Mile 36: Steward, Techie and Dance Machine

After about 2/3 of the voyage, some of our crew members were set to debark and return home to their families. They had been on the ship for about ten months without a visit home and were thus getting a two-month holiday. To my chagrin, many of the crew that I had befriended was amongst the departing.

First, my glorious cabin steward Julius (I know, I can’t believe I have one either!), the master of all kindnesses, had learned my habits and assisted me without my prompting. He knew that I ate breakfast around 8am every morning so he usually “did up” my room while I was gone. This meant that I had fresh towels, a crisply made up bed and freshly vacuumed floors every morning! Julius brought me extra pillows and blankets when I needed them, kindly greeted my in the hallway whenever I passed and speedily did my laundry when I set it out (we don’t have the option to do our own laundry but I still wash some things in the bathroom sink). Saying goodbye to him was very sad!

Departing with my steward were a couple of Indian crew members I had gotten to know well. The first was Oswin, the genius computer tech guy. He sat in the computer lab and patiently helped students with their computing issues, printing problems and cell phone traumas (one got dropped into the toilet, surprise!). Ozzy, always dawned the greatest smile when I saw him and reserved a warm hello. He dressed in crisp white attire and hung out with the other Indians on board: Bala and Vijay. Beyond his willingness to assist, Ozzy was a computer hardware and software genius! I still run into many students and faculty who bemoan his leaving – he was that good!

And finally, the dance machine himself, Vijay served as the bartender up in the faculty/staff lounge called Glazer. My favorite place on the ship, Glazer is synonymous with social (or happy) hour and friends frequent this location almost every evening. Behind the bar, Vijay (and Mandy) mix up an array of cocktails including gin and tonics, manhattans, old fashions, and many others. We got to know both of the bartenders well. When Janet Six, an Anthropology faculty member from Hawaii, asked me to play Indian music during her birthday party in Glazer, we found out that Vijay has some serious and unmatchable dance moves. He soon began to dance whenever Indian music was played in the evenings and then started instructing us on how to “dance” his way. So, needless to say, we were sad to see Vijay go back to India for his holidays. I told him to please eat some custard apples for me and eat at the paratha house. He sent me a photo of him completing my requests!

The crew on the MV explorer work harder than anyone can imagine. They wake up way before dawn and head to bed late at night. They silently and generously assist us in our daily activities and never remove the smiles from their faces. The dining crew cook meals, set out plates and dishes, clean up the dining hall after us, serve drinks to our table and always aim to learn our names. The hospitality crew wave to us in the halls, stealthily wash down the ship and bring us fresh drinking glasses (and sooo much more!). To me, they are the primary reason for the smooth voyage we have had. I know a simple “thank you” won’t be enough, but I’ll start there anyway and hope my gratitude can be realized in other ways too. Thank you Julius, Ozzy and Vijay (and all the others) for welcoming us into your home (the MV) and sharing stories of your lives back home. Thank you for the quiet acceptance of our mess and craziness without judgment. Thank you for asking about the best parts of our voyage and listening intently. And, most of all, thank you for letting us be a part of your lives for a short while. We miss you already!