Week 4

Wildlife
Superb week for fauna! Wednesday we got to see about 10 humpback whales feeding. All of them swam around a school of krill, herding them into a giant group (or so our naturalist guide told all the passengers). About half stayed near the surface, breathing constantly and exhaling to create a ring of bubbles around the school. Then all of them dove down, one by one, giving us a glimpse of their beautifully graceful tails as they submerged into deeper water. We all waited around for about 5 minutes when all of a sudden, all of them shot through the water at the same time, mouths open and krill falling out of their huge mouths. It was incredible! Usually all we get to see are their tails and fins, their heads are so different from the rest of their bodies.
Today Friday we were in Glacier Bay all day and constantly stopping to look at wildlife. We saw two wolves on one beach. They are darker than any of us thought they would be, almost black. They were following a trail and disappeared into the woods. Later on we came across a grizzly bear with her three cubs in a stream. The cubs were learning how to fish, played in the water, batted and bit each other, while mama kept a lazy eye on them and meandered around the stream. The excitement came when we saw two wolves less than a kilometer away from the bear family, walking toward the stream. Mama bears are very protective of their young and we wondered at what would happen if the wolves had the guts to get that close. “fight, fight!”, some of us were cheering. God, we can be obnoxious. When the wolves were less than 500 mts away, they disappeared into the brush. So we watched the cubs play for almost a half hour.
Bald eagles are everywhere. Now I understand why they are the national bird of the USA. They are beautiful creatures! So majestic and proud. The colors of their feathers work well and you can pick them out anywhere by the white dot of their heads. I want to see one catch a fish right out of the water. I saw two of them fighting but I had no binoculars at the moment to catch the action.

City/Town life
Juneau and Petersburg are quickly becoming my favorite stops. Juneau is an actual city with plenty to do and see when we stop there. Of course time is a huge limiting factor which means we never have enough time to get what we need to get done AND sightsee. Either I use internet for a couple of hours and try to keep a feeble communication with people all over the world or I explore the city. Internet keeps winning.
Petersburg is just quaint. It is a fisher’s town and pretty much everybody is wearing the fisherman’s staple: brown rubber boots that reach your knee. I’m thinking of getting a pair and transforming them into a fashion item. Ha.
The town also has the best huckleberry ice cream in the world, made by an Alaskan family right there and then; a bookstore with a surprising selection; and it has the feeling of being comfortable.

Most common bumper sticker I’ve seen: Friends don’t let friends eat FARMED fish. Well then.

People
While Elaine was gone I became a bit closer to Hattie. She is the girl who is closest to my age and is very vivacious, practical minded, knows a lot about very different things (how to fix a dishwasher, how to make cornrows, all about fitness and nutrition…), and is fun to be around with. She’s become my dictionary for information about becoming fit and eating healthier. It’s great. I’ve managed to work out almost everyday for almost a week now.
Although I’ve said mostly good things about Mario on this blog, there is a lot more to him than I care to tell. Basically he can be an obnoxious asshole. He was dumb this week, did some dumb things, and was fired. Off the boat he went and I watched him walk up the gangway in Juneau. I felt relieved. The environment on the boat, especially in the galley during meal times has improved dramatically. And I’m comfortable in my own work area again.
We have a new sous chef. He’s from New Orleans, looks like a giant teddy bear, and cooks all this great southern food. The galley is such a better place to be in!

Random
The boat has a tiny library where I’ve been perusing books. I’m almost done reading Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells. I saw snippets of the movie and was told it was a good movie. It’s a great novel! Deals with the relationship between a mother and a daughter, the cause and effects of behavior and attitudes between the 3 generations, friendship between women and the tight bonds it creates…
Jenn was put in the paper because of her art! I am so proud of her, and so happy for the quick steps she has taken to advance her art after college. Her work was recently in a show in the Kress Gallery in Riverfront Square. Check out the article in Spokane 7: http://www.spokane7.com/culture/stories/?ID=6789

R. has communicated. We shall see what happens because of it.

August 11th, 2007 - Saturday
I talked to my Momi! I talked to my Darris! It was wonderful. It was great. So much news to hear about, to discuss. I was in need of some news not only from Costa Rica but from the entire social circle. So much disconnection left me craving information and updates. And that is exactly what I got from conversing with my progenitors. I planted the idea of a trip to Chile some time for the end of this year or the beginning of the next.
Not all news is good new though. I was informed of an increased level of crime and theft in my city of San José. The neighbors are finally getting to know each other in an organized fashion to combat it in our neighborhood (about time they talked to each other on a more than just a wave-hello basis). I do not like hearing about the lack of safety in the day to day life and the apparent need to steal others property and hurt them in the process.
My sister Amy is still without a job. This is not good either.

August 12th, 2007 – Sunday
Turnday. T.I.R.E.D. we got so many groceries there was nowhere to put some of them. Lugging frozen, dead animals up three decks and finding room in a full freezer to store them in. Whoever said working in a galley was not physically challenging was an idiot. My arms are stronger, hands are tougher, shoulders can carry more weight. My body has finally stopped being constantly sore (although opening a water bottle has never been so painful when every ligament in your fingers hurts).
We got a new server for 2 weeks. He’ll be taking over while I’m on my break. His name is Joshua and is a dissertation away from becoming a doctor in theology. I can finally have intellectual conversations like the one I had in college! He couldn’t believe I knew who Teresa of Avila was or what a mystic was for that matter. We’ve been discussing and questioning the Christian faith and all its nuances. He considers himself an “Iconoclast Gnostic.” Within a day I could tell what his biggest flaw was: pride. Pride for being so educated, pride at what he had achieved even though his background made it almost impossible. Pride for pursuing higher ideas instead of worldly things. But he is knowledgeable and I’m glad a liberal arts education has facilitated me with the capacity to talk to him about these subjects.
“Is washing dishes as bad as I think it is?” asked Josh. “No,” I said, “it is hard work, it exerts the body in ways studying never can, and it teaches humility.”