grace, you’d love the cave aspect – no matter what time of day, it’s pitch dark with the light off. at night, i some time retreat to my cabin, but if i get a chance to get away during the day (only happened the day the students boarded), i’m more likely to retreat to the faculty-staff lounge, which is off limits to students. it’s on deck 7, the top, and is like a glass bubble. i’ll post a picture after i take one. it’s social hour now, and I’m not feelin’ social. they should call it happy hour because wine is only $3 a glass.
my cabin, has a small narrow bed, with a fold down bunk bed attached to the wall above. i have plenty of drawer (two under the bed and four more below the tv) and closet space but would prefer more work or sitting space. the only place i can sit is on my bed. while there is a small bed side table/desk next to it, it is always crowed, and essentially only good for grab and go stuff. the neatly folded clothes on my bed is the work of my cabin steward, hector, who cleans my room. if it wasn’t for him, i’d probably still be having anxiety attacks when having to look for my room. not to get too far off track, but all the halls and stairways look alike and the cabins in my area, forward part of the ship, weren’t on the map (read, ghetto). i was so lost when hector found me, that after he showed me how to get to the cabin, i didn’t know how i got there, thus couldn’t find my way back, until he enlightened me about even and odd, port and starboard, and pointed out some landmarks. today was the first day that i left clothes, my pajamas out, on my bed. as you can see, above, he folded them and neatly placed them on my pillow.
there’s a closed circuit tv for shipboard programming - films, coordinates, etc., due to time restrictions, i haven't turned it on yet. i also have a small low frig (under the jeans)nestled between the drawers and closet. other than beverages (and you don’t refrigerate red wine), i’m not sure what we’re suppose to put in it. we’re not suppose to take food out to the dining hall, and we’re not allowed to bring food aboard the ship. in nassau they confiscated my thai green curry doggie bag.
there is a shower in the bathroom, but it’s not much bigger than the shower on the 52 foot boat i sailed the greek isles on. any significant arm movement or bending over is out of the question. why it even has a shower curtain i don’t know. like most european showers, the floor outside the shower has a drain, thus if everything in the area is waterproof, one can theoretically take a shower in the middle of the bathroom. thus, i know longer close the shower curtain while showering. the only not waterproof (what’s the opposite of waterproof?) thing in the bathroom are the extra rolls of toilet paper on a fixture below the roll that is in use. the roll in use is covered by a metal device that helps you conserve tp usage. after I started ignoring the curtain, and essentially giving the bathroom a good wash down before hector even arrived, he started leaving the wrapping on the spare rolls of toilet paper to protect them. they don’t recycle nada around here, but they’re fairly conscientious about conservation.
here are a few other shots from the ship, shot early this morning, thus not many folks about. the bookstore:
the piano bar:
the library (seating area and reference desk), which is open 24/7 because it has no doors. there’s a late night honor system sign-out sheet:
like the many other ghetto quarters i’ve lived in – ventura’s “avenue”, “dark slope” (the colored section of park slope, brooklyn), and san francisco’s tenderloin, i’ll, over time, be able to add a little color to this humble shipboard abode. however, my current priorities are hangers, a laundry bag, and a calendar, which reminds me, we have to set our clocks ahead an hour tonight. strange since we don’t reach land until the day after tomorrow. apparently, fish recognize time too - late night humor. i need to go to bed.
ciao, and send more questions and requests.
