THE LAST ONE!!!

Hello everyone,

Sorry that this blog has taken WAY to long to finish but I wanted it to be right…it has been extremely hard for me to write this last blog but I hope that you enjoy it. 

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Well, its here…THE FINAL CRUISE AND BLOG!!! I can't believe that this has finally come….so strange.

Here's what happened:

Friday, June 3rd we were in Sorrento, Italy for the last time. I'm so happy that we made it there for our last cruise. Sorrento is one of my favorite places and I'm glad that we got to spend two days there to finish this crazy adventure. Lesley, Jodie, Jen and myself all got off the ship to have a wonderful lunch at our favorite restaurant in the main square in town. I have had so many great memories at this restaurant…this is where I ate a tomato for the first time…yes, I'm that picky…lol. Afterwards, the girls decided to go lay down at the beach but I had decided to go shopping and get some internet by myself…it was a great day.

Saturday, June 4th again we were in Sorrento, Italy again for another great day. Today, I was an escort on the excursion to Mt. Vesuvius, you know where Pompeii was? This was going to be my last escorting job on the ship and I think that it was a great one to end with. We made our way to the Mt. Vesuvius area….was a pretty interesting drive on the coast of the mountains. It wasn't making me feel very good on the bus…a little motion sickness…I'll admit. Once we got to Pompeii, it was incredible to see the city that was preserved by the volcanic ash of Mt. Vesuvius many years ago. I had some great passengers on the tour with me that had a great time walking throughout the town of Pompeii together.  One of the extremely interesting things to hear from the tour guide was that the people in these days were very obsessed or intrigued by sex. They had….how can I keep this PG…."male parts", sticking out of all these buildings and some of them were pointing in the way of where the whore houses were. Yes, you heard that right…haha. It was so interesting walking through that building and seeing all the paintings on the walls of the different "positions" that they offered there….weird…haha. Later, they took us to the area where there were bodies found after many years covered up in the ash. They were in the exact position that they died in….kinda creepy. It was extremely odd seeing that but also very interesting. We then headed our way back to the city of Sorrento, where I then walked around and got some internet. Then I walked to try and find some gifts that I needed to pick up for my family…I can't believe that I'm almost going home. It was sad that today was my last day in Sorrento because its one of my favorite cities in Italy. Hopefully someday, I'll make my way back there. 

Sunday, June 5th we were suppose to go to Taormina, Sicily but due to the current or surge in the sea…we couldn't go there…so he headed to Messina, Italy instead. Unfortunately (or fortunately according to the rest of the cast), I was on IPM…THE LAST IPM EVER!!!!!!! THANK THE SWEET LORD ABOVE!!!!! AHHHHH!!!!!!

Monday, June 6th we were in Valletta, Malta and had a great day out with Lesley and Jen. Took a crazy bus to the center of town. When I say crazy, that doesn't really explain it…this might be the first time where I can't explain what something looked like…haha. Needless to say, it was interesting, ha. The city looks like a mix between Egypt, Middle East area and Europe…very strange. We walked around the shops there for a while and didn't really find anything to buy. It just felt good to be off the ship and walking around. We got a good meal with some free wifi, so you know that we were all very happy. Wondered around the streets just wasting time after lunch because we didn't have anything else to do. The girls got some hair dye to do their hair before we headed home…still strange that this whole experience is coming to an end. Before we left the town, we got some great ice cream and walked back to where the bus would pick us up. It was a strange system to try and figure out what bus you had to take so we just decided to walk at first. Then a man came by with a horse and carriage and asked us if we wanted a ride to the ship so we thought…why not…haha.  We rode a horse (named Donald) down to the terminal and got on the ship just in time before we left to go to our next port. We all sat up on the crew deck and talked, enjoying each others company and enjoying the sun. Jodie was seeing one of her brothers today (since he lives in Malta) but got a big surprise when her other brothers we there…so we talked about that for a while. All in all, it was a good day in Malta.

Tuesday, June 7th…THE LAST SEA DAY EVER!!! I can't believe that I just typed those words for my blog. What an incredible experience this has been…just incredible. We spent this sea day, packing and cleaning up our room (which was hilarious to do and will be shared between only Lesley and myself….hahahahaha). This day was definitely a day of reflection. Looking back at everything that I had experienced…getting to see the growth that I have had as a person. I just can't believe how much I have changed in a year but this experience was meant to happen for me. It was something that I needed it my life so I could move forward and be the man that I am and will be. It was a good day, to say the least.

Wednesday, June 8th we were in Livorno, Italy (our last Italian port) and had a great day with Emily, Cody in Florence. We got up very early that morning to catch the train into Florence. Cody and Emily had been into the city before and I just asked them if it would be okay if I joined them…I really wanted to go there. We had a great train ride into the city…talking the entire way or playing games on our Ipods haha. Once we arrived at Florence, we walked around for a while, just taking in the city and being some place new…it was really cool. While we were walking to a main square, just trying to figure out to eat or sight see a little bit, it decided to POUR down rain…like HARD! So we stopped for a few minutes because we didn't want to get soaked. We walked to this main area, where the golden doors are and I was just floored by the architecture of this city….truly beautiful. We then decided to go get something to eat. WHAT A GREAT MEAL WE HAD. I was being a little fat that day and I wanted to get a lot of food. It was okay because I was very hungry, not the best food aboard the ship for us…so I did it. I ate a lot and didn't feel bad about it haha. After our EXTREMELY filling meal, we then walked around some more and I got to see the famous piazza where the musical "Light in the Piazza" is based. Its so strange how I am getting to see all this places that are based in a lot of musicals from around the world….maybe that means I'll be in them someday? Hmmmm…lets hope…haha. We then had to make our way back to the train station because it was time for us to leave. Getting there, it started to POUR down again and I felt bad for Emily because we had one lousy umbrella and she was getting wet. I offered to give her my jacket (that they all make fun of me for) and she took it. I told her, "see…it comes in handy. It may be a stupid jacket…but you're not getting wet…are you? haha". Before we left though (since this was going to be my last Italian port, which made me extremely sad) I wanted to buy a pair of REAL Italian leather shoes. I've always wanted a pair and I was determined to get them. Granted, I should have got them before I did, so that we weren't rushed to get on the train…sorry Cody and Emily…but oh well...haha. But I did it, I bought a really nice and totally out of character, pair of shoes…and I love them. We got on the train just in time and had a great ride back. Once we got back, we were late to the ship but I didn't care…I wasn't going to rush back…I was enjoying my time and we weren't leaving for another hour. So I walked back…haha. What a great day in Florence, Italy….my LAST italian port. 

Thursday, June 9th we were in Monte Carlo, Monaco for the last time. Jodie, Greg and I went to Stars and Bars for a meal and internet. We all needed to have time on our computers to get ourselves organized and prepared for our big trip home in a few days. I can't believe that its actually happening. I posted a lot of pictures and had a great time with Jodie. Tonight was our LAST show of the entire contract. I can't believe that this moment has finally arrived. I don't think it has truly hit me yet that we are leaving. That this experience is coming to an end. That I wont be sharing the stage with these incredible people that I have shared SUCH an experience with. As we took our final bows, I looked around at everyone and just really took everything in. The hard times and the fun times that we have shared. I had finished my last show….what a huge achievement. Whoosh….

Friday, June 10th we were in St. Tropez, France and no one got off cause we were preparing for the next day…the day that we were going home. This last week that we were on the ship, we had such a great time together…just really trying to go out with a bang. Throughout the week, we all would go hang out in the crew bar…a LOT more than we normally did. We sang Karaoke and just had a blast…kinda wish we did that more throughout the contract but we can't change the past…just have to more towards the future…right? Lesley, Jodie and I got a lot closer the last week. We had a lot of conversations about all sorts of topics…which was so great to have. I just truly can't believe that this was ending…my DREAM experience had come true and now it was ending….going on and making a new chapter in my life, but what a chapter I had just written…woah, what a huge meaning this experience has had on my life…its something that I'll be eternally grateful for, the rest of my life. The last night on the ship ended very…oh how can I put it….bittersweet. Greg had made a DVD for us to watch…capturing the moments in our contract through pictures and song. Lets just say, I was a mess (and Greg even put that in the DVD at the end…ass…haha). It was an incredible gift that Greg gave us all and its something that I will treasure forever. 

Saturday, June 11th we were going home…finally in Barcelona, Spain. We all had to get up quite early in the morning and get our bags together and just prepare ourselves going back into the real world…haha. It was very bittersweet saying goodbye to new friends that just joined the ship and old friends that had traveled with me and I had made an incredible bond with. We all got off the ship and drove away in a cab together towards the airport. It was very strange (as more than one person commented on) leaving the ship. It felt very out of body. We all reminisced about the time that we drove from the Istanbul airport to the ship for the first time and how it was a full circle moment, now leaving our home for the past year and flying back to our true homes. At the airport, I had overweight bags (of course) and I had to figure all that stuff out before I could check it. Eventually, I got everything squared away and it was my time to say goodbye to everyone. This was one of the hardest moments that I have had in my life in a long time. I have shared an experience with this people that no one will understand. Just us 6, that have been together from the crazy crab watch times in Florida…to now. This was the moment when I had to say goodbye to friends that I might not ever see again for a LONG time. How odd it is to have people in your life come and go but the love and memories that you have of them…always stays..doesn't matter where you are or where they are….its always there. I'm all to familiar with this practice but but if you think of it in a positive light, its a lovely thing to have in life. After we said our goodbyes, it was time to start flying home. The flights were long and I was extremely tired when I landed home…in DAYTON, OH!!! There were so many emotions that over came me when I landed in Dayton. It had been exactly a year since I had been home, since I left for NYC on June 12th. Getting off the plane and just having the feeling of home hit me…was just incredible and everything that I had wanted. Walking through the airport, I finally got to the baggage claim to where I saw my Mom and Nene, waiting there for me. I ran to my Mom and gave her the biggest hug, while crying…I couldn't believe that I was finally home and done with this incredible experience. 

Well, here it is…the last paragraph, to my last blog of this incredible, life changing experience. I am overwhelmed with the thought of what incredible achievement I have completed. I'm sure it will be (and has been) very hard to comprehend what has happened during this journey. That it won't seem real, that I actually did travel the world. That I actually did get to do all these crazy things which just didn't seem feasible to me before now. The fact that I can say, I have traveled the world. I have sailed across the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian Oceans. I have crossed the International dateline, losing a day of my life. I have crossed the equator more times than I can comprehend. I have been to every continent except ONE and all while being on a ship. During this time, I have met and made friends from different countries. I have been able to understand different cultures other than my own. Its all very overwhelming and I don't think that I will ever come to terms with it…its bigger than me and thats alright. You know, on a personal level, I have also had another extraordinary gift that was given to me during this experience…the gift of feeling the presence of my father again. During this whole experience, it was always very apparent that my father was with me…something that I hadn't felt in quite sometime, which is unexplainable, but during this time on the ship, my fathers presence was felt and known to me. In the beautiful landscape of the mountains off the coast of Italy to sailing across the international dateline and losing a day (his birthday) to experiencing Australia and everything that it means to my parents and all the other tiny moments that I shared with him in my thoughts…were all very apparent times of his constant presence in my life. Which has taught me that it doesn't matter where you are in the world or what you are doing…the ones that you love will always, ALWAYS be with you. I wish other people could learn or experience this….to truly understand how blest we are, to have people in our lives that love us unconditionally be it our family, friends and/or significant others and it is something that we should never, EVER take for granted. 

So to end this experience and chapter of my life, I say this….

Getting to see the world….

Was truly…

PRICELESS,

Jason Slattery