Take it easy!

It has been a long time since I gave a sign of life. The last days and weeks were very exciting - new work environment, many new colleagues, and of course, lots to experience on beautiful trips to paradise destinations. There are some new things to get used to, like our new uniform. We no longer wear red, but white polo shirts or blouses. The work itself became familiar to me quickly, even though it has been a few days longer since my last assignment. The similar construction of the ship compared to AIDAbella, my previous workplace, made the beginning much easier for me.
The team was almost completely new to me. I met a dear friend from the last assignment again, as well as a few colleagues from other departments. Slowly but surely, everyday life is settling in the office and in the preparation of excursions.
After getting to know the East Coast of the US, starting in New York and going all the way down to Florida in the south, we sailed to the Caribbean Sea. At the beginning of November, we made our way to Montego Bay, Jamaica - our future homeport. Along the way, we stopped in Bermuda, the Bahamas, as well as Port Canaveral and Miami in Florida. The Kennedy Space Center, boat rides along the alligators, as well as catamaran trips with snorkeling stops, delighted me and gave me a great overview of various ways of life and magnificent views of the underwater and animal world. After a three-week crossing and reuniting with guests from my previous assignments on different ships, we arrived in the Caribbean. We were warmly welcomed with colorful and vibrant Reggae music. The feeling of life here, due to the sun and sea, definitely encourages reflection and reconsideration. During the first few weeks, I always tried to spend every free minute on land, in the various ports, to be able to form my own opinion. The special thing as a scout is definitely that you can get to know the country better during the tours and, with sufficient port time after the excursion, take another look at the nearby beach to recover from the tropical temperatures.
And there we were, on the small, lush green island of Roatán, which is part of Honduras. In comparison to the mainland and most Central American countries, English is spoken on the island. This is due to the British colonial period. A walk along the rainforest, with a visit to various animals, brought me very close to the Mayan culture for the first time on my journey. This group were the former inhabitants of southern Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, and El Salvador. But more on that in the next post. There, I want to focus on the individual countries.

Finally, all I can say for now is that life is indeed a journey and home is my world! A very fitting quote used in AIDA advertising campaigns. And no matter which region, it always remains a new adventure. The desire for it doesn't fade quickly, instead, I would like to immerse myself deeper into foreign cultures, be closer to the locals, and form my own opinion of life here. That's what traveling is all about and what makes it so attractive :-)