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This song warms my whole soul. It`s exactly how I feel and when I miss home, I listen to this song.

xoxoxo

-A-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoRkntoHkIE

 

 

Sally the camel has two humps...

I’ve said this a couple billion of times this past week but “is this real life?” I feel like I’m in a dream. Never in a million years did I ever think I’d be working on a cruise ship and cruising Europe/Middle East. Pinch me. Wake me up because I still believe I’m dreaming. The other day, I was able to see one of the wonders of the world – the Giza Pyramids in Egypt.

The whole experience was amazing and the culture there is so different from anything I’ve ever experienced.  They set up little huts to sell their products and you could be driving on the highway and people are set up in little huts on the side of the road. When you do intereact with them, they are in your face trying to sell you something and if you tell them no thanks, there will be another group two seconds later trying to sell you their statue or postcard. My manager and I got separated from the other shoppees on the bus so it was literally us two the entire time. My favourite memory so far on this trip has been in Egypt. It was when we got off the bus I told my manager to give me his camera so I can take a picture of him in front of the camel and pyramid. As he is posing, we had a guy that randomly came up to him and started wrapping a scarf around his head and insisting him to get on the camel so I can take a picture. My manager told him no thanks but they do not take no for an answer and they literally lifted him onto the camel and kicked it and the camel shot up like a transformer and now he’s in the air on a camel trying to get down. Meanwhile, I’m standing in shock and laughing at the same time and while I’m laughing,  I had the guy grab my manager’s camera away from me and told me to get on the camel as well and I was arguing for a good 3 minutes trying to grab the camera back. They finally said “I just take picture” and so I said fine. I didn’t get on the camel but they wrapped this scarf around my head and took a picture. I said thank you and walked away. He started chasing me down and saying I owed him “5 dolla” for taking the picture. Finally after arguing with them for 10 minutes, my manager gave him a dollar and they left us alone. Writing this story does no justice...I tell it better in person but even then that doesn’t compare. I need to get the picture from my manager. By the way, they do this because this is how they steal people’s camera; I’ve heard 2 people that had their camera stolen from the same experience.

 

I didn’t do too much in Israel but shop. We joined the cruise too late to book any tours and we were still in training so we didn’t have much free time. Now that training is over (I think), we can have more of a schedule and have more time to do tours. We finished the holy tour and now we are touring around Italy, Croatia, Greece, Slovenia, Malta and Montenegro. We left Naples today and are in Rome tomorrow to pick drop off the passengers and pick up the new ones. By the way, I had a Canadian Couple that I met on the ship while working come into my shop today and ask for a picture with me. I’m kind of a big deal. People know me. ;) (Anchorman- for everyone who didn’t understand my movie reference).

Well this is my entry and sorry for the short update but that’s all I have for now. Because work is the same old; long hours and my feet kill me but I know this too shall pass.

Until next time...

 

~A~

This is the good life.

I haven’t updated this blog in a couple of days. It gets really hard when internet isn’t free and I’m busy with work. So far it’s going really well. I’m enjoying my time here and I think that the next six months will be an adventure. It’s only been four days but I feel like it has been longer and I’m starting to get more comfortable with everything and everyone. It’s my new home away from home. My internet on my laptop hasn’t been working and I’m trying to figure out how to get it to work without it charging me what the customers have to pay on the ship. It’s the most frustrating thing right now because I would like to post some pictures and I can’t. Speaking of pictures, I haven’t taken much yet. I need to start remembering to bring my camera around when I can.

On Sunday, one of my managers invited me and Amanda out for drinks at the crew bar. We went and discovered that drinks are $1.98 us ...seriously?!? This is bad news for us but it is so awesome at the same time. We went again on Monday and it’s insane how packed it is and while we were in there, we had a pinch me moment. Is this really happening? I still can’t believe a week ago I had no idea where my placement was going to be and in matters of moments I found out and only had two days to leave my current life. It’s crazy because I’ve met people that left their children to be here so they can provide for them. I think that is brave. I had trouble leaving my family and friends but when your own flesh and blood is involved, I don’t think I could ever leave.

On Monday we were in Greece but I decided to stay back and catch up on my sleep because I haven’t slept much in the past week and started feeling it take a toll on my body. I finally feel fresh and alive so I think it was worth missing out this time around. I will be back in Greece in a couple of weeks so it will be okay. So right now I’m doing the Holy Island Tour so we go to Naples, Rome, Greece, Israel and Egypt and then we end back in Italy. Then next cruise I do an Italy type tour where I go to Naples, Rome, Catania, Valletta, Greece, Bari, Croatia, Montenegro and Slovenia. After that I do the holy tour again and then we head to France for a day and Spain then head out to sea in December for a turnover for 7-8 days where we head to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. From there we go to Mexico, Grand Cayman, Jamaica, Haiti, Bahamas, St. Marrten, St.Thomas, Puerto Rico and I think that’s it. Insane right!? I’m travelling to so many places in six months then I ever could if I worked a regular job back at home.

It’s not all glam because there are days where I work 17 hours but for the most part we have an amazing schedule and get to see the most out of all of the jobs on the ship(next to the theatre people). Today we are in Haifa, Israel and tomorrow we go to Jerusalem for two days so it will be an overnight which means I have tomorrow off of work but I still have training so won’t be able to get off the ship until 3pm and still have to wake up for 9am...which sucks but whatever. Anyway, sleep is so limited so when I’m able to nap that is what I usually do so until next time....~A~

p.s. got my laptop working. woot.

Naples.

I don't even know where to begin but I would like to thank everyone for the warm wishes and the huge amount of love and support that you sent out with me. I was able to see most of my immediate family on Tuesday night except for my cousin Melissa. Each stop got a little bit harder and it was hard for me to leave because I knew that I wouldn't be back for another six months. I did enjoy each moment with everyone I did get to see and I was really happy I got to laugh a ton before leaving. Laughter really does cure all.

My flight to Rome wasn't the greatest. First off, I had an old man sitting next to me that kept staring at me and being a creeper. The thing that freaked me out the most was he didn't say anything to me but I later learned that he didn't speak English. We ended up communicating in our own little non verbal way such as the dirty look we both gave when the lady in front of me decided to expand her seat all the way back leaving me with no leg room. And because I didn`t have any leg room (even with MY seat all the way back) I had my legs in the aisle which didn`t help when the Stewardess ran my feet over with her cart. Aisle seats sucks. I also only had 2 hours of sleep out of the entire flight and I was hoping to get more because I had to adjust to the time difference. I landed around 9:30am and changed out of my clothes because I felt filthy. I had to wait 3 hours longer at the airport because I was waiting for Amanda (the girl I`m sharing my hotel room with tonight). We both decided that we wanted to have a travel buddy because taking a train alone in a country you aren`t used to is quite scary so it was definitely worth the wait. She`s pretty cool too. :)

Getting into Naples was so funny. First off we had no idea where to go because Rome`s train station was pretty big and very busy. A guy noticed this and walked over and started to help us for no reason at all. We thought what a nice gesture but after when we said thank you and started to walk away he held his hand out for money and chased us down for a minute or two before giving up. Both Amanda and I agreed to not trust anyone not in uniform. It was the scariest but funniest moment of our trip. But it didn`t stop there...When we got to Naples, we took a cab to our hotel or HOSTEL (We soon learned it was a hostel) and we thought we were going to die. It is way worst then NYC or Toronto and the best part was when everyone was cutting people off and almost killing each other there was NO ONE giving the finger or getting angry. I couldn`t believe how chilled everyone was and nothing phased them.

I wrote all that last night but didn't even get to post it. I can't even begin to tell you how busy I am right now. It is 3:30am and I just got off work an hour ago. I have blisters all over my feet and it's so painful. I need to invest in running shoes which I will when I have a chance to go on shore. Unfortunately, I'm stuck on the boat for the next two weeks because of safety training. Work schedule isn’t bad but because we are doing training, they are long days. I can’t wait till I get a routine. I really need to write tomorrow when I’m awake but I wanted to post something. I miss you all so very much.

 

Xoxo –A-

Just Breathe...

Breathe.

This is something I've been telling myself for the last couple of hours because right now I can't even think straight. My head is all over the place. I'm excited one second, scared the next, sad and then reality hits...oh fuck I need to get this done and that done. I leave for Naples, Italy in 2 sleeps for 6 months. I thought I had to fly out on Thursday to get there for Friday but I actually need to be there for Thursday because I start work on Friday.

I`m flying into Rome on Thursday at 9:30am and from there I will take a train into Naples which will be really cool considering I love trains. I don`t even know where to begin with packing because we are told to pack light....yeah okay there. Do you know who I am? I'm the one that packs a huge suitcase for a weekend trip because I never know what to wear. I'm doing my very best to choose wisely and keep telling myself I can always shop in ITALY!!!! This is where I do my happy dance.

It's now 1:00am and I'm packing while watching Nick and Jessica; The Newlyweds. Laugh. Laugh it up. I know they are broken up but I’ve always loved them together and it makes me happy to watch the show. I'm still trying to pack and I just had a little panic attack. I don't think anything has really hit me yet and I'm not sure when it will hit me but I just had a small dose of it. I'm very family oriented and I’ve never missed a huge holiday. The thought of missing Christmas Dinner and Boxing Day at the Kurek's kills me. I’ve only missed one Boxing Day event due to being sick in bed one year but other than that I have been to all of them. The thought of not being there makes me cringe. The thought of missing Lincoln, Adella, Luke, London and Emerson growing up for 6 months makes me sad and I think I'm scared they are going to forget who Auntie Amanda is. But I can't do that to myself because I know this is a great opportunity and I need to go for it. I once heard that “the things you are most scared of are usually the most worthwhile” and I totally agree with that statement with all of my heart.

I've got so much to do so I will end this post for now.... ~A~

Where in the world will I be?

I just received my medical results back and I passed so the doctor stamped my papers employable. The process for this job is really exhausting and at times I just want to say fuck it and move on but this is something that is on my bucket list so I can't give up now. So what's next? It's a waiting game for now. I'm waiting to see where I'll be shipped off to and as I typed that sentence, I realized how much I dislike using that word. Shipped; it makes me think I'm being deployed somewhere but really that's exactly what will happen... they will ship me out to a boat. Is there another word I can use for this? Maybe send is a better choice. I wonder where I'll be. Will I be in Australia, South America, Miami, Mexico or LA? I love the feeling of not knowing where I'll be which is unlike me. Usually, I dislike surprises and I need to have somewhat of an idea so I can plan a little. With very few surprises in life I will definitely enjoy this waiting game.

 

I’ve been doing a lot of research for childhood cancer and trying to figure out a way of how I can make a difference. I think because of all of the research I’ve been doing and the different stories I’ve read, I’m now dreaming about cancer. The dreams aren’t awful but they aren’t sunshine and rainbows. If anything, it makes me want to do that much more to raise awareness. I put my name in to volunteer and got a reply back where I have to fill out forms so I’m going to do that and hopefully I won’t need a one year commitment to help volunteer. It really kills me to see that is the protocol if you want to work with cancer patients. It’s the situation I’m in right now where I don’t know when I’m going to leave that is putting a damper on all of this. I’ve thought about going back to school to become a nurse but I know deep down inside I wouldn’t be able to handle a simple task such as sticking a needle in someone’s arm. I just wanted to thank everyone again who have sent me nice messages about this blog. I know some people have questioned it and don’t really understand why I am writing but they won’t say it out loud.

 

 Anyway, I will end this post tonight because my runs are kicking my butt hardcore and I’m tired. Plus, 5:20am wakeup call for cross fit is going to come really soon and I don’t need my cousin buzzing a billion question marks to my phone to make sure I’m up. (Lea-I do appreciate the wake up calls lol)

 

 

Pay It Forward

This morning I woke up with an idea. I've heard stories about people paying for the person's order behind them at a drive through. I think it's such a wonderful, generous thought and I've always wanted to do it. Today, I bought the lady in the car behind me her coffee and I left her a little note to help spread awareness for Childhood Cancer. It starts with one person and hopefully that will create a domino effect. Tonight, my run will be dedicated to all of the cancer victims out there, each pound to the pavement will be a F*ck you to cancer. After that I will curl up and watch my man Luke Bryan host the CMA Country Music Festival tonight at 8pm on ABC. What a perfect end to my day. Until next time.... ~A~

 

Lazy Sunday

Today was quite the relaxing Sunday. Fall is my favourite time of the year and it definitely brings out my inner child. I love the smell of baking, the cool fall air, hoodies, falling leaves, the pumpkin patch etc. It seems as if everything is more peaceful in the fall and I love it so much.

This afternoon I was determined to make Pumpkin-Pie cupcakes from scratch and they turned out fabulous. Baking is one of my favourite things to do and when I get the chance to do it, I just want everyone to eat till their bellies are full. Plus, I've been repinning some delicious recipes on Pinterest and thought it'd be a great day to test one out.

 

Pumpkin-Pie Cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

· 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

· 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

· 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

· 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

· 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

· 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

· 1/8 teaspoon salt

· 1/4 cup granulated sugar

· 2 tablespoons butter, softened

· 1 egg

· 1/4 cup canned pumpkin puree

· 2 tablespoons milk

· 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

PREPARATION

1. Heat oven to 350°. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt until combined. Set aside. Mash granulated sugar and butter in another bowl until combined. Stir in egg white, then pumpkin, milk and 1/2 tsp vanilla. Add dry ingredients; stir until just combined. Pour batter into lined mini muffin cups to three quarters full. Bake until cupcakes spring back to the touch, 10 to 15 minutes. I put store-bought cream cheese icing to keep it fall-like but you can put anything your little heart desire.

I put my cupcakes in yellow liners because I found out that gold is the colour for childhood cancer and September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month. Yellow is the closet to gold so I settled on that. Since starting this blog yesterday, I have received some nice emails and texts from family and friends. They really warmed my heart and I definitely will continue to write about what is on my mind. I was talking to my cousin and she told me that this blog really hit close to home because her co-workers daughter that was fighting a 2

year battle against Neuroblastoma lost the fight today. I was really upset to hear that and it makes want to do that much more. We talked for a bit and I explained about how everyone knows what the pink ribbon stands for and no one knows that it's Childhood Cancer Awareness month as we speak. I'm not saying that breast cancer is not important but children do not have a loud enough voice to help raise awareness and they need our help. Did you know that childhood cancer has the least funding? My cousin and I agreed that kids should get more funding since they have a whole life ahead of them if they survive it. Please keep my cousin's co-worker in your prayers tonight and make sure you hug your love ones a little tighter.
On a lighter note, this week I'm determined to start running again. In all honesty, I'm awful at being able to accomplish this simple exercise. I could be totally dressed up ready to run and my naughty self has the power to talk me out of running. Naughty self can somehow trick my mind that stuffing your face in front of the TV is better for you. But since this weather is beautiful, I've decided to tell Naughty Self to eff off for the next month. I even texted one of my best friends to come out with me so I have no excuses. Take that naughty self! Anyway, I’m off to drop off some cupcakes to my Scary Mary (Nana W.) so she can try some. Have a great night!! ~A~

P.S sorry about my font layout. It's being really tricky and not co-operating with me so I'm leaving it because I really don't have the energy to stress about being a perfectionist on my blogs. If I was writing in my journal, I would have scribbles and crossed out words and the whole works. Thank you for reading. xo

 

 

 

 

 

Rockstar Ronan

A couple of months ago I bought my new journal. I had finished my previous one and I was excited to start writing my thoughts on a fresh new page but for some reason I could never bring myself to start writing in it. I originally was going to start this blog if I got the cruise job I applied for a couple months back. This way my family and friends can follow me through my journey while I was away at sea. But I decided why not just make this my new journal. Why write in two different places when I can get everything down at once? Plus, people sometimes have a hard time reading me and maybe this can be a way for them to understand my crazy Gemini thoughts (ha-ha).

Recently, Taylor Swift released a song called "Ronan" and if you know how I am with music, I like to rip apart each lyric, melody and find out what everything is about and really feel what the artist is singing about. Through my research I learned that this song was written for a boy named Ronan Thompson who lost his fight last year from Neuroblastoma, an aggressive childhood cancer. Taylor wrote the song by reading Ronan's mom, Maya, blogs that she started when Ronan was first diagnosed with it. I have since read most if not all of her blogs and have shed many tears at night for this little boy who has captured my heart. It really makes me angry because I can't believe this happened to a sweet blue eyed little boy who was just starting his life. It also angers me because it all hit close to home since I lost my Aunt Linda and Papa W. to cancer. When my Aunt died, I wanted to do something to help out with Cancer Patients, just volunteer so I can somewhat ease their pain even if that meant painting their finger nails or talking to them about something other than cancer. Unfortunately, hospital protocols with volunteering requires one to volunteer for a minimum of one year and I couldn't give them that commitment when I was so unsure of where I was going to be after I graduated from school. The thought never left the back of my mind but time slowly passed and so did five years. Because of Taylor`s new song, I am now sitting here late at night wondering how I can be of help with fighting cancer and finding a cure for this awful, sickening disease. I feel that donating money just doesn`t seem enough for me to do. I just feel like I need to be with people that are diagnosed and make them smile, laugh and ease their pain for a little bit. I wish I was a doctor but I`m not but couldn`t I be a Patch Adams without the doctor title? Sometimes, I think my weakness is that I care too much about things but this has always been me and I think it can be a positive thing. You can read about Ronan's story, donate to his foundation and learn more about the awful disease that took his life at rockstarronan.com. Please help spread awareness about neuroblastoma to help find a cure.

 

Anyway, I shall end this rambling for tonight but the nice thing from all of this research that I've done the past week, I have fallen in love with the name Ronan and will keep it as a name I'd like to name my child one day if it's a boy.

~A~