Alex's personal musings - carnage!

Night 3 being Wednesday was always billed as a busy night. It is one of the mains days when people arrive on the island and they commonly hit the bars as soon as they land. With the excitement of a brilliant holiday in front of them people enthusiastically get into the party mood and take / drink too much. I have very limited experience of either taking or seeing the effects of drugs but after last night I have a bit more (not the taking you understand).

We began the night in the prayer room worshipping God which is a great way to get focused on the job at hand. I then joined Abby (bonus) on our first walk about. We didn’t even make it 10 metres before we got a call to take someone home. So Abby and I got into the vomit van and drove to meet up with Michelle and Robb who were helping a young chap and his two friends. Michelle is absolutely brilliant. She was so natural and calm even when the young fella was affectionately cuddling and kissing her shortly after he had vomited!

Once we had dropped those guys back we arrived back on the strip to find an Irish chap without his shoes and shirt wondering around without a clue of what was going on. Fortunately, he was just outside the medical tent so we helped him in where he was checked over (blood pressure, temperature, heart rate etc). We waiting with him for around 45 minutes as high heart rate settled and temperature dropped. During this time, in came Jon with a young man who was all over the place. The same checks were carried out and then, for me, I saw the most wonderful and heart-warming moment of our journey so far. Jon was given the role of giving the chap a drink. This was not easy. The fella was a big guy and less than cooperative but the father within Jon came to the fore as he gently, but persistently, encouraged the chap to drink. It was actually like trying to get a baby to finish their bedtime milk. “Well done”, “Just a bit more”, “nearly there”, “this is doing you good” were quietly spoken into the chap’s ear. 

Absolutely wonderful.

I am actually choking up as I write this (a bit embarrassing as I am in the hotel bar).

We actually had to leave our fella to go and collect a young lady who had collapsed on the floor. I was on wheelchair duty and determined to demonstrate that I could do actually do this well. This time the journey was smooth and she was safely deposited in the medical centre.

Back into the vomit van to take two boys back to their hotel. Funnily enough the second chap we picked up had the t-shirt of the first fella!

Abby was completely perfect. She had to juggle driving the van, taking calls from the police (in Spanish) and others and co-ordinate who goes where. This was an intense time and her clarity of thought and decision making was very impressive.

I should have been out for one hour but two and half hours later I made it back to the prayer room. Prayer and singing ensued – a welcome time to rest a little and thank God for his help.

Phew!