Week 2

July 22nd- Sunday
Working World
I’ve been here a week: my week-versary. It was a quieter day. Passengers got off and housekeeping was done in a haste to be ready for the next set. Learned how to make the beds here and am not looking forward to ever doing any of them. ugh.
Becca has her week off right now. This means I get the room to myself and there’s one person less in the galley. Now Kev has to do breakfast and not just hide in his room. He’s also got me helping in the kitchen. I’m learning all these new things. It’s cool until he’s in a hurry and asks me to do things I don’t know how to do. Today it was to peel these huge shrimp and cut them a certain way. Cool. Except for I didn’t know how. He gave me a blank face. Dude! I’m sorry I didn’t go to culinary school like all your assistants! Other than the harried moments he’s awesome. Put me in charge of cutting up mangoes for a “tropical fruits salsa” for a halibut entrée. Calls me señorita.

City World
We docked in Ketchikan, an island and a popular stop for cruise boats. More tourists. Argh. Walked around a bit with Mario in the rain. We went to a quaint little bar/restaurant. You can still smoke inside buildings in Alaska. This made Mario so excited that he started smoking again once he started working here after more than 6 yrs of not smoking. I like seeing those who smoke treated like humans after watching smokers in Washington cramped into “smoking lounges” or alleys like cattle.
Next time we dock here I’m abandoning the ship and going as far away as possible from the invasion of cruise ship people. It only seems right after all my complaining and carrying on about cruise ships back home.
I love walking by descendants of the Tlingits and catching a snippet of their beautiful language.

Water World
This evening the water was choppy. No big deal, but for this little boat it was. Everybody was walking around like a drunkard and we were afraid stuff would start falling over. I took some precautions: took the racks of the wheely, made sure all the pots over my head were in an upright position… it’s kind of fun to carry heavy loads of dishes while the boat is lunging from left to right, front to back constantly. I think it scared Mario a bit and I wanted to make fun of him. I watched the water in our wake become an angry pack of wolves instead of the chasing dogs I’m used to seeing.

The Friend called me the other day and I missed it. Damn it! so few opportunities to speak with those I love and I miss them.
I’m getting closer to Elaine. I like her lots.
I like standing on the aft (back) and watching the water and passing views when no one else is there. Having time alone is becoming more and more of a luxury.

July 23rd- Monday
Word of the day: Procrastination. I didn’t want to use it a single time. The servers are catching on to our word collection and now ask which one it is. Between Mario and I we’ve been coming up with them.
Finally was able to talk to Cousin. Finally! Her phone had ended up in boyfriend’s pocket the day he left for Africa. In London he had to ship it back to her. Of all places to be, his pocket! Also talked to my Papi which was also good.
Today is Ana’s birthday. Tried calling her but all my numbers for her are no longer right. Argh it was so frustrating! Can’t talk to my best friend from home on her own birthday! Bad friend!
It’s also R.’s birthday. But there is nothing to be done about that. Not a phone number to be found and internet is nowhere in sight for a brief email. It’s all beginning to seem like it was a dream. I don’t like it.

Working World
Katie no longer intimidates me. She is funny, outgoing, and has a lot of character. I just had to get through it. We conversed a bit today. It made me happy. Also hung out with Elaine and Tyler after we all got off work. “I’m so glad you came to this boat,” she said. My entire day became brighter and my soul warmed.

Cruisin' in Alaska

Company: Majestic America Line
Position: Galley dishwasher
Reason: Need money, desire travel, never been on a cruise before

July 15th, 2007- Sunday
Working
First day of work. After arriving in Sitka, they sent me directly to the boat with an hour and a half of free time before working. My room is small and I share it with one of the cooks. The toilet is in the shower and the whole structure is the size of an airplane’s bathroom. But my bed is comfortable and the crew gets passenger rooms now.
Exploring the catamaran, I ran into the former crew’s quarters. To say they looked like the ones in a sub is to make it sound good. I’m happy for my room now.
Kevin is the chef, my roommate Becca is sus chef, don Mario is his assistant. Captain Landis is in charge, Elaine and Shannon are the nicest beings on earth, Hattie is my age, Katie intimidates me, Tyler I met on the plane and is funny off duty (on duty he appears surly and serio), Angela is the only African-American onboard and her laughter is like bells ringing, Mike has a beard and is from Boston.
On the first day my hands got a beating. Hot water, steel wool, huge metal cooking ware, pressured water. But I can see that the environment will be beneficial for my soul. Such hard work requires good people. And that’s exactly what I got. Kevin looks out for us, don Mario is an older gentleman with stories up his sleeve and he is my first friend on the boat. The kitchen is always the best place to be.

Natural World
Cloudy, rainy, a bit gray, and not much variety in colors. The catamaran has two hulls which suck in water and expel it through propellers at the aft. The meeting of the waters in the boat’s wake looks like 2 angry dogs continuously chasing, but never catching us. That’s how Mario described it. He also said the mountains here were once giants who lived with the Hoonah Tlingits. But then the white man came through the icy pass. The giants went to sleep. Sometimes you can still see a face on the mountains.
The air is crisp, salty yet sweet, cold. Some clouds form a blue streak and I don’t know why. The water is a dull teal color; the closer to a glacier we get, the brighter turquoise it becomes.

July 16th- Monday
Natural World
The first thing I saw today when I woke up was an island full of sea lions. My sleepy eyes tried to focus on their movements, heads bobbing, fatty bodies creating walking in wave figures, and slithery swimming. There were so many of them! I wanted to run outside and see them without the veiling of rain on the window.
While washing breakfast dishes the Capt announced orcas swimming on the starboard (right) side. Sure enough, two killer whales emerged from the water, breathing in and displaying their fin and white marks. After lunch the excitement kept building. We passed a brown bear and I joined the passengers in staring out the lounge window at it.
Today’s route was toward Glacier Bay. All together we passed 3 glacier entrances belonging to the same ice pack. I kept going outside, interrupting my work to watch the water fill up with floating ice blocks and feel the temperature drop in the air. Each block of ice gains different shapes and forms and I enjoy matching them to actual objects. All the mountains surrounding the channel were shaven by the ice and their strata was cleanly cut. We finally got to the glacier.
The walls of light, turquoise ice rose up in pinnacles. Black and white ice formed layers. Toward the bottom it looked like there were caves and my curiosity wanted to go right up to it and crawl inside. Becca saw a chunk of ice fall but all I saw was the splash. I ran up to the observation deck with my big plastic apron on to get a better view and some pictures. My breath was visible.
All that day we spent it going to different glaciers.

July 17th- Tuesday
A year ago today I dragged my feet back from Spain. The last person I saw was Juan Luis. I reflected a bit during the day on the changes a year can bring. A whole year ago. And I marveled at the fact that I am now in Alaska. A year can take you many places, both physically and emotionally.
Being here is sort of like disappearing. Nobody can contact me, I can’t contact anyone. When at port, we only have a few hours off which are spent exploring the town. The best times for phone calls would be during our times off at sea, but there we have no reception. It’s all backwards.
I miss the proximity with some individuals. Currently Jenn and the Cousin. I can imagine watching Andi also getting accustomed to her job and seeing my awkwardness reflected in her. I could also see Jenn watching everything outside in that quiet wonder she has and then bursting into a gigantic smile.

City World
This morning I woke up, looked outside and saw the starboard (right side) of another boat right in front. We were in the port of Sitka. I couldn’t wait to get off the boat and go exploring.
During break I got off with Mario. It was cool to see him in his own clothes; so much of our personality and character is expressed through our wardrobe. He was the epitome of old, skinny rocker with his leather jacket, round sunglasses, and cowboy boots. I laughed.
Sitka is a small town and takes its name from the Tlingits. The Russians came in the 1800’s and the Greek Orthodox Church they built is still in the center. Lots of wood houses in different colors, some painted with figure lines lined the narrow streets. There was a statue of a miner to honor all those who had arrived there during the Gold Rush. I thought it ironic that the city would honor those who almost destroyed its landscape and flooded it with gold fever.
As if to help me remember, we passed a restaurant that served tapas and paella. One of its side doors was completely covered with a poster for a corrida de toros in Almería. I smiled at the thought of our globalized world where I could find expensive-as-hell tapas halfway across the world in Alaska…
Mario left to do his own thing and I found a park to sit it in. By park I mean pond with lots of greenery and Mallard ducks molting their duckling feathers. I was the only one in a tank top since the galley had heated me up so much; everyone else had sweaters on. I looked and felt foreign. Came by a native art gallery and decided to go inside and learn a bit about this type of art. Totems were made by the native Indians from this area; I didn’t know they came so far north. There were lots of line figure pieces made in the old and contemporary style. Also carvings made of bones and wood. Some of the pieces were animal bodies with human faces. These are called transformative pieces and show how the hunter becomes the animal he is hunting.
Kevin passed me in the street. Went out with him and his friend. They spoke of fishing and travel and soon enough they discovered I had never gone fishing. Two hours later Kevin had gotten permission for me to take a day off and go fishing with his friend. This warmed my heart and I’m excited.

Working
Dinner time is by far my least favorite one. By 4 pm there are already dishes to wash from the preparations for crew dinner. I am usually caught up until all the entrees have been served to the passengers. Then I have to deal with the numerous dinner dishes and the mountain of cooking ware. I’m never done before 9 pm. I’m sore all over, I’ve burned myself a few times, my feet always hurt. But I’m traveling!

July 18th- Wednesday
Once again I awake to the ship docking; this time in the capital of Alaska, Juneau. The view from the aft is of huge channel surrounded by towering mountains covered in trees. What coast is left has buildings tirelessly clinging to the little space the mountains allow them to have. High above the city are patches of snow with thin waterfalls pouring down from above. The juxtaposition is unreal.
I finish cleaning up from breakfast and lunch as fast as I could and by 1 pm I am done. Dinner will be served later than usual which gives us more time in the city. My jeans feel so good after wearing galley clothes. Once again I go with Mario and he notices that I hold my cig like a European. “A Dutchman taught me,” I explained. This is a very touristy city, with all the streets near the harbor covered in tourist shops. I notice simple B&W signs in some windows that say “This business owned by an Alaskan family.” I wonder at the story, issues, and pride that caused those signs.
On a whim, Mario decides he wants to ride the aerial tram up to the top of the mountain. So we do. With our ears popping and the guide telling awful jokes we see the beauty of this place at our feet. We pass the ruins of a huge gold mine where billions of dollars worth of gold were mined from. We find out Sitka was the first capital and it was gold that decided it should be moved to Juneau. The huge cruise boats become tiny. They are microcosm of our current society, tennis courts and all.
At the top we have lunch. I thoroughly enjoy Mario’s company. It is the right amount of sarcasm and getting in your face mixed with kindness and a gentleman’s spirit. His life has been lived by the seat of his pants. He makes interesting observations. He said I seemed composed, with little fear, and with an older nature for the years I owe. I asked about his copper ring. During his stint in Southeast Asia while in the military, a Japanese woman gave it to him. He has worn it ever since. We laughed, we told stories, and we poked fun. We must have looked like a very odd couple: an older gentleman with a young lady. We were having way too much fun to be grandpa and granddaughter, yet he called me his friend in front of the waitress, and he paid for lunch which made me feel ever so slightly like a mistress.
I talked to Jenn for an hour. Talked about her life, my life and it just made me miss her more. It is surprising how close I’ve gotten to her in one year. She is reassuring, funny, trusting and trustworthy, beautiful, and a fellow artist.

Working
Boss (Kev) went ballistic today. He was tired, a dumb passenger wanted generic tuna instead of the awesome entrée of lamb ribs he had prepared, food was burning… He disappeared as soon as he was done, leaving me to clean up burnt vinegar in pans and racks. From this I learned one thing: the sugar in burned vinegar makes it become like a caramelized tar and takes some serious soaking or a chisel and hammer to remove it.
But it all became better afterwards. We put on the Eagles and all of us started singing along and dancing. Turns out Mario likes to dance to all sorts of stuff! Between Hattie, Elaine, Mario, and I we were mirror imaging our dance moves in the galley and the dining room. We almost died laughing.

July 19th- Thursday
I got my first hug today. Hattie gave it to me. I got my first lessons in poker. Kicked Becca’s and Mario’s butt at Gin-Rummy.
We keep a word of the day in the galley and make sure to use it whenever possible. Words have included: DOOM(ED)!, ABOMINATION, and banal.

July 20th- Friday
R. left a month ago. The lack of communication on his part saddens me deeply. I respect him, yet this attitude towards me forces me to lose that quickly. Many things about today made me miss him fiercely.

Working
Every Friday is seafood extravaganza. Kev makes huge plates filled with shrimp, clams, king and dungaree crabs. It is wonderful, tasty, and everybody gets excited about it. It was also one of my longest nights cleaning up afterward.
I found apricot preserves in the fridge. I eat some everyday. They remind me of abuelita Juany and give me a feeling of familiarity in an unfamiliar place.
I want the internet.

Town World
We docked at a tiny town called Wrangell. Got out, walked on the main street, got some stares from the locals, found the visitors center, and proceeded to walk down a lane covered in wild roses. The scent was intoxicating. The place saddened me. Don’t know why.
Today I was called a woman child. It is the first time I have been described like that.

July 21st- Saturday
I escaped the galley for a few minutes, played Smashing Pumpkins and looked at pictures of friends and loved ones. I miss a lot of people. A lot. Fuck.

Natural World
We went through the Misty Fjords today. They are exactly that, but we had a sunny day. I didn’t want to be stuck in the freaking galley at all. We passed waterfalls and sheets of rock jutting out of the water. Green was everywhere. Water was like glass. Snow patches on the high mountains. And the air. The air! It could heal any illness just by breathing in its salty sweetness.
“Come and look!” said Mario, “There’s diamonds!” It was the midday sun glinting off the water in blinding specks