On weekdays, the galley (kitchen) staff and dining room staff faithfully serve 400 crew members food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Meals are put out for 90 minutes each time (except breakfast). During meal times, the dining hall brims with chattering voices, the clanging of silverware and cups, as well as the silence of enjoying a meal after a long day.
Monday nights are typically ‘African nights’ which consist of white rice, plantains, some kind of meat thing, and then kidney beans which are mysteriously delicious though I’m not sure what the seasoning is. I’ve been told that I will tire of the plantains eventually, though I think this caveat is going to fall upon deaf ears. Sweet, fried bananas complimented with an African spice draped across warm rice and a flavorful spoonful of beans has been one of my favorite meals here.
Not all nights inspire such enthusiasm. I have on several occasions stood in line, grabbed my utensils and plate, walked up to the hot chafing dishes and then walk away. No complaints, really, when I compare this to the occasions at home sometimes when my own self-prepared meals turn out to be equally uninspiring! During these times, one can always count on the cold foods – cucumbers, tomatoes, corn, beans. And then, of course, the fall back of a peanut butter, Nutella sandwich is always there.
People complain about the food, and I find this silly. They’re entitled to their opinion, of course, but really – we’re sitting here in Africa with plenty of food to spare, someone prepares your own meal, and you don’t have to get in your car, fight the crazy supermarket, and make your food. So, as far as this writer is concerned, there is nothing to complain about. Check out our menu and hopefully, for those of you who have been worried that I am opening a tin can nightly and eating mush in the dark, you will see that we have fun with what we have.
That’s the beauty of our situation here. No, its not home where if/when we want something, we just get it. You just make do. And sometimes, with a bit of creativity and if you want to brave the local street vendor markets, you can even prepare your own food in the Crew Galley that is stocked with about seven cooking stations and many kitchen instruments. Its like Iron Chef! Sort of.
Some eat outside, on deck 7 where some plastic chairs are set out. You can watch the African sunset and hear the spritely chattering of voices coming from the adjoining play area for the children. On these occasions, one must bring your own silverware and plate, because dining room ware should never leave the dining room.
Sometimes I fix an extra plate of food for later when I am on the graveyard shift, as I was earlier this week. Mash taters, bacon, chicken and peas were yummy at 2 AM. From behind the reception counter, I watched the lightning storm and rain have a conversation with each other.
My roommates have a particular aesthetic for fixing up plates of food. Ester and Leena manage to make these appealing arrangements, as if modeling them for Gourmet magazine. Here is one plate, I found on Leena’s desk, and I snuck in a picture of its incidental charm.
Speaking of Leena and Ester, they are best of friends. They met in 2005 during a Mercy Ships training course in South Africa. Leena is South African and Ester is Norwegian. To my delight, because of a human resources mix up, Leena had to move in to my room after my first week here. She is a bit older than me and we found out that we have many things in common. Ester arrived a week later, and moved into our cabin also. I have never seen a warmer welcome for a person. Leena created a little gift basket for her and printed out welcome signs. Ester, upon her arrival with her large camping backpack, unpacked boxes, bags and parcels of gifts of body lotions and chocolate for Leena. The contents of the backpack consisted of about three-fourths worth of gifts and goodies for Leena. The next morning, I woke up and found a little plate of breakfast that Leena created for Ester, waiting on our desk. (Ester and I share a desk). Witnessing this nurturing and care for another person in a friendship was very new and very endearing to me!
Over the last 3 weeks, I’ve been happily included in the mix along with Lydia, another one of our cabin mates. It is not uncommon to find chocolates on my pillow, a snack, or breakfast saved for me by the time I wake up. (You will rarely find me awake for breakfast which is served from 6.30 am – 7.30 am. Sorry-o, I’m sleeping.)
And while this is not to say I don’t have many female friends, that intimacy shared with women is something I haven’t experienced without some hesitancy or apprehension. I’ve been aware of this for years, which is the reason why I consistently put myself in community living situations with other women to challenge myself. And similar to my other roommates, we make an effort to serve each other. Leena is such a person.
The bathroom was in a scary, bad – I mean, bad – shape. Leena takes the whole thing and restores it to a bathroom that is actually do-able and clean! Here she is vacuuming our cabin. (See, I’m amazing, I just marvel at her and take photos!).
And here's Lydia - at the tender age of 19, a mid westerner from Minnesota and team leader for the dining room staff.
It has only been three weeks, but I can really say that Ester, Lydia and Leena have influenced and challenged me. They are very different unto themselves – in age, background, likes and dislikes. Around them I feel very much myself. I fight any urges to note that they are leaving before me (all leaving during summertime). This is teaching me to live in the present where they are right here, right now.
Part of this chemistry, I believe, has been brewed out of the circumstances we are in. Intimacy, friendships and romance are pressure cooked under these situations. For me, I knew I would eventually make friends, but it has taken me by surprise the quality of the friendships. Our conversations go everywhere - floating in shallow waters, sunk down to the depths and emerging again with a girlish giggles.
Speaking of floating, I’ve been attempting to do some of that. Ester is teaching Leena, Elaine and I how to swim! The talk of the ship is the newly installed swimming pool on Deck 8.
As some of you may know – and conclude that it is ironic that I am living on a boat – I am quite scared of the water and have never learned how to swim. To illustrate to you, how scared I am, as I was approaching the pool, my heart began beating faster. I’m not sure why I am so scared, but it involves feeling claustrophobic being under water, a sense that I lack of control when I float, and the perceived suffering I would endure if I were to drown. Yet, here I was, determined.
Leena, Elaine and I all made a pact that we would learn how to swim before Ester left (early July). There was some handshaking and team powwowing involved, which means I’ve made a pact to overcome something major in my life! Here we are - Leena, Ester, myself and Elaine:
In other news, Musu came by yesterday to do post-op for Semean. I was asleep because of my night shift, but happily found that she left some mangoes (plums in Liberia) and plaintains for me... and you know what that means, fried plaintains! ;)
1 comment:
Every time I read one of your posts, I feel inspired and impressed. And I absolutely love that you're learning to swim ... maybe when you return we'll get you diving :)
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