And in Closing...

We did it! After 17 weeks of living on a ship with 2500 new neighbors each week, entertaining throngs of rowdy Spring-Breakers, Rednecks, and Octogenarians, doing no laundry or cooking or cleaning for myself, swimming with dolphins, falling in love with New Orleans, speaking more Spanish than my college minor ever prepared me for, and surviving Acute Gastro-intestinal Enteritis 4 times, I can tell you it was a terrific experience.

When I accepted this job, I viewed it as a paid honeymoon, a chance to travel, and an opportunity to escape from the daily grind. But, I expected to feel like I was missing-out on what was going on in Los Angeles, the “center of the world”. I thought I’d feel anxious about taking this time off. I feared that I’d hear that daily ticking clock in my mind reminding me that I was not building my resume, that I should be climbing the career ladder. I figured I’d get lazy and bored by being here. But I’ve never felt more productive and creative in my life.

I am lucky to have gotten on this ship, at this time, with this group of performers. Each of my cast mates is super-talented and supportive. We make each other laugh every day! It has been a delight to feel proud of the work we do on stage. The material allows each of us to shine based on our abilities. And our improv sets are so fun. I shall miss each member of the gang!

I’ve made good use of my free time on board: I wrote 8 chapters of a novel, pilot drafts, sketch material, and this blog. I read 10 novels during my time here. And I started some sewing projects. (You can see them in the photos included.) I feel balanced and creative. I am allowing myself to reach goals, enjoy hobbies, and create. I let myself dream a little more each day. And I love that the first four months of my marriage have been so charmed by this experience.

I look forward to going “home” for a while, wherever that is. I miss my family and friends more than ever. I miss grocery shopping and driving a car and watching TV. But, I am forever thankful for this wonderful adventure. Thanks for reading and for your feedback. Thanks for letting me know what is going on in your lives so that I don’t feel so far away. I will see most of you in a few days. And I can’t wait to pet my cat’s furry fat belly!

More to come in May when I begin a new journey to Chicago, France, England, and Miami...

Healthy Patriotism

Because I have been logging on in Central America every week, Facebook, in its infinite wisdom to understand (sell to) the profile-holder, has started catering new advertisements to me: Ex-Pat Women’s Support groups and anti-American sites for Americans. I may have gotten married and run off to Mexico, but I am very much an American. I still love the good old USA.

And while I feel often detached and isolated from America, and the rest of the world, because I mostly exist in the middle of the ocean, I also feel like I have a greater understanding of it than ever before. The US news, that I desperately try to grab whenever our TV has a signal for CNN, is always the same disappointing non-information: Tiger Woods had sex with another porn star, the Tea Party made another disgusting remark, and Healthcare continues to be an unresolved mess. But despite these blemishes in our history, I am so happy to be American.

This is the first job where I have been a minority as an American. I have met crewmembers that have left their months-old babies to work on this ship to earn money to send home to their families. Last month my cabin steward had to fly back to the Philippines to bury two of his family members in the same week. His 28-year-old daughter passed away from a freak heart attack, and his sister suffered and died from anorexia. She had moved to the US to get treatment, but it was too late. A couple of weeks ago, a housekeeper was feeling ill. The ship’s doctor sent her to a hospital in Cozumel and she passed away a day later. Apparently she had been born with a treatable but undiagnosed blood disorder. She was 34-years-old and had 4 weeks left on her contract, after which she was to return home and enjoy living in her new house with her 9-year-old daughter. I know tragedy happens everywhere, but when it is avoidable, it’s infuriating.

I am grateful for my health, I am thankful for the fairness in my country, and I am so glad for parents that could work just miles away. I am reminded of how unusual those gifts are around the globe. So, chin up America. We ain’t perfect, but we sure is lucky.