On The End Of An Era And The Start Of Something New

ALOHA!!!

Yes - That's me coming out of a pit! I have come back from the dead (It's almost Halloween after all), stretched my chubby little fingers, and decided to start writing again!  
I know... I know... I realize that with  more than a year of being on hiatus, I may have lost most, if not all of my readers. I also am not amiss to the fact that I would almost have to start over, to gain everyone's interest again - and I'm fine with that. It's my fault I stopped writing :(

However, I am back - and I'm hoping that with the recent changes in my circumstances, I will be able to continue writing as I have in the past. I have missed my blog... a lot. So much so that in the last year, I've been going through my old posts, feeling like I'm reading about the life of someone else. 
(*tear*... Who is this Eartha person?? I want to be her frieeeennddd... Waaaaah!)

LOST AT SEA

Okay, let's go back, shall we?

When you all lost me, I was working at the Cruise Ship, as most of you may remember.

In this job, and everything that came with it (i.e. rules and regulations, stress, toxicity, lack of sunlight, lack of time, etc) I feel that I may have lost myself a little bit. 

Everyone has this glamorous (and fun) impression of #cruiseshiplife -- and for a lot of younger folks, it actually *is* a pretty cool career. (I've even written about what it's REALLY like to work for a ship here.) 

I mean, I can't blame people for thinking that, really... Because all I do is post photos of myself riding dolphins and turtles all day.

However, regardless of how fun it was exploiting those awesome animals, my position held a lot of responsibility. And with responsibility, came a lot of stress. There is also something very peculiar about the ship I was working for, that made me feel like there was a Dementor, hovering above me all the time... sucking my soul out, little by little. 

And what did I do to make myself feel better? 
Like a true Harry Potter fan, I ate chocolate. 

(And other junk...like bacon...and...and... I really don't want to talk about it.)

And so for years, I was stressed out, my soul was being sucked out by a (fictional) invisible hooded shadowy thing, and I was gaining a crap ton of weight.

Your common sense really has a tendency to emerge in moments of extreme clarity... (and for me, it was the 3rd time my button popped out of my uniform, combined with a twitching left eye and a migraine that wouldn't go away) After that, it didn't take a lot of time for me to realize that the job wasn't for me anymore. I definitely wasn't happy. 

I realize I'm making it seem like the job is godawful - and it's really not. I had a lot of fun, too... (i.e. LipSync Battle) But I've outgrown the job and the position in so many ways... And I think what it really was, was that I was constantly missing the ME that I have come to be when I was out there, traveling the world. I was carefree, inspired, apeshit happy - and - I can't believe I'm actually going to say this, but - incredibly fit! Yes. I was sssmokin' hot!!!

I didn't think so back then (which is a stupid shame), but compared to my current Michelin Man womanly figure, I was rockin' a pretty great and healthy body back then without even trying! 

Earth2Eartha got lost... (at sea.)

But the job/career/lifestyle of working at the ship served me pretty well, too, because I got to travel a lot during my vacations... And if I'm being completely honest, I think that was the reason why I held on for so long. The fringe benefits of the job outweighed the misery of actually working my job.

Anytime I thought about quitting, I thought to myself - where else could I find a career that allows me 4 months of paid vacation in a year? And so I stuck it out...

But then I started rationalizing the quality of life that I was sacrificing 8 months out of the year. If I was in complete misery for 2/3 of my life - does that even make anything worth it anymore?

And the answer is no. 

So after a long internal deliberation, I finally decided to exercise my freedom of choice, to take myself OUT of a situation that didn't make me happy anymore. I chose to be responsible for my life and my happiness (like we all ought to). I put my foot down, and in true Earth2Eartha fashion, decided to take yet another leap of faith.

Last May, I turned in my notice, gave them a few months to figure out what to do about my replacement, and on October 14th, 2017 - I said goodbye to the ship (and Hawaii) one last time.

Read: I'm FREEEEEE!!!!

INTO THE WILD

When I decided I was done and I wanted to resign, I didn't have a plan. It truly would have been the first time I decided to leave a job without some kind of fallback. When I quit to travel the world in 2013 - the plan WAS to travel the world. This time, I had nothing. All I knew was that I was done - and knowing I didn't want to do it anymore was enough for me. But because the Universe is kind, and she knew that I was on the path to following my heart once again, an opportunity manifested!

And so come this winter, I will be working at a Ski Resort in ALASKA!

Is that a plot twist or what?

That's right. I'm going from Hawaii to Alaska. I'm trading volcanoes for glaciers... wild chicken for wild bears... and rainbows for --- wait for it --- Aurora Borealis. ;)

Well, it is a SEASONAL employment, so I'm only going to be working there from December to April. In essence, this job just buys me the time that I need to figure stuff out. I'll be working at the front desk in Guest Services, living at their employee housing facility across the street (in an apartment with a living room and a kitchen), with two days off. I know this sounds completely mundane to the normal - but this is freaking AWESOME for a former cruise ship worker! For someone who used to work 7 days a week, stuck in a tiny room in a ship and hardly ever got out, this sounds like a dream already! :)

I admit. I probably could have chosen a more enticing snowy photo. But there it is.

Why all the way North, you ask? Let's see... I've spent the last 3 years in the scorching heat, gallivanting around the Caribbean and Hawaii, donning flip flops and a tank top. If I'm looking for a bit of a change... I think the question should be - Why the heck not Alaska? :)

Earth2Eartha Resurrected

Now that I have a lot of time in my hands - I actually might be able to do this again on a regular basis! Like I said - I've traveled a lot on vacation and I never got to share any of those trips... and I've gone to some really amazing places. I'm getting ready to go on a few trips in the near future, too... So I'll keep you posted ;)

I fully intend to share a lot of the past trips I've taken, as well as keep everyone in the know on the adventures up North in the blistering cold. 

But for now, I leave you with this beautiful quote from Bill Haley and His Comets...

"See you later, alligator...
    After while, crocodile..."

On What It’s Really Like to Work for a Cruise Ship

I’ve been asked this question a lot lately. And although working for this industry for the past couple years doesn’t necessarily make me an expert, I think I may be credible enough to shed some light on this very mysterious and elusive career.

See – the problem is that quite a few people probably have a very misguided idea of what working on a cruise ship is like. Some think it's glamorous - for good reason. The ships are beautiful… they travel to all these exotic places… there’s constant booze and entertainment… overflowing with delicious food… Which is all true.

For the guests.

Not for the crew.

On the other hand, some of you may have the misconception that crew members are treated like slaves in a floating prison. That’s a little bit of an exaggeration too.

It's a little better than prison.

So please allow me to set things straight – both for the curious cats who are interested, and also for my fellow crew members who are wrongly perceived. It’s time they found out the truth.

Let’s Start With…

THE PROS

1. THE VACATION. 

Truly, for me, the best part about working for a cruise ship is THE VACATION. If you are living in the United States – you only get about 2 weeks of paid vacation per year. With tenure, some lucky folks get to accumulate more the longer they stay with the company. Still doesn’t beat this though.

My rotation is 4 months on, 2 months off. Which means I get about 4 months of vacation total per year. The majority of the crew members on my  current ship work 5 months on, with a 5 week vacation right after.

But I have to admit, my ship is a little different from the rest.

The crew members on the other ships usually work 6-9 months on, 2 – 3 months off.
Still not bad, right?

2. YOU GET TO SAVE MONEY --- If you’re smart.

When you’re at the ship, everything is paid for. Food, lodging, laundry, EVERYTHING. I can technically go for a full contract without spending a dime.

I do not have an apartment or a mortgage. Sold my car before I did my round theworld backpacking adventure. I don’t have any utility bills or insurances that I need to worry about. Nada.

So for me, this set-up is ideal. That even if the salary is lower than my previous corporate job, my take-away or my “cash on hand” is either even, or a little higher because I am factoring out the bills I used to have to pay.

If you are in the Philippines, or somewhere in South East Asia, or Eastern Europe, or South America, or the Caribbean– the salary is even better because you earn in US Dollars, not in your currency. Great opportunity to save and send money home to your families and loved ones. 

Now – if you are American, and you still have a mortgage, or an apartment, or bills to pay, and nothing changes in your lifestyle, and you decided to work on the ship --- this may not be the job for you if your sole purpose is to try to save some money. I would whip out a calculator and make a huge analysis before I take this job. Some positions make this worth it though… say if you were a higher ranking officer or a manager. Otherwise, I would think and calculate.

3. IT IS DIVERSE 

It is seriously a United Colors of Benetton advertisement when you are sitting at the crew mess having dinner with a dude from Jamaica, a chick from Peru, a guy from South Africa, and a nice lady from Nepal. These companies take on crew members that hail from all over the world, and it’s really super fun to get to meet all these people and learn about their cultures.

 When I just got started and I was working on one of our International ships, meeting people from all over the world was definitely one of my favorite things about the job --- it made me feel like I hadn’t stopped traveling. 

My current ship is sort of unique in that we are the only US Flag ship in the world, so by law, we are required to have about 75% American workers, and 25% International.

But… it’s still fun… you know… getting to know someone from… uh… Delaware…

Shenanigans at the Crew Bar

4. YOU GET TO TRAVEL

And I mean this in 2 ways.

1^st – If you get assigned to a ship that has an amazing itinerary, then it’s a win-win! Some of our ships go to Europe, South America, Australia, New Zealand, and pretty soon – China. You may as well toss out your piggy bank because there’s no way in hell you’ll be able to save money if your itinerary is any of the above. How can you resist NOT seeing those places if your ship takes you there? You have to take advantage of the opportunity – I mean I would. I took this job so I could continue to travel! And being assigned to see those places is a dream.
My first ship took me to the Caribbean - and I hadn't been to that part of the world yet, so --- score!

This was in Cozumel, Mexico

I think this may have been Costa Maya or Roatan in the Honduras. I can't even remember anymore.

2^nd – If you get assigned to a ship that has an itinerary that you don’t really care for, then you can save up the money you earn and travel during your 2 month vacation! Which is exactly what I do!

I am permanently assigned to our Hawaiian ship, and it’s pretty spectacular! But if you’re there year round, you can hardly consider that traveling anymore, especially if you look like a local. So after my 4 month contract, off to wherever-else-I-haven’t-been-to I go!

Beautiful photo I took of the Napali Coast in Hawaii

THE CONS

1. YOU WORK 7 DAYS A WEEK – NO DAYS OFF.

I’m not kidding. This is basically a 24/7 job. No rest for the wicked, type.  On average, a crew member works about 10 hour days, 7 days a week. You’d think it’s all fun and games, but it’s really not. It’s hard work.

In fact, some days, I find myself staring into the ceiling of my small cabin, wishing for at least one day off - out of my 4 months. 

I repeat.

I was wishing for 1 day off out of 4 months!!! 

And my contract isn’t even that long. The other crew members who are working 8 – 9 months are probably wanting to throw their shoe at me right now.

It’s a lifestyle that you have to get used to. No weekends. No “Happy Friday’s”. No "hump days". Those are not part of our vocabulary.

2. LIVING ARRANGEMENTS – Dorm style.
Like in college, only worse.

It’s not going to be easy for most to have to adjust to living with 3 or 4 other people in a small confined space, especially if one has never lived with other people before.
Because of the position that I am in, I am one of the more fortunate ones who get to enjoy the privilege of having a solo cabin. It’s small – but it never really bothered me as long as I was by myself.

This is my current cabin. And that's Falcor, my dog.

 The majority of the other crew members live with 2 to 3 other people in a very small living space, and that could be a major issue for some people. If you are lucky, you get roomed with people who are fun and you actually get along with. This is the dream. 

Essentially, this is what a (contraband) Cabin Party looks like, in a normal Crew Cabin :) It's nice and snug.

If not… If you get roomed with someone weird, or messy, or OCD, or someone who is downright crazy --- then, good luck.

A friend of mine said she woke up in the middle of the night to her roommate staring at her. 

Naked.

This is not the worst I've heard. There are people who stumble into another person's bed and pee on them. (Mostly drunk. Sometimes not even.)

Nightmare.

3. CABIN FEVER

Sometimes you're too busy, and you have a crap schedule, that you don't really have time to get off the ship. And sometimes because you're so busy, that even if you do, you'd rather sleep. Living and working and eating and breathing inside the ship can make one go a little crazy if one doesn't take care of one's self. You don't really have the luxury of driving out to a pub to meet up with your friends after a hard day's work. All you have is the crew bar. And you have to watch your alcohol intake, because cruise ships have a very strict alcohol policy (Your BAC can't go over .04). 

Let's see... What were my favorite things to do on land after work, that I couldn't really do while I'm on the ship:

• Grocery Shop and then Cook
• Go and watch a movie
• Happy Hour Thursdays with my friends
• Happy Hour any day with my my friends
• Boxing & Muay Thai 
• Watch a concert/show
• Go have a picnic in a park

Yeah. I miss all of that. But at least I don't do the dishes. And I don't do my own laundry. And I don't pay for anything.

Silver lining!

4. MISSING YOUR LOVES

It's definitely difficult being away from your loved ones. I have a relationship with my phone, which is reliant on WiFi on the ship that is expensive, even for crew. I've seen my little nephew grow up via photo messages and video chats. I can't even imagine how much harder it is for crew members who have families and kids back home, being gone for months at a time. It's definitely a sacrifice.

Look at that CUTIE!!!

IN CONCLUSION

This job is not for everyone. It's a lifestyle choice, and it either suits you or it doesn't. Having said that - I really do think that the experience of working at the cruise ship is what you make of it. I know a lot of people who have made a lifetime career out of it, that allowed them to pay off debt, buy a house, and send their kids to college... not to mention, travel the whole world!

I also know people who quit after working for a day. Claustrophobia or something. And good for them... better quit earlier than endure something you clearly don't like. 

As for me -- at the moment, it works. I think at the beginning I resisted the idea. I thought I was only going to do one contract... and now I'm on my fourth. Time flies...

I don't know how long I'm going to be able to do this, but I'll stay as long as it works for me and my chosen lifestyle.

My first instinct on my first few days on the ship was to quit. So I went from hating it... To tolerating it... to appreciating it... to -- now, not thinking it's so bad after all. I focus on the perks... The reasons why it's great... I focus on the PROS.

Besides... once you've gotten used to the long hours, the 70 hour work weeks, the cabin fever and the sea sickness... Working at the ship can actually be a lot of fun.

Well, I... at least make my own fun. ;)

Have you worked for a cruise ship? Are you interested in working for my ship? Leave me a comment below and I'll help you get started!

Hawaiian Volcanoes And Coastlines

One of the great things about working on my cruise ship is that even if I am frequently unable to get off the ship as often as I would like, there are certain things I could still consider a "Hawaiian Experience" without having to step foot outside the vessel.

Well - 2 things in particular.

1. The Currently Erupting Kilauea Volcano in the Big Island

I believe the term they used to describe the activity was -  "gurgling lava"... which is a pretty cool visual of what is currently going on over there!

So - this active volcano, Kilauea, has been literally ON FIRE for the past couple months. Our ship docks at the Big Island on the Hilo side on Tuesdays, then over to the Kona side on Wednesdays. On Tuesday evenings as we make the sail from Hilo to Kona, we swing by the area where the Volcano is. See image below...

As we get closer to this hot mess, the ship turns out all our external lights to give us a better visual of the volcano.

One Tuesday night, I made the effort to stay up until 9:45pm (I know... wild, right?) to see this visual spectacle. I was told that the best view of it is from the bow of the ship (read: the area of the ship where Rose and Jack did the "I'm the King of the World" bit), and so I sashayed my way all the way forward and braced myself.

www.wanderlustcreations.com

This photo was taken by Carley, our photo manager... and she used her telescope-like lens to be able to capture these images. My phone, unfortunately does not have the shooting power to match these. I honestly didn't even bring my phone. I went up there purely for the experience.

This photo was taken by another one of our photographers, Sierra Schmidt :)

OK - seeing the erupting volcano from the ship was pretty cool. Yeah, it's an experience for the books, not many of us can say we've approached an erupting volcano from the ocean in a powerful vessel... But that evening, what made an impression on me wasn't the volcano - but the stars.

There was hardly any light pollution because the ships lights were out, and so I basically saw a night scattered with a billion stars, as close as I thought I could ever get to them.

It was beautiful...

I'm not gonna lie... I had an infinite moment... Maybe shed a tear or two.

I wish I had a photo to share... But it basically looked like this:

2. The View of the Na Pali Coastline

On Friday afternoons at 5:30pm, as our ship returns to Honolulu from the island of Kauai, we swing by an area where we could get a full view of the Na Pali Coastline. 

The Na Pali Coast is a 15 mile stretch of rugged coastline, most of which is inaccessible due to the cliffs that drop straight down to the ocean... The best way to view it is - you guessed it! From my ship! Yeah, you can hike parts of it... But you won't be able to get spectacular photos like these... which I actually took from my phone!

Isn't it beauuuutiful?

Jurassic Park and World and Pirates of the Caribbean used this beauty in some of their scenes... Oooh and King Kong, too...
It may just look like a random landscape, but it's really *really* beautiful. You only get this view from a ship, and we are really lucky to be experiencing this every Friday!

It was a still day. Hardly any wind.

I look like I've been photoshopped

So that's 2 purely Hawaiian things we get to experience on our ship without having to get off at all! Works out great for Lazy Luna's like me :) 


Whale season is coming up soon. Whale watching from the ship doesn't sound too bad either...

Wish me luck!

Skydiving in Kauai

This is basically a #BucketList post, wherein I share one of the items that I have ticked off of my own list.

Sky Diving is on 90% of the world's population's Bucket List. Not everyone gets to tick it off, though. I'm very glad I did.

Fair Warning: Some photos may be disturbing. Sky diving, which makes you travel a million or so miles an hour, make your skin floppy and flabby, mostly on the face, and they make for very RAW and RIVETING photos.

KAUAI

My ship goes to the island of Kauai every Thursday and Friday. They call this the Honeymoon Island... Others say it's the Adventure Island.

Well, I call it, Grocery Day! Because we've got Kmart and Walmart shuttles waiting for us outside our ship, that run every 15 to 20 minutes! Yippee!

Anyway... Michelle (my boss) and I, booked ourselves to go skydiving at Sky Dive Kauai to celebrate our birthdays. My birthday was in March, hers was in May, we figured that was as good a time as any to do a joint birthday celebration jump! It doesn't make sense, but hey... We went out there and did something!

SIGNING YOUR LIFE AWAY

You seriously do. When you get there, you have to sign a waiver that literally says - "You could be killed"... AND sign a statement that says, "I am voluntarily choosing to risk my life."

Here is proof.

But... We all die in the end, anyway. And I figured... if I died jumping out of a plane, *flying*, like I've always dreamed of doing since I was a child, it wouldn't be too bad.

And so we got ourselves strapped and ready to go!

GOING UP

This was our plane.

It looked like it was severely injured and bandaged.

Not really sure how I felt upon laying my eyes on that.

Luckily, the instructors were kidding... And directed us to an equally small - but better looking plane.

This one looked healthier.

So basically, all four of us (Michelle and both our instructors) were going to squeeze into that little thing --- WHICH DID NOT HAVE A DOOR, I'd like to add... and the pilot was gonna take us up, give us a little areal view of Kauai, and then just dump us out! Simple!

Gulp.

There were no chairs, so we were all just seated nice and snug on the floor.

Michelle was having a blast and was looking very cozy with her man.

While I... Was not.

I was already screaming, and we hadn't even took off yet.

We went up and the pilot sort of took his time hovering around Kauai to give us a really nice view of the island from above. It's really pretty... But to be honest, I was NOT digging the whole foreplay thing.

I did mention that the plane did not have a door, right? So I was growing anxious of what was about to come, and delaying the inevitable was killing me. I was getting more and more nervous, I could NOT enjoy the view, no matter how gorgeous the day was... I kept thinking about the jump, and having to jump out, and the possibility of plummeting down to my inevitable death.

Deep breaths.

"Can we just jump??" I yelled to my instructor.

"Whaaat?" he yelled back.

"Let's just GO! Let's get it over with!" I screamed.

He laughed, and said, "OK! Almost there!"

The pilot took us above the clouds, and got ready, as WE got ready.

I volunteered early on to jump first. Not because of bravery... but because I knew I was going to get even MORE anxious or nervous if I were to witness Michelle jump out of the plane first, and then wait for her to get to a certain height before I could jump out.

No way. I'd rather get it over with first. I don't do very well with anticipation, and I am not a very patient woman.

GOING DOWN

We started to position ourselves by the (nonexistent) door.

You will notice that I am leaning my head up against my instructor's shoulder.

No - I wasn't trying to be cute.

I could NOT look Down. 

NOT FOR THE LIFE OF ME. I couldn't look down. If I could have jumped out lying face up like a pancake, I would have. I am not afraid of heights but it's the ANTICIPATION. I was VERY nervous, and if I looked down, I would have had thoughts of backing out - and it was out of the question. So I just kept my head up, and let my instructor count off!

As soon as he said, "READY??"
I started screaming...

3...(Aaah) 2... (AAAAAH) 

1.

Aaaaaaaa..aa.......aaaaa...

And we were falling.

THE SENSATION

So - one of the fears that I had about sky diving (apart from the possibility of my own demise) is the feeling that you get in your navel... You know what I'm talking about? The involuntary jolt that you feel when you fall very quickly... You feel it on those vertical drop rides in carnivals... or when there is bad turbulence on the plane...

I hate that.

It's one of the most icky feelings in the world and it makes me want to either throw up or poop. But I was prepared for it because I figured it was part of the whole experience...

Or so I thought.

I am very happy to announce that you, in fact, do NOT get that gross navel jolt feeling. Not at all.

On the 15 seconds or so of free fall - all you feel is....

Euphoria.

Floppy Skin Euporia.

It is, what I imagine, SUPERMAN feels when he flies. Pure and utter bliss.

I was still screaming - but not out of fear anymore... It was exhilaration and joy. 

So, you know that scene in Superman... when he takes Lois Lane up to fly with him for the first time, and the song, "Can You Read My Mind" plays? Well.... THIS.

I mean, you only free fall for about 10 - 15 seconds (possibly even less)... but those moments are what you remember, because it's what renders the most intense feelings of happiness.

It is fleeting... but totally, TOTALLY worth it. 

ZERO GRAVITY

Before I knew it - he pulled the parachute, and BEUFFFFF!

It was like we were suspended in time and space, and we lost gravity. 

I felt weightless for about half a minute, my senses still confounded from the free fall... 

And then it was just - nice.

Really quiet and peaceful.

beautiful.

I think I started screaming again after a minute, just because my emotions were so high...

But it was great to be just floating up there...

My instructor let me drive for a minute to let me feel what it's like to take control of the chute... It was great - but it takes a little getting used to.

We were up there for a while, just enjoying the nice wind and the view, goofing around with the GoPro...

And then we made our descent.

My instructor and I had a PERFECT landing, planting all four feet firmly on the ground... That is, before my knees buckled from the relief of BEING ALIVE!!!!

You will literally scream - "I'm Alive! I'm Alive" after going through all that. 

Honestly, the wave of relief that swept over me made me realize that I really DID think that there was a huge possibility of me dying! 

Craaazy....

I had a little pensive moment... To think about life and all that...

Life.

And then I got over it, and posed in front of my parachute.

Michelle and I ran in for a big hug when we were both on the ground, congratulating each other for not dying!

It was AH-MAY-ZING!!! And honestly - I cannot wait to do it again!

The worst part is letting go --- as it always is, in life.

Really - it's the jump. Or the idea of jumping out of the plane.

Once you get over that little hurdle - everything is illuminated... Everything that you experience from then on is just beauty... and madness... and euphoria... and love.

There is no pain. Only fun. I promise!

One final selfie with my instructor, and back to the ship we went.

It was a great day. :)