February 4 & 5 - Days 16 & 15

So I’m writing for this day on the fifth and I can’t for the life of me remember what to write about yesterday. Perhaps because tonight is so full of today which is not a bad thing. Yesterday was Jackie’s last full day of her six month contract. We got on within a week of one another so she has been here for my full contract and we’ve been through the ups, downs, crazy and happy with each other. Jackie is my room mate and also a fellow artist so our reasons for being here were similar and so were many of the frustrations we had in being here. We are very different people, Jackie and I, and we didn’t really get to know each other until a positioning trip where we were roommates in an upstairs cabin and both seasick and thus stuck with each other. I’m really grateful for that trip. We talked, and laughed, felt nauseas, read. And do you know what’s really great? That was supposed to happen. When we got to our room Jackie couldn’t find her Ipod anywhere and couldn’t figure out why or to where it had disappeared. Later it was easily found among her things. If the ‘seashells’ had turned up earlier, I don’t think we would have spent the time together like we did.

Anyway, Jax has been looking forward to getting off pretty much since she got on and yesterday and today were a good thing for her. I’ll miss my friend and I’m grateful that today (Feb 5) I got to get off of the boat and spend some time with her. We had ice cream and reminisced. The initial rule was no talk about work but then we realized that our entire experience with one another had to do with ‘work’ so we changed the rule to no negative talk about work and went over things we enjoyed about the past six months while enjoying La Fuertes ice creams by the polka dotted tree. Later we met up with Lucy, one of our chief mates, and sat on the balcony at their hotel with guacamole, tacos, soup and something yummy of which we aren’t sure what it was. The sunshine was lovely and so was the company, conversation and food. Though we’ve worked with Lucy on and off for the past six months, neither of us knew her very well and in an hour we learned more than we had in six months. I suppose that’s only partly true. We’ve learned things about her character, her personality, how she works (she’s an awesome Chief Mate), etc. We have in essence seen her in action. But you can watch someone, be with someone, and still miss a lot of them. The boat can be funny like that. We’re all together all the time and know quite a bit about each other, but there is quite a lot we don’t know, quite a lot that is happening right in this space that you aren’t even aware of. We’re together but mostly we’re working, or on crazy schedules and so we miss things. So moments over guacamole, moments when a hotel manager makes a special effort and makes it possible to have a ‘family’ meal together, moments when you go out with someone in a kayak or on a hike, when you get stuck seasick in a cabin together, these are good, precious and a time to learn more about someone. Today I learned that Lucy loves to play classical piano and that she is good at it. In all of six months I never knew that and yet it’s a big part of who she is. But not on the boat. Funny little ship world this.

So Jax is gone. I missed her when Kathy softly played the banjo in the corner of the dining room tonight. She bought it off of Jackie before she left today. At the beginning of dinner service there was a moment of empty because you could tell she was gone. I'm glad for her that she's done and she can get on with her tour, with seeing her adorable nephew. Yay Jackie! Six months!

And in two weeks...that's me.