The Last Time

The Last Time

14^th October 2011

The day has arrived. It’s pretty much the last of the last for myself, Hernan and David. We’re in Civitavecchia, Italy and this would be our last turn around day. Next time we arrive in Civitavecchia the three of us will be disembarking. Hernan and I will be going on vacation and returning to Disney Dream and Wonder. David has resigned and will hopefully be coming back as a videographer for Royal Caribbean. Unfortunately for David, it could take months because of a policy both Image and Royal have about "poaching staff".

Camila was transferred to another ship today and the atmosphere in the team is electric. Everyone is in high spirits now that the person who’d caused so much trouble has finally gone. Originally her transfer had been kept under wraps, but Camila being Camila, had been shouting it out from the roof tops so, Reuben decided to tell the team, one by one, in case money was owed etc. None of us saw her leave.

The idea that I’d been leaving dawned on me and a hype kicked in. I was over the moon and jumping around, smudging. Alex and Leandro were telling to shut up and bugger off as I was winding them up. 

The wind was so bad that we couldn’t erect the stands for the background. In the end the ship backdrop was taped several times over to the terminal tent. Every so often, one of us would have to jump up several times to re-stick the tape back onto the tent.

Later on during embarkation someone came along and introduced himself. It was the replacement for Camila. A new hire, fresh from Miami training, named Dmytro or “D” as he preferred to be called. I showed D the way to the crew gangway and called Reuben from security’s deck phone. 

While talking to D, he told me he was from Ukraine. He seemed quiet and not very talkative. His English, from what I could make out, is very good. Then again, who wouldn’t be quiet when you’re in a situation completely different from what you’ve ever experienced and surrounded by strangers?

It was also my last Pax Drill, but not just mine, Darren’s (Head of House Keeping) too. Nearby our stations is a globe. Taking it in turns, we were spinning the globe and stopping it with our index finger. Where ever our finger landed, would be the place we’d go for vacation or next contract. Darren’s finger kept landing on Asia, a place he’s always wanted to visit and where he’d hoped to go this vacation. I got a mix of both America and South America. Oddly enough, I’d be flying to Uruguay, South America to visit the parents, before starting my second contract in Florida, United States.

Next were two stints in the dining room, shooting my last sessions of casual ressi. After we had a long meeting in the gallery office. We were all paid our wages for the fortnight. Once the meeting was finally over, I was having troubles staying awake. 

A large portion of the team headed up to SOB with their music and bottles of drink to play a few games of pool and celebrate Camila’s transfer. Sanela, who never drinks, even had a knees up by having one too many beers! She was over the moon, as was everyone. It’s hard to describe but the atmosphere within the team had changed literally overnight to a mixture of excitement and relief.