01 August 2019, 0615 hours
Mulivai Cathedral Car Park, Apia Samoa
Reflections by Dr Salote Vaai.
I just left the Labor Ward and decided to grab coffee, play some morning music and sit here for some quiet time…
I was a St Mary’s College girl once and we frequented this place often for school masses… it still has that majestic feel to it…
It’s another beautiful new morning on Beach Road as the light gently touches Apia, only very few cars are on the road, and singing is coming from the Cathedral…
When I was an intern, working on the Labor Ward and Paediatrics, doing 24 hour calls…
I started coming here to the Cathedral… carpark….
The old hospital’s OnCall rooms were far away and dark… and I was scared to walk there to sleep or rest….
And there was nowhere to sleep on the Wards…
So one morning as I drove back from grabbing food at Greg’s Bakery – I decided to park here to eat, and fell asleep in my car…
I woke up to parishioners leaving the 6am mass and giving me curious looks 😂
It became a habit…
Instead of sleeping in my car outside the hospital, or driving all the way home – I would drive here, to the Cathedral car park, wind my windows up and sleep…
I felt safe inside the gates and under the watch of the night security… and when the hospital called, I was back there within 5 minutes…
I have continued to come back here when I just need somewhere quiet to sit and think…
and this morning…
I think of what a beautiful place it is that we live in…
and that it is still, despite many things – generally very safe…
Thank you for your open gates Mulivai…
And thank you Lord for keeping me safe all these years of early morning and late night driving…
And sleeping in my car like a homeless child haha…
He truly is our refuge and strong tower!
Have a great new day!
Re-published with Doc’s permission.
