class

Class

One of the best things about doing something completely out of your normal realm of comfort is that you learn a lot about things you never would have had the chance to before. For the past few weeks I've been making friends with a phillipino girl that works in the Cafe on deck 12.

A quick primer on the divisions on the ship. There are crew, staff, and officers. There are multiple things that distinguish the people that hold these positions. Most notable is working hours and living conditions. My position is somewhere between staff and officer. I'm basically an officer, but more by default of where I fall in the food chain (my boss is the cruise director and the people under me are staff). I have not only a private cabin, but one on deck 4, where many of the managers and department heads live. The only people who have nicer digs are the guest performers who have passenger cabins (and I'm sure the captain, etc).

There are no restrictions on where I'm allowed on the ship. If I want to go watch a show in the theatre (the one in which I perform), I can just go. If I want to go up to deck 13 and buy a drink, I'm more than welcome. If I want to go to the cafe on deck 12 for lunch, not a problem.

In terms of my working hours, in some ways I'm always working in that I'm on call any time anything comes up. However, apart from scheduled rehearsals and performances, I'm free to do the work when I want.

If I'm a waitress in the cafe, things are different. I live on deck 2 (no window) with 3 other people in bunk beds. My room is about the size of the officer cabins on deck 4, except with 4 people in it. I have to be at work as early as 8 am some days. Although I'm allowed several breaks throughout the day, I basically stay at work until 12:30am or so. They're careful to make sure I'm not working more than 11 hrs a day, but sometimes that's not possible. When I'm not at work, I can't go above deck 4. Thus, entertainment occurs in my room or the crew bar and meals occur in the crew mess exclusively.

In talking and flirting with this girl, I realize how different our lives are on the ship. I'll come for lunch and she's working. I'll come for dinner between shows and she's working. I'll stop by after work and she's working. If I were hitting on a girl that works in reception, I'd ask if she wanted to go to dinner or if I could buy her a drink in one of the passenger's bars. With this girl, there's the crew bar or...the hallway....I asked if she wanted to watch a movie, but the only place we could do so would be in my room to which she informed me she was a good girl. I assured her I didn't mean it like that, but still. When I told her where I lived, she used a Phillipino word that she told me meant "fancy." She also told me there'd be a lot of guys upset that I was talking to her.

I know this was a long way to go, but it really hit home tonight. We talked for about 20 minutes tonight after she got off work (she asked me to call after 1:30). I find myself embarrassed at how nice my cabin is and how little I work (even though I work very hard). It puts it in perspective that I get frustrated when a rehearsal comes up and I can't visit Rome. There are a thousand people on the ship that can't visit deck 7...which they don't have the time to do anyway.


PS - in Spain, Nestle, not Kellogs makes cheerios. And although they're clearly Honeynut Cheerios, the box just says cheerios. Same Bee on the front though. And the taste is roughly the same. Well, it's 2:30 am, I'm taking my spoiled ass to bed...with no free pizza!