When I signed up for the team building meeting for this afternoon, I somehow thought that was going to be a meeting in a conference room on the ship to discuss morale and projects. It wasn’t until we were ushered off the ship in Juneau and driven 40 minutes into the hills of Alaska that I learned that I would be climbing telephone poles 30 feet in the air and dangling off high wires. There were actually a number of team building exercises like being blind folded and walking through obstacle courses with a partner. How do I get myself in these situations? I thought it would be a good idea to meet other coworkers and be involved. My team mates shimmied up the telephone poles like squirrels and hung freely from a thin wire. I was ready to hurl.
A couple told me that I reminded them of Al Roker from the Today Show. Last week I was called the short old man. No amount of therapy is going to get me to forget this. I am maimed for life.
Life has a sense of humor. I moved to Florida to get away from the cold weather. Then, I get a job in Alaska. Now, I learn that I will be transferred to Boston in August on the Maasdam for Fall in New England. I will travel between Boston and Montreal. I will leave here on July 24th and spend a month in Boynton Beach before heading to Boston for 2 months. I am quite pleased to have my second contract with the cruise line and look forward to many others. Now, what do I do in Florida for a month? I will have to go food shopping, clean up after myself and cook. I feel like a kid leaving camp. I don’t want to leave my friends, this awesome environment and lifestyle. I am sad to leave. People here tell me that it is quite normal to have mixed emotions when you leave your ship. But, after awhile, you make friends everywhere and you bump into people you know all over the world.
So, let’s plan on seeing each other when I am in Florida and Boston. You can expect to see me every Sunday at the 8/10 Grille in Everett, MA. I may go to LA in August to see Lee and I hope he will be able to join me on the Maasdam this fall. I am looking forward to seeing Aunt Ida in Florida for her company and homemade dishes.
When I leave the Zaandam, my buddy Kainoa will return as travel guide. Kainoa has been a travel guide for a long time. He trained me when I came here in May and then returned for holiday to Hawaii. Now, I leave and he replaces me. He is a gentle, sweet giant of a man and I only wish we could work together.
Happy 4th of July. I wonder if it will be celebrated at sea. What a pool party they can throw.
