Hello all! I just returned from a much needed cruise to the Carribean. Traveling is such an eye opening experience that anybody that can should take advantage of...as often as possible. I'm planning my next voyage to Europe for the fall. Some things I that sauntered through my head while visiting the beautiful islands go as follows:
-Anybody that says there is no God is a damn fool. Plain and simple. When I stepped onto the top deck and peered out at the vastness of the deep blue Atlantic Ocean, I was more convinced than any time that I read any religious book that there was a God, that there was something or Someone bigger. It literally took my breath away. The earth literally declares His name.
- Black women aren't the only people struggling with obesity. Have you ever noticed that any article about something bad usually ends in an embarrasing stat about black people? Me too. Well on this cruise which was basically working class to upper middle class mostly white people, there were some very heavy people on that ship. The showers in the stateroom were tiny. I do not know how those people fit in there to properly clean themselves. If anything, the black people on that ship (we and the Asians were definitely in the minority) looked pretty good in terms of weight.
-Travel is not for the rich. In fact, you if you consider yourself working class which is a step above poor, you can travel if you save your pennies. I met many 'average' people on that ship who were traveling WITH THEIR FAMILIES. Thats not just them but THEIR KIDS OR GRANDKIDS. If you save, you can go.
-I'm proud to be an American. We can bitch about how 'bad' we got it in America or its gory history or what not, but I am ssssoooo glad that I was born in the USA. A 'working class' American is rich any day of the week on the global spectrum.
-I need to learn another language.
-Black people do look alike and age tremendously well. ALL of the ship personnel were non-Americans. Many of the blacks were islanders or Africans but you could've put them in North Philly, Brooklyn, or Charlotte and they would've blended right in. We need to stop being offended by this. I'd rather look like Michelle Obama than Hillary Clinton anyday of the week. People within the same race look alike. Get over it. On another note, one of the waitstaff was a Jamaican man. He told us to guess his age. The oldest we guessed was 25. He was 41. Another we thought was no older than 30. He was pushing 50 years old, married for 12 years with 5 kids and a grandchild....but that didnt stop him from flirting though.
-Americans are not suckers. My sister asked one of the staff why there were no Americans working on the ships. The personnel said because Americans wouldn't accept such low pay. He was being paid $50/week and largely depending on tips. Now tips are a whole 'nother store. This particular young man cleaned about 12 rooms twice a day. He could get anywhere from $80-$100/room for a week and a half voyage but largely he was dependent on people's generosity (or lack thereof). That's up to $1200 for every 10 days or $3600 a month. Needless to say, the staff didn't have any problem telling us that they worked 13 hours a day with only a month off out of the year. The legacy of slavery is alive and well. Americans know that American companies want to make a huge profit largely by paying people pennies on the dollar (which is why illegal immigration will never go away). Americans, even the homeless, know that that is bullshit and would be smart (or too arrogant) to accept such low wages. Mind you, the average 10 day cruise is $1500 and can hold up to 2000-3500 passengers. For many of these employees, they were from countries where this type of work was the only way up and out. I AM SO GLAD I'M AN AMERICAN.
-The few jobs for Americans were in the performance arena (i.e. Black people's strength). The Cruise Director was a very charismatic Black man from Alabama and he was responsible for all the activities onboard the ship. He did an excellent job. They had 7 lounges and bars on the ship so there were live bands and DJs entertaining people in the evenings. The evening shows which were Broadway-type performances were also pretty much mainly casted by Americans. Calling all Event Coordinators, DJs, bands, soloists, dancers, actors, and script writers: there's a whole world at sea for you. We always think of land based jobs but baby if you get on one of these cruise ships, you have access to up to 2000+ people per week from all over the world. Can you imagine the networking possibilities? The opportunities and experiences are endless. Those of you in the hospitality industry, this also can be a great experience. Yes, you'll make pennies on the dollar from the company but you can make a pretty penny in tips if you SMILE. Plus, YOU GET TO SEE THE WORLD. When we were docked, the service people put on their regular clothes and were hanging out around the islands like the rest of us. I had to take a double look at some of them because they looked so different outside of their uniform. If you're broke and single, this could be a great opportunity. Think about it. Mind you, you can move up in the company. The Captain of the ship I was on was from Norway and started as a busboy in the cafeteria. He took whatever classes you take to be captain of a ship and just worked himself up to the ranks and now commands one of the largest cruise ships in the world and is no longer dependent on peoples generosity. Not a bad look right.
-The strength of the Black people is something to review and celebrate. All the Carribean islands were involved in the slave trade. Thus, all the blacks that live there (and have impeccable skin) are descendents of slaves just like American blacks. Think about it, the Native Americans didnt go through 400 years of back breaking slavery and are virtually extinct. Black people went through it, are still in abundance, even though they are walking with a limp. Next time you meet someone who is on crutches ask them this: is it better to be alive and walking with a limp that you are not sure when it or if it will heal or dead?
Where shall I go next?
-Anybody that says there is no God is a damn fool. Plain and simple. When I stepped onto the top deck and peered out at the vastness of the deep blue Atlantic Ocean, I was more convinced than any time that I read any religious book that there was a God, that there was something or Someone bigger. It literally took my breath away. The earth literally declares His name.
- Black women aren't the only people struggling with obesity. Have you ever noticed that any article about something bad usually ends in an embarrasing stat about black people? Me too. Well on this cruise which was basically working class to upper middle class mostly white people, there were some very heavy people on that ship. The showers in the stateroom were tiny. I do not know how those people fit in there to properly clean themselves. If anything, the black people on that ship (we and the Asians were definitely in the minority) looked pretty good in terms of weight.
-Travel is not for the rich. In fact, you if you consider yourself working class which is a step above poor, you can travel if you save your pennies. I met many 'average' people on that ship who were traveling WITH THEIR FAMILIES. Thats not just them but THEIR KIDS OR GRANDKIDS. If you save, you can go.
-I'm proud to be an American. We can bitch about how 'bad' we got it in America or its gory history or what not, but I am ssssoooo glad that I was born in the USA. A 'working class' American is rich any day of the week on the global spectrum.
-I need to learn another language.
-Black people do look alike and age tremendously well. ALL of the ship personnel were non-Americans. Many of the blacks were islanders or Africans but you could've put them in North Philly, Brooklyn, or Charlotte and they would've blended right in. We need to stop being offended by this. I'd rather look like Michelle Obama than Hillary Clinton anyday of the week. People within the same race look alike. Get over it. On another note, one of the waitstaff was a Jamaican man. He told us to guess his age. The oldest we guessed was 25. He was 41. Another we thought was no older than 30. He was pushing 50 years old, married for 12 years with 5 kids and a grandchild....but that didnt stop him from flirting though.
-Americans are not suckers. My sister asked one of the staff why there were no Americans working on the ships. The personnel said because Americans wouldn't accept such low pay. He was being paid $50/week and largely depending on tips. Now tips are a whole 'nother store. This particular young man cleaned about 12 rooms twice a day. He could get anywhere from $80-$100/room for a week and a half voyage but largely he was dependent on people's generosity (or lack thereof). That's up to $1200 for every 10 days or $3600 a month. Needless to say, the staff didn't have any problem telling us that they worked 13 hours a day with only a month off out of the year. The legacy of slavery is alive and well. Americans know that American companies want to make a huge profit largely by paying people pennies on the dollar (which is why illegal immigration will never go away). Americans, even the homeless, know that that is bullshit and would be smart (or too arrogant) to accept such low wages. Mind you, the average 10 day cruise is $1500 and can hold up to 2000-3500 passengers. For many of these employees, they were from countries where this type of work was the only way up and out. I AM SO GLAD I'M AN AMERICAN.
-The few jobs for Americans were in the performance arena (i.e. Black people's strength). The Cruise Director was a very charismatic Black man from Alabama and he was responsible for all the activities onboard the ship. He did an excellent job. They had 7 lounges and bars on the ship so there were live bands and DJs entertaining people in the evenings. The evening shows which were Broadway-type performances were also pretty much mainly casted by Americans. Calling all Event Coordinators, DJs, bands, soloists, dancers, actors, and script writers: there's a whole world at sea for you. We always think of land based jobs but baby if you get on one of these cruise ships, you have access to up to 2000+ people per week from all over the world. Can you imagine the networking possibilities? The opportunities and experiences are endless. Those of you in the hospitality industry, this also can be a great experience. Yes, you'll make pennies on the dollar from the company but you can make a pretty penny in tips if you SMILE. Plus, YOU GET TO SEE THE WORLD. When we were docked, the service people put on their regular clothes and were hanging out around the islands like the rest of us. I had to take a double look at some of them because they looked so different outside of their uniform. If you're broke and single, this could be a great opportunity. Think about it. Mind you, you can move up in the company. The Captain of the ship I was on was from Norway and started as a busboy in the cafeteria. He took whatever classes you take to be captain of a ship and just worked himself up to the ranks and now commands one of the largest cruise ships in the world and is no longer dependent on peoples generosity. Not a bad look right.
-The strength of the Black people is something to review and celebrate. All the Carribean islands were involved in the slave trade. Thus, all the blacks that live there (and have impeccable skin) are descendents of slaves just like American blacks. Think about it, the Native Americans didnt go through 400 years of back breaking slavery and are virtually extinct. Black people went through it, are still in abundance, even though they are walking with a limp. Next time you meet someone who is on crutches ask them this: is it better to be alive and walking with a limp that you are not sure when it or if it will heal or dead?
Where shall I go next?
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