We're on day 4 of our 7-day trip across the Atlantic. If you've been watching the news, you may have heard about my friends Henry, Isabel, and Fabian. You know, the hurricanes. Don't worry, I have the utmost confidence in our captain, and you should, too. The ship's rocking like crazy, but it's fun. I'll phone when we get stateside.
Love, Genoa
Friday, September 10, 2010
9/4/03: On the Crown
Here's the group email you all have probably come to expect from me.
Well, I made it here to the Crown. I flew into Rome and stayed in one of the nicest hotels in Civitevecchia where I fell asleep listening to crashing waves and crickets. But not before exploring Rome with Bruno, a fellow NCL chap who was picked up at the airport at the same time. I love that city.
Apparently, the ship is still under Orient Lines, not Norwegian, so the youth program and Freestyle Cruising don't start until Sept. 15 when we get to Baltimore. The other two YCs are still on their other ships and will transfer in a couple of weeks. But after 8 weeks without working, I was ready to get back on a ship. Not that I have much to do. The Kids Korner hasn't even been built yet. Until we get to the States and begin our program, I'm preparing and checking out what supplies we have. So I have plenty of free time, which is great. I went on a city highlights tour of Barcelona today. The crew here is awesome, and there are enough familiar faces to feel at home. My roommate is a French shore excursions girl named Valerie, but she leaves in a few days and I'll have my own cabin for the week until her replacement comes in Baltimore.
I hope you're all doing great. Everything is fabulous here. I'll email more once we get across the ocean.
Love, Genoa
Spain
Well, I made it here to the Crown. I flew into Rome and stayed in one of the nicest hotels in Civitevecchia where I fell asleep listening to crashing waves and crickets. But not before exploring Rome with Bruno, a fellow NCL chap who was picked up at the airport at the same time. I love that city.
Apparently, the ship is still under Orient Lines, not Norwegian, so the youth program and Freestyle Cruising don't start until Sept. 15 when we get to Baltimore. The other two YCs are still on their other ships and will transfer in a couple of weeks. But after 8 weeks without working, I was ready to get back on a ship. Not that I have much to do. The Kids Korner hasn't even been built yet. Until we get to the States and begin our program, I'm preparing and checking out what supplies we have. So I have plenty of free time, which is great. I went on a city highlights tour of Barcelona today. The crew here is awesome, and there are enough familiar faces to feel at home. My roommate is a French shore excursions girl named Valerie, but she leaves in a few days and I'll have my own cabin for the week until her replacement comes in Baltimore.
I hope you're all doing great. Everything is fabulous here. I'll email more once we get across the ocean.
Love, Genoa
Spain
8/28/03: To the Crown!
Good afternoon,
I hope this email finds you all enjoying a splendid summer. I myself have reveled in the very summeryness of it. San Diego is truly America's Finest City. If you don't live here, and haven't been here lately, you absolutely must visit. I would offer to be a city guide and hostess, but I'm leaving again. This time for the Norwegian Crown Odyssey. If you want to see where I'll be, you can look it up on www.ncl.com and you can even check out the bow cam. It's been a long vacation for me, and I'm eager to get back to work. I miss those little monkeys! Have a fabulous end of summer, a lovely fall, and a joyful holiday season. I should be home again in January or February.
Hugs and kisses, Genoa
I hope this email finds you all enjoying a splendid summer. I myself have reveled in the very summeryness of it. San Diego is truly America's Finest City. If you don't live here, and haven't been here lately, you absolutely must visit. I would offer to be a city guide and hostess, but I'm leaving again. This time for the Norwegian Crown Odyssey. If you want to see where I'll be, you can look it up on www.ncl.com and you can even check out the bow cam. It's been a long vacation for me, and I'm eager to get back to work. I miss those little monkeys! Have a fabulous end of summer, a lovely fall, and a joyful holiday season. I should be home again in January or February.
Hugs and kisses, Genoa
7/5/03: Ship Life
Hello lovelies!
My contract on the Dream is drawing to a close. I go on vacation on the 9th. I've had the most amazing time here, and I was on the schedule to return, which would have been awesome. But the new schedule has me signing onto the Crown Odyssey on September 1st (Same as you Sarah, yippee!). I'm excited about the itinerary, and the new experiences, but I wasn't ready to go through the goodbye-for-good process again so soon. These goodbyes are getting rough! Una, I'm going to miss being your roommate so much. I'll be able to email more once I'm home. Hopefully I'll see some of you soon. In the meantime, San Diego calls. I can use some home-time.
Love, Genoa
Copenhagen, Denmark
My contract on the Dream is drawing to a close. I go on vacation on the 9th. I've had the most amazing time here, and I was on the schedule to return, which would have been awesome. But the new schedule has me signing onto the Crown Odyssey on September 1st (Same as you Sarah, yippee!). I'm excited about the itinerary, and the new experiences, but I wasn't ready to go through the goodbye-for-good process again so soon. These goodbyes are getting rough! Una, I'm going to miss being your roommate so much. I'll be able to email more once I'm home. Hopefully I'll see some of you soon. In the meantime, San Diego calls. I can use some home-time.
Love, Genoa
Copenhagen, Denmark
7/4/03: Home on Wednesday!
Hello all of you lovely monkeys,
I'm coming home on Wednesday, July 9. I've had the most amazing adventures, met the most lovely people, and saw the most beautiful places. I'll write more about that once I get home and settled. I've loved it here on the Dream, seeing the Mediterranean and the Baltic capitals, but my time is drawing to a close. The new schedule posted has me returning to the Crown Odyssey on September 1. She goes to the Med, New England and Canada, the Caribbean, the Panama Canal, then South America. Wow, huh? Unfortunately, I may not be home for the winter holidays as I'd hoped, but I'm used to that. I'm joining the Crown in Rome, one of my favorite cities, so I'm thinking about flying out a week early to spend some time there. Anyone want to join me? I'd still be home for about 6 1/2 weeks. So I want to see all of you when I'm home! You remember my phone number, right? I know I'm not home much, but I miss you guys. I hope life is grand for all of you.
Love, Genoa
Sailing to Copenhagen
I'm coming home on Wednesday, July 9. I've had the most amazing adventures, met the most lovely people, and saw the most beautiful places. I'll write more about that once I get home and settled. I've loved it here on the Dream, seeing the Mediterranean and the Baltic capitals, but my time is drawing to a close. The new schedule posted has me returning to the Crown Odyssey on September 1. She goes to the Med, New England and Canada, the Caribbean, the Panama Canal, then South America. Wow, huh? Unfortunately, I may not be home for the winter holidays as I'd hoped, but I'm used to that. I'm joining the Crown in Rome, one of my favorite cities, so I'm thinking about flying out a week early to spend some time there. Anyone want to join me? I'd still be home for about 6 1/2 weeks. So I want to see all of you when I'm home! You remember my phone number, right? I know I'm not home much, but I miss you guys. I hope life is grand for all of you.
Love, Genoa
Sailing to Copenhagen
5/25/03: Play Money and Disney's Inspiration
Greetings and salutations o loved ones,
I've recently been briefed on my financial status, so I'll be tightening my purse strings. One of the ways I'll be doing that is by not emailing as much. My apologies. Please excuse the group email forum as I reply to individuals. Hopefully, there will be enough of communal interest to make this worth reading for all.
I was told by other crew members that you get the best exchange rate in Europe by using ATMs and credit cards, versus exchanging money. So I get cute, colorful bills from the machine, and everyone has $1 and $2 coins, and lots of the coins have holes in them. It's like play money. The bad thing is that I don't pay attention to the exchange rates, so when I withdraw 2,000 Norwegian Kroners, I don't think about that being US$300. I'll have to pay attention now.
I went to Copenhagen's Tivoli Gradens with some people the other night. It's an amusement park that's 160 years old. It was Walt Disney's inspiration for, you guessed it, Sea World. Ha ha. It's beautiful and fun and they have a tower you ascend in a car. On the way up, you see a stunning view of the city, are held way up at the top for a few seconds, then are released to plummet all the way down. What a rush. I screamed.
Quick love life update: Jimmy was the long-distance boyfriend. He wasn't prepared for the challenges of a long-distance ship relationship, so we broke up. "If you can't be with the one you love, honey, love the one you're with." My friend Brian and I had been spending all of our time together anyway. When I broke up with Jimmy, it felt natural for Brian and me to start dating, so we did, for a whopping 12 days. He signed off on Thursday. "Alone again, naturally." I know this is the way of ship life. It's one of the few sacrifices I make for this wonderful lifestyle of mine.
The lead youth counselor Melanie signed off for vacation a few weeks ago. With a year and a half experience, I was the obvious choice to fill in. Mel emailed that she wants to spend the summer at home, so I'm staying the lead. I like the added responsibility and control of the program. It's fun being the boss. We have 12 kids this cruise. A 6-year old painted my finger nails the other day.
We got word yesterday that the SS Norway had an explosion in the bowels of the ship. Four engineers died. Eleven or 16 others, depending on the report you hear, were injured. I assume the ship will sit in Miami for awhile. A crew member was airlifted off my ship (the Norwegian Dream) yesterday with Meningitis. The person was raised on a stretcher up to a helicopter and taken to a medical center.
Thanks to everyone who's been emailing. Again, my apologies for having to cut down on my internet time.
It's time for our weekly boat drill.
Love, Genoa
St. Petersburg, Russia
I've recently been briefed on my financial status, so I'll be tightening my purse strings. One of the ways I'll be doing that is by not emailing as much. My apologies. Please excuse the group email forum as I reply to individuals. Hopefully, there will be enough of communal interest to make this worth reading for all.
I was told by other crew members that you get the best exchange rate in Europe by using ATMs and credit cards, versus exchanging money. So I get cute, colorful bills from the machine, and everyone has $1 and $2 coins, and lots of the coins have holes in them. It's like play money. The bad thing is that I don't pay attention to the exchange rates, so when I withdraw 2,000 Norwegian Kroners, I don't think about that being US$300. I'll have to pay attention now.
I went to Copenhagen's Tivoli Gradens with some people the other night. It's an amusement park that's 160 years old. It was Walt Disney's inspiration for, you guessed it, Sea World. Ha ha. It's beautiful and fun and they have a tower you ascend in a car. On the way up, you see a stunning view of the city, are held way up at the top for a few seconds, then are released to plummet all the way down. What a rush. I screamed.
Quick love life update: Jimmy was the long-distance boyfriend. He wasn't prepared for the challenges of a long-distance ship relationship, so we broke up. "If you can't be with the one you love, honey, love the one you're with." My friend Brian and I had been spending all of our time together anyway. When I broke up with Jimmy, it felt natural for Brian and me to start dating, so we did, for a whopping 12 days. He signed off on Thursday. "Alone again, naturally." I know this is the way of ship life. It's one of the few sacrifices I make for this wonderful lifestyle of mine.
The lead youth counselor Melanie signed off for vacation a few weeks ago. With a year and a half experience, I was the obvious choice to fill in. Mel emailed that she wants to spend the summer at home, so I'm staying the lead. I like the added responsibility and control of the program. It's fun being the boss. We have 12 kids this cruise. A 6-year old painted my finger nails the other day.
We got word yesterday that the SS Norway had an explosion in the bowels of the ship. Four engineers died. Eleven or 16 others, depending on the report you hear, were injured. I assume the ship will sit in Miami for awhile. A crew member was airlifted off my ship (the Norwegian Dream) yesterday with Meningitis. The person was raised on a stretcher up to a helicopter and taken to a medical center.
Thanks to everyone who's been emailing. Again, my apologies for having to cut down on my internet time.
It's time for our weekly boat drill.
Love, Genoa
St. Petersburg, Russia
5/17/03: That's the News to Me
A mini update:
I ate sushi in Stockholm, Sweden, today. A big group of us went to the Russian Ballet the other night; we saw Swan Lake in St. Petersburg. Some of us went to a coffee bar in Amsterdam, Holland, where people smoke marijuana right out in the open. You can buy magic mushrooms and other drugs at a store. My friend Abbey and I went to London last embarkation day. We took a bus, a train, and the London Underground to get there. We had a whopping one hour in the city before we had to head back to the ship, but seeing Piccadilly Circus was worth it. My vacation should be July 9-August 14th. If I play my cards right, I might be home for Christmas and my birthday...
Hugs and kisses,
Genoa
I ate sushi in Stockholm, Sweden, today. A big group of us went to the Russian Ballet the other night; we saw Swan Lake in St. Petersburg. Some of us went to a coffee bar in Amsterdam, Holland, where people smoke marijuana right out in the open. You can buy magic mushrooms and other drugs at a store. My friend Abbey and I went to London last embarkation day. We took a bus, a train, and the London Underground to get there. We had a whopping one hour in the city before we had to head back to the ship, but seeing Piccadilly Circus was worth it. My vacation should be July 9-August 14th. If I play my cards right, I might be home for Christmas and my birthday...
Hugs and kisses,
Genoa
5/5/03: Trying to Phone
Hey, monkeys,
With the time change being 9 hours ahead here, the only chance I can get to phone you when it's not 3am there is when I'm in port late with free time and an open phone that I can figure out how to use. I'll keep trying. In the meantime, everything here is going great. We're going to see the Hardanger Fjord today. If I don't get my extension, I should be home for Christmas. I love you guys and I miss you loads. I'll tell you more about my travels when I have more time to email, or on the phone.
Love, Genoa
At sea today
With the time change being 9 hours ahead here, the only chance I can get to phone you when it's not 3am there is when I'm in port late with free time and an open phone that I can figure out how to use. I'll keep trying. In the meantime, everything here is going great. We're going to see the Hardanger Fjord today. If I don't get my extension, I should be home for Christmas. I love you guys and I miss you loads. I'll tell you more about my travels when I have more time to email, or on the phone.
Love, Genoa
At sea today
4/28/03: New Places
Sorry for the group email, but I've been catching up on my emails and my fingers are getting tired.
Portuguese is way different from Spanish! I was so lost.
The other day the weather was too bad for us to go to Cadiz, Spain, so we had an overnight in Lisbon, Portugal, instead of just one day. A group of us went to a traditional restaurant and they came around with skewers of all types of meat, including chicken HEARTS and turkey wrapped in bacon. It was just like a Brazilian bbq place I've been to, even down to the disc that sits on your table--turned one way to say, "Keep bringing the food," and the other way to say, "I'm stuffed, stop coming 'round."
The Baltic Sea is still frozen, so we had to cancel St. Petersburg, Russia, and Tallin, Estonia, this cruise. Instead, we're going to Warnemunde, Germany; Amsterdam, Holland; cruising the Hardanger Fjord (Ha! Who names these things?!) and Bergen, Norway. We told the passengers before they got on the ship and they had the option to reschedule. Once on the ship, they could do nothing about it. You have to have a special visa to visit Russia unless you're on a ship's excursion or are a ship crew member. So lots of people wanted this cruise just for that port. Bummer.
Last cruise we had about 70 2-17 year olds on the ship for Spring Break. Twelve of the 2-12's came to program and a few teens dropped in and hung out. Those who came were lots of fun. Three kids lost teeth within 12 hours! Two of them were missing about 4 front teeth. Adorable. It was a great cruise, except for two horrible sisters, whose parents taught them everything they know. I'm so glad they're gone! This cruise, the prelim numbers had two 2-5's, one 6-12, and three teens. That's six kids, folks. On the whole ship. Eleven days. Melanie left for vacation so I'm the head honcho. My feelings about being lead have changed over my time with NCL. You don't get any more money, it's good for a resume, it's good to have more responsibility and be the firefighter, so to speak, it's more paperwork, on and on. But in preparing the schedules for the next couple of cruises, I got excited about implementing my ideas from other ships. I have a lot of experience, and I bring a lot to the table in that way. I'm looking forward to the experience, and I hope I'll be able to transition as easily back to regular YC.
Okay, if you're still reading, thank you. I know this one's long, but are you really surprised?
I miss your voices. I'll call when I can.
Love you, Genoa
Portuguese is way different from Spanish! I was so lost.
The other day the weather was too bad for us to go to Cadiz, Spain, so we had an overnight in Lisbon, Portugal, instead of just one day. A group of us went to a traditional restaurant and they came around with skewers of all types of meat, including chicken HEARTS and turkey wrapped in bacon. It was just like a Brazilian bbq place I've been to, even down to the disc that sits on your table--turned one way to say, "Keep bringing the food," and the other way to say, "I'm stuffed, stop coming 'round."
The Baltic Sea is still frozen, so we had to cancel St. Petersburg, Russia, and Tallin, Estonia, this cruise. Instead, we're going to Warnemunde, Germany; Amsterdam, Holland; cruising the Hardanger Fjord (Ha! Who names these things?!) and Bergen, Norway. We told the passengers before they got on the ship and they had the option to reschedule. Once on the ship, they could do nothing about it. You have to have a special visa to visit Russia unless you're on a ship's excursion or are a ship crew member. So lots of people wanted this cruise just for that port. Bummer.
Last cruise we had about 70 2-17 year olds on the ship for Spring Break. Twelve of the 2-12's came to program and a few teens dropped in and hung out. Those who came were lots of fun. Three kids lost teeth within 12 hours! Two of them were missing about 4 front teeth. Adorable. It was a great cruise, except for two horrible sisters, whose parents taught them everything they know. I'm so glad they're gone! This cruise, the prelim numbers had two 2-5's, one 6-12, and three teens. That's six kids, folks. On the whole ship. Eleven days. Melanie left for vacation so I'm the head honcho. My feelings about being lead have changed over my time with NCL. You don't get any more money, it's good for a resume, it's good to have more responsibility and be the firefighter, so to speak, it's more paperwork, on and on. But in preparing the schedules for the next couple of cruises, I got excited about implementing my ideas from other ships. I have a lot of experience, and I bring a lot to the table in that way. I'm looking forward to the experience, and I hope I'll be able to transition as easily back to regular YC.
Okay, if you're still reading, thank you. I know this one's long, but are you really surprised?
I miss your voices. I'll call when I can.
Love you, Genoa
4/18/03: Hi From GENOA!!
I finally made it! I'm in Genoa, Italy! It's beautiful. The architecture and history blow my mind. I love it. In the past few days, I've seen Rome, Barcelona, Cannes, Africa (10 miles away as we sailed through the Straight of Gibraltar), Pisa, the Azores, and of course, my lovely city. There's lots more to come as we travel out of the Mediterannean and up to Scandinavia. Pesto is a Genovese specialty and I've eaten it the two times the Dream has been here. Delicious. All is going fabulously. My best to you all.
Love, Genoa
Love, Genoa
4/6/03: Rockin' and a Rollin'
We're set to stop in the Azores tomorrow. Rumors fly that we might not make it. Last year the weather was too bad to dock and we coasted into the Med pretty much sailing on fumes and feeding the passengers canned food. The seas have been pretty rocky the whole trip. I haven't gotten seasick, but I've felt a little yucky when I haven't been able to eat first thing in the morning. Abbey, Melanie, and I have a rotation, so for the three sessions we have each sea day, only two of us are there at a time. There are only 5 kids who come, so we're overstaffed, and it's nice to have some time off. I'll say it again, Una is the best roommate ever. We get along really well. There was a crew party and we went to Le Bistro beforehand. Did I tell you this already? Our shower is so small that I have to squat down with my back against the wall so I don't hit my head on the on/off/temp nozzle trying to get my shampoo, etc. on the floor. And I lean against the wall for support because of the waves. It's like I'm constantly drunk (metaphorically); I have no equilibrium. To accommodate for traveling across several time zones, we're losing an hour's sleep almost every night. Because of daylight's savings, we were afforded a reprieve the night before last, and that's when we had the crew party. The food in the mess is pretty gross, but we eat with the kids in the sports bar or pizzeria and by the time we get to eat Italian, French, and Spanish food, it will be like the gods themselves have provided us with a feast. That's the news for now. I love you guys. I hope you're all doing really well. Happy belated birthday to Kelly. Ruff ruff.
Love, Genoa
Love, Genoa
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
4/1/03
Mom,
The girls I'm working with are fairly new to ships, but they're cool. The crossing of the Atlantic will be a challenge because we only have about 12 kids, age 2-17, and they may all want to be involved. What do a 2-year old and a 12-year old have in common? Abbey and Melanie are used to having only a couple of kids in program, whereas I love a group of at least 15 so we can play games and get loud. But I've always thought I'm resilient and adaptable. I'll be fine.
I'm rooming with Una again, as she asked the assistant cruise director (ACD) if he would put us together. So that's cool, but our room isn't as nice as our palace on the Norway. It's small and dimly lit, and the previous girl left stuff because she is returning in Spain (but to a different cabin). There are several familiar faces and the ship is just as I remember her sister, the Wind.
I love you around the world and back again, literally.
Your daughter, Genoa
The girls I'm working with are fairly new to ships, but they're cool. The crossing of the Atlantic will be a challenge because we only have about 12 kids, age 2-17, and they may all want to be involved. What do a 2-year old and a 12-year old have in common? Abbey and Melanie are used to having only a couple of kids in program, whereas I love a group of at least 15 so we can play games and get loud. But I've always thought I'm resilient and adaptable. I'll be fine.
I'm rooming with Una again, as she asked the assistant cruise director (ACD) if he would put us together. So that's cool, but our room isn't as nice as our palace on the Norway. It's small and dimly lit, and the previous girl left stuff because she is returning in Spain (but to a different cabin). There are several familiar faces and the ship is just as I remember her sister, the Wind.
I love you around the world and back again, literally.
Your daughter, Genoa
3/22/03: My Next Adventure
As another vacation draws to a close, I find myself looking back and looking forward. I suppose I do this often. My life has so many small chapters lately.
I've had a wonderful vacation. My mom was on vacation, too, so we spent a lot of time together, including in Paris, London, Bath, Warwick, and Edinburgh. We had a blast, taking the tube (London Underground subway system) everywhere and exploring castles and lovely old architecture.
While I wasn't in Britain, I've spent the last five weeks taking a quick trip to Vegas, spending quality time with friends, having my wisdom teeth removed, and smushing my face in the soft fur of my cat and dog. I also did my fair share of laying on the couch, under an afghan, curled up next to my mom, watching movies. It's funny the things you miss when you're away.
I'm leaving on Wednesday to cruise as a passenger on the Norwegian Sea for 5 days in the Bahamas to see a friend. On March 31st, I'll walk off the Sea and onto the Dream. We'll set sail from Miami to Civitavecchia, Italy.
I'm expecting to be on the Dream until July 21st. The ship does two cruises in the Mediterranean and then heads up to Scandinavia (England, Estonia, Russia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, and Norway). There aren't supposed to be very many children, and I will miss that part, but I'm sure there will be plenty of playtime anyway.
I hope you all have an awesome next four months. Remember to notice the beautiful parts of every day and reach out to each other with love. Everyone deserves to be loved. Please take care of each other and of yourselves.
Love, Genoa
I've had a wonderful vacation. My mom was on vacation, too, so we spent a lot of time together, including in Paris, London, Bath, Warwick, and Edinburgh. We had a blast, taking the tube (London Underground subway system) everywhere and exploring castles and lovely old architecture.
While I wasn't in Britain, I've spent the last five weeks taking a quick trip to Vegas, spending quality time with friends, having my wisdom teeth removed, and smushing my face in the soft fur of my cat and dog. I also did my fair share of laying on the couch, under an afghan, curled up next to my mom, watching movies. It's funny the things you miss when you're away.
I'm leaving on Wednesday to cruise as a passenger on the Norwegian Sea for 5 days in the Bahamas to see a friend. On March 31st, I'll walk off the Sea and onto the Dream. We'll set sail from Miami to Civitavecchia, Italy.
I'm expecting to be on the Dream until July 21st. The ship does two cruises in the Mediterranean and then heads up to Scandinavia (England, Estonia, Russia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, and Norway). There aren't supposed to be very many children, and I will miss that part, but I'm sure there will be plenty of playtime anyway.
I hope you all have an awesome next four months. Remember to notice the beautiful parts of every day and reach out to each other with love. Everyone deserves to be loved. Please take care of each other and of yourselves.
Love, Genoa
1/30/03: Genoa's Dream
Hello all,
I finally get to go on the Dream! I'll join in Miami for the repo to Europe. I'm so excited! I can't wait. There are two cruises to Genoa, Italy! Will you still be there on March 31st, Matt? Is anyone else going to be there? Europe, here I come! Far away places that are more than 100 years old. Yippee!! I hope you're all doing fabulously. Big hugs and best wishes to you all.
Love always, Genoa
St. Thomas
I finally get to go on the Dream! I'll join in Miami for the repo to Europe. I'm so excited! I can't wait. There are two cruises to Genoa, Italy! Will you still be there on March 31st, Matt? Is anyone else going to be there? Europe, here I come! Far away places that are more than 100 years old. Yippee!! I hope you're all doing fabulously. Big hugs and best wishes to you all.
Love always, Genoa
St. Thomas
1/30/03: The World is Mine! :-)
Family and friends,
After nearly a year and a half, I'm finally going to cruise Europe! I've been begging to go on the Norwegian Dream, and I'M GOING!!! I go on vacation from the Norway on February 16 and I'll be roaming around for six weeks, so hopefully I can see everyone in America's Finest City. Then on March 31, I'll join to Dream in Miami. She will cruise across the Atlantic and hit Genoa, Italy, along with other amazing Mediterranean ports and over to Rome, or thereabouts. That's one cruise, then there's another one, Rome to London. From there, we'll be in Scandinavia--Finland, Russia, Sweden, Norway--for the summer. Yippee!! I can't wait to see everything! Load me up with camera film. I'll finish my contract July 21st.
I hope you're all doing great, too. I miss you all.
LIVE LAUGH LOVE
Love always, Genoa
After nearly a year and a half, I'm finally going to cruise Europe! I've been begging to go on the Norwegian Dream, and I'M GOING!!! I go on vacation from the Norway on February 16 and I'll be roaming around for six weeks, so hopefully I can see everyone in America's Finest City. Then on March 31, I'll join to Dream in Miami. She will cruise across the Atlantic and hit Genoa, Italy, along with other amazing Mediterranean ports and over to Rome, or thereabouts. That's one cruise, then there's another one, Rome to London. From there, we'll be in Scandinavia--Finland, Russia, Sweden, Norway--for the summer. Yippee!! I can't wait to see everything! Load me up with camera film. I'll finish my contract July 21st.
I hope you're all doing great, too. I miss you all.
LIVE LAUGH LOVE
Love always, Genoa
1/28/03: The Dream!!!
Mom,
I am on the schedule for the Dream!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It goes to Genoa, Italy, twice and other ports in the Med, then up to Scandinavia! I can't believe it! I don't know when I'm going except that it's in March, so we should do our trip to England/Scotland in early March, just to be safe. It's cheaper for NCL to fly me to Miami on the 31st, vs. S. America earlier, but I don't want to push it. Pass the word. Yippee!!!
Love, Genoa
I am on the schedule for the Dream!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It goes to Genoa, Italy, twice and other ports in the Med, then up to Scandinavia! I can't believe it! I don't know when I'm going except that it's in March, so we should do our trip to England/Scotland in early March, just to be safe. It's cheaper for NCL to fly me to Miami on the 31st, vs. S. America earlier, but I don't want to push it. Pass the word. Yippee!!!
Love, Genoa
1/9/03: The Legendary S/S Norway
The Legendary S/S Norway was described to me as an old lady. She was originally the S/S France, built around 1961 as an ocean liner. And (the description continues), like other old ladies (though certainly none I know), she needs a lot of makeup to look as good as these new ships. She's also called the Big Blue Canoe. Her lower half is painted royal blue. She's so long that the carpet is different colors to tell you if you're forward or aft. The forward half of the ship has blue carpet with blue criss-crosses, and the aft of the ship has red criss-crosses. The decks are referred to by their names, not by their numbers. This is quite confusing at first. I live on the 8th deck, which is the Viking deck. I remember this by saying, "I am a Viking." Below me is the Norway deck, and the Atlantic deck, and so on. On the other ships I've been on, there are 5 or 6 vertical fire zones. There's a fire team for each, and fire screen doors that can isolate a zone in case of a fire. The Legendary S/S Norway has EIGHT fire zones. Because the ship used to be an ocean liner, it's not perfectly equipped for the types of cruises we do now. Troll Land is the room we use for 6-12 year olds in low season, which just begun after the holidays. The murals on the wall are also 42 years old, and are estimated to cost $1.5 million. The room was originally the second class children's room. The Concierge's office, which is a nice size for him, was the first class children's room. Also beautifully painted, but way too small for kids to run around in. Poor rich kids. For the 2-5 year olds, we use a room called the Porthole. It used to be the dog kennel. It's long and narrow, and if you are predisposed to claustrophobia, don't stop by. Fortunately, there's an outside area (for the dogs to run in) which gives us more space for those little monkeys. In high season, we split off and use a conference room for the 10-12 year olds.
During my first week here, There was a power outtage. There were a few emergency lights, including low level lighting, which is a glow-in-the-dark striping along the bottom of all walls. I felt my way to my cabin, and left the door open to let in some light. It was neat, a little excitement for my day, but it caused us to be several hours late in leaving port. Due to that and poor weather conditions, we couldn't reach our private island that week.
My cabin is outside the disco. There's a door to the right of mine which leads to an anteroom with a door to the ladies room, then another door which opens to the disco. When the both of the doors get opened at night, as when someone leaves the disco, I can hear the music. It doesn't bother me, but I think that's why it's a crew cabin, in amongst passenger cabins. Last week I was working with teens, and two of them were in a cabin across from mine. Luckily they were cool and didn't play any pranks on me or Una. Una is my roommate. She's from Latvia and she's such a sweetheart. I thought I was lucky with my last roommate--I must be on a streak. Una's a sports afloat coordinator, so she does aerobics classes, yoga, fitness walks, etc. Our room is like a suite, especially in comparison to others I've seen on other ships. I'm on the top bunk, which is smaller than the bottom, but still roomy. Una's bunk, which I'll move down to in a few weeks when she signs off, is huge. We have a vanity and plenty of shelf space. I even got someone's old DVD player for free. There's a woman from Belgium here named Dagmar. Can you believe it? So cool. When I first got here, I thought the Norway was like a white elephant. You have to act so grateful if she's in your fleet, but she requires so much upkeep that she's a bit of a pain. Now that I'm in my fourth week here, I love her. I'm so glad my request to come here was granted. It's so neat wandering around, finding new places to explore. And now that I know my way from one place to another, I feel quite at home.
I hope you're doing marvelously. I wish you all the best for the new year. For those of you who sent cards or packages, my most heartfelt thanks. Everyone loves mail. Like I said before, I don't have as much time to email as before, so please don't send me forwards or large files. But please do drop me the occasional note to let me know you're still out there.
Love always, Genoa
Be bold and courageous. When you look back on your life, you'll regret the things you didn't do more than the things you did.
During my first week here, There was a power outtage. There were a few emergency lights, including low level lighting, which is a glow-in-the-dark striping along the bottom of all walls. I felt my way to my cabin, and left the door open to let in some light. It was neat, a little excitement for my day, but it caused us to be several hours late in leaving port. Due to that and poor weather conditions, we couldn't reach our private island that week.
My cabin is outside the disco. There's a door to the right of mine which leads to an anteroom with a door to the ladies room, then another door which opens to the disco. When the both of the doors get opened at night, as when someone leaves the disco, I can hear the music. It doesn't bother me, but I think that's why it's a crew cabin, in amongst passenger cabins. Last week I was working with teens, and two of them were in a cabin across from mine. Luckily they were cool and didn't play any pranks on me or Una. Una is my roommate. She's from Latvia and she's such a sweetheart. I thought I was lucky with my last roommate--I must be on a streak. Una's a sports afloat coordinator, so she does aerobics classes, yoga, fitness walks, etc. Our room is like a suite, especially in comparison to others I've seen on other ships. I'm on the top bunk, which is smaller than the bottom, but still roomy. Una's bunk, which I'll move down to in a few weeks when she signs off, is huge. We have a vanity and plenty of shelf space. I even got someone's old DVD player for free. There's a woman from Belgium here named Dagmar. Can you believe it? So cool. When I first got here, I thought the Norway was like a white elephant. You have to act so grateful if she's in your fleet, but she requires so much upkeep that she's a bit of a pain. Now that I'm in my fourth week here, I love her. I'm so glad my request to come here was granted. It's so neat wandering around, finding new places to explore. And now that I know my way from one place to another, I feel quite at home.
I hope you're doing marvelously. I wish you all the best for the new year. For those of you who sent cards or packages, my most heartfelt thanks. Everyone loves mail. Like I said before, I don't have as much time to email as before, so please don't send me forwards or large files. But please do drop me the occasional note to let me know you're still out there.
Love always, Genoa
Be bold and courageous. When you look back on your life, you'll regret the things you didn't do more than the things you did.
12/26/02: Another Group Email
Happy New Year! (It's too late to say Happy Hanukkah or Merry Christmas.) It's crazy busy on the LEGENDARY S/S Norway. Thankfully, the workload is balanced out by all the parties! Everything is awesome here. I'll write more another time, but the email rates just went up (it's 25 cents after 5pm on port days and only 10 cents before 5pm). I have scarce free time to email here, so please bear with me as I communicate less frequently. If I haven't been in contact with you much anyway, this shouldn't come as any big shock hee hee). I wish you all the best for the new year.
Love always, Genoa
Love always, Genoa
12/11/02: Rolling with the Punches
I found out last night that I'm transferring to the S/S Norway this weekend. I leave the Sun and the Western Caribbean on Saturday, stay in a Miami hotel overnight, and join the Norway on Sunday. She goes to St. Maarten, St. Thomas (both of which I've seen), and Great Stirrup Cay. She's about 43 years old, and is a classic ocean liner. They have documentaries about her, and I've been wanting to cruise her. The kids korner is called Troll Land and has murals worth millions of dollars. The down side to leaving is that I like this ship and these ports. I like my roommate and the girls I work with. I won't be able to meet up with my friends on the Dawn. But, overall, it's a very good change. It just came out of left field.
For those of you fretting about my Christmas and birthday and for-no-reason presents not getting to me on my new ship, my address should be the same for letters and packages, with the one change of the ship's name from Sun to Norway. And if you've already sent them, the ships are both our of Miami, so, with only a slight delay, they will find me.
As for my friends on ships, with every ship change brings old faces back into view. I hope to see you again soon.
Love always, Genoa
For those of you fretting about my Christmas and birthday and for-no-reason presents not getting to me on my new ship, my address should be the same for letters and packages, with the one change of the ship's name from Sun to Norway. And if you've already sent them, the ships are both our of Miami, so, with only a slight delay, they will find me.
As for my friends on ships, with every ship change brings old faces back into view. I hope to see you again soon.
Love always, Genoa
11/28/02: What an Awesome Week
I've had the best week. We've had lots of kids this cruise, because of the Thanksgiving holiday. Very few monkeys; the kids have been great.
I went to a turtle farm in Grand Cayman on Monday. They raise green sea turtles. The conditions aren't the best, but they release some of them and the rest are consumed (bad), but at least they aren't taking them from the ocean anymore (good). Anyway, the babies were about 6 inches long, and I saw one beast at least 5 feet long, and that was just his shell! It was so awesome to see them. The midsized ones are in a tank where you can pick them up. Some of them squirmed too much, and I let them go, but the ones who would take it got Genoa hugs. I can't wait to see the pictures.
Yesterday I went cave tubing in Belize. Fifty passengers and I took a bus an hour and a half to a rain forest. We donned our life vests and hiked, carrying our inter-tubes, about 45 minutes. It started to rain very hard. I mean HUGE raindrops! Pouring. Cats and dogs. This San Diego native has rarely seen precipitation like this. Then it let up, and someone ahead of me on the trail sang, "The other day." So I, recognizing the repeat song, responded, "The other day." We began to sing the song about an interaction with a bear, until he didn't know the next line, so I sang, and he responded. It was cool, singing along with some guy I couldn't even see. When we got to the top of the cave system, we got in the water on our tubes, with flash lights affixed by elastic to our foreheads. We entered the caves at a lazy pace (no rapids here), and more than one person was inspired to sing, "Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me." (For those of you who don't recognize that, it's the theme song for Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean ride. That's what it looked like inside.) At one point, someone yelled, "Lights out!" and we all turned 'em out and floated in pitch blackness. The caves are spacious, and we saw fruit bats on the ceiling and cool formations all around. Someone also sang, "Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall," and the rest of us continued with the rest of the line. It was a great group of people, as might be evident. When we got out of the water, we were fed a local dish, then we took the bus back to the pier.
Today, I met up with my very good friend David, whose ship was also in Cozumel today. We went to Playa Del Carmen by ferry with a few other youth counselors, which is mainland Mexico (Central America, neat). The beach was beautiful, and when we got back to Cozumel, I picked up my clean, folded laundry from a laundromat (oh what luxuries one appreciates when away from home).
One of my favorite parts of living on a ship is having a room steward. I tip Iran (from Jamaica) $10 a week and every day he makes my bed, takes out the trash, cleans the bathroom, vacuums, replaces my towels, toilet paper and kleenex, and he changes my sheets weekly. I love this service! And they call this work?!
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and Happy Hanukkah.
Love always, Genoa
I went to a turtle farm in Grand Cayman on Monday. They raise green sea turtles. The conditions aren't the best, but they release some of them and the rest are consumed (bad), but at least they aren't taking them from the ocean anymore (good). Anyway, the babies were about 6 inches long, and I saw one beast at least 5 feet long, and that was just his shell! It was so awesome to see them. The midsized ones are in a tank where you can pick them up. Some of them squirmed too much, and I let them go, but the ones who would take it got Genoa hugs. I can't wait to see the pictures.
Yesterday I went cave tubing in Belize. Fifty passengers and I took a bus an hour and a half to a rain forest. We donned our life vests and hiked, carrying our inter-tubes, about 45 minutes. It started to rain very hard. I mean HUGE raindrops! Pouring. Cats and dogs. This San Diego native has rarely seen precipitation like this. Then it let up, and someone ahead of me on the trail sang, "The other day." So I, recognizing the repeat song, responded, "The other day." We began to sing the song about an interaction with a bear, until he didn't know the next line, so I sang, and he responded. It was cool, singing along with some guy I couldn't even see. When we got to the top of the cave system, we got in the water on our tubes, with flash lights affixed by elastic to our foreheads. We entered the caves at a lazy pace (no rapids here), and more than one person was inspired to sing, "Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me." (For those of you who don't recognize that, it's the theme song for Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean ride. That's what it looked like inside.) At one point, someone yelled, "Lights out!" and we all turned 'em out and floated in pitch blackness. The caves are spacious, and we saw fruit bats on the ceiling and cool formations all around. Someone also sang, "Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall," and the rest of us continued with the rest of the line. It was a great group of people, as might be evident. When we got out of the water, we were fed a local dish, then we took the bus back to the pier.
Today, I met up with my very good friend David, whose ship was also in Cozumel today. We went to Playa Del Carmen by ferry with a few other youth counselors, which is mainland Mexico (Central America, neat). The beach was beautiful, and when we got back to Cozumel, I picked up my clean, folded laundry from a laundromat (oh what luxuries one appreciates when away from home).
One of my favorite parts of living on a ship is having a room steward. I tip Iran (from Jamaica) $10 a week and every day he makes my bed, takes out the trash, cleans the bathroom, vacuums, replaces my towels, toilet paper and kleenex, and he changes my sheets weekly. I love this service! And they call this work?!
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and Happy Hanukkah.
Love always, Genoa
11/19/02: It's Not Sunny on the Sun
Everything's going great here. My new lead is awesome, and the three of us youth counselors get along great. We'll get Thanksgiving seasonal youth counselors next week. The kids room is so cool. I'll have to take some pictures of it filled with monkeys (my term of endearment for wild children). There was a huge storm, and we sailed all day yesterday instead of going to Grand Cayman. The seas were really rough, and even I of strong constitution felt a bit green. People were getting sick (one child on the table and herself), so we moved midship to the library. Think about a teeter totter - it's calmer in the middle. The waves move you in a figure eight. When laying in bed, your body moves left/down, up, right/down, up. It's cool, but you lose your balance when walking a lot. Last week in Roatan on the taxi ride back from Tabyana beach, I saw all kinds of interesting stuff. Roatan is a Bay Island 36 miles off the coast of Honduras, and part of that country. It's third world, and the children's first English is "one dollar?" I saw a mama dog with sagging teats flopping beneath her. A group of young and presumably mother cows meandering along the road. Lots of houses, many made of cinder blocks, on stilts to guard against the tides and storms. There were baby waves about 100 feet out, but the water came all the way in to the porches. There were unpaved roads and shoeless children waving to us. I saw an abandoned bus and canoe along the road. There are handmade docks with palm-thatched roofs. Some passengers feel bad for these people, but not me. They have family loyalty and support that many never know, and they don't know much about our privileges. I think it's neat to see such a different lifestyle, and I think it's really important for our passengers to see it. Things are going well here. We're in Roatan today, but it's rainy, so I'm going to the gym with my lead, Laura. We'll hit Belize tomorrow, but it's not supposed to be nice until Cozumel on Thursday. Maybe next week. I love the sunshine, but the storms are cool, too. It's like rainy day schedule at school. The teachers have to work more, but it's a break from routine, which I get a kick out of.
Love always, Genoa
Love always, Genoa
11/16/02: It's Raining, It's Pouring
I've been stuck in the immigration process for hours, so I have scarce little time until I have to work. All is great here. I spent as much time this past week with an old friend who was here as I could. He left today for another ship. Huge bummer. I'm sitting at a computer in the Seamans' center in Miami, and I heard a weird noise coming from all around suddenly. It's POURING outside. I love this stuff! I'm going to walk through it as I return to the ship. My roommate is the wardrobe girl for the dancers. Her name is Caroline. She's British and very nice. She even let me have the bottom bunk. My lead was very meticulous and particular, and she'd talk your ear off, but she left today. The kids korner is huge and great. I went scuba diving in Cozumel and we saw a plane wreck. I'm in such a rush, but I'll try to email again soon.
Love always, Genoa
Love always, Genoa
11/06/02: Out to Sea Again
Everyone,
Here I go again. I had an awesome vacation, with trips to Iowa and Denver, Halloween and early Thanksgiving celebrations, and great times with friends and family. For those of you on ships, I hope to see you soon. I'll be on the Norwegian Sun, which leaves from Miami and goes to Belize, Honduras, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel. As promised, I'll get the info on friends and family cruise rates as soon as I can. I always welcome guests. I don't know when I'll be home again, but it will probably be February or March. As I won't be able to check my email as much, I again request no forwards, but I love hearing from you personally. I just might not be able to reply very quickly. I hope you all have a great year's end, with all that that entails.
Love always, Genoa
Here I go again. I had an awesome vacation, with trips to Iowa and Denver, Halloween and early Thanksgiving celebrations, and great times with friends and family. For those of you on ships, I hope to see you soon. I'll be on the Norwegian Sun, which leaves from Miami and goes to Belize, Honduras, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel. As promised, I'll get the info on friends and family cruise rates as soon as I can. I always welcome guests. I don't know when I'll be home again, but it will probably be February or March. As I won't be able to check my email as much, I again request no forwards, but I love hearing from you personally. I just might not be able to reply very quickly. I hope you all have a great year's end, with all that that entails.
Love always, Genoa
9/14/02: Leaving Alaska
I have just had the best four weeks ever. It's been the perfect amount of time on the Wind. People who live in places with four distinct seasons who spent the whole summer in Alaska regret that they missed the sunshine. I have loved every minute of it. But then, I live in America's Finest City, and when I go home in two weeks, it will be sunny. And when I go to the Caribbean 6 weeks after that, I'll be in sunshine up to my eyeballs.
We sail back to Vancouver later today, then from there, on Monday, we sail for Hawaii. It will take six days at sea, which will be lots of kid time. We're going to have to get very creative to keep the munchkins entertained for so long on the ship. I hope we get a good group.
My time here has been a constant post card. I'm so happy I was sent here. I've seen harbor seals on ice floes near the beautiful Sawyer Glacier. I saw Stellar sea lions and humpback whales on a whale watching trip. I saw killer whales and dolphins out the window on the ship. I helicoptered to a glacier. I went to a salmon bake. I hiked and saw a black bear. I went bear watching on a bus and saw brown bears fishing for salmon. I went dogsledding and held a 12-day old puppy. I took a tram 1,800 feet above Juneau. I bought lots of souvenirs. I ate Alaska King crab and reindeer jerky. I road tripped to the Yukon. I biked 18 miles up and down big hills. I saw bald eagles everywhere. I went to a salmon fishery. I saw salmon spawning and swimming upstream everywhere.
I wanted to come to Alaska to see wildlife. Boy have I. And I've had the best time. If you haven't been and get the chance, come up here for sure. The natural beauty of Alaska is unparalleled.
To those of you on ships, I hope to see you on the seas soon. To those of you in San Diego, I'll be home from September 27th through November 9th.
The world is a beautiful place, full of wonderful people. I've been very fortunate to see and meet so many. Live, laugh, love.
Love always, Genoa in Ketchikan
We sail back to Vancouver later today, then from there, on Monday, we sail for Hawaii. It will take six days at sea, which will be lots of kid time. We're going to have to get very creative to keep the munchkins entertained for so long on the ship. I hope we get a good group.
My time here has been a constant post card. I'm so happy I was sent here. I've seen harbor seals on ice floes near the beautiful Sawyer Glacier. I saw Stellar sea lions and humpback whales on a whale watching trip. I saw killer whales and dolphins out the window on the ship. I helicoptered to a glacier. I went to a salmon bake. I hiked and saw a black bear. I went bear watching on a bus and saw brown bears fishing for salmon. I went dogsledding and held a 12-day old puppy. I took a tram 1,800 feet above Juneau. I bought lots of souvenirs. I ate Alaska King crab and reindeer jerky. I road tripped to the Yukon. I biked 18 miles up and down big hills. I saw bald eagles everywhere. I went to a salmon fishery. I saw salmon spawning and swimming upstream everywhere.
I wanted to come to Alaska to see wildlife. Boy have I. And I've had the best time. If you haven't been and get the chance, come up here for sure. The natural beauty of Alaska is unparalleled.
To those of you on ships, I hope to see you on the seas soon. To those of you in San Diego, I'll be home from September 27th through November 9th.
The world is a beautiful place, full of wonderful people. I've been very fortunate to see and meet so many. Live, laugh, love.
Love always, Genoa in Ketchikan
9/2/02
I saw a pod of killer whales yesterday and last night the executive chef gave us a Thanksgiving-like feast in the staff mess. Complete with mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, candied carrots, ham, turkey, ice cream, and so much more. I was stuffed, but it was such a treat, and such a welcome change from the regular slop. Early I know, but while I'm thinking of it, Happy Rosh Hashana.
Love always, Genoa
Love always, Genoa
8/26/02: Coming Home
Don't ask me why, but I'm coming home next month for a six week vacation. I should arrive home four weeks from today (September 27?), and fly to the Caribbean the second week in November (the 9th, maybe). This means I can hopefully go to the three family weddings in October. I hope they don't overlap! Thank you so much for the great emails. I can't wait to see you all. Aunt Kathy, I can't wait to see Iowa. Send me the info and I'll do my best to come. When are Jason's and Uncle Ron's weddings?
Love always and see you soon, Genoa
Love always and see you soon, Genoa
8/23/02: Seeing It All!
I don't even know where to begin, so much has happened in my first week on the Wind. I arrived on Monday to Vancouver. We sailed through the Inside Passage on Tuesday, then to Sawyer Glacier on Wednesday. Yesterday we went to Skagway during the day and Haines at night. We hit Juneau today and tomorrow we'll go to Ketchikan. I've had such a full week, it's as if I were a passenger. Youth Counselors don't really do cruise staff duties here, so when we're not in program (at sea), we're off duty.
This morning I went on a whale watching tour. Unlike the ones I did through Sea World, the whales here were close and there were lots of them. We saw humpbacks left, right, and center. It was awesome. We also saw Stellar sea lions and bald eagles. Then, when I got back to my room, I was just in time to catch two of the girls I work with on their way to a salmon bake. So I went along, and had a wonderful lunch. Mmmm, good. I ate reindeer sausage and roasted marshmallows on a real stick! Not a hanger, but a wood stick, like from a tree! Plus there were huge, steep, green, heavily tree-ed mountainsides rising up, with skinny waterfalls trailing down them.
Yesterday, five of us rented a car and drove to the YUKON!!! We saw the world's smallest desert, which is in Carcross. Weird to see sand in such a cold, otherwise green place. I forget how it formed, sorry. We went to the Yukon capital, White Horse, and I finally saw a Tim Hortons (It's a doughnut/coffee/sandwich/soup shop for all you non-Canadians). Right near the ship, we saw salmon spawning in a shallow creek. You could reach out and touch them, they were so close. And apparently, lots of morons do, which disrupts their reproduction. So if you are ever really close to spawning salmon, show a little respect for Mother Nature, please.
The day before, as we sailed to Sawyer Glacier, we took the kids outside to watch it. Parts of it were deep blue, because the pressure of the compacted ice squeezes all the oxygen out of it. There were seals on ice floes as we passed by. They looked like Harbor seals, and someone who seemed to know confirmed it for me. As we stood on deck 11 and looked down at them, my lead, a really cool girl named Donna, got the kids to bark at the seals. For those of you who didn't grow up working at SeaWorld, let me inform you that seals, being more solitary creatures, rarely bark. You're thinking of sea lions, who are very social, and therefore, also very vocal. But I guess I can let it pass. It's a little like one of the Canadians I work with telling one of the kids nachos were small tacos! I didn't know what a quarry was until Jenn told me. It's all about where you grow up, I guess.
Tomorrow, I'm planning on going mountain biking with some of the girls. I LOVE ALASKA! It's so beautiful, in such a rugged way.
That's all the email time I can afford right now. I'll email again soon.
~~~Love always, Genoa~~~
This morning I went on a whale watching tour. Unlike the ones I did through Sea World, the whales here were close and there were lots of them. We saw humpbacks left, right, and center. It was awesome. We also saw Stellar sea lions and bald eagles. Then, when I got back to my room, I was just in time to catch two of the girls I work with on their way to a salmon bake. So I went along, and had a wonderful lunch. Mmmm, good. I ate reindeer sausage and roasted marshmallows on a real stick! Not a hanger, but a wood stick, like from a tree! Plus there were huge, steep, green, heavily tree-ed mountainsides rising up, with skinny waterfalls trailing down them.
Yesterday, five of us rented a car and drove to the YUKON!!! We saw the world's smallest desert, which is in Carcross. Weird to see sand in such a cold, otherwise green place. I forget how it formed, sorry. We went to the Yukon capital, White Horse, and I finally saw a Tim Hortons (It's a doughnut/coffee/sandwich/soup shop for all you non-Canadians). Right near the ship, we saw salmon spawning in a shallow creek. You could reach out and touch them, they were so close. And apparently, lots of morons do, which disrupts their reproduction. So if you are ever really close to spawning salmon, show a little respect for Mother Nature, please.
The day before, as we sailed to Sawyer Glacier, we took the kids outside to watch it. Parts of it were deep blue, because the pressure of the compacted ice squeezes all the oxygen out of it. There were seals on ice floes as we passed by. They looked like Harbor seals, and someone who seemed to know confirmed it for me. As we stood on deck 11 and looked down at them, my lead, a really cool girl named Donna, got the kids to bark at the seals. For those of you who didn't grow up working at SeaWorld, let me inform you that seals, being more solitary creatures, rarely bark. You're thinking of sea lions, who are very social, and therefore, also very vocal. But I guess I can let it pass. It's a little like one of the Canadians I work with telling one of the kids nachos were small tacos! I didn't know what a quarry was until Jenn told me. It's all about where you grow up, I guess.
Tomorrow, I'm planning on going mountain biking with some of the girls. I LOVE ALASKA! It's so beautiful, in such a rugged way.
That's all the email time I can afford right now. I'll email again soon.
~~~Love always, Genoa~~~
8/19/02: The Wind
Well,
I arrived on the Norwegian Wind in Vancouver today. I'm still settling in, but I wanted to let you all know I'm safe and sound. My lead sounds nice on the phone. I'm in a passenger cabin with one other youth counselor. I don't know much else yet, but I can't wait to see Alaska!
Love always, Genoa
I arrived on the Norwegian Wind in Vancouver today. I'm still settling in, but I wanted to let you all know I'm safe and sound. My lead sounds nice on the phone. I'm in a passenger cabin with one other youth counselor. I don't know much else yet, but I can't wait to see Alaska!
Love always, Genoa
8/2/02: On the Open Sea
Just a brief update of my meanderings. I'm now on my second ship, the Norwegian Star, in Hawaii. My two roommates leave Sunday, and presumably will be replaced by one. The room is huge when it's not at full occupancy (six!). Working with ten girls is a new experience for me. We hang out in each other's rooms and play with hair and give massages, while talking about guys. I'm not kidding.
For those who wanted to send care packages, always appreciated, I always forget to bring the address to the computers. I'll email it soon. I'm leaving for Alaska in two weeks, but if you're that determined...
This itinerary has a lot less free time than the Majesty, but it's fun. We put on a talent show with the kids, and it's a big hit with the parents. Last night, we spun cotton candy in Planet Kids. I'm working with Lyana this week, with the 6-9 year olds. She kept feeding me cotton candy so my energy level would be up there with the kids'. We had a blast.
Last Saturday, my friends and I rented a convertible Mustang (silver) and drove around Kauai to the Waimea canyon. It's like the Grand Canyon, and it was beautiful.
We also visit Fanning Island, which is not developed much at all. The people have wide feet because they don't wear shoes. You can often see children sitting under tables eating candy that our passengers have brought them. When you walk past them, they give you the biggest, sweetest smiles. Some of the passengers return to the ship sad at the conditions in which these people live, but they're fools. These people aren't starving and they're in no way unfortunate for living without tv or malls. Their island is only a few degrees from the equator, and it's breathtakingly beautiful. The water is a million shades of blue, which punch out so much more with my new polarized sunglasses.
In two weeks time, I fly to Vancouver to join the Wind. I've looked at the itinerary, which you, too, can see on ncl.com, and it looks awesome.
I hope you're all very well. I'm in an especially great mood today. I think emailing you all brings me up even higher. I love thinking about all of you at the same time.
Message for today:
Live, laugh, love, everyday.
Love always, Genoa
For those who wanted to send care packages, always appreciated, I always forget to bring the address to the computers. I'll email it soon. I'm leaving for Alaska in two weeks, but if you're that determined...
This itinerary has a lot less free time than the Majesty, but it's fun. We put on a talent show with the kids, and it's a big hit with the parents. Last night, we spun cotton candy in Planet Kids. I'm working with Lyana this week, with the 6-9 year olds. She kept feeding me cotton candy so my energy level would be up there with the kids'. We had a blast.
Last Saturday, my friends and I rented a convertible Mustang (silver) and drove around Kauai to the Waimea canyon. It's like the Grand Canyon, and it was beautiful.
We also visit Fanning Island, which is not developed much at all. The people have wide feet because they don't wear shoes. You can often see children sitting under tables eating candy that our passengers have brought them. When you walk past them, they give you the biggest, sweetest smiles. Some of the passengers return to the ship sad at the conditions in which these people live, but they're fools. These people aren't starving and they're in no way unfortunate for living without tv or malls. Their island is only a few degrees from the equator, and it's breathtakingly beautiful. The water is a million shades of blue, which punch out so much more with my new polarized sunglasses.
In two weeks time, I fly to Vancouver to join the Wind. I've looked at the itinerary, which you, too, can see on ncl.com, and it looks awesome.
I hope you're all very well. I'm in an especially great mood today. I think emailing you all brings me up even higher. I love thinking about all of you at the same time.
Message for today:
Live, laugh, love, everyday.
Love always, Genoa
Thursday, May 27, 2010
6/5/02: Your Majesty
It makes me sad to think about not returning to the Majesty, after having spent my first two contracts there. But I'm eating great food and sleeping a lot. It was so great to lay in bed for as long as I wanted, get up for breakfast, then slide back into bed. I got about six hours of sleep each night for the last week I was on the ship. I was wiped out last night, and went to bed at 10:00. I woke up at 4am to pee, and my body seemed to be saying, "Well, it's been six hours; are you getting up?" Ah, simple pleasures.
You all will have to take care of the ship for me. Have a stupendous summer in Bermuda (David, have a wonderful last week). Please do keep in touch, and maybe our paths will cross again.
Thanks for the memories, Genoa
You all will have to take care of the ship for me. Have a stupendous summer in Bermuda (David, have a wonderful last week). Please do keep in touch, and maybe our paths will cross again.
Thanks for the memories, Genoa
5/30/02: Last Week in Bermuda
Well, here I am in my last week in Bermuda, my last week on the Majesty. I've spent two contracts here, for about 8 months total. I know this ship and these islands very well, and I'll miss them. I've had a great time here. I'm scheduled to go to the Star in Hawaii next, although I'm still hoping for Alaska.
I've met such wonderful people here and I've learned so much about myself and other people. I've had messy roommates, roommates who smelled weird, roommates who slept all the time. This last week, I have a roommate, Lidia from Romania, who is noisy and turns on the big overhead light when I'm trying to sleep. But I am learning to accept other people, and I'm surprising myself.
I'm pretty good with the kids, too. This week, I'm working with 10-12 year olds. We have our seasonal Youth Counselors, and Amy is working with me. She has less experience, and is learning a lot from me. I'm flattered to hear that I have skills to pass on to someone else.
I've made friends with people this whole time, and I've seen many of them go. There have been times when everyone I knew was little more than an acquaintance or a social friend. The people I call friends now I will miss, and I really hope to keep in touch and see them again. And that's the beauty of ships; I likely will. It's hard to leave great people, but at the same time, it's nice to leave on such a good note.
So all in all, I'm in a great mood. It's raining a bit today, and the winds are blowing. We had boat drill this morning, followed by the monthly Captain's meeting. For boat drill, the emergency alarm goes off over the whole ship (after announcements to the passengers, telling them it's only a drill) and we put on our life jackets and go to our emergency stations. When the abandon ship alarm goes off, we go to our muster stations, alongside our life boats. Big fun; this is done every Thursday. The Captain's meeting is held in the Palace Theater, with all 650 crew members piled in with our life jackets on our laps or on the floor.
We're having a crew party tomorrow night. (For me? They shouldn't have!) Tonight, after the Pajama Jam with the youngsters, I'll go to the Waterfront. It's a bar just off the ship, and it's like the crew bar ashore, because all of the crew goes there. Tomorrow around noon, we'll sail out of St. George's Bay and back to Boston. We'll sail all day Saturday and I'll disembark early Sunday. I'll fly home Sunday, then up to Seattle on Monday. I'll spend the night with my aunt, uncle, and cousin, then travel on Tuesday to Victoria, Canada for about 10 days. I'll be in San Diego on Friday, June 14th, just in time for Father's Day. I'll be home for about a month.
Life is sweet to me. Good fortune always finds me, and the heavens seem to smile down on me. I hope life is as peachy for you right now as well.
Much love and hugs galore,
Genoa
I've met such wonderful people here and I've learned so much about myself and other people. I've had messy roommates, roommates who smelled weird, roommates who slept all the time. This last week, I have a roommate, Lidia from Romania, who is noisy and turns on the big overhead light when I'm trying to sleep. But I am learning to accept other people, and I'm surprising myself.
I'm pretty good with the kids, too. This week, I'm working with 10-12 year olds. We have our seasonal Youth Counselors, and Amy is working with me. She has less experience, and is learning a lot from me. I'm flattered to hear that I have skills to pass on to someone else.
I've made friends with people this whole time, and I've seen many of them go. There have been times when everyone I knew was little more than an acquaintance or a social friend. The people I call friends now I will miss, and I really hope to keep in touch and see them again. And that's the beauty of ships; I likely will. It's hard to leave great people, but at the same time, it's nice to leave on such a good note.
So all in all, I'm in a great mood. It's raining a bit today, and the winds are blowing. We had boat drill this morning, followed by the monthly Captain's meeting. For boat drill, the emergency alarm goes off over the whole ship (after announcements to the passengers, telling them it's only a drill) and we put on our life jackets and go to our emergency stations. When the abandon ship alarm goes off, we go to our muster stations, alongside our life boats. Big fun; this is done every Thursday. The Captain's meeting is held in the Palace Theater, with all 650 crew members piled in with our life jackets on our laps or on the floor.
We're having a crew party tomorrow night. (For me? They shouldn't have!) Tonight, after the Pajama Jam with the youngsters, I'll go to the Waterfront. It's a bar just off the ship, and it's like the crew bar ashore, because all of the crew goes there. Tomorrow around noon, we'll sail out of St. George's Bay and back to Boston. We'll sail all day Saturday and I'll disembark early Sunday. I'll fly home Sunday, then up to Seattle on Monday. I'll spend the night with my aunt, uncle, and cousin, then travel on Tuesday to Victoria, Canada for about 10 days. I'll be in San Diego on Friday, June 14th, just in time for Father's Day. I'll be home for about a month.
Life is sweet to me. Good fortune always finds me, and the heavens seem to smile down on me. I hope life is as peachy for you right now as well.
Much love and hugs galore,
Genoa
5/21/02: Raining in Bermuda
Summer doesn't actually reach Bermuda until July or August. It's raining and not very warm. Maybe I'll do laundry today. It's nice having only one port, because there's not as much pressure to do big stuff. In the Caribbean, when we were hitting each port once every two weeks, we wanted to do something every day. It's more relaxed here.
I have my own cabin for the second week in a row. I love it. The two guys who live next door come over and we watch tv. And I can leave the bathroom door open and listen to music while I shower.
I'll be home Friday, June 14th, for about a month. Right now, I'm scheduled to go to Hawaii for my next contract, but I'm requesting Alaska. We'll see. I'll be home for Father's Day! After spending so many holidays away from home (except for Valentine's Day, but my Valentine was on the ship, so that wasn't so much fun!), it will be great to celebrate a family holiday with my family.
I'm starving, so I think I'm going to venture into the staff mess. Wish me luck; it's been pretty foul lately. I can't wait to have good food!
Love always, Genoa
I have my own cabin for the second week in a row. I love it. The two guys who live next door come over and we watch tv. And I can leave the bathroom door open and listen to music while I shower.
I'll be home Friday, June 14th, for about a month. Right now, I'm scheduled to go to Hawaii for my next contract, but I'm requesting Alaska. We'll see. I'll be home for Father's Day! After spending so many holidays away from home (except for Valentine's Day, but my Valentine was on the ship, so that wasn't so much fun!), it will be great to celebrate a family holiday with my family.
I'm starving, so I think I'm going to venture into the staff mess. Wish me luck; it's been pretty foul lately. I can't wait to have good food!
Love always, Genoa
5/11/02: Another Day on the Ship
My roommate, Mihaela from Romania, leaves today. I wonder who my next roommate will be. Jessy, Heather, and I had a full week with the kiddies. We had some kids with serious listening problems. Time outs and parent discussions aplenty. There were two brothers who were such pills. I don't know what I'd do if they were my children. The great thing about being out here is that they're only here for a week, then they leave! As bad as it is, it only lasts a week. The Assistant Cruise Director quit. Her parting advice to me was, "When it's not fun anymore, stop doing it. At least take a break." Good advice to you all, too.
It's still only mild in Bermuda; probably much like San Diego right now, except without the gray. I haven't gone scuba diving, but a night dive is in the works. I'm so spoiled having been certified in the Caribbean. I don't know how I'll manage diving in Canada in a few weeks. I go on vacation three weeks from today. I've re-requested Alaska or Scandinavia for my next contract.
More to come,
Genoa
It's still only mild in Bermuda; probably much like San Diego right now, except without the gray. I haven't gone scuba diving, but a night dive is in the works. I'm so spoiled having been certified in the Caribbean. I don't know how I'll manage diving in Canada in a few weeks. I go on vacation three weeks from today. I've re-requested Alaska or Scandinavia for my next contract.
More to come,
Genoa
5/2/02: Bermuda, Baby!
It's so cool to be back in Bermuda. It looks exactly the same, but it's been six months, and I'm with different people. It's still chilly here; it should warm up soon. Boston is freezing, and I don't have enough layers to combat it. I'm making lots of cool friends on the ship. Everyone's new, since we just finished dry dock, so the social links are all new. We're all gelling well, and we go out a lot. The people are all very cool. Fellow Youth Counselor Jess and I are working very well together. We have 60 kids registered in the program, between just the two of us. Usually we get about 35. The Kids Korner isn't big enough to support all of them, so they turn into monkeys! It's a challenge, but I think we're doing a great job anyway. My sprained ankle is fine now; thank you to all who were concerned. I'm going to try to snorkel and scuba dive as much as I can. I've met some other divers, and the mood on the ship is just great. Everyone's friendly, and that's not always the case, even though we're in the hospitality industry. We had a Captain's meeting after boat drill today. The captain, who's leaving for vacation on Sunday, commended us on how happy an environment we make here. He's very sweet. I'm having a great time. My last month will fly by; I need to grab every opportunity for fun and exploration.
The sunshine beckons.
Love always,
Genoa
The sunshine beckons.
Love always,
Genoa
4/28/02: I Saw It Snowing!!!
For the first time ever, I saw it snowing!!! It was Thursday night in Boston. They've been having both extremes with their temps. I'm so thankful I wasn't here for dry dock. Anyway, I flew out, had dinner at a restaurant with a couple guys I knew, then went to the Purple Shamrock, whick is supposed to be Boston's oldest bar. But the highlight was waiting on the gangway for everyone, as IT SNOWED!!! It was beautiful. Then it started raining again.
The other Youth Counselor is Jessy. She's really cool, and we've decided that neither one of us will be lead, since she was also told she'd be it until Heather returned. So we're sharing the responsibilities.
The new crew is really cool, and there are also lots of familiar faces. The two day cruise to nowhere was full of drinking Bostonians. I led karaoke, which was a blast. One woman was sitting on the piano the whole time. Then she fell on me!
Last night, I led four passengers in a choreographed YMCA in a packed disco. I learned it at the same time as them, having never participated in 70's night before. It was way fun, and I only messed up once!
I slightly sprained my ankle stepping down from a stool, but I'm fine. I went to the ship doctor and he said just to ice it. It only hurt after standing on it all last night. No biggie, but it's the first time I sprained anything. I also ate a mussel in the restaurant on Thursday, so between that and the snow, it's been a week of firsts.
It's really cold here, and Bermuda is supposed to be only into the 70's during the day, but it's cool to feel real weather. Maybe it will snow again...
Gotta run; all-aboard is in a few minutes. My best to you all.
Love, Genoa
The other Youth Counselor is Jessy. She's really cool, and we've decided that neither one of us will be lead, since she was also told she'd be it until Heather returned. So we're sharing the responsibilities.
The new crew is really cool, and there are also lots of familiar faces. The two day cruise to nowhere was full of drinking Bostonians. I led karaoke, which was a blast. One woman was sitting on the piano the whole time. Then she fell on me!
Last night, I led four passengers in a choreographed YMCA in a packed disco. I learned it at the same time as them, having never participated in 70's night before. It was way fun, and I only messed up once!
I slightly sprained my ankle stepping down from a stool, but I'm fine. I went to the ship doctor and he said just to ice it. It only hurt after standing on it all last night. No biggie, but it's the first time I sprained anything. I also ate a mussel in the restaurant on Thursday, so between that and the snow, it's been a week of firsts.
It's really cold here, and Bermuda is supposed to be only into the 70's during the day, but it's cool to feel real weather. Maybe it will snow again...
Gotta run; all-aboard is in a few minutes. My best to you all.
Love, Genoa
4/20/02: Ah, Relaxation
So, the Majesty's in dry dock, getting all prettied up, and I'm sitting in my parents' house in San Diego. I've been granted a bonus vacation of ten sweet days. Sure, the breeze here is cooler than the Caribbean, but it's very nice still. The sky is blue, the sun is shining. After a few more days of catching up with friends and family, I'll go back to the ship, now in Boston. I'll be the lead youth counselor, at least to begin with. It's the same money, but it will give me some managerial experience, and I'm looking forward to the challenge. I haven't been to Bermuda in six months, and this time it will be really different, since most of my friends have signed off. On the plus side, now that I'm scuba certified, I can enjoy a whole new side of Bermuda, and hopefully try night diving. I'll keep this one short; I just wanted to drop a quick line.
Live in the moment, shower the people you love with love, and try something new.
Love always, Genoa
Live in the moment, shower the people you love with love, and try something new.
Love always, Genoa
4/15/02: San Diego
Well, I made it home, finally. All of the crew sign-offs had to meet in the ship's theater at 5am yesterday, go through immigration, then get taken to the airport. A group of us hung out there until our respective flights. It was great to end things that way, all of us together.
I missed my connection in Chicago, so they sent me to Vegas for the night. I stayed in a Motel 6 and walked the strip at 2am.
My shark dive was canceled due to strong winds and swells. Don't get me started. I was so upset. I had been looking forward to it sooo much. On the plus side, there are supposed to be great sites in Bermuda, and since the ship docks for a few days, we have overnights and I'll get to do some night diving.
That's the news for now. I'm so glad to be home. I've slept sporadically on the flights (good thing, since none of them offered food or had TVs), but I'll need to catch up on sleep for sure. It's nice to have nothing to do for awhile. Except shower. I showered in Vegas, but I didn't have shampoo.
What's with the cloudiness, San Diego?!
Love always, Genoa
I missed my connection in Chicago, so they sent me to Vegas for the night. I stayed in a Motel 6 and walked the strip at 2am.
My shark dive was canceled due to strong winds and swells. Don't get me started. I was so upset. I had been looking forward to it sooo much. On the plus side, there are supposed to be great sites in Bermuda, and since the ship docks for a few days, we have overnights and I'll get to do some night diving.
That's the news for now. I'm so glad to be home. I've slept sporadically on the flights (good thing, since none of them offered food or had TVs), but I'll need to catch up on sleep for sure. It's nice to have nothing to do for awhile. Except shower. I showered in Vegas, but I didn't have shampoo.
What's with the cloudiness, San Diego?!
Love always, Genoa
4/7/02: Almost Home!
I know I already told you guys this, but I'll be home next Sunday! I'll have a week and a half, and I want to see all of you. I'll probably try to arrange a group thing (What else is new, right?), but if you have week day time off, I'm open.
I am an open water, PADI certified SCUBA DIVER!!! I went on a wreck dive on Friday, and it was awesome! The big St. Maarten shark dive to 60 feet is on Tuesday. Yippee! I can't wait.
Everyone I know on the ship is signing off on Sunday, so it will be a really good thing that I'm coming home. When I return, it will be all different, which will be cool.
Gotta go, I'm starving. I'll have lots of stories and pictures for you, so call when I'm in town, or email so we can get together.
Lots of love, Genoa
I am an open water, PADI certified SCUBA DIVER!!! I went on a wreck dive on Friday, and it was awesome! The big St. Maarten shark dive to 60 feet is on Tuesday. Yippee! I can't wait.
Everyone I know on the ship is signing off on Sunday, so it will be a really good thing that I'm coming home. When I return, it will be all different, which will be cool.
Gotta go, I'm starving. I'll have lots of stories and pictures for you, so call when I'm in town, or email so we can get together.
Lots of love, Genoa
4/4/02: Hello From Dominica!
After the awesome crew party the captain threw for passing Coast Guard inspection and leaving the Caribbean for Bermuda soon, I woke up with 3 1/2 hours' sleep to rappel down waterfalls.
Wow!
Genoa
Wow!
Genoa
3/31/02: Home for Ten Days!
Happy Passover and Easter! I dressed up as the Easter Bunny last night for the 2-9 year olds. The older boys kept pulling at my costume, saying, "That's Jammin' Genoa!" Can't pull anything over on them! I'll dress up for this week's kids tomorrow, and the photogs will be there with cameras. Should be a blast. I took a ferry over to an island called St. John with two friends yesterday. We rented a jeep and drove around the islands and to several of the beaches. Three babes in bikinis we were!
I'm coming home while the ship sits in dry dock. I'll fly out two weeks from today, April 14th.
(Mom, I'll email or phone when I get flight info. Don't expect much advance notice. NCL doesn't put any importance on that. Can we PLEASE go desert camping? Will the kitchen be finished so we can cook?)
That's all for now. I'd love to see all of you when I'm home, but it will only be for about ten days.
Love, Genoa
I'm coming home while the ship sits in dry dock. I'll fly out two weeks from today, April 14th.
(Mom, I'll email or phone when I get flight info. Don't expect much advance notice. NCL doesn't put any importance on that. Can we PLEASE go desert camping? Will the kitchen be finished so we can cook?)
That's all for now. I'd love to see all of you when I'm home, but it will only be for about ten days.
Love, Genoa
3/24/02
I had hoped to transfer to another ship, because we're repositioning back to Bermuda, and I've already seen it. But the schedule is set. So I'll stay on the Majesty until June 9 (I can't extend three weeks like I'd wanted, either). Then I'll be home for a month, then back out. I'm thinking of just one more contract. That would put me back in San Diego in the beginning of November. I definitely wouldn't go back for another contract unless I could have a long vacation and stay home for the holidays. I'd love to see Alaska or the Mediterranean.
Also, the ship is in dry dock from April 14 through the 25th, or so. This allows the ship to replace, repair, etc. I'M COMING HOME!!! There's no sense in staying on the ship, with everyone else leaving. I'll put in my flight request, which I'll probably have to pay for. It will be great to be home, even if just for ten days. Then when I return, most of the staff and crew will be new, and we'll be sailing from Boston to Bermuda. It will be great.
By the way, there are 60 nations represented on the Majesty. There are 650 employees, and 1600 capacity for passengers. And this is one of the smallest ships in the fleet! Our captain is Greek: Kostas Fafalios.
We're planning to go to a movie next Sunday. Hey, movies are a huge thing when you can't go whenever you want. Today, I went to the mall with some friends, also a big thing. We had a fun time, and now we're emailing and phoning. After this, we're going to have a drink at a cool bar with outside musicians. Then it's off to work. We have Kids Crew orientation and registration. I think I'll be working with 6-9 year olds this week. And, I'm dressing up as the Easter Bunny next weekend! I can't wait. We'll be decorating eggs in program, and we're supposed to get lots of candy candy candy.
My roommate found out that her husband only wanted her for her prestige and riches in Romania, so it's a good thing they weren't married on paper. It's over with them, but she has a boyfriend here. He signed off for vacation and she's transferring next weekend. But they think they'll find a way. I wish them good luck. It's so crazy out here. When Roxy leaves, I'm going to deep clean the cabin and get rid of everything that isn't mine. I know lots of stuff currently in our room is left over from previous roommates. I'll get a new roommate, but not before I can do some Spring Cleaning. I like Roxy, and I wish her the best.
It's very warm in Puerto Rico today. The four seasonal youth counselors (all from Ontario, Canada) are stoked to be out here. Some of them had never seen a palm tree before! It's fun making them feel comfortable here and showing them around.
That's about it from this end. I should be home in three weeks, but I'll let you know when I find out for sure.
Love and hugs, Genoa
Also, the ship is in dry dock from April 14 through the 25th, or so. This allows the ship to replace, repair, etc. I'M COMING HOME!!! There's no sense in staying on the ship, with everyone else leaving. I'll put in my flight request, which I'll probably have to pay for. It will be great to be home, even if just for ten days. Then when I return, most of the staff and crew will be new, and we'll be sailing from Boston to Bermuda. It will be great.
By the way, there are 60 nations represented on the Majesty. There are 650 employees, and 1600 capacity for passengers. And this is one of the smallest ships in the fleet! Our captain is Greek: Kostas Fafalios.
We're planning to go to a movie next Sunday. Hey, movies are a huge thing when you can't go whenever you want. Today, I went to the mall with some friends, also a big thing. We had a fun time, and now we're emailing and phoning. After this, we're going to have a drink at a cool bar with outside musicians. Then it's off to work. We have Kids Crew orientation and registration. I think I'll be working with 6-9 year olds this week. And, I'm dressing up as the Easter Bunny next weekend! I can't wait. We'll be decorating eggs in program, and we're supposed to get lots of candy candy candy.
My roommate found out that her husband only wanted her for her prestige and riches in Romania, so it's a good thing they weren't married on paper. It's over with them, but she has a boyfriend here. He signed off for vacation and she's transferring next weekend. But they think they'll find a way. I wish them good luck. It's so crazy out here. When Roxy leaves, I'm going to deep clean the cabin and get rid of everything that isn't mine. I know lots of stuff currently in our room is left over from previous roommates. I'll get a new roommate, but not before I can do some Spring Cleaning. I like Roxy, and I wish her the best.
It's very warm in Puerto Rico today. The four seasonal youth counselors (all from Ontario, Canada) are stoked to be out here. Some of them had never seen a palm tree before! It's fun making them feel comfortable here and showing them around.
That's about it from this end. I should be home in three weeks, but I'll let you know when I find out for sure.
Love and hugs, Genoa
3/17/02: St. Patty's Day
Hey Kids,
Here's a brief update. Scuba diving 56 feet yesterday, again this Wednesday. Feeling more social with other crew, and doing stuff with a greater variety of people. Coming into my own pretty nicely, and I found a place to be alone and think, while staring at the sea. I miss you and thank you for your emails.
Love, Genoa
Here's a brief update. Scuba diving 56 feet yesterday, again this Wednesday. Feeling more social with other crew, and doing stuff with a greater variety of people. Coming into my own pretty nicely, and I found a place to be alone and think, while staring at the sea. I miss you and thank you for your emails.
Love, Genoa
3/10/02: Week Two
Okay, as hoped, this week has been much better. Thank you so much to everyone who sent emails of encouragement and love. They make me miss you more, but they also give me the long-distance support that I've sort of been needing out here.
The food in the mess still stinks, but I eat ashore sometimes, the Kids Korner serves edible snacks, and I can eat passenger food when I'm with the teens.
Roommate Roxana is actually a cool girl, and she's not around very much. She opened up about having a guy on the ship who's not her husband, and I can sort of understand that her motivation is loneliness. And I guess she's not married on paper anyway. I can accept her actions, even though that's not how I'd choose to live my life. Rather than get onto her about her messiness, I'm working on my own tolerance. I just roll my eyes and tell my friends what crazy thing she's doing now.
Speaking of friends, I've gotten closer with the other youth counselors. Heather is really cool, and Holly is a bit weird, but she's okay, and maybe being only 20 is her excuse.
Okay, now onto the not-so-dramatic stuff. If anyone wants to cruise, you can go on the Star to Hawaii March 31-April 14. (One week) Inside cabin $510.78, outside cabin $613.18, third and fourth person in a cabin $305.98. Or on my ship, the Majesty, as we reposition for dry dock: Inside $329, Outside $399, 3rd and 4th $179. What deals, huh? You'll want to check NCL.com for the ports, and think about flying either to Puerto Rico or Hawaii to meet the ships. Let me know by next weekend, as it's first come, first serve.
I'm learning to scuba dive!!! It's about time, huh? Everyone in San Diego is certified. Yesterday was our first time in the water. We learned skills, then went for a swim at 20 feet. I got a little scared when practicing for out-of-air scenarios (natural reaction, right?), but the actual scuba diving was awesome. A guy named Lazslo came with us, too, which allowed us to pair off for more one-on-one. Our goal is to be certified by the last time the ship goes to St. Maarten before dry dock. There's a shark dive! It should be incredible.
I've been hanging out with my friend David a lot. He's a great friend, and we know each other very well. It's easy to be around him, and we can confide in each other a lot. We walked around Dominica the other day. It has a rain forest, and without realizing it, I took almost a full roll of film. It's so beautiful here.
I'm thinking about maybe making this my last contract. The draws of shiplife are travel and excitement, but it's leaving me emotionally hungry. I'll wait and see, because who knows what the future holds. Introspection is the key; maybe I'll start journaling again.
Don't worry about a thing, 'cause very little thing is gonna be all right.
That's all I've got for now. My best to you all.
Love, Genoa
The food in the mess still stinks, but I eat ashore sometimes, the Kids Korner serves edible snacks, and I can eat passenger food when I'm with the teens.
Roommate Roxana is actually a cool girl, and she's not around very much. She opened up about having a guy on the ship who's not her husband, and I can sort of understand that her motivation is loneliness. And I guess she's not married on paper anyway. I can accept her actions, even though that's not how I'd choose to live my life. Rather than get onto her about her messiness, I'm working on my own tolerance. I just roll my eyes and tell my friends what crazy thing she's doing now.
Speaking of friends, I've gotten closer with the other youth counselors. Heather is really cool, and Holly is a bit weird, but she's okay, and maybe being only 20 is her excuse.
Okay, now onto the not-so-dramatic stuff. If anyone wants to cruise, you can go on the Star to Hawaii March 31-April 14. (One week) Inside cabin $510.78, outside cabin $613.18, third and fourth person in a cabin $305.98. Or on my ship, the Majesty, as we reposition for dry dock: Inside $329, Outside $399, 3rd and 4th $179. What deals, huh? You'll want to check NCL.com for the ports, and think about flying either to Puerto Rico or Hawaii to meet the ships. Let me know by next weekend, as it's first come, first serve.
I'm learning to scuba dive!!! It's about time, huh? Everyone in San Diego is certified. Yesterday was our first time in the water. We learned skills, then went for a swim at 20 feet. I got a little scared when practicing for out-of-air scenarios (natural reaction, right?), but the actual scuba diving was awesome. A guy named Lazslo came with us, too, which allowed us to pair off for more one-on-one. Our goal is to be certified by the last time the ship goes to St. Maarten before dry dock. There's a shark dive! It should be incredible.
I've been hanging out with my friend David a lot. He's a great friend, and we know each other very well. It's easy to be around him, and we can confide in each other a lot. We walked around Dominica the other day. It has a rain forest, and without realizing it, I took almost a full roll of film. It's so beautiful here.
I'm thinking about maybe making this my last contract. The draws of shiplife are travel and excitement, but it's leaving me emotionally hungry. I'll wait and see, because who knows what the future holds. Introspection is the key; maybe I'll start journaling again.
Don't worry about a thing, 'cause very little thing is gonna be all right.
That's all I've got for now. My best to you all.
Love, Genoa
3/2/02: Day Seven
Well, I made it through my first week back. My great friend David is back, too, which helps a lot. A lot has changed, and it's a big adjustment. Lots of my friends have left, and the three other youth counselors have all been together the last five weeks, so I'm a bit of an outsider to that dynamic. My roommate, Foxy Roxy, is from Romania. She leaves her underwear on the toilet and is messy in lots of other ways, too. She's a cruise staff hostess and she's married to a casino guy on another ship. She told me a bit about him, how she misses him, yada yada yada. She has spent the last few nights in someone else's cabin. One of the worst parts of ship life is infidelity. I hate it. Anyway, St. Thomas is beautiful today, and I'm wearing sunblock (Dad). The food in the mess stinks, and my appetite is taking a vacation. Maybe next week will be better.
Love, Genoa
Love, Genoa
2/22/02: Leaving Again
Here I go again. I leave tomorrow morning for San Juan, Puerto Rico. I'll rejoin the Majesty on Sunday. We'll do the Caribbean run until April when the ship will go into dry dock for two weeks. It will get new upholstery, speakers, etc. There won't be children for the Kids Korner, so I'll have a mini vacation. In May, the ship repositions back to the Boston-Bermuda run. I was there for the first month of my first contract, and it will be cool to go back there. I'm looking forward to going back to work.
Being home for a month has been great. I can't take baths, drive, or go out at night while I'm on a contract. It was great seeing many of you while I was here, too. I went to Disneyland, and Sea World, ate sushi and homemade food, and caught up with a lot of dear friends and family.
I won't be able to email as often when I'm out, so I again make the request for no forwards. I love getting original emails from you, however. Please keep me posted on what happens in your lives.
And, those darn Olympics coincided with my vacation perfectly. My first week back on the ship is when Joey professes his love for Rachel on Friends. If anyone can let me know how she responds, that would be marvelous. I've also missed The West Wing, but that's not one you can really appreciate unless you watch it firsthand.
I'll miss you all when I'm away, but I'll email as much as I can. Please take very good care of yourselves and each other.
Love, Genoa
Genoa
Cruise Staff Youth Counselor
M/S Norwegian Majesty
San Juan, Puerto Rico 00901
I love getting snail mail, too!
Being home for a month has been great. I can't take baths, drive, or go out at night while I'm on a contract. It was great seeing many of you while I was here, too. I went to Disneyland, and Sea World, ate sushi and homemade food, and caught up with a lot of dear friends and family.
I won't be able to email as often when I'm out, so I again make the request for no forwards. I love getting original emails from you, however. Please keep me posted on what happens in your lives.
And, those darn Olympics coincided with my vacation perfectly. My first week back on the ship is when Joey professes his love for Rachel on Friends. If anyone can let me know how she responds, that would be marvelous. I've also missed The West Wing, but that's not one you can really appreciate unless you watch it firsthand.
I'll miss you all when I'm away, but I'll email as much as I can. Please take very good care of yourselves and each other.
Love, Genoa
Genoa
Cruise Staff Youth Counselor
M/S Norwegian Majesty
San Juan, Puerto Rico 00901
I love getting snail mail, too!
2/14/02: Happy Valentine's Day
Some people think Valentine's Day is too commercial. They think it's a big hoax to get people to drop cash on expensive dinners, flowers that will wilt, chocolate that makes you fat, and jewelery that makes you broke. They think couples shouldn't need a holiday to be sweet to the one they care about. They think of it as a forced show of affection, not sincere in the least.
I am not one of those people.
I think you should regularly show the special person in your life how much they mean to you, certainly. But Valentine's Day is a fun time to really do something out of the ordinary. It's an occasion to celebrate your love. Often, a romantic night has other distractions. A promotion, a birthday... Valentine's Day asks us to set aside one day out of the year to focus on love. And it doesn't even have to be romantic love. It can be the love between parents and children, or friends.
So while my Valentine is 4,000 miles away, I thought I'd take this chance to wish you a Happy Valentine's Day. I hope that whatever you do, whether it's with a Valentine, a friend, or yourself, that you take a moment to appreciate the non-commercial side of this day. Think about the people who love you, and the people you love. Think about your good friends, the relatives you're close with, the people who have known you forever. Know that I am thinking about you today, wishing you a very Happy Valentine's Day.
Love, Genoa
I am not one of those people.
I think you should regularly show the special person in your life how much they mean to you, certainly. But Valentine's Day is a fun time to really do something out of the ordinary. It's an occasion to celebrate your love. Often, a romantic night has other distractions. A promotion, a birthday... Valentine's Day asks us to set aside one day out of the year to focus on love. And it doesn't even have to be romantic love. It can be the love between parents and children, or friends.
So while my Valentine is 4,000 miles away, I thought I'd take this chance to wish you a Happy Valentine's Day. I hope that whatever you do, whether it's with a Valentine, a friend, or yourself, that you take a moment to appreciate the non-commercial side of this day. Think about the people who love you, and the people you love. Think about your good friends, the relatives you're close with, the people who have known you forever. Know that I am thinking about you today, wishing you a very Happy Valentine's Day.
Love, Genoa
2/13/02: GENOA'S GOING AWAY PARTY, Part II
Dear friends,
I'm leaving on Saturday, February 23rd, to go back to the Caribbean. My cruise ship job is a wonderful ride, and I want to do it again. I'll be gone another four months, and I'll email updates on my adventures. But before I leave...
I bet you thought I was kidding when I said I'd have a going away party every time I leave. Hee hee hee. I wasn't...
Monday, February 18th, 7:00pm-close
Rock Bottom Brewery, La Jolla (deja vu anyone?)
If you have questions, I'm staying at my parents' house.
Love, Genoa
I'm leaving on Saturday, February 23rd, to go back to the Caribbean. My cruise ship job is a wonderful ride, and I want to do it again. I'll be gone another four months, and I'll email updates on my adventures. But before I leave...
I bet you thought I was kidding when I said I'd have a going away party every time I leave. Hee hee hee. I wasn't...
Monday, February 18th, 7:00pm-close
Rock Bottom Brewery, La Jolla (deja vu anyone?)
If you have questions, I'm staying at my parents' house.
Love, Genoa
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
1/29/02: My First Ship
This is a long one, just to warn you...
Well, I'm home from my first cruise ship contract and my first trip to Europe. I learned a lot about myself, and I had some wonderful adventures. I am much richer for the experience, and I'm going back to the ship in four more weeks for another contract. I had an amazing time out there in the great big world.
I found out that I am a really tidy person. When my first roommate was a slob, it drove me nuts. I like everything in its place. I'm not really that way at home; it must be just in small quarters. And boy, was my cabin small. The beds are about 6.5 feet long, maybe three feet wide. The bed is at the end of the cabin, so the width of the room is the length of the bed. There's a small bathroom with shower, sink, toilet. I had my own locking closet and cabinet, and my own shelf in the bathroom. I had a bedside table and there was a communal table with a tv. I was on the top bunk for the first month, then I claimed the bottom bunk when my roommate signed off. My first roommate was Annie, from Canada, a Sports Afloat (aerobics instructor). My second roommate was Mihaela, from Romania, a cruise staff hostess. That was the job I interviewed for, socializing with passengers and doing bingo, theme parties, trivia, library duty, etc. I'm glad they made me a youth counselor. I much prefer it. Plus, I get to do enough cruise staff duties when I'm not with the kids. Like karaoke. Can you picture it? There's a bar on deck nine forward which is a restaurant until 10:30pm, and then it turns into a karaoke bar. I pass out song books and have a karaoke machine and two microphones. And at the beginning, when people are still a bit shy, you have to get them loosened up. So I usually sing a song or two, just to show them that it's not that scary. Throughout the night, if I have no requests, I sing some more. Or Edwin the bartender does. I hate to see an unused microphone. I ran karaoke on New Year's Eve, and that was the best. I kept telling the crowd the whole night that at midnight it would be my birthday. Just before midnight, the room cleared out, up to the 10th deck for the big deck party, and I went, too. The father of one of the kids in my program had given me a birthday bottle of champagne. I joined my friends upstairs for the countdown. After going back and finishing karaoke, I met up with everyone at the disco. What a night.
But I digress. Mihaela signed off, and my third roommate was Kristine, from the Philippines, also a Sports Afloat. All three of my roommates were major sleepers. I mean, they slept plenty at night, and still needed several hours to nap during the day. I didn't understand it. There are beautiful islands out there to explore.
St. Lucia has Rodney Beach. Once, a big group of us went there, and several of us got a banana boat ride. There's a long inflated tube, and you straddle it and get towed by a ski boat. Great fun. We were there on Christmas, and so were some of my family, by chance, with another ship. So I spent Christmas with my Aunt, Uncle, and cousins.
Barbados has the Boatyard, which is a nice beach club. Some of the prettiest sand is there. The same part of my family was here the day after Christmas and they took me kayaking and snorkeling with them. We saw a sea turtle. It was great.
Dominica has a real rain forest. If you've seen Jurassic Park, the steep mountains here look just like in the movie. Trafalgar Falls is there, and it's just beautiful. The water falls are mineral water, and you leave feeling so clean. There are some gardens that you can tour, and two friendly Siamese kittens live there.
St. Kitts is very hilly. The hills are light green and rolling. And though I didn't see any, there are monkeys all over the place.
St. Croix has wonderfully warm water, even for the Caribbean. My friend Melinda and I rented bikes and rode along a road that could have been in the mountains anywhere in America. The landscape was great. Tall trees on either side; very lush. We rode to see the beer-drinking pigs. Really.
Martinique is a French island. I took French in high school, but it's pretty much gone now. I was here for my birthday, worn out from New Year's Eve. There's a really pretty park and a fort.
Antigua has lots of shops right at the end of the dock. There's an old man who goes under a limbo bar just inches from the ground. I took the Millionaire's snorkel trip with Melinda. The snorkeling was beautiful. So many fish that it looks like something you'd see on the Discovery Channel. We ate a steak lunch on the way back.
St. Maarten is great for shopping. Lots of electronics and jewelery shops, and plenty of souvenirs. But good ones. A delicious Indian restaurant here. And St. Maarten is where I finally went scuba diving for the first time.
Tortola is one of my favorite islands. You've got Cane Garden Bay, with it's picturesque beach, a restaurant with a great frozen drink whose name has just escaped me, and a swing at the end of the beach that few people know about. You take an open air jeep that seats 20 people up over the mountain and down the other side. The roads are so steep, you feel sure you'll slip back down. Once, the group I went with filled the whole jeep, and we sang songs on the way back. Loudly. Tortola also has, just a ferry ride away, the Virgin Gorda. This small island has unusual habitat for the Caribbean. Blue cactus and iguanas are everywhere. But head for The Baths. You walk between huge rocks to get there, and the beach is breathtaking. Sail boats are anchored just outside the bay, snorkeling is great, and the sand is colorful. I was here for my last day off the ship. I wanted to stay.
St. Thomas, like San Juan, is usually a utility day. Inexpensive emailing, a post office, phones. But also Magen's Bay, which is just as lovely, and quite similar to, Cane Garden Bay.
San Juan, in addition to emailing and phones, has the mall. A luxury when malls are scarce, even for the non-shopper. One time, I saw some birds being sold on an open lot. They had several large exotic birds (I don't want to think of where they were taken from) but also small birds, in a pen on the ground, with small rabbits. That's right. Birds and rabbits, hanging out together. I couldn't stop laughing.
Ireland was quite a change from the Caribbean. I stayed with my friend Laura, who I'd met on the ship. Another friend of ours from the ship, Ian (from Australia), met up with us a few days after I arrived. Laura's house doesn't have a shower, so we took baths. And you had to flip a switch to get the water heated. Ian rented a car and we drove across the country. It took a few hours to get from Dublin (on the east coast) to the west coast. The whole country listens to the same radio station. We ate fried breakfast, including three meat products, a fried egg, and heavily buttered toast. Laura is a sous chef, and really cooks well, but her two favorite things are butter and salt. We drank Bailey's Irish Cream, and lots of Guinness. We went to Temple Bar in Dublin, which is actually a few blocks worth of pubs and clubs. I had a really great time in Ireland, but was counting down the days when I could come home. Now that I'm here, I'm freezing. At least in Ireland I could borrow Laura's jumpers (sweaters). Here, I foolishly expect San Diego to be mild. I guess my blood has thinned from four months in a hot climate.
Oh, yeah, about my job. Although I love it, I tend to forget about it when I think about my cruise life. The Kids Crew program accommodates children 2-12, and teens 13-17. With the kids, we paint faces, make beaded lizards, draw murals, play games, sing songs, spy on the adults around the ship, make ice cream sundaes, decorate cupcakes, swim in the pool, do scavenger hunts, and basically have summer camp at sea. The program runs on our sea day, which is Monday, 9am-12pm, 2-5pm, and 7-10pm. For the port days, which are Tuesday through Saturday, we have program from 7-10pm. Parents can pay to have us watch their kids during port days or late at night, but the program is less structured then, and if there aren't that many kids on the cruise, we don't get much interest, which is fine with us. The teen program can be a lot of fun when you get good teens. You dance in the disco, go to the shows, eat at one of the restaurants, go on scavenger hunts, go to the deck parties, and play games. One youth counselor also watches the kiddie pool, which is behind the Kids Korner and is filled up for two hours every day. Hardly anyone uses it and it wastes our beach time.
In addition to the program, youth counselors do a few cruise staff duties, like karaoke. We are sometimes scheduled to stand at the gangway and wish people a nice day on the island. Sometimes we stand at the entrance to the Palace Theatre and greet people going in to see the show. All of the cruise staff is on a rotating schedule for all day duty, which prevents one person from getting off the ship that day, so that everyone else can. You carry a radio and have a schedule of crafts, trivia, library duty, scavenger hunts, and escorting passengers to the bridge tour (given by one of the officers), among other things. The amount of cruise staff duties I do gives me enough interaction with adult passengers, and enough variety, but I still wouldn't want to do it full time. I love being a youth counselor. I can tell that my patience level has gone up, as has my enjoyment of children. I'm also becoming much more crafty. You should see me with glitter glue.
I hope this (long) email has helped you see what I've been doing for the last four months. Having the time of my life. I'm looking forward to spending the next four weeks at home, but I'm also looking forward to being back on my ship, the M/S Norwegian Majesty.
Kiss kiss,
Genoa
World traveler
Well, I'm home from my first cruise ship contract and my first trip to Europe. I learned a lot about myself, and I had some wonderful adventures. I am much richer for the experience, and I'm going back to the ship in four more weeks for another contract. I had an amazing time out there in the great big world.
I found out that I am a really tidy person. When my first roommate was a slob, it drove me nuts. I like everything in its place. I'm not really that way at home; it must be just in small quarters. And boy, was my cabin small. The beds are about 6.5 feet long, maybe three feet wide. The bed is at the end of the cabin, so the width of the room is the length of the bed. There's a small bathroom with shower, sink, toilet. I had my own locking closet and cabinet, and my own shelf in the bathroom. I had a bedside table and there was a communal table with a tv. I was on the top bunk for the first month, then I claimed the bottom bunk when my roommate signed off. My first roommate was Annie, from Canada, a Sports Afloat (aerobics instructor). My second roommate was Mihaela, from Romania, a cruise staff hostess. That was the job I interviewed for, socializing with passengers and doing bingo, theme parties, trivia, library duty, etc. I'm glad they made me a youth counselor. I much prefer it. Plus, I get to do enough cruise staff duties when I'm not with the kids. Like karaoke. Can you picture it? There's a bar on deck nine forward which is a restaurant until 10:30pm, and then it turns into a karaoke bar. I pass out song books and have a karaoke machine and two microphones. And at the beginning, when people are still a bit shy, you have to get them loosened up. So I usually sing a song or two, just to show them that it's not that scary. Throughout the night, if I have no requests, I sing some more. Or Edwin the bartender does. I hate to see an unused microphone. I ran karaoke on New Year's Eve, and that was the best. I kept telling the crowd the whole night that at midnight it would be my birthday. Just before midnight, the room cleared out, up to the 10th deck for the big deck party, and I went, too. The father of one of the kids in my program had given me a birthday bottle of champagne. I joined my friends upstairs for the countdown. After going back and finishing karaoke, I met up with everyone at the disco. What a night.
But I digress. Mihaela signed off, and my third roommate was Kristine, from the Philippines, also a Sports Afloat. All three of my roommates were major sleepers. I mean, they slept plenty at night, and still needed several hours to nap during the day. I didn't understand it. There are beautiful islands out there to explore.
St. Lucia has Rodney Beach. Once, a big group of us went there, and several of us got a banana boat ride. There's a long inflated tube, and you straddle it and get towed by a ski boat. Great fun. We were there on Christmas, and so were some of my family, by chance, with another ship. So I spent Christmas with my Aunt, Uncle, and cousins.
Barbados has the Boatyard, which is a nice beach club. Some of the prettiest sand is there. The same part of my family was here the day after Christmas and they took me kayaking and snorkeling with them. We saw a sea turtle. It was great.
Dominica has a real rain forest. If you've seen Jurassic Park, the steep mountains here look just like in the movie. Trafalgar Falls is there, and it's just beautiful. The water falls are mineral water, and you leave feeling so clean. There are some gardens that you can tour, and two friendly Siamese kittens live there.
St. Kitts is very hilly. The hills are light green and rolling. And though I didn't see any, there are monkeys all over the place.
St. Croix has wonderfully warm water, even for the Caribbean. My friend Melinda and I rented bikes and rode along a road that could have been in the mountains anywhere in America. The landscape was great. Tall trees on either side; very lush. We rode to see the beer-drinking pigs. Really.
Martinique is a French island. I took French in high school, but it's pretty much gone now. I was here for my birthday, worn out from New Year's Eve. There's a really pretty park and a fort.
Antigua has lots of shops right at the end of the dock. There's an old man who goes under a limbo bar just inches from the ground. I took the Millionaire's snorkel trip with Melinda. The snorkeling was beautiful. So many fish that it looks like something you'd see on the Discovery Channel. We ate a steak lunch on the way back.
St. Maarten is great for shopping. Lots of electronics and jewelery shops, and plenty of souvenirs. But good ones. A delicious Indian restaurant here. And St. Maarten is where I finally went scuba diving for the first time.
Tortola is one of my favorite islands. You've got Cane Garden Bay, with it's picturesque beach, a restaurant with a great frozen drink whose name has just escaped me, and a swing at the end of the beach that few people know about. You take an open air jeep that seats 20 people up over the mountain and down the other side. The roads are so steep, you feel sure you'll slip back down. Once, the group I went with filled the whole jeep, and we sang songs on the way back. Loudly. Tortola also has, just a ferry ride away, the Virgin Gorda. This small island has unusual habitat for the Caribbean. Blue cactus and iguanas are everywhere. But head for The Baths. You walk between huge rocks to get there, and the beach is breathtaking. Sail boats are anchored just outside the bay, snorkeling is great, and the sand is colorful. I was here for my last day off the ship. I wanted to stay.
St. Thomas, like San Juan, is usually a utility day. Inexpensive emailing, a post office, phones. But also Magen's Bay, which is just as lovely, and quite similar to, Cane Garden Bay.
San Juan, in addition to emailing and phones, has the mall. A luxury when malls are scarce, even for the non-shopper. One time, I saw some birds being sold on an open lot. They had several large exotic birds (I don't want to think of where they were taken from) but also small birds, in a pen on the ground, with small rabbits. That's right. Birds and rabbits, hanging out together. I couldn't stop laughing.
Ireland was quite a change from the Caribbean. I stayed with my friend Laura, who I'd met on the ship. Another friend of ours from the ship, Ian (from Australia), met up with us a few days after I arrived. Laura's house doesn't have a shower, so we took baths. And you had to flip a switch to get the water heated. Ian rented a car and we drove across the country. It took a few hours to get from Dublin (on the east coast) to the west coast. The whole country listens to the same radio station. We ate fried breakfast, including three meat products, a fried egg, and heavily buttered toast. Laura is a sous chef, and really cooks well, but her two favorite things are butter and salt. We drank Bailey's Irish Cream, and lots of Guinness. We went to Temple Bar in Dublin, which is actually a few blocks worth of pubs and clubs. I had a really great time in Ireland, but was counting down the days when I could come home. Now that I'm here, I'm freezing. At least in Ireland I could borrow Laura's jumpers (sweaters). Here, I foolishly expect San Diego to be mild. I guess my blood has thinned from four months in a hot climate.
Oh, yeah, about my job. Although I love it, I tend to forget about it when I think about my cruise life. The Kids Crew program accommodates children 2-12, and teens 13-17. With the kids, we paint faces, make beaded lizards, draw murals, play games, sing songs, spy on the adults around the ship, make ice cream sundaes, decorate cupcakes, swim in the pool, do scavenger hunts, and basically have summer camp at sea. The program runs on our sea day, which is Monday, 9am-12pm, 2-5pm, and 7-10pm. For the port days, which are Tuesday through Saturday, we have program from 7-10pm. Parents can pay to have us watch their kids during port days or late at night, but the program is less structured then, and if there aren't that many kids on the cruise, we don't get much interest, which is fine with us. The teen program can be a lot of fun when you get good teens. You dance in the disco, go to the shows, eat at one of the restaurants, go on scavenger hunts, go to the deck parties, and play games. One youth counselor also watches the kiddie pool, which is behind the Kids Korner and is filled up for two hours every day. Hardly anyone uses it and it wastes our beach time.
In addition to the program, youth counselors do a few cruise staff duties, like karaoke. We are sometimes scheduled to stand at the gangway and wish people a nice day on the island. Sometimes we stand at the entrance to the Palace Theatre and greet people going in to see the show. All of the cruise staff is on a rotating schedule for all day duty, which prevents one person from getting off the ship that day, so that everyone else can. You carry a radio and have a schedule of crafts, trivia, library duty, scavenger hunts, and escorting passengers to the bridge tour (given by one of the officers), among other things. The amount of cruise staff duties I do gives me enough interaction with adult passengers, and enough variety, but I still wouldn't want to do it full time. I love being a youth counselor. I can tell that my patience level has gone up, as has my enjoyment of children. I'm also becoming much more crafty. You should see me with glitter glue.
I hope this (long) email has helped you see what I've been doing for the last four months. Having the time of my life. I'm looking forward to spending the next four weeks at home, but I'm also looking forward to being back on my ship, the M/S Norwegian Majesty.
Kiss kiss,
Genoa
World traveler
1/6/02
Hi everyone,
Just a quick update. Christmas was great. We sang songs with the kids onstage for the Christmas show. New Year's was awesome. I hosted karaoke until just before midnight, then went up to the deck party to drink champagne (a father of one of the kids in the program gave me a birthday bottle!). After finishing karaoke, we all went to the disco to dance. It was a wonderful night. My birthday was a lot like other days, until a few of us went to the disco that night. It was a very low key day, and I realized that I've been so spoiled having a whole day revolve around me for previous birthdays. I will be home in three weeks, and I'm missing you all so much. I'm planning to return to the Majesty, and I'm looking forward to my week with Laura, Ian, and Andy in Ireland, but San Diego and all of you keep popping to mind. I hope you're all well. Happy New Year, and thanks for all the birthday wishes. They mean a lot.
Love,
Genoa
Just a quick update. Christmas was great. We sang songs with the kids onstage for the Christmas show. New Year's was awesome. I hosted karaoke until just before midnight, then went up to the deck party to drink champagne (a father of one of the kids in the program gave me a birthday bottle!). After finishing karaoke, we all went to the disco to dance. It was a wonderful night. My birthday was a lot like other days, until a few of us went to the disco that night. It was a very low key day, and I realized that I've been so spoiled having a whole day revolve around me for previous birthdays. I will be home in three weeks, and I'm missing you all so much. I'm planning to return to the Majesty, and I'm looking forward to my week with Laura, Ian, and Andy in Ireland, but San Diego and all of you keep popping to mind. I hope you're all well. Happy New Year, and thanks for all the birthday wishes. They mean a lot.
Love,
Genoa
12/16/01: The Stormy Caribbean
!Hola chicos!
We have 1000 Puerto Ricans on the cruise this week. We have 4 additional seasonal youth counselors.
My best friend on the ship, David, signed off today. I will miss him dearly. But I'll have special people around me for Christmas and my birthday. Speaking of Christmas, I can't wait to see my Aunt Kathy, Uncle John, and cousins in St. Lucia. What a fabulous coincidence. We'll even be in Barbados on the same day! My new roommate showed up today. I've been enjoying the last two weeks without a roommate. Kristine seems very nice. And I think her being Philippina will work to our advantage. She said that in her culture, people are happy to do things for you if you need it. So, with all of the Philippino crew onboard, Kristine can get us special extras. I already got a fridge...
It's been stormy all week. Probably hurricanes somewhere. I have fire and safety training all week, in the afternoon, so I'm glad to not be missing beach days.
The whole ship's decorated for Christmas. We have a real tree in the Kids Korner. We're planning all the activities for the pipsqeaks. They're great. I'm really getting into this kid thing. NOT THAT I'M READY TO HAVE KIDS, so don't get scared. But a three year old girl from England, Reo, was tired the other night in program. I was laying on the bean bags, watching Twinkle Tiffany doing a game with the big kids, and Reo was laying on me sleeping. I loved it.
Don't forget that cruises are very cheap right now. The discounts I can get are so last minute, and I'd have to get in touch with you through email, so it's easier and not much more expensive for you to try to get one.
I'm finalizing my plans for after my contract. I'll fly to Dublin for the week on Jan 20-27, then back to San Diego.
My fingers are hurting. I love you all.
Happy Holidays.
Genoa
We have 1000 Puerto Ricans on the cruise this week. We have 4 additional seasonal youth counselors.
My best friend on the ship, David, signed off today. I will miss him dearly. But I'll have special people around me for Christmas and my birthday. Speaking of Christmas, I can't wait to see my Aunt Kathy, Uncle John, and cousins in St. Lucia. What a fabulous coincidence. We'll even be in Barbados on the same day! My new roommate showed up today. I've been enjoying the last two weeks without a roommate. Kristine seems very nice. And I think her being Philippina will work to our advantage. She said that in her culture, people are happy to do things for you if you need it. So, with all of the Philippino crew onboard, Kristine can get us special extras. I already got a fridge...
It's been stormy all week. Probably hurricanes somewhere. I have fire and safety training all week, in the afternoon, so I'm glad to not be missing beach days.
The whole ship's decorated for Christmas. We have a real tree in the Kids Korner. We're planning all the activities for the pipsqeaks. They're great. I'm really getting into this kid thing. NOT THAT I'M READY TO HAVE KIDS, so don't get scared. But a three year old girl from England, Reo, was tired the other night in program. I was laying on the bean bags, watching Twinkle Tiffany doing a game with the big kids, and Reo was laying on me sleeping. I loved it.
Don't forget that cruises are very cheap right now. The discounts I can get are so last minute, and I'd have to get in touch with you through email, so it's easier and not much more expensive for you to try to get one.
I'm finalizing my plans for after my contract. I'll fly to Dublin for the week on Jan 20-27, then back to San Diego.
My fingers are hurting. I love you all.
Happy Holidays.
Genoa
Monday, May 17, 2010
12/08/01: Hot December
Hello everyone!
I need to keep this one short, but here's what's new with me.
Who's feeling adventurous and spontaneous? If you can fly to San Juan, PR, by next Sunday, the 9th, you can take my cruise to the beautiful Caribbean for the low, low price of $136.75 per person!!! Can you believe that? I'll check my email in the next two days if there's any chance any of you want to go.
I'm very sorry to admit that I've been emotionally removed from your lives. I blame myself, but also geography. I'd like to apologize to the following people...for missing your birthdays. Whoops. While I'm at it, I know...have upcoming birthdays as well. This next apology is for you, I'm sorry. I wish I could be there with all of you to celebrate your big days. It's not very much fun here, and I'd much rather be back in a routine. It's quite ugly here as well. (Read: much sarcasm.)
I think you all know that I'm having a wonderful time here, but there will always be things that I'll have to miss. This will be the first time I'll be away for the holidays, but I am surrounded by new friends, who have become like my family, although not nearly as wonderful as you all. I love you all very much, and I wish you the very best Hanukkah, Christmas, birthdays, and New Year's.
Also, who wants a post card? I don't have addresses for a lot of you.
My Romanian roomie, Mihaela, went home today. She was very sweet, and I'll miss her. My new roommate will be the new Sports Afloat (aerobics instructor, like roommate #1). Kristine will be #3.
My co-worker, Stephanie, quit, and left today as well. We signed on the same day, and although we were very different, we had a great time together. But ship life didn't suit her, and she left. Lisa and I will work the Kids Korner alone this week, and next week we'll have four seasonal youth counselors arrive for the Christmas rush.
That's the news for now.
In paradise, Genoa
I need to keep this one short, but here's what's new with me.
Who's feeling adventurous and spontaneous? If you can fly to San Juan, PR, by next Sunday, the 9th, you can take my cruise to the beautiful Caribbean for the low, low price of $136.75 per person!!! Can you believe that? I'll check my email in the next two days if there's any chance any of you want to go.
I'm very sorry to admit that I've been emotionally removed from your lives. I blame myself, but also geography. I'd like to apologize to the following people...for missing your birthdays. Whoops. While I'm at it, I know...have upcoming birthdays as well. This next apology is for you, I'm sorry. I wish I could be there with all of you to celebrate your big days. It's not very much fun here, and I'd much rather be back in a routine. It's quite ugly here as well. (Read: much sarcasm.)
I think you all know that I'm having a wonderful time here, but there will always be things that I'll have to miss. This will be the first time I'll be away for the holidays, but I am surrounded by new friends, who have become like my family, although not nearly as wonderful as you all. I love you all very much, and I wish you the very best Hanukkah, Christmas, birthdays, and New Year's.
Also, who wants a post card? I don't have addresses for a lot of you.
My Romanian roomie, Mihaela, went home today. She was very sweet, and I'll miss her. My new roommate will be the new Sports Afloat (aerobics instructor, like roommate #1). Kristine will be #3.
My co-worker, Stephanie, quit, and left today as well. We signed on the same day, and although we were very different, we had a great time together. But ship life didn't suit her, and she left. Lisa and I will work the Kids Korner alone this week, and next week we'll have four seasonal youth counselors arrive for the Christmas rush.
That's the news for now.
In paradise, Genoa
11/24/01
!Hola! ?Como Esta?
Now that we're in the Caribbean, leaving from San Juan, Puerto Rico, each Sunday, there are a lot of Spanish speakers on the ship. Necessito practicar mi espanol.
We're in St. Thomas today. I'll try to give you all the rundown and take care of some business as well. Thank you for your emails. I enjoy reading about what you're all doing, but I'd like to request that you not send me any forwards. As witty or cool as they might be, I don't take the time to open them, and they clutter my inbox. I know I'm being picky, but you wouldn't believe the amount of spam that builds up when I can only check email once a week. Okay, enough of being mean. Here's the great stuff:
Ten of us went to a beach in St. Lucia last week, and six of us rode a banana boat. It's an inflated tube, and you straddle it and hang on while a boat tows you up and down the beach. It was so much fun. I found out that that's where we'll be on Christmas.
There's a Norwegian officer named Jarle, pronounced Yarla. He calls me Yenoa. And the South Africans call me geNOa, but I don't mind anymore.
I sign off on Jan. 20, but I think I'm going to go to Ireland for a week before I go home. My friend Laura signed on the same day as me, and we always got along very well. She's a great person, and she's invited me to visit her outside Dublin. Why not? She quit due to an oppressive and demeaning boss, and I miss her already. So I'll be home around Jan 27. This is all very tentative, of course.
The cruise industry isn't very healthy right now, and Norwegian is practically giving cruises away. Go to NCL.com or discount sites, and come visit me! I'm on the Norwegian Majesty and we are in the southern Caribbean. We have two routes, and we alternate them, so we do a, b, a, b... Wouldn't you love to see San Juan and a) Antigua, St. Maarten, Martinique, Tortola, and St. Thomas? Or what about Barbados, St. Kitts, St. Croix, Dominica, and one more that I can't remember right now? It's beautiful here. And I bet you're all pretty cold right about now, aren't you? The rate I can get is $299 a person, if you book for two people. If you book four people, the 3rd and 4th are $199. But look into it yourselves, too, because the dates I can get are really limited.
Thanksgiving was neat. There are only about 15 Americans aboard, and they still served turkey and ham in the staff mess. I was touched. They also had soda and beer (which was gone by the time I got there) for us. Cool. I hope you all had a nice holiday.
Mom--I finally found a place with water warm enough for you. You'd love St. Croix. The tide pools were exactly like the ones San Diego has, but warm.
I can't believe it's taken me this long, but I discovered a great place to stargaze. If I go to deck 7 forward, it's right below the bridge, and it's quite dark there. There's usually no one there. Last night, there was very little wind. It was quiet, peaceful, and clear. The stars were beautiful. I'm going to try to go there regularly, to enjoy the stars, and to get some quality me time. The sunsets are also a sight to behold, and I try to get upstairs for as many of them as possible. We usually have all aboard at 5 and sail at 5:30, which is when the sun sets.
Michaela, my Romanian roommate, signs off next weekend. I've really gotten to enjoy her. She's very sweet, and she is always complimenting my outfits (and who doesn't love that?). I've been helping her with her English and explaining figures of speech to her. She asked me if someone could "eclipse" someone else. That led into a whole conversation about upstaging someone. Also, in Romania, they have their own version of "Sleep tight. Don't let the bedbugs bite." They say, "Don't let the fleas bite." Yuck. I wonder who my third roommate will be. As long as I can keep the lower bunk, I'll try to accept anyone. I've gotten to accept Michaela's 27 lipsticks and the spray lotion that stinks up the cabin (Stinks pretty, and my grandfather would always say).
Know that I don't just send this out to everyone on my list. For each email, I select each person. So although I didn't address each of you in the text, I'm thinking of all of you.
My thoughts are with you. Happy belated Turkey Day.
Love, Genoa
Now that we're in the Caribbean, leaving from San Juan, Puerto Rico, each Sunday, there are a lot of Spanish speakers on the ship. Necessito practicar mi espanol.
We're in St. Thomas today. I'll try to give you all the rundown and take care of some business as well. Thank you for your emails. I enjoy reading about what you're all doing, but I'd like to request that you not send me any forwards. As witty or cool as they might be, I don't take the time to open them, and they clutter my inbox. I know I'm being picky, but you wouldn't believe the amount of spam that builds up when I can only check email once a week. Okay, enough of being mean. Here's the great stuff:
Ten of us went to a beach in St. Lucia last week, and six of us rode a banana boat. It's an inflated tube, and you straddle it and hang on while a boat tows you up and down the beach. It was so much fun. I found out that that's where we'll be on Christmas.
There's a Norwegian officer named Jarle, pronounced Yarla. He calls me Yenoa. And the South Africans call me geNOa, but I don't mind anymore.
I sign off on Jan. 20, but I think I'm going to go to Ireland for a week before I go home. My friend Laura signed on the same day as me, and we always got along very well. She's a great person, and she's invited me to visit her outside Dublin. Why not? She quit due to an oppressive and demeaning boss, and I miss her already. So I'll be home around Jan 27. This is all very tentative, of course.
The cruise industry isn't very healthy right now, and Norwegian is practically giving cruises away. Go to NCL.com or discount sites, and come visit me! I'm on the Norwegian Majesty and we are in the southern Caribbean. We have two routes, and we alternate them, so we do a, b, a, b... Wouldn't you love to see San Juan and a) Antigua, St. Maarten, Martinique, Tortola, and St. Thomas? Or what about Barbados, St. Kitts, St. Croix, Dominica, and one more that I can't remember right now? It's beautiful here. And I bet you're all pretty cold right about now, aren't you? The rate I can get is $299 a person, if you book for two people. If you book four people, the 3rd and 4th are $199. But look into it yourselves, too, because the dates I can get are really limited.
Thanksgiving was neat. There are only about 15 Americans aboard, and they still served turkey and ham in the staff mess. I was touched. They also had soda and beer (which was gone by the time I got there) for us. Cool. I hope you all had a nice holiday.
Mom--I finally found a place with water warm enough for you. You'd love St. Croix. The tide pools were exactly like the ones San Diego has, but warm.
I can't believe it's taken me this long, but I discovered a great place to stargaze. If I go to deck 7 forward, it's right below the bridge, and it's quite dark there. There's usually no one there. Last night, there was very little wind. It was quiet, peaceful, and clear. The stars were beautiful. I'm going to try to go there regularly, to enjoy the stars, and to get some quality me time. The sunsets are also a sight to behold, and I try to get upstairs for as many of them as possible. We usually have all aboard at 5 and sail at 5:30, which is when the sun sets.
Michaela, my Romanian roommate, signs off next weekend. I've really gotten to enjoy her. She's very sweet, and she is always complimenting my outfits (and who doesn't love that?). I've been helping her with her English and explaining figures of speech to her. She asked me if someone could "eclipse" someone else. That led into a whole conversation about upstaging someone. Also, in Romania, they have their own version of "Sleep tight. Don't let the bedbugs bite." They say, "Don't let the fleas bite." Yuck. I wonder who my third roommate will be. As long as I can keep the lower bunk, I'll try to accept anyone. I've gotten to accept Michaela's 27 lipsticks and the spray lotion that stinks up the cabin (Stinks pretty, and my grandfather would always say).
Know that I don't just send this out to everyone on my list. For each email, I select each person. So although I didn't address each of you in the text, I'm thinking of all of you.
My thoughts are with you. Happy belated Turkey Day.
Love, Genoa
11/13/01: The Latest
Hello all,
We were in St. Lucia yesterday. I went with eight other people to a beach and six of us rode a banana boat. We straddled a long inflated tube and a boat sped us around. It was so much fun.
I have all-day duty today, which means I have to stay on the ship and run cruise staff entertainment while everyone else enjoys Barbados. Trivia and games for those passengers who don't want to get off the ship. It's not fun, but we all rotate through it.
Last night while we were sailing, we had a Caribbean party on the top deck. The sky was very clear and the stars were beautiful. I wish there were darker places on the ship for star gazing.
Tonight is 50's 60's night, so I'll put on my poodle skirt and twist in the Palace Theater with the hosts and passengers. It's my first time, because we didn't have this theme when we were in Bermuda. I'm looking forward to dancing to the oldies.
I have to head upstairs now. Duty calls. My best to you all, and I'll email again when I have more time.
Love, Genoa
We were in St. Lucia yesterday. I went with eight other people to a beach and six of us rode a banana boat. We straddled a long inflated tube and a boat sped us around. It was so much fun.
I have all-day duty today, which means I have to stay on the ship and run cruise staff entertainment while everyone else enjoys Barbados. Trivia and games for those passengers who don't want to get off the ship. It's not fun, but we all rotate through it.
Last night while we were sailing, we had a Caribbean party on the top deck. The sky was very clear and the stars were beautiful. I wish there were darker places on the ship for star gazing.
Tonight is 50's 60's night, so I'll put on my poodle skirt and twist in the Palace Theater with the hosts and passengers. It's my first time, because we didn't have this theme when we were in Bermuda. I'm looking forward to dancing to the oldies.
I have to head upstairs now. Duty calls. My best to you all, and I'll email again when I have more time.
Love, Genoa
10/28/01: Sorry it's been so long
Hey, guys!
I wanted to be able to email more often, but beaches and internet rates (and the job) have made them less frequent. Sorry. Here's the rundown:
*We're repositioning to the Caribbean this week. I went into Boston for the last time today. Our home port will now be San Juan, Puerto Rico.
*My room steward's name is Antonio. He makes my bed every day, gives me clean towels every day, and even makes sure I don't run out of toilet paper. I love that he is here.
*My roommate Annie signed off last week, and just as I was really starting to enjoy living alone, Mihaela from Romania moved in. She has been a hostess, and has two months to go. She isn't messy like Annie, but she has tons of stuff. She has 26 lipsticks, and she has them all standing up on a shelf in the room!
*My lead, Kristen, also signed off last week, and her replacement is Lisa. She's really cool. Unlike Kristen, she socializes with Stephanie and me. Steph and I are getting along better. She still complains about stuff, but she's getting used to this place.
*My friend Laura is a sous chef, and she's now assigned to the staff mess. The first night, the food was so much better than it had been, we all applauded when she walked into the room.
*Bermuda is so beautiful. I went on the bus by myself the other day to Horseshoe Bay to snorkel, and even the trip was lovely. I'll miss it, but I hear the Caribbean is even better.
*I've also heard the other companies treat their employees better. Whether it's with NCL or someone else, I think I might want to do this again. I always feel so crunched for time when I write (I know I should write it out in advance), but I am having such a great time out here. The people I've met are great, and it's such a great experience. It feels great to be out of my cocoon. I miss you all, though. Don't think I don't. I'm not really homesick, but there have been times when I really could have used a hug from one of you. Someone who has known me for more than 5 weeks.
My love and best wishes to you all.
~Genoa
I wanted to be able to email more often, but beaches and internet rates (and the job) have made them less frequent. Sorry. Here's the rundown:
*We're repositioning to the Caribbean this week. I went into Boston for the last time today. Our home port will now be San Juan, Puerto Rico.
*My room steward's name is Antonio. He makes my bed every day, gives me clean towels every day, and even makes sure I don't run out of toilet paper. I love that he is here.
*My roommate Annie signed off last week, and just as I was really starting to enjoy living alone, Mihaela from Romania moved in. She has been a hostess, and has two months to go. She isn't messy like Annie, but she has tons of stuff. She has 26 lipsticks, and she has them all standing up on a shelf in the room!
*My lead, Kristen, also signed off last week, and her replacement is Lisa. She's really cool. Unlike Kristen, she socializes with Stephanie and me. Steph and I are getting along better. She still complains about stuff, but she's getting used to this place.
*My friend Laura is a sous chef, and she's now assigned to the staff mess. The first night, the food was so much better than it had been, we all applauded when she walked into the room.
*Bermuda is so beautiful. I went on the bus by myself the other day to Horseshoe Bay to snorkel, and even the trip was lovely. I'll miss it, but I hear the Caribbean is even better.
*I've also heard the other companies treat their employees better. Whether it's with NCL or someone else, I think I might want to do this again. I always feel so crunched for time when I write (I know I should write it out in advance), but I am having such a great time out here. The people I've met are great, and it's such a great experience. It feels great to be out of my cocoon. I miss you all, though. Don't think I don't. I'm not really homesick, but there have been times when I really could have used a hug from one of you. Someone who has known me for more than 5 weeks.
My love and best wishes to you all.
~Genoa
10/1/01: More...
I've been interrupted several times here in the crew mess by people coming here to smoke. I eat in the staff mess, but the computers are in here.
I forgot to say that, while I'd been getting excited about living with Stephanie, our request was denied yesterday, the day we were to move in. Things here are always changing.
The accents are great on the ship. Stephanie is from Charlotte, and has a great accent, and she's always trying to mimic the other accents. She's a kick.
Better go put on my party dress for formal night and teen disco...
~GW
I forgot to say that, while I'd been getting excited about living with Stephanie, our request was denied yesterday, the day we were to move in. Things here are always changing.
The accents are great on the ship. Stephanie is from Charlotte, and has a great accent, and she's always trying to mimic the other accents. She's a kick.
Better go put on my party dress for formal night and teen disco...
~GW
Friday, May 14, 2010
10/1/01: It's Freezing in Boston Now!
I've enjoyed reading your emails. Keep them coming, and I'll write as often as I can. I'm going to try the bulk mail to save money, though. I will personalize as much as I can.
Well, I made it through the first week. My friends Stephanie and David are less enthusiastic and optimistic than I am, and I find a lot of my energy is spent trying to show them the bright side of our chosen lifestyle. Steph is used to organization and stability. David has worked on other (much better, says he) cruise lines. My life is richer with them in it, but it gets frustrating at times. True, they have reasons to be upset with what's happening to us, but I believe you really have to be flexible and either change, accept, or leave bad situations. There's a tension release from complaining, but only up to a point, in my opinion. Steph did say that she is grateful for my cheering her up. We asked to room together and it was approved. Annie's sloppiness in our cabin is driving me nuts, and I was looking forward to rooming with Steph. I've realized that I have a place for everything in my small space, and I like things to be where they belong. And I try to keep my personal stuff out of view. Annie has dirty clothes in a pile on the floor. Steph is neat, like me. I didn't mean to get on this tangent. Let me tell you all the wonderful stuff about this place.
The people here are great. I've met so many sweet, funny, genuine people here. Unfortunately, some of them are signing off soon. The way of this life, I suppose. This week, I'm on teens. That means that while Steph and Kristen work with ages 2-12, I do different stuff, usually out of Kids Korner, with 13-17. I like the teens the best, I think. You can really talk to them and it's neat to get their stories. The adult passengers are fun, too. It's similar to Sea World in many ways. Tonight is formal night, so I get to get dressed up.
I'm curious to hear what's going on with all of you. Please feel free to drop a line anytime. I don't have all of your addresses with me. If you email them to me, I can send you a postcard. I took a stack with me to Boston yesterday, where it really is autumn, but didn't get to buy stamps or find a mailbox. Maybe next week. It's so much less expensive than from Bermuda. We stop going to Boston later in the month, so I want to take advantage of the amenities while I can.
My best to you all,
Genoa
Can anyone tell me what happened on the Friends? Who's pregnant?
Well, I made it through the first week. My friends Stephanie and David are less enthusiastic and optimistic than I am, and I find a lot of my energy is spent trying to show them the bright side of our chosen lifestyle. Steph is used to organization and stability. David has worked on other (much better, says he) cruise lines. My life is richer with them in it, but it gets frustrating at times. True, they have reasons to be upset with what's happening to us, but I believe you really have to be flexible and either change, accept, or leave bad situations. There's a tension release from complaining, but only up to a point, in my opinion. Steph did say that she is grateful for my cheering her up. We asked to room together and it was approved. Annie's sloppiness in our cabin is driving me nuts, and I was looking forward to rooming with Steph. I've realized that I have a place for everything in my small space, and I like things to be where they belong. And I try to keep my personal stuff out of view. Annie has dirty clothes in a pile on the floor. Steph is neat, like me. I didn't mean to get on this tangent. Let me tell you all the wonderful stuff about this place.
The people here are great. I've met so many sweet, funny, genuine people here. Unfortunately, some of them are signing off soon. The way of this life, I suppose. This week, I'm on teens. That means that while Steph and Kristen work with ages 2-12, I do different stuff, usually out of Kids Korner, with 13-17. I like the teens the best, I think. You can really talk to them and it's neat to get their stories. The adult passengers are fun, too. It's similar to Sea World in many ways. Tonight is formal night, so I get to get dressed up.
I'm curious to hear what's going on with all of you. Please feel free to drop a line anytime. I don't have all of your addresses with me. If you email them to me, I can send you a postcard. I took a stack with me to Boston yesterday, where it really is autumn, but didn't get to buy stamps or find a mailbox. Maybe next week. It's so much less expensive than from Bermuda. We stop going to Boston later in the month, so I want to take advantage of the amenities while I can.
My best to you all,
Genoa
Can anyone tell me what happened on the Friends? Who's pregnant?
9/26/01: Day Four
It's $20 for 80 minutes online when you're on the ship, so I'll try to briefly wrap up my first few days. Flying wasn't a big deal. The first few days were hectic, but I've spent hours at cool beaches with some of my new friends the last two days. You know,IN BERMUDA!!! It's so beautiful here. My cabin is about 6' by 12', including closet and bathroom. My roommate Annie (pronounced the French way because she's Canadian: "UH-nee") is cool. She has been asking me how I am a lot, making sure I'm adapting well. And I am. The kids are better than I expected. It's a bit like a daycare at times, but I can do it.
So here is my day today: I slept in until 10am, went to St. Catherine beach with Stephanie and David, returned to the ship, showered and napped, then ate in the mess. After emailing, I'll meet the teenagers who are in the program at Kids Korner and take them around the ship for a "Babe Hunt." They'll find "babes" and interview them. We'll have a couple of different activities, then at midnight when I drop them off, I'll change out of my cowboy outfit (theme night, you know) and go off the ship with some friends to go to a bar. Days at sea are a lot busier, though. We give the kiddies more to do when they can't get off the ship.
Last night I helped lead Karaoke. When no one in the audience sang, I filled in. For those of you who have heard me sing, you know why that was amusing rather than entertaining. I opened with California Girls (had to) and ended with Copa Cabana. The Youth Coordinators, along with a few others, fill in for the Cruise Staff hosts with some of these activities (yay, adults!!!). We'll do Karaoke probably twice a week.
There's a lot of safety stuff to learn, the staff mess offers little variety, my cabin mate isn't as neat as I am, and there are some days I'll have to start work early in the morning and end late at night, though I'll have breaks in between. For the first day, I was in good spirits. The second day, I couldn't believe I was stuck here for four months. But yesterday, when we got to get off the ship, it made everything okay. This place is so cool. And this is just the beginning. Today, Steph, David, and I were laughing hysterically in the shallow part of the beach, getting tossed around in the tide, having a few shots (free from the bartender "Tequila"). It's great to have hooked up with these two. David has done cruises before, but Stephanie and I haven't, and Sunday was the first day on the Majesty for all of us.
More to come,
Genoa
So here is my day today: I slept in until 10am, went to St. Catherine beach with Stephanie and David, returned to the ship, showered and napped, then ate in the mess. After emailing, I'll meet the teenagers who are in the program at Kids Korner and take them around the ship for a "Babe Hunt." They'll find "babes" and interview them. We'll have a couple of different activities, then at midnight when I drop them off, I'll change out of my cowboy outfit (theme night, you know) and go off the ship with some friends to go to a bar. Days at sea are a lot busier, though. We give the kiddies more to do when they can't get off the ship.
Last night I helped lead Karaoke. When no one in the audience sang, I filled in. For those of you who have heard me sing, you know why that was amusing rather than entertaining. I opened with California Girls (had to) and ended with Copa Cabana. The Youth Coordinators, along with a few others, fill in for the Cruise Staff hosts with some of these activities (yay, adults!!!). We'll do Karaoke probably twice a week.
There's a lot of safety stuff to learn, the staff mess offers little variety, my cabin mate isn't as neat as I am, and there are some days I'll have to start work early in the morning and end late at night, though I'll have breaks in between. For the first day, I was in good spirits. The second day, I couldn't believe I was stuck here for four months. But yesterday, when we got to get off the ship, it made everything okay. This place is so cool. And this is just the beginning. Today, Steph, David, and I were laughing hysterically in the shallow part of the beach, getting tossed around in the tide, having a few shots (free from the bartender "Tequila"). It's great to have hooked up with these two. David has done cruises before, but Stephanie and I haven't, and Sunday was the first day on the Majesty for all of us.
More to come,
Genoa
9/21/01: Here I Go!
Well, at long last, I'm packed and ready to fly to Boston tomorrow morning. It's been six months in the planning, and on Sunday I'll board the Norwegian Majesty as a Youth Coordinator. You can check out my route on www.NCL.com if you're interested.
I don't really know what to expect of cruise life. I hope to email regularly, but if I don't, please forgive me. There will be a complete photo seminar when I return in January, you can be sure.
Genoa's Big (and first) Adventure is ready to kick off. But before that, if I can, I need to get some sleep. The next time you hear from me, I'll be in either Boston, Bermuda, or the Caribbean.
Take care and keep in touch,
Genoa
I don't really know what to expect of cruise life. I hope to email regularly, but if I don't, please forgive me. There will be a complete photo seminar when I return in January, you can be sure.
Genoa's Big (and first) Adventure is ready to kick off. But before that, if I can, I need to get some sleep. The next time you hear from me, I'll be in either Boston, Bermuda, or the Caribbean.
Take care and keep in touch,
Genoa
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