The Costa Concordia On Better Days
I’ve been traumatized this week by the Titanic misadventures of the Costa Concordia. Just over one year ago, WE were on the Costa Concordia. It’s not just a tragic nautical accident. For some reason I’ve take it very personally and have suffered much distress. Yes, all of those pleasure-seeking passengers have had a nightmare of a ride. (The boys asked me if they would be offered refunds.) My heart goes out to every one of them. But I think what really worries me is the thought of the crew. Yes, we took a cruise to see all of the famed cities at the ports of call, to be carelessly whisked across the Mediterranean in the lap of luxury. What we ended up doing was loving the time we spent interacting with the crew (our servers, cabin crew, Mariachi band members, pushy photographers, et al) who truly made the cruise memorable and eye opening. To begin with, most of the crew, aside from the captain and the other ship officers, are citizens from third-world countries. They usually live in the bottom of the boat, in tight quarters, and don’t get to get off the boat when it stops. They work long hours, without holidays, and probably rarely see their families, to whom they faithfully send their paychecks. The worst part is that they have to deal with uppity cruise tourists, like us. They have to cook, clean, sing, wait on, smile endlessly, and much more, for probably pennies, (still more than they could make at home) and so they carry on. And now, the ship has sunk. So much lost.
Our dinner server, Marcus, from India
On a happier note…Each day I complain about the kitchen. I have strong words for it. Hate is one of them. It actually got pretty cold this week. It really snowed…like two inches! That was enough for me to put on my new snow boots. Well, back to the kitchen. The cupboards, like the sink, were designed by a man, who apparently had night vision, because about 50% of the storage space receives NO light whatsoever. There could be a body back in there, and I wouldn’t know it. Anyway, since it was cold, the cupboards got cold. After finding a headlamp, I discovered that my olive oil had fogged up…in the cupboard. I hate my kitchen. Only a few more months left!
Topic #3 The boys have started basketball. They are on the same team. Gus is the youngest, but he isn’t the smallest. I think he is doing quite well, though he still has an attention problem and is often staring off into space or goofing around when he shouldn’t be. This brings me to our other sport d’jour: racquetball. Thanks again to Liz, Matt and Jackie and Kelly for outfitting us with the needed things. Bryce has found something, other than Risk, to love! I can’t stop laughing long enough at Andy to actually play. He is as proud as a peacock of his sweatbands. 
Angela, I love reading your post. This one touched my heart. I can imagine how you must feel about the staff you befriended, knowing how they worked and their circumstances. And then this tragedy….. my heart is in my throat for their safety too! Let alone their livelihood. We are such a spoiled society and forget how blessed we are, I thank you for sharing your experiences and thoughts. It helps bring perspective to our own lives and how truly blessed we are.
I agree with you re the kitchen….I wonder why men design – or think they did – the kitchen. I too have lived in few a homes with the kitchen design a mess and I had the thought “why wouldn’t they have asked a woman how to design something that is usually used by a woman?”…hmmm…does make you wonder. I’ll leave it at that. Anyway, I sympathize with you.
We loved having you and your family with us this Christmas eve. We really enjoyed the holiday. And your boys were very well behaved, it was pleasant being around all of you. Thank you for taking the time to spend some of your vacation with us. I have to apologize for getting so ill just before you left, I felt so bad! I understand some of your family came down with the flu on your trip home…again, I am so sorry. Hopefully they got over it quickly!
Well, we are looking forward to visiting with you in February. Our love to your family. Shirley