Panama Canal cruise

Hello Everyone,

I hope that you have had a wonderful week. I have had quite an eventful one thus far…

Here's what has happened:

Monday, January 3rd was a great day personally for me and thats all I need to write about it. I will remember it very well and happy that I had such a wonderful day :-) Even though it was the last time that I would be in Fort Lauderdale…at least it was the best Fort Lauderdale embark day.

Tuesday, January 4th and Wednesday January 5th we were at sea on our way traveling to Cartagena, Colombia. Did our normal duties and meeting the guests. This cruise welcomes back our WONDERFUL cruise director Fernando…which the entire cast is SO happy that he is back. He is an incredible cruise director, to the fact that he remembers EVERY guest's name…I really don't know how he does it but makes the guests feel good…so job well done Fernando!!!! 

Thursday, January 6th we were in Cartagena, Colombia. I made sure that I was outside for our sail into Cartagena…I was told that it was pretty and I agree it was. While we were sailing into the port…I kept thinking, "wow, I'm actually in South America….thats so cool". I still can't get over all the places that I'm getting to see and all the things that I'm experiencing. I keep thinking that I'm just a kid from Dayton, OH and people normally don't get to see the world like this…its nuts…this is an opportunity of a lifetime. Lesley and I got off the ship as soon as we could…but we heard that we might have some trouble getting into the city…they charge over $50 to just get a taxi…NOT WORTH IT. So we decided to just stay around the port…we were told by another guy later that the moment that he made it into the city..he was ushered into a brothel, where he had his choice to buy a girl and some drugs….yeah, I'm fine with staying at the port…haha. Lesley and I walked around, played with the parrots that were there…(stupid little thing kept biting my fingers…and it hurts). Then we went to get something to eat and I laughed because the lady that was taking our orders couldn't speak English…so I spoke complete spanish to her and ordered Lesley and I's meal. Lesley looked at me and said, "Alright Jason…what was that?" I can't believe that I did it either but I understood her and she understood me…thank you Baldwin-Wallace College for making me take Spanish….comes in handy when you're in Spanish speaking countries. Speaking of knowing another language…I have come to find out that Americans are really behind the times with knowing another language or requiring schools to teach 2 languages in schools. Other countries require there kids to learn 2 or more languages due to the way the world is….you will always meet someone that speaks another language. I feel that sometimes Americans feel that they don't need to learn another language and I feel, some people from other countries feel that Americans are stuck up and/or sheltered….I'm starting to understand this better….I'm going to keep up with my spanish and my italian lessons…I think that its important. Anyways, after we had our meal, we sat and upload pictures onto Facebook (I really needed to…haven't for a while) and then went back onto the ship. I watched the sail away this evening and boy…how beautiful that was. Again, I think that is one of my favorite parts of this…the sail aways. It is always SO peaceful and gives me time to wrap my mind around everything that is happening and thank my lucky stars of how blest I am to be experiencing this but also that I have a job doing what I love to do….perform. What a great night….

Friday, January 7th we were in San Blas Islands, Panama…and boy, was that an eye opening experience. This specific island that we went to was tiny but housed a lot of people. Getting off the tender (with Lesley) we were surrounded by kids and them trying to sell us their art projects or coloring pages that they did. That tore me up but I kept walking because I just couldn't see that…it was sad. Walking by the wood made huts…people were just sitting outside their houses, trying to sell things to you but did it in a way that wasn't pushy…just there to show you what they had. I looked in and saw that they slept on hammocks inside their huts. Lesley and I were just stunned by what we were seeing. Made me feel very blest to have what I have and to not take things for granted, so for now on…I will not take things or people for granted…we all need to be more grateful in our life, I feel sometimes. Sometimes, we need to be grateful that we have our health and even if we don't have that, at least that we have each other and live the way we do. Heading back to the tender to get to the ship…I spotted this little boy that had drawn a picture of the Silver Spirit and painted it quite nicely…for a little kid. It just broke my heart because I'm sure that he was SO proud of his painting and he kept trying to sell his picture, just so he could take the money back to his family to survive. So I walked over to the little boy and said, "How much for your painting?" He put up 4 fingers very shyly and showed me his painting. Me, close to tears said, "here's a five buddy…thank you for the painting". I shook his hand and off he ran, like he had won the lottery. I was told by a very special and smart person in my life that I should buy things in these places that I'm going to that will have a story…something that you can't buy anywhere, so you can always remember that day, that time that you were there. I remembered this when I saw the little boy with the picture and I thought…I have to get this…this is going to make me remember my time on this island. Thinking about it (and actually Lesley said this to me)…I will probably keep this painting for the rest of my life. Yes, its a silly like painting that this little boy did but there is more behind this story than I can explain…just a sense of…humanity, if that makes any sense. Hmmm…makes you think, doesn't it?

Saturday, January 8th we went through the Panama Canal…and boy, how excited was I. Yes, did I make a big deal about it…I did, I'm not going to lie…but I kept explaining that it was something that I had studied in school a lot over the years and never thought that I would see it and then to actually get to go through it…was awesome. It has REALLY cool history too…over hundred years this was created and the fact that it was thought about that many years ago is just….amazing. So yes…it was a big deal…for me…THERE. I woke up that morning at 7:15am to be greeted up stairs by a lot of the passengers on board and RAIN….coming to find out that it would rain on and off ALL DAY LONG…oh well…didn't ruin my day. Also, I would be bitten by mosquitos all day as well. Funny story about the mosquitos actually….Lesley and I were up on the top deck one time during the day…just enjoy the views of the rainforest, the canal and such and all of a sudden she said, "Ouch…these stupid midges…they keep biting me". Now first off…I thought that she said, "Ouch…these stupid midgets…they keep bitting me" to which I stood there looking at her, dumb founded but also looking around trying to find these mysteries midgets that were biting her but not me apparently….haha. So I said, "excuse me…midgets are biting you?" "MIDGES Jason…thats what I call a mosquito…haha". Holy crap…I think that I was laughing for a good half hour after this….it was SO funny…one of those, had to be there moments. ANYWAY…throughout the entire day, I would go up to the top of the ship (still looking out for these hungry midgets…haha) to watch us go through the locks for a while and then go back down to the room for a while and then go to a duty and then back up top to watch again for a while. It was a lovely day…something that I never thought that I would experience…but I DID!!!! 

Sunday, January 9th we were at sea filled with the normal duties and movie watching…quite a boring cruise this is with the guests….they aren't out doing anything so it makes it seem like a longer day…just boring and Monday, January 10th we were in Puntarenas, Costa Rica. Emily and I got in the morning and had a nice walk around the city. It was very odd because there wasn't anything to do there…it seemed to be run down on one block and then a nice building would pop up randomly…just strange. What really caught me off guard was the fact that I could feel my fingers and ankles swell because the heat was that strong that day. I kept thinking how stiff I felt and I didn't know why…and when I said something later to someone, they told me the reason. After Emily and I walked around for a few hours, we were bored and so we went back to the ship. Lesley, Emily, Cody and I had a lovely meal up on the pool deck and then we all went up to the sun deck and played cards / got some sun. It was a great day. The cast is actually getting quite bored because we have had a whole week off of doing shows…we don't know what to at night…haha. I think our next show is not until Saturday….HURRY UP SATURDAY!!!!

For the rest of the cruise, the itinerary is: At Sea on Tuesday / Puerto Quetzal on Wednesday / At Sea on Thursday / Acapulco, Mexico on Friday / At Sea on Saturday / Cabo San Lucas, Mexico on Sunday / At Sea on Monday / San Diego, CA on Tuesday and end our cruise next Wednesday in Los Angeles, CA…the start of the 119 day world cruise….isn't that nuts. We have about 170 guests that will be cruising with us the entire 119 days…wow. 

Until Next Time,

Jason