. We all share the same dream of helping as many as we can, with whatever we can. It's a self-less life we lead here, with 150% dedication to the cause. We live and breathe Floating Doctors, making it a 24/7 job. Not many people can say that they live with their co-workers! Luckily, our crew is made up of such unique and compassionate people, I know that the friendships that have been formed here will be lifelong, and the impact they have made on my life will always hold a special place in my heart.

As we come nearer to our date of departure, there is so much work to be done! While a lot of work still needs to be done on the boat, most of the work is finishing details, which can be done while we are dry-docked in St. Augustine. Meanwhile, I have taken control of our medical supply and medication inventory, which is a very labor intensive job, considering we have thousands of pounds of equipment, supplies and medicine to consolidate, organize and go through. I'm also doing a lot of planning work for the galley, where Sky and I will be cooking. I've been looking at different storage options, as well as buying bulk supplies and food. Cooking on a sailboat is already difficult, but food storage and rationing is quite an art, so I've been trying to gain as much insight and guidance from other sailors and galley chefs.

Sometimes I feel a little overwhelmed in all of this, but I know that this opportunity is unlike any other. Traveling around the world by sailboat gives me the chance to learn everything I have ever wanted to learn and start up new hobbies, and really give rise to my creative outlet. Lately, I went to a used bookstore and bought some classic literature, as well as other books that I have always wanted to read. I have sign language and spanish books to learn, diagnosis cards to study, sutures to practice and am hopefully going to be shadowing an ob-gyn as well as a ultrasound tech so that I can be able to use the ultrasound machine in clinic as well as teach my other crew members. I also got back into painting (I'm painting two murals on the boat), and started jewelry making (which is good practice for sutures and minor surgery!). And of course, my guitar skills are improving daily!

The only downside to all of this is that I miss my family and friends more and more each day and it pains me to think that I'll be away for so long! But they are always in my thoughts and in my heart, and I will be radiating love back home the entire journey. And I can't believe that journey begins so soon!!!

Hold on.

Hold on to what is good even if it is a handful of earth

Hold on to what you believe even if its a tree which stands by itself

Hold on to what you must do even if its a long way from here...

Hold onto my hand even when I have gone away from you.

the newest member to the guitar family

just purchased!

the butterfly detail

About a month ago, Nick started to teach me how to play the guitar. Since I was young I have always dreamed of playing the guitar, and my first one was given to me by my dad for my 9th birthday. I never got up the courage to try to play, and I remember my dad sitting me down one day and trying to show me, but I complained about how it made my fingers hurt and I gave up. What I would give to have him show me again (miss you dad...).

Nick and Ben are both avid guitar players and quite good, and so I knew that now was the time to finally learn. After much practice and very sore fingers, I'm finally starting to pick it up, and can get through afew songs (which I'm very proud of!). I hope so someday be able to accompany myself while I sing, and maybe even write some songs while I'm on this trip.

I thought about bringing my guitar back here when I was home left, but I knew that if something was to ever happen to that special guitar from my dad, I would never be able to forgive myself. Plus, we already have 3 guitars at the house, so there is always an abundance of musical instruments. However, yesterday, Nick and I had to run errands in Daytona and we were instanly drawn to a music store we saw as we were driving to the store. We went in orginally looking for maracas (which they didn't have) and we ended up walking into the guitar room to look around and play for a bit. The second I entered the room, one guitar caught my eye. It was a little worn, with butterflies around the center and beautiful details on the tuning knobs. The second it was in my hands I was in love. There was something about this guitar that was so beautiful, and it has such a wonderful sound..and for some reason so easy to play! I looked at the price tag and then at Nick with a sly grin, and said "I'm buying a guitar today".

Because the guitar was pre-owned (it definately has afew love marks on it) it was only $70 (what a deal!). I was so happy! I am so in love with my guitar and it's given me a new incentive to play everynight and get even better! I know that this is a great guitar that I can bring with me around the world and will eventually tell many great stories..... for it is music that really connects the souls of all the global communities!

Swimming with the Dolphins

The sky was just starting to turn light as we awoke Friday morning, anxious for the activities our day held for us. A dolphin experience was graciously donated to us by the folks at Marineland, a dolphin conservation center about 30 minutes away from our house in Palm Coast. Marineland is known mostly for being the World's first Oceanarium which opened in 1938. The vision of Marineland was to provide a “window to the sea”, paving the way to increasing the understanding and the appreciation of marine life. Bottlenose dolphins were some of the first animals at the center, and have become the spotlight at the Dolphin Conservation Center at Marineland. The Dolphin Conservation Center holds true to our heart, as they are also a non-profit organization, “dedicated to the research, rescue, rehabilitation and release of dolphins and small whales in Northeast Florida”.

As the sun rose, the air was still warm, yet dark clouds loomed over the horizon, warning us of a storm coming our way. As we approached the Conservation Center, the rain was drizzly, but the lighting beneath the dark clouds was magnificent. We stood on the coastline and looked out on the open ocean at the sun peering out from behind big billowy clouds. I tried to imagine only seeing the open ocean like this for weeks at a time as we embark on our journey. There will be times when we are sailing on long crossings, where all we can see is the horizon, with no land in sight. The waves crashed down as the wind picked up, and right as the rain started, our guide came to meet us.Inside, we were able to get our wristbands and complimentary Marineland towels and soon we were off to the dolphin pools. We could see through the tank and the dolphins swam right up to us, following our hands as we placed them on the glass. The Dolphin Conservation Center is famous for housing Nelly, one of the oldest dolphins in captivity who is 56 years old. Nelly is also special because she gave birth to Sonny, the largest dolphin at the Conservation Center who weighs approximately 530 lbs! As we made our way to the dolphin pool, our lovely intern gave us a lot of great information about dolphins. One fact that really struck me is that dolphins raise their young in pods, because without the help of the other mothers, there is a 25% mortality rate for infant dolphins. I also found out that the reason dolphins look like they are smiling all the time is because their mouths are designed for expelling sea water with minimal effort out of the corners of their mouths.

After our lesson on dolphin life and anatomy, we were all fitted for life jackets and snorkel masks and were ready to enter the water with the dolphins. We were split up into two groups, and were assigned to a trainer. We went to the deepest pool first, where we were really able to swim and interact with two female adult dolphins and one baby dolphin. Our trainer Dani said that the baby dolphin was entering her “bratty” phase, and we would have to ignore most of her playful behavior because they train the dolphins by using positive reinforcement. Our dolphin Roxy was absolutely stunning. When we were able to touch her, her skin was not what I expected it to feel like. Dolphins feel almost like vinyl, not rubbery or waxy like I had thought. We were able to command Roxy to do different tricks, and we watched her swim underneath and all around us. The rain began to come down harder, and it almost made the experience more magical, because we were swimming with such amazing creatures at sunrise, in the warm rain.

After time with the female dolphins we made our way to the shallow pool with the adult male dolphins: Sonny and Chubby. Here we were able to feed the dolphins fish (which they swallow whole!) and have them do jumps and tricks for us. We even got to kiss them!

As we left the Conservation Center, I felt so grateful to have had such a beautiful and incredible first encounter with dolphins. Dolphins are thought of to be a symbol of joy, protection and inner harmony and I definitely felt that way, especially after being up close with them. Dolphins seem to have such a wise and graceful spirit about them, and I know that being able to connect with them in such a special way has granted all of us here at Floating Doctors a great sense of inner peace as we come closer and closer to our date of departure. I feel strongly that the dolphins will serve as our protectors in the water and will help guide our boat safely throughout our whole journey.

Pictures of the Cuban Pig Roast

Our amazing feast!

salsa!

Sky, Christina and me making arrepas

Ramon flipping the pig

the pig in all its glory

yucca!

Nick and Tia Claudia

The butchered pig (gross) with getting seasoned by ben

Cubans, Columbians y Puerto Ricans

Last Friday night, the boys got a taste of reality. They were invited to the farm of the owner of the local Latino Market to participate in the killing of the pig for a traditional cuban pig roast. The boys had to slaughter and butcher the pig, and then prepare it for the party the next day. I knew that I would not have been strong enough to watch an animal get killed, but i believe it was a great lesson in humility for everyone, and helped us all to remember to be greatful for the food we have everyday because it is afterall, a life given up for our nourishment. They came back muddy and dirty, but full of helpful knowledge and insight into butchering meat, something we will need to know for some of the countries that we visit.

The following day was the day of the pig roast. After a half day of work at the boat, we ventured over to Ramon's house, where the whole pig was already roasting on top of a big open fire. Much of his and Claudia's family came over and we began to prepare many of the great Columbian, Puerto Rican and Cuban dishes. Sky and I attempted to help in the kitchen, with a bunch of women who did not speak english, which made for many laughs. We were making arrepas, which are similar to tortillas...but sky and i could not figure out how to form them into the perfect round shape that all the other women were doing. After all of them watched us struggle, they all (at different times) started yelling "mira! mira!" ("watch me! watch!) and were trying to show us the correct way, which of course, went right past our heads because we were laughing too hard. We also learned how to make platanos (fried plaintains), chorizo, arroz con frijoles (rice and black beans) and yucca (a root like vegetable). Hours upon hours passed, and many laughs were shared and our spanish was definately practiced! We brought over some of our guitars and we played and sang, until finally the pig was finished and all the food was prepared. And what a feast! The food was phenominal, and the company was even better, and I felt like I had formed a giant family. The latino culture is so welcoming and warm, and I felt right at home, even though I didn't speak the language. By the end of the night everyone was salsa dancing and having a great time. I wished the night would have never ended! And with the way that they party, it really didn't have to (everyone was up until about 4am) but I left early because I was so exhausted.

Since the party, we have had an outpouring of love ( and leftovers) from all of our new friends. Our community here is so wonderful and we are so lucky to be surrounded by so many fantastic and generous new people!

a long overdue update

I can't believe its been almost two months since my last entry! whoooops! I promise to write in this much more often now, as a few of my friends have made it apparent that I am lacking in the updating department! :)

Life here in Florida (despite the fact that we live in a retirement community) moves so quickly! So much progress has been made on the boat....I looked at pictures from my first day and it's hard to imagine that almost 4 months ago we were given a shell of a boat, weather worn and broken in so many ways, only to bring it back to life and give it an entire makeover! All the crew cabins have been finished, as well as the aft hed (downstairs bathroom). The salon is near finished as well, but we are waiting to complete the electric before we secure the ceiling. We have refiberglassed almost the entire outside of the boat, as well as built an incredible outside bench (which was also fiberglassed) and a hug throne/captains chair for the helm, complete with a fish tank! The last few days we have been sanding the outside of the boat, preparing it for a brand new paint job, which will make our boat look spectacular. Sanding is a hell of a job though... we are using electric sanders, but bending over all day sanding fiberglass not only makes your muscles and back hurt beyond belief...but you are so itchy from the fiberglass dust that it makes it hard to sleep at night! We have all learned to just power through it though, as the thought of our departure comes closer and more vivid in our mind.

In the last 2 months I have become extremely accident prone (or i guess i always was accident prone to begin with) and have suffered a major knee dislocation, a three degree burn on my hand, lacceration on my face and a broken toe...and those were just the major ones! I can't tell you the number of bruises and cuts that appear out of no where every day! All of them have good stories though (except for the broken toe...that I was literally just walking in the rain and slipped) but... I'm sure they will serve as funny memories for years to come. Or at least they will be good battle scars.

Our days off are so appreciated around here, and we have been so fortunate enough to be able to have adventures on all of them! We have swam with manatees, gone on our first 3 day sailing trip (where we caught 2 sharks!), gone to concerts, visited beaches, and most recently, swam with dolphins and participated in a traditional cuban pig roast (Will write more on this later...what an experience!).

We also have gained 3 new crew members! Graham joined us afew weeks ago, and is someone that I knew from San Francisco, as we were on the SFSU health clinic advisory board together. He is a great asset to our family and brings such a great sense of humor to the group! Our other 2 new members come in animal form : Giles McCoy (our boat dog) and Tweak (our boat cat)! Giles was named after a man who survived the USS Innapolis sinking. He said that as he was in the ocean, watching his friends get eaten by sharks, he prayed to god that if he survived, he would become a doctor and dedicate his life to helping people. He died afew months ago, but we heard his story at the Palm Coast Veterans of Foreign War group, and we said that if we ever got a boat dog we would name him in memory of the real Giles McCoy. Giles is the sweetest puppy in the entire world, and already is adjusted to the boat! Tweak is a crazy kitten, full of energy, and has many quirks (like loving to sleep in the crockpot). He and Giles are finally getting along, and will eat out of the same bowl, sleep on the same bed and even play together! Its so nice to have animals around the house, and we adopted them knowing that it won't be easy, but many sailors have told us that boat dogs and boat cats are great assets and protection on the sea and in ports.

One of the most exciting things that has happened is that CNN sent out a camera crew to film a special piece on us! They interviewed Ben and Sky and then picked 2 crew members to be interviewed...and Nick and I were chosen! I had my interview at sunset on the boat, and they asked me a lot of questions about the survey that I am writing and how I will be conducting it. I talked about how we are looking at not only disease and demographic data, but at the perceptive attitudes of the communities that we visit. They asked a lot of great questions, and I can only hope i answered them somewhat elequently....but I always get so nervous on camera! They filmed us the next day while we were working and asked us afew more questions about our work on the boat. I can't wait until it airs! I will definately post the link on here (it will be online first and then if we get enough views it will air on tv!)

Life here is so amazing and I haven't felt this happy in a long time! Being here has given me some of the greatest adventures of my life and this is only the beginning!

much love to you all....
-J