the blog

Sh*t, sh*t, and more sh*t

The adventures of Carol Brown, representing Norwegian Cruise Line on a 6-month mission on the open sea to train the crew, explore new ports, seek new friends and experiences, and to boldly go where she has not gone before.

Carol’s log: Cruise Date: May 23, 2011 (Ketchikan)

Our new training program kicked off like gangbusters this morning. The senior management played with us and a good time was had by all. The afternoon session was actually better but only because Laarni and I were in a better groove. We realize that this training goes smoother with two trainers as there are a lot of activities and our differences in delivery if refreshing for the participants.

I found out that my lovely hoop earring that my friend Phani gave me is against Norwegian grooming policy. I knew that earrings must be smaller than a dime but I didn’t realize that they have to be studs. So it means I’ll have to go shopping. I hate shopping. Yes I know I’m not a typical girl because I don’t like shopping but I can think of better ways to spend time and money. I just don’t need more stuff. I’ll probably just stop wearing earrings.

My shadowing today was with the Chief Engineer. He took me on an extensive tour of the ship’s engine room. It is a world that everyone on ship should see. The most disgusting thing that he showed me was where sh*t goes and what happens to it. There were vats and vats of the brown stuff. There was the stuff fresh from the vacuum toilets. There was stuff what was in mid processing and stuff just about processed. It is quite the system and I’m glad someone does it. It also helped me to understand why we can’t just flush anything. Everything on ship is such a delicate balance and the guys that work to maintain that balance are often invisible to the rest of us. They may be invisible but their roles are indispensable.

I was really tired today and decided I need to go to bed early. I think my head hit the pillow at 19:00 and it was lights out.

The voyage continues…