Day Off in Kusadasi

Yep, we have yet another day off....Its because this cruise is so long, and three of the guest entertainers don't require the band. And we've played all of our big band sets, so we're out of stuff to do. We give the other bands days off when we play in the lounges, but there are only so many lounges. Someone has to have the day off. So we're taking one for the team. Its raining pretty hard today, so we aren't very active. Yesterday we played Monopoly, so that's out of our system now. :-) I got lunch with Hayden and then we went to the post office, and now we're using the free internet at Burger King.

English Church went pretty well the other night. People seemed to think it was a success. I was surprised to see one of the girls from the children's program show up, and I think we'll have even more next time. I met a guy who does music ministry, and we are going to meet tonight to rehearse some worship music for next time. He has a guitar and a keyboard. So I'll play keyboard. I'm excited! I want this to keep developing...hopefully we can find some people who aren't leaving for a while to take over. But anyway, it went well. Praise God! Tomorrow is our next meeting. Keep praying! I'm hoping for many new faces next time. And also pray that I won't have to work! I would hate to rehearse for nothing.

I can't believe this cruise is almost over! It has been our longest yet. Two more of these, and then I'm coming home! I can't wait to see everyone. My sign off day is a month from tomorrow. Its hard to believe. Oh, also I'm very concerned about the fires there. You all have to take care of yourselves since I can't be there. It is very scary for me to be so far away when this is happening. I'm praying for the situation and especially that Lake Arrowhead is ok. Take care of yourselves and pray hard!

Finally - I've posted two more photo albums - here are the links!
http://apu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2042461&l=a721b&id=56903845
http://apu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2042460&l=b9ab4&id=56903845

Going Places

Today I had probably the coolest excursions ever. I really didn’t have any expectations for Odessa – I had no idea what it would be like. It turns out it is a really beautiful good-sized city, with a lot of 18th and 19th century buildings and architecture. The streets are very very wide, which made a huge contrast with what I’ve become accustomed to in our other ports. Odessa is a very green city, with huge trees everywhere – which means that there are a lot of nice colors as its fall now and the leaves are all in some stage of changing color. I was able to take a full day excursion since we don’t have a show tonight, and so I saw a lot!! We saw so much of the city – in one day I took 300 pictures!! Can you believe that?? I can’t.

For lunch we ate in a famous hotel, in a grand hall at the end of which was a stage – and there was a concert just for us as we ate!! And the food was extra gourmet - we’re talking salmon caviar here (yes, I tried it. And, ewww…) And it was a 5 course meal. Our dessert was smoked walnut-stuffed prunes with whipped cream. ?!? I know, strange. There was also vodka (which I tasted….also EWWW!!!) because Russia (and therefore the Ukraine) is famous for it. Anyway, there were some parts of the meal that I actually really enjoyed, including the soup and good old garlic bread. But I really had a lot of fun trying new things. Even if I hated them. ☺

But the highlight of the tour was going to the Odessa Opera House, whose ballet company is supposedly world renowned. The company put on an hour and a half private ballet performance for the tour groups, in the most beautiful opera house. And I had a box seat! I felt very special. The dancers were fantastic. The first half was a more traditional ballet exhibition, and the second half was a condensed version of Bizet’s Carmen. This was really cool for me, because I fell in love with that music years ago, and it was really cool to see it danced. Oh, did I mention live orchestra? There was a live orchestra. In a real pit! Woohoo! (I keep forgetting most places have those….thanks APU and Rim High)

Anyway, it was a pretty full, amazing day. I’m so glad I got to do this excursion! And I hope I get to do more next cruise. Hopefully I’m not working again! Well, I’m off to do my jazz set for the night, and then to English church!

The Black Sea!!!

Hi friends!!!

I’m in quite a good mood today as it is so exciting to see new places!!! I just spent my first day ever in the Ukraine, and now we’re sailing the Black Sea on our way to our next port. It turns out that we are not going to Romania as I thought. Due to concerns for guest safety, we have changed our itinerary to include 2 ports in the Ukraine. Today was our first – Yalta. It is a fairly small port town, but boasts the Livadia Palace – one-time home to the Romanov family and location of the famous Yalta conference between F.D.R., Churchill and Stalin. I went on an excursion to this palace and saw all the conference rooms and such…it was a heady experience. It was also a bit surreal to see pictures of the Romanov family it the many rooms upstairs, like family photos of trips they took, and also drawings that the children drew with their private tutors….Neat. Also we saw a castle from afar called the Swallow’s Nest. I walked around the port after the tour was over just for a few minutes, and then I had to go back to the ship for rehearsal.

Afterwards, Ben and Ellie said they were going out again and asked if I wanted to come. I was undecided since we didn’t have a ton of time, but finally I said yes; I was very glad I did, because we found a Ukrainian wind ensemble setting up in a big open courtyard. They began to play and were really good! They played all styles of music, and it seems to be a tradition, maybe every Saturday night, because we were asked to step back and make room for “the dancers” and a several dozen old Ukrainian couples began to dance in the huge open area in front of the band!! It is awesome! I took lots of pictures and videos. Especially of one lady who was wearing a rainbow plaid outfit, complete with scarf and umbrella, who was dancing by herself for all she was worth. It was the first real cultural experience that I feel I’ve had on this trip. Much of what we see, especially on the tours, is created for the tourists. This was just pure tradition that I happened to walk by and see. (Tyler – this reminded me of something that would happen to you and me! You know what I mean!)

So now we are on our way to Odessa, Ukraine. I am going on another excursion – this time we don’t have a rehearsal, so I’m going on an extra-long excursion. I can’t wait to tell you about it, cause I think its going to be really cool.

Also, tomorrow something very exciting is happening – the first English Bible Study for crew. My Spanish church and especially its leader have had it on their hearts to make something available for those who don’t speak Spanish. So for a couple of weeks we have been working on putting something together and planning it. I just got my work schedule for tomorrow, and I am playing one jazz set earlier in the evening, so I will definitely be able to attend this meeting. Which means that I will be running it. (they had a backup in case I had to work). I am so excited that I get to help with this, and I am really praying that something good and permanent comes out of this…it would be great if we could get a core group together and start an English church. Of course nothing will happen before I leave, but still it would be so great to have that option for the believers on board – what a great way to find out who each other are. So please pray for this very important meeting, and another one that will be happening several days later. May they be only the first of many!!

Mykonos, Greece

I just realized that we only come to this port one more time before I leave!! how crazy is that? This is my second to last night in Mykonos. I was going to spend the day with Hayden, but his laundry was taking too long and I got tired of waiting so I came out by myself. It was actually a really nice evening. We didn't get here until after 4pm because we were delayed by all the wind and waves we were fighting yesterday. A really big wave hit the ship at like 4am and really freaked me out. Lisa and I were both laying on our beds in the afternoon because we were feeling a bit nauseous. But the show went really well in spite of the rocking ship. We had a 2 and a half hour rehearsal, which is unusually long, but the show was one of the best I've ever played. The singer is a black guy named Michel Bell, and his voice was pretty incredible. He is a true bass, and sang some amazing stuff, finishing with Old Man River, of course. One of the songs was a dixieland style piece, and the horn section got to get out from behind our stands and walk out to the front of the stage improvising dixie-style. It was awesome.

So my evening in Mykonos was wonderful. I got off the ship around 5:30pm, did some shopping, and then ate a gyro while watching the sunset. (Pictures to come - it was a good one!!) I've never wandered around the town at night, so I enjoyed that for a while. Then I went to my favorite restaurant and had a chocolate crepe, as usual. And then I came here to the internet cafe, and here I am enjoying my second cappuccino and looking out the window at the lighted ships in the harbor. It is beautiful and relaxing.

For those of you without Facebook, here are some links to two new albums I've posted: enjoy!
http://apu.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=31263151&l=9a233&id=56903845
http://apu.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=31258974&l=08c8c&id=56903845

At Sea

I just moved into my new room – right next door to my old room. I spent all of Embarkation day cleaning and taking care of the last girl’s junk – she left a lot of things undone which was a bit of a pain. But after a whole day of cleaning, running errands, unpacking, and arranging, Lisa and I finally have the room the way we want it. It is great to have a room that feels like a room instead of a hallway with beds. ☺ Also, I am on the bottom bunk, which means I can sit up in bed – Hooray! Also, the mattress is 100 times better than my old one, and this bed has some thick quilts on it, so I’m really warm and cozy at night. As a combination of all this and the fact that I was exhausted after a long day, I slept better than I have in weeks.

So this ship is going crazy right now….rocking a whole lot. Actually, right now the water is really really choppy with some good sized waves….I can’t remember the last time the ship was moving so much…I know I’ve said that before. But since my room is right on the edge of the ship I can really hear these giant waves hitting the ship…It sounds like they’re hitting the wall right next to my bed. My cabin is shaking a bit from each impact – kinda scary! But fun, too…the sound reminds me of sitting on a beach and listening to the waves…it helps sooth me to sleep. (Side note: it just got worse….I can hardly walk around now…yikes!!!)

So I had to say goodbye to the old cast yesterday, which was strange. 20 people that I knew really well, gone. Its getting to the point that pretty much everyone who was here when I arrived is now gone. There are a lot of new faces now. Anyway, I said goodbye to all of them….my friend Michael even cried. Also, Donné left yesterday. We prayed for each other in the morning before she got off the ship, which was good but also bittersweet. Now I don’t know anyone on Cruise Staff that is a Christian. On the up side, I only have 6 weeks left on board, only 3 two-week-long cruises (including this one!) until I leave. When you say it like that it seems very short and I know it is going to go by really fast.

The day before yesterday Jack (band leader/pianist) asked me if I would consider extending my contract. Before anyone freaks out, don’t worry, I said no. I am happy enough here to stay longer, but there are plenty of reasons why I want to be home by the end of November. Not the least of which is that you all would probably kill me if I stayed out here another month or two. ☺ So I said “no way”, I wanted to leave when scheduled, but the fact that he asked me is actually a really good thing. It means he really likes working with me enough to want me to stay longer. He told me that on ships he doesn’t always have a good player like me. He complimented my playing and even my improv, which he says has gotten a lot better. He shook my hand after my first ever jazz set by myself (usually Marie would come and help me out) last cruise – he congratulated me on my first real set and said that I have improved a lot and had played some good stuff that night – he enjoyed listening to it! Coming from him that is a huge compliment. It has lifted my spirits a lot to know that he thinks I am a good player. He is really talented and has been doing this for a while. So anyway, that was good news, but don’t worry, I won’t be extending my contract. ☺

In other news, this cabin has a minifridge – so last night I put my one precious little bottle of Mountain Dew in there. It is happily cooling and I can’t wait to enjoy it. I have to find the perfect occasion to drink it, though…I only have one… ☺

More Mail!!! (Shortest post yet)

Hooray! I just got two letters from home last night!! One was from my family and the other had some things from my friends (I laughed myself silly over the telephone pictionary stuff!!! Thank you!! That was genius - I LOVE reading them! I'm putting them on my wall!). But these letters were postmarked September 4th and 6th, so I'm a bit frusterated that they took so long (over a month!) to get here. So just a heads up - if anyone is planning on sending anything, send it now before the end of October or I probably won't get it before I come home.

I also want to give a shout out to everyone who's posted comments - I always read them and they have been so much fun and such an encouragement to me. So thank you!!

At Sea

Last night there was a thunderstorm!! After the bumper (what we call the welcome aboard orientation show) the band took Hayden out for a drink, and we sat on the back deck where there are windows. We hung out there for a while getting to know our new member, and we could see flashes of light from outside. So after I left the table I bundled up in my jacket (wearing it for the first time since I arrived!!) and sneaked out to deck 7. We aren’t allowed out there at night or when we’re at full speed, so don’t tell anyone. But it was perfect. The deck isn’t lighted because that would interfere with the bridge officer’s night vision, so it was perfect for watching the storm. It was mostly heat lightening, and I couldn’t hear any thunder because it was so windy, but it was awesome to watch. I never thought I would be able to watch a lightning storm from the front of a ship. I stayed until it started to rain. The wind was blowing it into my eyes so I couldn’t watch comfortably anymore. But I got to watch it for about an hour, and it was a really neat experience. I could have stayed out there all night.

It is nice having my own room, even though it’s only temporary. I can have things how I want them and it feels more like MY room. My boredom resulting from Marie’s absence is actually encouraging me to do more of the things I wished I was doing, like reading, studying, devotionals, practicing, cleaning, etc…. I’m trying to keep myself busy. I didn’t realize how good we were at entertaining each other – we were always doing something. Its quite a drastic change. But in some ways it is good for me. I’m glad I didn’t have to have a new roommate right away.

This cruise is the one with the cast I know and love, so I’m making a point to go to all of their shows if I can. It will be strange to watch a different cast do the same shows – I know I’ve said that before. But anyway tonight I went to the Rock ‘N Roll show, which is probably my favorite. My face is sore from smiling, it is so much fun. They were all smiling at me and acknowledging me throughout the show, which makes it awesome. And as has become tradition whenever I go to Rock and Roll, Michael picked me to dance with when he comes out into the audience at one point in the show. I can’t believe this was the last time! ☹ You really come to be attached to little traditions like that. But the new cast in already on board, and hopefully they will be fun to work with. They came to the show also, and were really enthusiastic. I think they’ll be fun. Well, its about bed time for me. We are off tomorrow! Woohoo! Wow, what am I going to do all day…. ☺

Civitavecchia

This has been a very strange day. I got up early with Marie and we watched the sunrise out on Deck 7. I put her hair in braids for her and then stayed with her all morning as she got ready to disembark (there's a lot of details to take care of). She left around 9:30am, and it was really hard for me to see her go. I didn't realize how much it would affect me to say goodbye. I didn't do anything for a few hours because I was in a pretty subdued mood. Every part of my ship experience has been with her, and now she won't be there. We were inseperable for four months. Nothing will be as it was, but I know in a few days I'll have adjusted. I already miss her a lot. I hope we meet again - she does want to come visit me in California sometime. And who can say - maybe we'll be on a ship again together someday.

It is raining again today, starting this afternoon. Somehow it seems appropriate.

So then I went downstairs to see my friend Luis, the tailor, who was busy with all the new arrivals. One of which was a friend of Jennifer's (my friend who got hurt) and she brought me Mountain Dew!!! Jennifer told her about the lack out here and she brought me some! How exciting is that! Also, I ran into none other than Marie's replacement. He seems really cool, and is about my age. He's done one other contract, also with celebrity.

Also, the Underwoods left yesterday, and were nice enough to take a whole bunch of stuff home for me. I was worried about the weight limits and the fact that last time I had three carry-on's and only made it through by luck. but now, no worries! I filled up a backpack Marie gave me with extra music, books, and souveniers, and packed it really full. Plus a black bag with my Turkish Carpet and an extra pair of shoes and other things. That they are willing to do this is huge! All my friends here are jealous because usually people end up spending a lot of money to mail stuff home, or have to leave things behind or pay a lot of extra money at the airport - so the Underwoods have really been my angels. Amazing how God works stuff like that out. Also, they prayed for me before I left, after some long conversations about the challenges that I face here, which was also a huge blessing for me. One other neat thing - a couple I met from Australia went through a lot of trouble to leave me their contact information - they really want me to visit them and said I can stay with them in Adelaide. So if I ever make it back to Australia, I'll probably do that.

So, today has been bittersweet. I lost a great friend, but God has been giving me all kinds of blessings yesterday and today. He never gives us more than we can handle.

Just leaving Katakolon, Greece

So the band’s big plans totally worked out. We got up early and were in the first group off the ship. By 8:45am we had each rented a four-wheeler, or ATV. We drove all over Santorini, to the black and red beaches, on the main roads with cars and also all around these narrow dirt “roads” in between the grape fields and rocky cliffs. There are really a lot of those and we spent a lot of time offroading and exploring. They go about 35 miles per hour, and I was scared at first (regular driving makes me nervous enough) but it was SO MUCH FUN!! It was the best day I’ve had in…well I don’t know. Maybe the best day so far. It was like being on an awesome roller coaster all day long. Although we were covered in dust at the end of the day. Ben’s beard turned from black to white from the amount of dust that was in it. It was intense. We were out all day and had a blast. There were 7 of us. I might do it again sometimes, but it is a bit expensive to rent those bikes. Anyway, I felt cool driving one. I learned to do something new and did it even though it scared me, so I was proud of myself. Although I’m paying the price today with really sore arms and back….I guess I was hanging on pretty tightly…ha ha.

Today we were in our first new port of call since I arrived – Katakolon. And what a surprise to look out the window and see something that resembles Lake Arrowhead! Lots of trees! Don’t worry, there will be pictures soon. I took a tour to Olympia – the original site of the Greek Olympic games, since the 8th century B.C. I ran a lap around the ancient stadium just so I could say that I’ve done it (even though I got some weird looks), and saw the place where they still light the Olympic torch for the modern games. It was a neat place for its historical significance. Afterwards I wandered around Katakolon, which is a very small port village, and happened to run into the Underwoods just as they sat down to eat, so I got to join them. It was a pretty great day. It was so refreshing to go somewhere new after four months.

En Route to Santorini

Updates….last night we played a show with Australian pianist Bernard Walz, and it was the most fun show we’ve done in a while. It was pretty challenging, and he is one of the best all-around musicians we’ve had in a while. He arranges his own music, writes for all the instruments, does a darn good job of it – his arrangements are really really good. Not cheesy at all. He’s been on the cruise since it began, so I actually got to know him a bit before we played his show. He’s a fantastic pianist, and I enjoyed talking with him during the cruise. The show was hard, and I definitely missed some stuff, but we did very well and had two great performances. I hope we get more shows like his – fun and challenging.

Today I spent the day with my Lake Arrowhead friends on board, walking around Rhodes for most of the day. It was a relaxing time – we did a lot of shopping. We also went inside the Grand Master’s Palace in old town, which I’ve never done. It was pretty cool. I’ve never been in an old castle that big before. It is all stone, with big arches and an inner courtyard, a whole lot of rooms to see, high ceilings, tapestries, the whole nine yards. What else….we ate at a nice outdoor garden café, and Dave found a kitten that had a hurt eye and cleaned it up a bit and gave it water…I felt really sorry for it. It was really cute though, except for the eye. Anyway, hopefully it will heal now. Maybe I’ll see if I can find it next time we’re here. See how it’s doing.

I came back to the ship a bit earlier than my friends did in order to rest, change, and get ready for my jazz set. I also went and saw the first of the cast’s Rock and Roll show so I could video tape my neighbor Megan – she is putting together a dance audition video. After that I ran straight to play my set – which might have been the best yet. It was really fun and I played alright. My jazz improv is slowly improving…ha ha. I will miss sharing sets with Marie. Maybe the new guy will share with me. But I guess its time I struck out on my own. Yikes! In between sets a lady came up and asked if her husband could play the piano. He is a blind man from Mexico who I’ve seen at our other sets as well. He sat down at the piano and destroyed it. As in, he was really really good. He just played from memory for about 20 minutes, and wow, could he play. We joked that we should just leave him there and take the night off. He was really amazing, and it was a great moment to watch him play, sunglasses and all. An Australian man also came and talked to me for a while after the set. It is always nice to have someone who takes an interest in us like that.

Well, it looks like we have the day off tomorrow, which will be great! We already have big plans, which hopefully will work out the way we want. I’ll let you know!

A lot of changes

Hi everybody! I know its been a while since my last post, and people have been telling me I need to post more often, so I will do my best to comply! Starting today. :-)

This cruise I had quite a surprise - two couples from Lake Arrowhead are on board! Not only do I know them, but they actually went to my church growing up and have known me since I was about six. (Jim and Linda Underwood, and Mary and Dave Underwood) They had no idea I was on a cruise ship, and just recognized me during one of the shows. It was such a surprise to turn around after a show and see them there!! It is really cool to have people from home on board. I have eaten lunch with them and gone on a tour in Istanbul with them as well. Hopefully we'll get to spend a bit more time together before the cruise is over. At the moment they are over seeing Ephesus - I know they are going to love it.

I can't remember if I mentioned that we have a new cruise director, so forgive me if I'm repeating myself. Cruise Director is my highest level supervisor, and so having a new one on board changes a lot since he is the head of the entire entertainment department. He's doing fine so far, but it is a totally different atmosphere on board than with Stewart, who was here ever since I got on board. Stewart was more social and friendly, more like an entertainer, where Martin is much more business-like with the guests and crew. A lot of things that Stewart did Martin doesn't care to do, so its very different. Not bad, just different.

Another big change - the Miami office has officially canceled the Broadway show, on every ship. We played our last broadway show a few days ago. I thought I was going to play that show until my last day here. But it has been totally canceled, as in all the sets have been destroyed, costumes returned, the new cast hasn't learned it because they won't be doing it, it will probably never be performed again. I'm a bit sad, actually, because that was one of my favorite things to do. And it means that the orchestra won't have any connection with the new cast, because we won't do anything with them at all, except for the 5 minute demonstration number at the welcome aboard orientation. Its funny, because we are supposed to be the theatre orchestra, and we play none of the production shows now. Apparently on other ships the orchestra does play the other show, but our stage is too small for us to do that. So from now on it will be all guest entertainers and jazz sets, and of course Big Band.

At least a dozen times a day, Marie gives me an update on her countdown. Right now we're at 5 days left for her. She is going to start packing tonight. Last night was her last big band night. Yikes! I'm sad for me, but I can't be too sad, because she is so happy about going home. Now that we have gone to Istanbul and are on our way back west, she really is technically already on her way home.