Monday, March 25, 2013

Reasonable Update

Hello,

It's been a while and I've aged another year since I last wrote.

I feel that I haven't had as much to write this time around.  It could be that this is my sixth contract in seventh years and so it's all old hat and that is what I'm chalking it up to.  Others will tell you, that it's because I miss Hawai'i (I do!) or that I've always been a bit neglectful of my blog (Guilty as charged) or that I'm easily bored with being on the internet (Also true).  I really feel that it's because I've been to many of these ports and there's just not that much to do that's new.

Working on a ship sounds very glamourous and there are some wonderful perks.  The warm weather, access to beautiful beaches, performing for thousands of people and having gainful employment.  But it can be so very boring and stressful, I know that sounds unlikely but it's true.  This week we have 2,956 passengers onboard, 800 of which are children and the ship is nose to ass with people.  Next cruise, we're to have 3,300 passengers, 900 of which are children so it's going to be worse.  I find myself hiding in our room and eating a lot of hard pretzels and drinking water.  I just don't want to go out into the public areas during peak times.  Not to say that passengers act like animals but they act like animals.  I have never been pushed by, stood overly close to or just ignored by so many people at once.  It's overwhelming.

Perhaps I've written less because we've been moved no less than five times this contract which is the first time that's ever happened to us or to anyone on a ship that I've worked on.  I mean people get moved once (maybe) but we've been moved five times.  Many times we are told we're going to be moved but they then tell us that they're moving us with no where to move us to.  It is, to say the least, stressful and disappointing.  The upside?  We've gotten to see five different rooms on this contract and with a sixth pending!

We have had a few adventures and I have some photos to post.

My Birthday!  We went to Water Island on my Birthday which is just off of St. Thomas.  We were told we'd have seats on the 10:30am ferry but it turned out it was full.  I texted back the person who had confirmed us and it turns out it was the owner of the ferry.  He came and picked up for free in his high speed boat and took us over to Water Island.  It was quite pretty and we saw a turtle!





On that same cruise, my friend Andy visited!  His boyfriend, John, is in our cast and Andy came to visit John.....and got us in the bargain!  So we went horseback riding in the Dominican Republic.....
We voted the Jo had the best horseback riding ensemble.  Finally, her Southwestern themed clothing pays off.....

John, Jo, Jen, Matt & Andy at our final destination a waterfall!


The ride back was very eventful.  My horse got tired and I didn't blame it until it ran me into barbed wire fence.....but I was fine so I still didn't blame it.  I offered to get off the horse and walk but they wouldn't let me.  

We saw a Sasquatch!

Larrance and I went to the MoMA and we saw the bee pollen exhibit.  Have you heard about it?  I have to say that standing on the same level as it, I was like "Okay."  But then seeing it from above, I was like, "Wow."  We also saw Munch's The Scream which was fantastic.  In fact, the whole exhibit was great.  We had an odd encounter.  Larrance and I were standing there and chatting about Munch when this woman turns and walks over to Larrance and hugs him.  Hugs him like she knows him and I can tell from his face that he doesn't think he knows her.  She pulls away and hugs him again.  I am stunned and sure that she has mistaken him for someone else.  Then she says his name and she says it correctly.  So, we know that she knows him.  Turns out that she was his neighbor when he lived in Jamaica Plains and they were just at the MoMA and the Munch exhibit at that exact moment.  Wild stuff.

Then we ate frozen yogurt - we know how to live!

Now random photos....

Jo gives advice while getting drunk on water.

Puerto Rico Graffiti!

Sasquatch follows us to PR

Larrance at Sunset near one of the two old Forts - I think San Cristobal.

Sunset and Kites in PR

Sculpture is everywhere in the Old Port of San Juan.

Larrance at night

My camera went to outer space


Dawn Beach on St. Martin

I'll have another post to write about this contract but it will have to wait.  I must got eat blueberry bread pudding.

~Jen