Ship Life

Walking on the beach back to the ship, pushing bikes back. Everyone was staring at us. haha
After the goat heads. They give flat tires!
This is the only thing the Italians have to recycle, wine bottles.
Decent bikes in Ravenna, Italy. Someone's personal backyard vineyard.
Yuri and I before the Goat Heads!!

If you want to know a little about my daily life....

I wake up quite early, about 6:47, push snooze a little if I have already showered the night before.

Then I get dressed for work, that means make-up!! I have to wear a lot more make up here then I am used to. Since I work in a 5 star spa, I have to look the part. Every other the day the girls are telling me to color my eye brows, or wear eyeliner, more lipstick! I think I finally have it down with two shades of eyeshadow, eye liner, mascara, and lipstick. As soon as I am done for the day, I wash it all off.

So after I am dressed, I walk outside on Deck 4 to get to the Staff Mess, where I eat. I live in the front of the ship, food is in the back. I have never ate so much bacon in my life, every morning! also yogurt, tea and pineapple chunks. Keeps me going for a while. Deck 4 is a nice little jaunt to the mess, it is where I wake up to the sea and the waves and the sun. I stop and look at the water rushing by and giggle a little about what I am doing.

Then I rush to work. I usually have patients at 8 and then staggered till noon on the half hour. If I don't have patients, I have been treating the spa girls. Or maybe I have a seminar about Acupuncture that I have to give. I give those in one of two bars on the ship. Sometimes no one shows and my doctor friend and I sneak away for a snack. We get more privileges than a lot, so we can go to what's called the Promenade and get snacks like the guests do. Little sandwiches, tea, pastries, etc. Then we sit in a hidden corner and chat and gossip about our strange lives on the ship.

After that, it is noonish, I go to lunch. Again, to the mess. I am going to start posting pictures of the desserts I have been consuming on a twice-daily basis. I am going to start bringing my camera and take very artistic pictures of the pies, puddings, cheesecakes, pastries, ice cream, and other things made with lot's of sugar. They beckon and call me and I am unable to say no.

Ok, so after lunch I usually go shore-side. I usually take about 5 hours off in the middle of the day. Mostly I am by myself, sometimes with Yuri or another spa girl. Yesterday Yuri and I rented mtn. bikes and were going to explore all over the place. I found a trail, said no bikes allowed and we went anyway. Then we were in a random seaside town, and alas, goat heads in the street. 4 FLAT TIRES!!!!! haha so we walked over an hour on the beach back to the ship. Next time, no goat heads.

Then back to work at 4 or 5, more patients, dinner at 8, more confections, then to bed around 11. The other night was the first time I dressed up in a cute little number and we all went out to the club on the ship for dancing. Was a lot of fun! The spa girls thought I was funny, since I could get out of somewhat serious mode at work.

I still have so much to explore just on the ship. The shows, we have broadway shows, ice shows, music shows, tons of stuff. That will come as I continue to adjust to the times of everything.

I already have two warnings on the ship for missing training's and meetings. A little strict around here, even though no one tells me anything of what I should be doing. I don't worry about it though. Whatcha' gonna do??

Ok, getting a pedicure in a bit, then back to work, and go to the gym later to work off the sugar that is accumulating in my body!!

Stay tuned for dessert pictures! I am really excited about this project!

Noel

Patients

Wow, I am already starting to treat a lot of patients. That is one of the main reasons I am here, get really good at what I do. As a lot of you know, I specialize in mental-emotional issues such as anxiety, insomnia, depression, etc. On the ship I was told I wouldn't see that too often. So far I am seeing the kind of patients I love. I am treating these kind of issues. I of course treat a lot of pain conditions as well, back, shoulder, neck, sciatica. The results are very quick, just like they said would happen. I have had a few people who could barely walk into my office, on the third visit, the pain is virtually gone. This happens to 30 year olds and 85 year olds alike. But I am seeing people with severe cases of stress, anxiety, no-sleep, etc. I prescribe herbs to most of my patients, as I have a line of high-quality chinese herbs that I have access to from the spa. They are all in capsule form.

The one drawback right now with my practice here is not speaking Italian, German, French and Spanish. I have to start learning bits of each so I can at least ask how, when, where does it hurt, who are you, are you having a good time, etc... I feel so helpless!! I have access to Rosetta stone, but it is finding the time to learn it and practice. Hopefully my new Italian friend, Paolo, will be patient with me and starting tutoring me.

I am getting in good with the Filipinos on board. There are a lot of people from the Philippines who work on the ship. I am usually the only girl at their parties. We have awesome food, lot's of liquor, and they always make me sit down and bring me tons of food and drink. haha They also have awesome music and it turns into a big dance party. I am still on the sidelines, a bit shy. I have not really drank much on board yet at all. I am actually losing weight because of it, working out a lot and getting good nights sleep. I will eventually get used to the party times here I am sure, but not yet. I just can't start going to the bar at midnight or later and party till 4am like everyone does here!

Today sailed into Venice, ready to drop off these passengers and pick up new ones tomorrow. Today I am going into town, possibly to a water park in Venice today. It has been sooo hot and humid most days. Went sea kayaking in Croatia the other day, awesome!!

Here are some pictures of Koper, Slovenia. I stopped into a little museum. Then I found a drunk guy.

Happy Days!

More Pictures

This is my second trip to Dubrovnik, swimming in the amazing water! and then a lunch of seafood in an expensive tourist restaurant, but it was tasty!

Right now I am getting ready to go eat lunch in the Staff Mess. Like i said before, the food is decent. Not wonderful, not amazing. Last night though, I ate at the Windjammer, where the guests eat at times. Better food!! I will eat there more often now.

Have to get ready for Embarkation, new guests, get my spiel down and get patients for the week. Have a good one!

Noel

Pictures

Finally pictures!!

Here are a few from the last two cruises. These are of Venice, Italy and Dubrovnik Croatia. Dubrovnik is beautiful!! The water is so blue and clear. It is a small town of only about 73,000, but a lot of tourists from the boats. When I get off the boat, I go the opposite way of the tourists and find quiet areas to explore. There was a war in Croatia in 91 and there is still some rubble off the beaten path. I actually think I found good places to live if I were homeless. If there is a random staircase, I take it, a gate that is partially open, we go and explore a beautiful garden. My good friend on the ship is Yuri, he is in the spa area with me as the medi-doctor. Basically, fixing wrinkles for the guests.

Today is a the start of the third cruise, my first real one after getting sick! Yes!

Ok, pictures finally



ddddd

Dove de Hospital?

Ok, I never, ever thought my trip/adventure would start out like this!! Ending up in a hospital today on land in Ravenna, Italy. Turns out for the last 9 days I have a severe bacteria infection, pharyngitis/tonsilitis. 6 days of IV anti-biotics, oral AB, and lot's of pain meds and I am on my way to finally feeling better. They are keeping the needle port in my arm for easy access to my vein. My immune system needs to toughen up to these Euro-germs, Boulder is no match, we got it too easy haha.

I was in Koper, Slovenia yesterday at guess where, a mall. I had to pick up new shoes even though I could barely walk. My manager said my shoes were crap. :(

Today I was in the hospital in Ravenna. So I don't know about the town yet. Look up on Wiki. Can't cut and past for some reason!!

I signed up for Rosetta stone, so my first language I am learning is Italian. Such a beautiful sounding language. The men dress so nice, they even do their hair and have nice shoes. Yeah, that has to do with the language....

ciao ciao
Noella

Tonislitis

Didn't think I would get sick this fast on the ship. The second day I was on the ship, my lymphnode started to swell. I thought it would go away. Well now, I am on two diff. antibiotics, dizzy and can't walk well, sore and achey and might have to get IV fluids tomorrow because my throat is so sore I can't drink. Yeah. Oh, they think it is tonsilitis.

Other than that, I was walking around Venice yesterday, albeit dizzy and hopped up on painkillers, and couldn't believe the sights I was seeing. I have some amazing pictures that I have to wait to upload when I figure out port internet on land.

I have made some good friends already, Philippines, Portugal, South Africa, etc... Some cool people.

The rate of healing for my patients is pretty amazing. They get better sooo fast. I just wish I could treat myself.
First week and in Venice again picking up the new guests, can't believe it was a week already that I had no idea what was going on. I still don't know a lot of what goes on. Oh my training was cool the other day, flipping over life rafts in case of sinkings, drills, emergency maneuvers, pretty neat.

ok, going back to bed. :(

Oh Blue

This morning I woke up, walked outside and the blue of the ocean was breathtaking. We were sailing in the Adriatic sea on our way to Bari, Italy.

I can't even begin to write everything I have experienced so far. It has been a whirlwind. But some of the most awesome things...
I get my own room, super rare!!
I swam in the sea today!
I got randomly kissed by an Italian just walking down the sidewalk!
I walk around in my lab coat and people think I am really cool.
I am treating and helping people already. Just now, someone couldn't even walk or sit down. Almost skipped out of my office with a smile on his face.
People are sooo nice here to me. The crew has to stick together.
The food is decent. Lot's of chicken. cluck cluck.
The ocean and views are tremendous, I can't believe it everytime I am on deck.
I have two treatment rooms.
I don't have a port-hole in my room.
There are over 1200 crew from over 60 nations. I am one of few Americans, very diverse.
Just learned OK is from the Greek language, Olla Kahlaga (I am spelling it wrong)
Learning Italian and French already. Tons of Europeans on the boat.
I am rocking in the waves now as we are sailing, no sea sick ever.
They said if I had a good feeling when I stepped aboard then everything is going to work out. I have a great feeling.

Oh my, I can go on and on and on....

I miss all of you and hope everyone is doing well! Pictures when I figure out free wifi on land.

Noel