March 22 post

Today is the day of the sea olympics (and also a “study day”--but what does that matter?) Various team are competing and having contests like the limbo, “eastern” squatting, backward spelling. Adriatic Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Baltic Sea, etc. etc., and some staff have formed a team called Luna Sea.

Then there are the young white girls now brown working on their tans in a competition of their own. Boy, do I remember those days, although I never looked as good as they do! I considered pointing to the bruises on my arms from sun damaged skin thinned from tanning many years. I thought about reviewing the wrinkles around my mouth and eyes, and lines down my cheeks, so they could see what will happen to them in 50 years. But, hey, it wouldn't matter, and plus, we are on higher seas now.

The ship is rocking much more now than it was, and I realize I should have done those “core exercises” I was intending to do. We LLL are walking more and more like sailors who drank too much. So, I feel like I'm in a sea olympics of my own here just doing what's absolutely necessary, and thinking of all those adventurers looking for spice routes, new land, freedom, or just what exactly was over the horizon. How did all those people sail out quite literally out into the unknown? I'm not talking about learning about differences here—I'm talking about not knowing what was next! I have a two person cabin to myself with a toilet, sink, shower, small fridge, TV, and I can't imagine anyone else in here—let along sleeping on a wooden plank next to a bunch of smelly people along with the rats. So making it down the hall to join in the sea olympics is not on my schedule today.

Also, to do that would mean I'd have to ignore my crowd fatigue. Living on a ship with 999 other people means that you are in groups all the time if you're not in your cabin. Really, staying in your cabin, unless you are absolutely sick with traveler's sickness (code word here), is not why most grown-ups pay money to the Institute of Shipboard Education! However, there comes a time when you just cannot make a decision about where to stand or sit because you're in a crowd. And, when crowd fatigue happens, especially when the ship is rocking, it's best to stay in your cabin. I hope tomorrow the sea is calmer and so am I.