Memory
Lane
8th April 2013
8th April 2013
Logging into my Facebook account, I had a notification from
Gudrun, from my Miami
training group.
“Exactly two years ago we all finished the training in Miami.”
Two years ago today we finished training and were slowly despatched
from the group to join our cruise ships and start our first contracts. Three
days after this photo take was taken, Hernan and I join the Mariner of the Seas
in Rhodes, Greece.
It seems crazy that it all happened two years ago and it
only seems like yesterday. To be fair, I’ve been lost in time and telling
people I started working on cruise ships three years ago in 2010, rather than
2011. Whoops! Bubaloo!
So, what’s changed? To be fair, pretty much everything has
changed.
Unfortunately, I had to resign from Image in December 2012
due to having surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome. After having surgery and
getting the all clear to return to work from the surgeon, Image Human Resources
informed me that I needed new medical papers.
Renewing medical papers in Uruguay isn’t the easiest when you
aren’t a member of a Uruguayan hospital or have medical insurance. The cheapest
medical quote I received was a tear jerking $3,000!
Image being Image, wouldn’t give me a new assignment until I
had new medical papers. My existing medical papers still had 3 months until
their expiry date. Flying to Miami
where the medical is $350 and then join ship, wasn’t an option. Image insisted
I’d have to fly myself back to Uruguay
from Miami (roughly $2,000) and wait for an
assignment… only to fly myself back to the United
States, quite possibly Miami. See the logic? No, neither do I.
Emailing Image for the penultimate time, I told HR the
score. There was no way I could afford to pay $3,000 for a medical and $1,000
plus for a flight to my next ship or pay $2,000 for a return flight to Miami,
$350 for the medical, 5 days in a hotel to then pay $1,000 for another flight
to Miami to join my next ship.
“Let us
know what you are doing” was their reply and that was the last time I heard
from Image until I sent in my resignation a month later.
Taking a walk down memory lane, I can still remember us all
sitting by the swimming pool, drinking beer, tapping away on our laptops,
Pavlo, my Image “husband” acting the ass making trash art movies and a couple
of the lads shooting hoops. Even to this day, we are still in contact, all
thanks to Facebook, but only a few remain with Image.
Gudrun, is preparing to start her 4th contract
and making her way around the Disney fleet.
David, the portrait/candid photographer will be signing off
from his 3rd contract soon and planning to go back for a fouth. Out
of all of us, he’s done the most travelling thanks to working onboard a Cunard’s
Queen Mary 2 for the World Cruise.
My lovely stepbrother “Hermanastro” Hernan is in Buenos Aires and started
up a photography business with Fede (from Mariner of the Seas) and things seem
to be looking up for him.
Becks… meh, Becks is still being Becks and given up of the
idea of returning to ships.
Sasha has quit ships and now living near London working as a wedding photographer and
as she puts it “loving it!”
Chetan left after his second contract and the lucky git in
living the high life working as a photographer in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. I use
the word “working” loosely as the man spends the vast majority of his time
drinking and getting “crudo”.
As for myself, after resigning from Image, I packed my bags
(not that I’d unpacked them) and arrived in London at the end of January.
Now, here I am in…Nottingham.
Not exactly where I thought I’d see myself, but I’m having a great time. As
small as the ship world is, I met up with a “nearly Image photographer” Tom
Johnson from Zoran and Sanela’s training group, who I’ve been in contact with
for about a year and a half and lives in Nottingham.
Like all people I’ve met from Image/cruise ships, he’s turned out to be a great
friend.
As much as I miss my days on cruise ships, mainly Mariner of
the Seas, that particular chapter was drawn to an abrupt close and the chances
of going back are slim to none. I’m back on land, enjoying the freedom, everyday
ways of land life, driving a car and throwing snowballs!
The best thing I gained from my time on cruise ships, other
than the travel and experience, are the fantastic people I’ve met along the
way: Lee, Luci, Chet, Becks, Tom, Hernan, Zoran, Sandra, Aniko, Carolee, Dom,
Gaz… the list goes on and on! It’s not about the itinerary. It’s the people. Your
team. They are the people that make your contract extra special. It’s all about
having a smashing team who work hard and play
harder.
As Hernan so nicely put it, hitting the nail square on the head,
“Ship life changed everyone’s life and perspective of the world. It was a great
experience…”
…and one of the best experiences I’ve ever had and will never
forget.
The ship has sailed, cheers to the good times and here goes nothing… a new start; a new chapter on land.
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| Pavlo & Chet - Image Training |
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| Last Day on Land with Becks |
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| Vision Vs. Mariner of the Seas. Istanbul 2011 |
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| The BEST gangway photo - Chania, Crete |
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| Dead Sea, Israel |
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| Sexy Times in Genoa |
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| The Cabin Mascots |
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| Break Dancing in the Photographer's Corridor |
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| Mariner of the Seas Basketball Match |
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| Formal Nights! |
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| The Lads - David, Hernan and Zoran |
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| The Greek God and Goddess and Hernan |
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| Mud Baths at the Dead Sea. 2011 |
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| The BEST cabin mate you could ever ask for: SANDRA |
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| Ashdod, 2011 |
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| Last Night on Board Mariner of the Seas with the Team. |
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| Mayan Ruins, Cozumel on Disney Magic |
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| Driving Around Cozumel. 2012. |
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| Southernmost Point, Key West, FL. 2012 |
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| Biking Around Key West. 2012 |
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| Disney Magic. |
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| Airport Beach, St. Maarten. 2012 |
