Duty hostess.

Yesterday I was on duty. So I prepared everything that needed to be done for the new arrivals, there were 4 people. 

As the night grew later I waited for the page to come to reception in order to greet the arrivals. Once it rang, I came upstairs and there were only 3 ladies. I proceeded to carry on, instructing them on their forms that needed to be filled out and serving them dinner and cookies =). After I had shown them each to their cabins I came back to reception to inquire about my 4th arrival. Sometimes their luggage has not shown up and their waiting at the airport, or they've missed a connection and will arrive the next night.. 

But this man had a different story. And his story struck me. I was told that he was not going to be arriving tonight because he was sitting out in the ocean beyond the port entrance, on another ship. Odd I thought, why would someone be arriving from a ship?? and not flying? what was going on?

I learned that, Three months ago a Maersk container ship came into the Port of Cotonou. Their 3rd Officer was a young Irishman named Billy, who wandered over to the Africa Mercy whilst his ship was being unloaded, to see what we do. He was sufficiently impressed, and completed an application form then and there before he sailed away again. This week he left his Maersk ship as soon as it came back into port and joined the Africa Mercy as 3rd Officer, with a two month commitment. How cool!  He saw what we were doing, and wanted to be a part of it. So he applied to stay starting the next time his ship came into port. If only more professional seamen joined us this way!