North Atlantic: Christmas and New Year

Dear people,
I have been at sea for over 3 weeks now and I have slowly gotten used to sailing. A lot of things have happened too.
But let's start from the beginning:
After the first small tour of Europe, I arrived in Hamburg again on 20.12. For me, it was quite a relief to finally be able to leave the ship and be in a big city again. Among other things, I went to the Goldenen Handschuh (the movie about it is highly recommended). I spent most of the time in Hamburg with Nils from Amsterdam, whose parents regularly take him on the ship. I was surprised that he is actually a guest on the ship and does not work there (like everyone my age on the ship).
Course was set for Lisbon after Hamburg. 3 days at sea and it was Christmas Eve...
It was a really interesting Christmas, completely different from what I'm used to. One exotic experience was the underground Christmas mass for the Filipino crew (in the crew canteen), I was definitely the only European among the audience. I was supposed to just set up and take down, but I found it interesting how a culture that was very unknown to me until then celebrates Christmas Eve at sea..
It would actually be much nicer if the crew and the guests celebrated together on Christmas, and there wasn't such a strict separation. But on New Year's Eve, all crew members were also able to come up to the guests to celebrate together.
The hierarchy still feels very unusual to me. It sounds impressive when people suddenly address me as Sir or Boss (seriously). Although some waiters just call me Bro.

About the cities:
In Lisbon, it was the first time during my trip that it was a bit warmer than in Berlin. A very cultural and beautiful city, with good cafes, bars, and lots of street music. I was briefly in a café with incredibly delicious cakes. I will definitely visit Lisbon again when I have more time.
The next stops were: Lanzarote and Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Suddenly it was unexpectedly hot, I can only say that after almost freezing temperatures in Berlin. But lying on the beach was truly dreamy even in the deepest winter. Although in this case, I preferred Lanzarote a little more (it was more idyllic), Santa Cruz would probably be better suited for partying, but it was also much more touristy and there was no direct beach. Culturally, both islands seemed almost the same as mainland Spain to me.
The last 3 days (including New Year's Eve) I was in Cape Verde, which already belongs to Africa. In general, it is much poorer than Europe, but compared to other countries in Africa, it is quite wealthy (many people in business attire, with smartphones, and some telecommunications stores offering PS4 deals). There are a lot of stray dogs and rundown houses as well as beggars. But nothing that really shocks you (especially if you come from Berlin). Culturally, Cape Verde reminds me a bit of the Caribbean, but Portuguese is spoken here and the interaction between people seems relatively distant. The climate here is rather dry and harsh, less tropical..there was a lot of fog in the last few days.

Yes, my job is going well, although a lot of attention is paid to details on board. For example, I am quickly addressed if my name tag is missing. But that can happen quickly because I also do a lot of physical work, for example, carrying stage boxes, equipment, or bass speakers back and forth. On New Year's Eve, I also had some slightly more demanding tasks. For example, I was told 5 minutes before the soundcheck that I should do the soundcheck alone with a Cape Verdean Latin band because my colleague was busy with the show (without knowing what equipment was still needed). But it went quite well.
In general, you really get to know all kinds of people in this job. For example, I have already had a beer with a Hessian pastor who also preached to the Filipinos in the canteen.
Then, of course, I am regularly approached by guests. A few days ago, after an elderly woman dropped her crutch into the water, I met a Berlin craftsman who chatted with me in a typical Berlin way (you know what I mean). After that, we naturally greet each other again.
There are also often lectures here on various topics. For example, I met a space travel historian from Karlsruhe, who gives lectures on the moon landings, or an older couple whom I should explain PowerPoint to so that they can do their Richard Wagner presentation well. I feel like I'm greeting 100 people a day.
Well, my upcoming stops are: St. Helena, Namibia, and South Africa... then I will go to Madagascar and other islands towards Southeast Asia.
I think that's enough for today. I wish you a successful and healthy year 2020!
Willi