Preface

Hello dear fellow human beings :),

I am very happy that you are joining me on my journey as a sailor. Like with every new life adventure, the first days are the most intense. We all know the first times. (new job, new apartment, new place, new people, new language, new environment). All of these things apply to me. I have turned my whole life upside down. But I will tell you more about that later.

In such situations, we really get to know ourselves. Feelings and emotions arise that we didn't even know existed. I would like to share my thoughts and feelings with you so that you can understand how life on the ship works.

Before I start, I have to share all the data and facts about my journey with you. Leon, 26 years old, in a happy relationship, a great family with many friends, coming from a good job, gets the idea to leave everything behind for 4.5 months to work as a restaurant steward on a ship. I will probably digress from my topic from time to time, as I wanted to share with you my motivation for this journey. In addition, there may be some short stories on the side, such as the one-week safety training in Hamburg or a short and beautiful love story on the side or my farewell from home. As you may already notice, there are many topics on my mind.

As most of you probably know, I moved to Dortmund about 3.5 years ago. In Dortmund, I worked for more than two years in the Alex restaurant, then four months at a friend's ice cream factory Hitzefrei, then six months as an event manager and then two months as a barista in a small roastery. In addition, I had to move twice last year and broke up with my then-girlfriend. Each stage also has its own story behind it. I don't want to elaborate on that. In December 2022, I looked back on the year and realized that I want to settle both professionally and personally. To be more determined. In addition, the thought came to me to move closer to my hometown Osnabrück.

Thanks to an online ad that AIDA posted on Stepstone, I applied for the position of restaurant steward on a cruise ship just for fun. A day later, I was already contacted and included in the application process. After a few short videos of me, a group work via Zoom, and a one-on-one interview, I received the confirmation about two weeks after my application. However, it was not yet clear when and where I would be deployed. In addition, I still have to undergo several medical examinations and complete a one-week safety training in Hamburg. The only thing I had received so far was an employment contract.

Despite all the uncertainties, my plan remained: canceling my apartment in Dortmund, spending four months on the ship from April, being back home for my mom's wedding in August, finding a job in Osnabrück, finding an apartment, starting a degree, and settling down.

At this point, I will end today's chapter and will tell you more about my employment contract, my preparations, and my arrival in Italy in the next part.

Until then, I wish you a wonderful time.

Best regards from the sea!