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