The Grand Ship

I saw this sign no less than 100 times. It made me want to take a picture every time. Don't get excited! Our first day on the ship we got to do a catastrophe drill. Put on our life-vests (I put mine on pathetically at first. Felt like a child as the nice but tough ship guy adjusted my straps. i could've done it if he had given me a second).


I don't get this guy's job. Like security with no uniform. And too much relaxation. He was like a manager, but with a shirt half untucked, and a kind of sleazy, but kind of cool look. He watched a lot of TV. Hung around in the common areas. Or maybe he was a passenger posing as crew. No, that can't be, he was there both there and back...



This is what it looks like. A recital slash party held the first night of each voyage. We missed the first one because we just didn't know. What it would be like. The marine girls performed a little. This one was shockingly good at this instrument. Some of them sang karaoke. They dressed up like Chinese hostesses or something, in long dresses (some of them), and performed some Chinese ballads and pop songs. That was cool. But this one Japanese guy, college-aged, stole the show. Belting out the good pop songs (he actually had good taste in Japanese pop), he was amazing, and everyone loved him, and a marine girl nervously (maybe not really nervously) gave him some flowers. So did some other people. I guess it's tradition. It's like dedicating your preference for a karaoke singer. Chinese tradition I guess.