Hello everyone,
Well our time is coming to an end here in the Mediterranean. Today as I sit in the beautiful Kotor, Montenegro…a city hidden within the mountains of this beautiful country, a bittersweet moment sweeps over me as we are leaving great places that many memories were created behind us, with the chance of never seeing these places again but at the same time, moving on to new destinations in the world and creating new memories. We are looking forward to spending time in the Caribbean and being closer to home for the holidays unlike last year when we were in South Africa and the feeling of being homesick was much stronger.
It is surprising how fast our time has gone so far. We have almost spent 3 months on board the ship (the 27th is the exact date) and we have had some great experiences during those times. I feel this is a good time to plug Zack and I’s video blog that we have been posting every week and if you aren’t caught up with our travels, thats the place to check it out. www.youtube.com/user/zeejay210 (and while you’re there…make sure you hit that subscribe button by signing up for a Youtube account or even share a video with friends and family).
During those times, I had the WONDERFUL opportunity to have my mom and grandma visit and sail with us for a 9 day voyage. To say I was excited to see them was an understatement as I miss being with my family. Getting them at the airport was a chore though, as I had told my mom to wait at the baggage claim and I would meet her. Well, if you haven’t travel internationally, some of the airports won’t allow you reach the baggage claim area, as a safety precaution and the Istanbul airport was no different. I spent 2 hours walking back and forth, saying to myself, “Come on Mom, just leave the area…walk through the exit.” Now my mom being the organized, on time person that she is, she wasn’t going to leave the area that I told her I’d pick her up because, as she said, “Jason said that he would be here, I can’t leave.” Eventually, against her feelings, she knew she had to leave and take the adventure in a new country to her hotel. To her relief, I was waiting there outside the security door for her when she was leaving and our nightmare came to an end. What a crazy start to their first international adventure visiting Greece, Turkey and Romania along the way. It was also great to have them on board to see our shows, which is the main reason I am on board. Working on a cruise ship has been a big event in my life for the past 5 years and I haven't able to share it with my family for different reasons, even though I knew many of them wanted to be there for me. So, to have this opportunity to share this with my family, was a moment I will be very grateful for in the years to come.
Well, I need to get going as I am preparing my cabaret for tonights performance. This time around, I am performing with the 3 piece band on board which really gives an extra “umph” to the performance.
Until Next Time,
Jason
