Crazy about the Sea!

Finally, after my first 3.5 weeks, I can give you an update on what's been happening with me..

The past few days have been full of interesting experiences, wonderful moments, and impressive views. I embarked on my second tour to the far north feeling a bit more confident in what I do here and was able to present myself as a scout with more assurance. The first solo shifts at the counter were easier for me, but of course, I'm still not as experienced in providing advice as my colleagues are. Nevertheless, I learn something new every day, understand what it means to be a good host for our guests, and feel very comfortable in my new, old skin ;) 

Currently, we have temperatures in the single digits above 0, which gives a glimpse of spring in southern Norway. Right now, I'm sitting in a small café in Trondheim, enjoying a chai latte, after completing a city walk with a small and manageable group of guests. Each one will head back to the ship individually, and I have a short break to catch my breath before my next shift on board starts at 2 p.m. Our days typically consist of various tasks in the office (preparing and organizing excursions, preparing excursion presentations or future routes) to assisting guests at the excursion counter on Deck 8. When we have excursions on land, each scout is assigned one or more excursions per day, either just handling logistics, accompanying the guests from the meeting point to the bus or tour guide, or directly guiding them and acting as a point of contact. In ports where there are many excursions offered, you may sometimes be assigned two excursions, allowing you to experience quite a lot. It's incredibly fun and recharges your energy, even if it can get a bit stressful at times. Moments like these make it worth being far away from your usual environment, even if you're alone. For most tours, there are multiple departure times and buses, so coordination and organization are always important. It's always important to keep a cool head. I usually manage, although as a newcomer, I sometimes feel overwhelmed and always turn to my helpful colleagues for guidance. By the way, many of them are also from Thuringia and Saxony, so I feel quite at home and have a bit of home away from home. Life on board is exciting; you get to meet many different people and become, if you're not already, very tolerant and open-minded towards other cultures, opinions, and ways of life. Because what defines all of us, in the end, is that we are all people with dreams and desires. And if there's one thing I notice every day, it's the importance of working together to achieve these dreams so that everyone can contribute their part, resulting in an amazing overall experience. That's what makes working on the ship so special. Everyone here helps each other whenever and wherever they can. Even my colleagues and I from the Shore Operations/Excursions department assist with evening events of other departments, distribute fish sandwiches in sailor costumes, or serve as extras in theater performances. This allows us to get to know each other quickly and easily start conversations with colleagues on board.

There's so much to tell that it's hard to even know where to start. In any case, I'm experiencing many amazing moments here. One of the most impressive ones happened in Alta, one of our northernmost cities on this journey, when we saw the breathtaking Northern Lights at 1 a.m. Moreover, I had the opportunity to ride a RIB boat on the Grindøysund in front of the beautiful city of Tromsø and accompany the first English tour as a translator for the tour guide. As you can see, there are always new challenges to overcome. Combined with unique experiences, this type of work also makes me happy and choosing to live on board was one of the best decisions I could have made. Despite feeling seasick and nauseous due to 6-7 meter high waves during our sea day yesterday, I'm feeling better today and am optimistic and excited about what's to come! Pictures will follow..

I miss you all, of course! I often think about home and look forward to seeing you all again. See you soon :)