All at sea....

Monday 18th January

You know how it is when you're in the middle of rehearsing a play and you think four weeks from now it'll all be over and I can relax, I can hardly wait! And then the four weeks pass and it's all over and you think... phew! that's nice, that's over......um...um... what shall I do now? Hey who's auditioning?!

Well for weeks I've been thinking just get me to the ship and let me settle into the cabin and all will be well. Right. We're here, we're unpacked, all is well BUT today as I sat reading and relaxing this afternoon I thought...hmm, what can I get involved in? I wonder what's going on in the Union? I'll just go and have a look...perhaps I'll go up to the pool deck...shall I have cup of coffee? I wonder who is in the faculty lounge? I had to have a strict chat with myself; settle down, I said, enjoy the peace, don't go looking for commitment and trouble, stay where you are!

At 5 o'clock off I went to the Faculty lounge to help Cathy if she needed it in the Life Long Learner's first meeting and to have a glass of wine. I stayed for a short time and thought I know all this stuff. she doesn't need me so went and joined George at a table with another couple Lynn and Marc (she's English nd he French Moroccan), fun conversation, feeling better and get settled. over comes Cathy "Will you help me register students for the extended family programme after supper?" ....of course, great. get involved.

So after supper off I go. Students ALL, it seems, want to be part of a ship board family (over 300 of them anyway) which is really being talked up by Life long Learners who are assisting. Casually I ask Cathy 'How many staff and faculty have agreed to have families?' I ask....she looks at me for a long moment......"Not enough" she says. Oops! Students are saying "I'm really excited about this idea of being part of a family on the ship!' I smile and say "I'm Maggie...what's your name?" and they reply 'Oh where do you come from?' (like I'm from another planet) and we change the subject. These are great students; fresh faced and so enthusiastic. One says "I want a really good family' so I replied 'You know the one you have back home?' 'uh huh' 'Did you get to choose them? 'No' "It's the same here" I say. He looks perplexed for a minute and then...thankfully...laughs. "You might even get me" I say as a parting shot and don't watch his face.

We have had lunch and dinner with Liz and Audrey. The waiters look after them as though they are made of fragile crystal, snatching their full plates away and guiding them to their seats. All done with such sweetness and grace. Audrey is totally unpacked, Liz still has a suitcase "In the middle of the cabin floor" says Audrey "Specially to trip me up in the night!"

Dee I have met and just had a long conversation with Kathryn and Patrick. Patrick is doing George's linguistics course and Kathryn is looking for yoga. Did you know she has just finished a book on pro-active aging? What a nice couple....we talked about becoming invisible as we age. I can't imagine either of them ever becoming invisible! You may know that Kathryn is going on safari in South Africa and Patrick is staying in Cape Town.

George is sound asleep as I write for the third night in a row! Off to bed now with my book so shall be into the exciting world of espionage in my dreams! More tomorrow when hopefully I shall have attended lectures on Sino/Americam Relations and Africa and its Peoples Global and local. Next day for theatre.