Before arriving at Pitcairn, I had told the Captain and the ship's Purser, Kimberly, who was in communication with people on the island, that I would be available to do massage therapy for the island's residents if anyone was interested. They promised to pass the word along to Pitcairn. By Sunday night I had not heard from anyone about doing massage and I was scheduled to go back to the ship on Monday afternoon. So, after the talent show Sunday evening I spoke to Kimberly about it.
Kimberly introduced me to Meralda who works at the island's Health Clinic. When I told Meralda that I was willing to do massage therapy she was very interested and promised to speak with the doctor in the morning. (The doctor is in residence while the construction crew is here to build the road.) At 8:30 the next morning I heard the doctor making a public announcement over the VHF radio that massage therapy for musculo-skeletal issues would be available at the clinic...so then I knew that he had given approval!
Monday morning I saw three people at the clinic for half hour appointments each. Other people expressed interest, but could not come in that morning. So, on my way home I stopped in at Big Fence where the Captain and several other shipmates were staying to ask his permission to stay ashore longer to do more massage therapy. He said, "Yes, you can stay ashore. But you have to do a lot of massage. You can't just say you're going to do it and then not have anyone show up."
So, I scrambled to talk to everyone I knew on the island to find out who wanted a massage. I quickly got names of people that others thought needed a massage. By this morning I had scheduled two appointments and had at least half a dozen others promising to call in for an appointment. I started at 9am, doing half hour appointments and worked straight through until 12:30, then again from 3:00 pm until 6:00pm...thirteen people by the end of the day. Adding the three people I massaged yesterday, I've worked on one-third of the 47 island residents. And there might be more tomorrow morning. I would say that I satisfied the Captain's criteria for allowing me to stay ashore.
Nor did I miss out on much outdoor fun today since it was another very, very rainy day. Perhaps I would have gone mud sliding with the younger crowd...it does look like fun. There's a steep slope where the rain run-off makes great long slides. Everyone dons coveralls and they come back covered with mud from head to toe. It washes off.
Tomorrow we all go back to the ship and set sail for Mangareva. I will certainly miss all my new friends on Pitcairn. I'm very glad to have the extra two days with my Pitcairn family and friends.
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