tearing apart to put together anew

The world is smaller than you think, so watch what you do and say. As I've been meeting people onboard and so many have noted how they remember me from such and such a place, I've realized that we never know the impact good or bad that we will have on someone. It's obvious that some people in your life you will remember and they will influence you, but I forget that the people I fun into for maybe only five minutes will also remember me for something. It's giving me a sense of responsibility and accountability for not only what I say but how I act everywhere. Someone today was sharing about her first memories of me from over four years ago and they were completely different from my perspective of the time. With over 30 nationalities onboard, it's hard at times to realize how many views can come out of the same situation.

We started working today in Housekeeping. It's rather an interesting task to accomplish while in drydock. A large portion of the ship is torn apart being redone and the rest is constantly tracked with black and red dust. Also, while in dry dock, there is no water onboard. So, showers and bathrooms are all on the dock. heh.... fun trips at night to do just about anything. I found out today too that the guys don't even have hot water in their bathroom... but fortunatly the girls do.

Much of the work being done right now is welding. Welding creates sparks, which are likely to catch the ship on fire. Thus, for every welder, there must be a fire watcher sitting next to him. So I've also been doing some of the firewatch shifts to help out there too. They cannot continue the work unless they have some one watching the surrrounding areas at the same time. It's boring, but a neccessity. I've enjoyed doing the watches because I get to interact mainly with the dayworker then who are actually from East London. They're very intrigued by the fact that the ship's workers are actually paying to work onboard and offer the services we do. As an added blessing, we also have dayworkers who are volunteering in some of the departments. It's good to see the local community supporting the ship in the areas that it can.

I'm doing surprisingly well. It's weird how invigoriting I've found being back and I'm not sure why. I've almost completely adjusted to the nine hour time difference... I actually woke up to my alarm clock this morning (verses yesterday at 430 am). It's encouraging to see so many people from so many places working together joyfully for a common goal. Everyone appreciates everyone elses work, whether it's dining room staff or engine room manager. I've forgotten how much of this plays together.

Many more thoughts and adventures await.... ohh on Saturday I'm going to the Lion's park. :)