AROUND THE WORLD ON A CRUISE SHIP
By Liana Metal
AROUND THE WORLD ON A CRUISE SHIP
‘Living on a ship is fabulous!’ says 26-year-old Louise. ‘Iwould never have seen so many exotic places if I hadn’t been onthe ship, probably not in my whole lifetime!’
' I was born in Greece and grew up on a small island. I havealways adored the sea but it never occurred to me that one day Iwould actually be at sea for a living. I was brought up tofollow a career in Languages, and take over my parents' businesson the island. But things worked out in a different way. Manypeople make plans , but they can never know what the future willbring, can they?
After graduating from High school, I was sent to UK to studyModern Languages. I spent my time there studying hard andfinally graduating successfully. Then I decided to go for an MAto complete my education. My life changed out of the blue justafter getting my MA in Tourism Management. I was just one of thebunch of students of Middlessex University in UK, who wasseeking a challenging job, not just an ordinary job to get by. Iwas lucky enough to find it soon , to my family's dismay whoexpected me to fly back to Greece.
It wasn't really hard finding a job. I contacted a job agency,in London. It would be my first job after graduating, and I wasactually looking for a hotel based job...but it all happened byaccident...
One day the agent left me a message about a new interview...Ithought it would be about a hotel job, as the previous ones, soI met the person in charge on the same afternoon. It was duringthe interview that I realized we were talking about a ship! ButI had to make up my mind promptly, so I grabbed the chance totry something more challenging than a hotel job. As soon as Ileft the interview the agent called me and said that I’d got thejob!
Many people ask me about the qualifications one needs to get ajob like this. Well, it depends... . You could have a degree inLanguages and Tourism or something relevant to it. I’ve got anMA in Tourism Management and I speak five languages, but thereis a variety of posts on board according to the qualificationsone has got.
At the beginning I worked as a crew purser...that means that Iwas responsible for a lot of paperwork concerning crew andpassengers. I had got my own office but I sometimes worked atthe reception desk, so I had got the chance to meet a lot ofpeople and make new friends. I also had contact with the agentsin every port we sailed, and that was a great opportunity for meto know people from all over the world, and keep contact forfuture job positions on land.
My first contract lasted three months. But you can renew it fora longer period if you wish to. At first I wasn’t sure if Icould handle sea-sickness, but it was ok; I only felt a littledizzy, but my roommate got really sick! Now I can’t sleep if Idon’t feel that rocking movement!
The majority of the crew are men. There are only few femaleofficers in high ranks. So, we are being taken good care of andI like that. I’ve recently been promoted to a higher rank, so Ido enjoy being the boss of a couple of male officers!
I enjoy practically everything! I meet a lot of new people,apart from the crew members, and we are all a big family. I lovethe feeling of being in a place that reminds me of my studentdays. It’s like being in the university Residence Hall, you’renever alone, and I like that.
However, there’s hard work on board! It’s not all fun and gamesas many people tend to think. You are expected to work on a verytight schedule, from 6.00 am till late at night. It’s shift workactually. Sometimes you don’t have much free time to relax, andsome of the passengers can get real annoying! But you must wearyour prettiest smile and be polite and helpful all the time. Youmust be patient, friendly and available. It’s very important thepassengers feel at home.
Some friends of mine ask me if I meet young people on board. Totell you the truth, only some of the crew members are young.Their age ranges from 24 to 40 something. The passengers aremostly middle-aged retired people.
When I have some free time I usually go to the gym. There’s afab gym on board, you know. There are also two pools but crewmembers are not allowed to swim in there, so I just lie on asunbed to get a bit of a tan. Sometimes I get up early in themorning and I go jogging around the deck. Many a times , afterthe evening shift some of the crew get together and chat, singor dance. We're having a great time; sometimes you’ve got thefeeling the party is non stop.
I've visited a lot of fantastic places, like Honolulu...I lovedHawaii, it looked so full of life, high buildings on the beach,marvelous view, lots of shops and lots of people. Second bestcomes Thailand, I just loved it! There were also other niceplaces such as Melbourne in Australia. I would love to staythere for a while. Small islands such as Bora Bora and Christmasisland in the Pacific were fantastic. I sometimes have thechance to swim in the blue green sea of remote islands and takea lot of pictures.
My family disapproved of my decision. But I was firm so, I wenton board. They finally realized but this job made me happy andthat I had to follow my dream.
This job is just great! I mean I’m getting paid to see all theexotic places in the world. Isn’t it fantastic? I would need afortune to travel around the world, but now I can do it and keepmy savings as well!
I was 24 when I first went aboard, and now, two years later,having worked on two different cruise ships , I still feel thisis the right place for me to be: On board! My friends often askme why I just can't have a job on land. They believe I miss outa lot of things such as steady socializing and settling down ina permanent area. Is that true?
I do meet a lot of people on board, and sometimes they arereally nice , and I do make friends. The only thing is that Iconstantly make new friends, but sometimes I meet the samepersons at the ports we visit. The fact that I don't have asteady home, is thrilling for me. I don't feel castaway becauseI don't have a permanent home! I visit my parents' home wheneverI am on vacations, and I don't feel the need to settle downsomewhere permanently. The girls I've met on the ship think thesame way. There is nothing missing out. But the people who areon land, work there and own a house, just can not think the sameway I do. We all see this job from a different perspective. Whyshould people have a steady place to live in? Maybe it's not sogood to be 'steady' in everything, after all.
If I ever get a job on land, and it may happen one day, onething I know for sure! I won’t work in an office. I’ll just findit too boring after my present experience on board! I love beingon the move and I love exploring the world. Maybe this feelingis going to last for ever, who knows? I've known people who arein their sixties and still work on board. You may say that it isnot that easy for a woman. I agree that if someone wants to havea family can't go on working on a ship. Kids need a permanenthome and their mum has to be around to care for them. That's theonly reason that can make me quit this job. But no one knowswhat the future holds!
It’s definitely great experience to work on a ship, and a goodopportunity to get useful connections one might need later on,but , above all, it's the love for the unknown, the adventureand the mystery of new places and new people that attracts me tothe sea…and I can only tell you this: Follow your dream! Don'tlet anyone distract you from the way you wish to live. Life'sjust too short to waste it!'
As told to Liana Metal http://liamet.tripod.com
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