My friends left London to go to Greece. I wandered around London for another week or so, continuing to play the good tourist, trying to figure out my next steps. But there wasn't really any obvious answer and I was nearly broke. In typical Trixie fashion, I had emailed a bunch of old work colleagues, people I had worked with in all sorts of projects. As I listed them all, I was really surprised at how widespread my experience and that of my colleagues has been. Just to give you an idea, I have former colleagues currently working all over the world: Spain, Italy, China, Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica, New Zealand, Botswana, Swaziland, and South Africa. And as I saw it, I could travel on from London to work with any one of these people, in any one of these parts of the world.
I initially thought I'd stay in London for a couple of weeks while I waited for the email replies to pour in. The message I sent was one of reconnecting but also an offer to help out with their current project. I knew it would be hard to find work, but I'm open-minded and willing to do what it takes. Maybe my message sounded too needy, too easy, too aimless, too something undesired. Didn't get any quick replies.
But then something completely unexpected happened. My parents called. They had talked to my husband, and he told them what had happened. I didn't intentionally avoid calling them to tell them I'd left, but I hadn't called them either. They aren't easy to reach because they're constantly traveling. Travel addicts who prefer to spend their time on a cruise ship, the easiest way to get around the world. They were docked in Florida between jaunts, and called our house looking to catch up with us. They were going to offer to fly us to Florida for the weekend while they waited to catch a new ship headed to the Caribbean. Instead I flew from London to meet them, and they upgraded their trip to include a third person, and I joined them to set sail. Having five star status on the cruise line allows them to have third and fourth guests in their stateroom for free. And so here I am, living on the dole, back to being supported by my parents and their free-spirited good will.
In our first two week trip around the Caribbean, we docked in St. Thomas, St. Barts, St. Lucia, Barbados, Grenada, Bonaire, Curacao, Bahamas, and back to Fort Lauderdale. While we were docked in Florida, I checked my email and still no responses from former colleagues. My parents were fine with me staying on - like I said, my stay is completely free, the food is all included, the only thing I pay extra for is alcohol, and I don't drink much. So now we are mid-way through another two weeks around with stops in Turks and Caicos, Puerto Rico, St. Maarten, Bahamas, Fort Lauderdale, back to the Bahamas, Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Key West, and back to Fort Lauderdale.
The staterooms are impossibly small for three adults. But there are all sorts of activities that keep me busy and out of the room nearly around the clock. I've taken to going to the library or to the Captain's pre-dinner receptions when we come back on board after ports of call. On the sea days, I make sure I go to the gym to work out. I'm reading a lot. And I've been spending a lot of my time meeting lots of the ship's staff, understanding what they do, and trying to find ways to support myself independently on board the ship. Basically I've been job hunting since we set sail.
It turns out most of the on board staff was interviewed and hired in Indonesia. The musicians, singers, and dancers who entertain the guests all auditioned in Memphis. The spa staff interviewed in Seattle. Most of the staff is working to send money home to family overseas somewhere. But it isn't easy to find work when you're already on the ship as a (sort of) paying guest. I even inquired about working on the private island owned by the cruise line when we stopped there. I thought I could work in the snack bar or the island restaurant. I was told that most of the staff who work there travel two hours from one of the other islands in the Bahamas. Approximately 40 people live on the private island full-time, mostly to care for the sting rays and the horses. I don't have any sting ray or horse experience, and there weren't any other current job openings.
So last night my parents had taken me for after dinner drinks, and my dad bought us bingo cards for the big game of the week. The one where you win a free cruise if you get the black out. You stand up when you have just one square left on your card. I was standing and another person was standing on the other side of the bar. They called another number, and another woman stood up. And then they called my last square, and I had black out. So I guess I'm staying on for another two weeks after this too, but in my own state room this time. We'll be headed to the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, cruising the Bahia de Samana, Dominican Republic, Bonaire, Curacao, Aruba, and back to Fort Lauderdale. And you can bet I'll be playing bingo again. Maybe I'll get lucky twice.
