The Last Legs

Our leg from Istanbul to Lisbon was a time for wrap up and closing of all things work related for me. I sorted and burned files to disks, passed final documents onto my boss, and sat in meetings to offer my advice and suggestions for future voyages. It felt very weird to not be super busy or have a next port to prepare for or worry about. The shipboard community was in full swing with final activities as well. We had our Masquerade Ball, an original musical was performed, final exams finished and grades were submitted.

Our day in Lisbon was quite nice. For those of us who had sailed both voyages it felt like the circle was complete – coming back to our first port of call from September. I think I’ll actually remember more from our one day in Lisbon than I do of our entire seven day stop there in September. I found that what was more important than seeing the city on that day was spending time with friends from the ship. Many of us spent time reminiscing and bringing up all kinds of memories from not just Portugal but all of our ports. In the afternoon the alumni association hosted a happy hour at an Irish pub just down the street from the ship and boy did everyone take advantage of that! There were more than a few folks who stumbled back to the ship just before On ship time.

The last three days to Amsterdam literally flew by. They flew by so quickly that I can’t even remember everything that happened. Grade appeals, Intercultural Show, Graduation, Closing ceremonies and, of course, packing, packing, packing. Not only did we have to pack up our personal belongings and get ready to debark, but we also had to pack up the entire ship. TSS leases the ship so everything had to be broken down and packed up…classrooms, library, computers, copiers, offices, gym equipment, etc. We had to pack up everything related to TSS – no small task.

But we did it and we packed our own stuff as well. And all of a sudden we were in Amsterdam. The day we arrived and all said goodbye was beyond bittersweet and one of the most exhausting days I can remember. I was exhausted from staying up late the night before but I think it was the emotion of the day that drained me the most. How do you say goodbye to people that you have lived and worked with in such an intense environment for almost a year? I just couldn’t quite wrap my brain around the fact that I won’t see any of these folks on a daily basis anymore. We won’t eat meals together, travel together, support each other through the frustrations and tough spots, laugh and celebrate with each other, or just hangout together in this same way ever again. I will hopefully stay in touch with many of them but we will never live in such a close, tight-knit community all together again. Whoa – it makes me tear up to even write this. I’m working on another blog posting to share the uniqueness of the shipboard community and what it has meant to me…so stay tuned for that one.

The day we arrived in Amsterdam was particularly tricky for me because not only was I trying to say goodbye and manage the emotions of leaving but my mom came to the ship to meet me so I also had to manage the hellos and the thoughts of home and the future that came along with seeing her. It really was like two worlds colliding – how do I wrap up things in this world while at the same time taking my first step into whatever world is next? It wasn’t easy. I was very glad that my mom came to see the ship, meet some of my friends and spend time in Amsterdam it just felt weird to be making introductions and then turning right back around to say goodbyes.

This posting feels like it is pretty disjointed and all over the place but I think that might be appropriate because that is exactly how my last days on the ship felt. One moment I was excited about coming home and thinking about what is in store for me next and the very next minute I was sad about leaving my friends and this crazy, intense, unique world on the ship that I called home these last 8 months. I wanted it to end….I didn’t want it to end. We couldn’t get to Amsterdam fast enough….I didn’t want our time on the ship to ever end. I was glad to see my mom and get my stuff off the ship….I wanted her to not be there so I could spend every last minute with friends from the ship and not thinking about wheeling my last bag out of my cabin for the last time.

This entire eight months has been a roller coaster and, in true form, it came through with some extra intense twists and turns right up until the end. I’m sorry I’ve been behind in getting this posted. I have a few more posts that I want to write to catch you up on all the flurry of Amsterdam and coming home – so, again, stay tuned and I’ll try and write and post them in the next couple of days.