Hey, Harvey Gamage...
While aboard the Harvey Gamage in Cienfuegos, Cuba, I began drafting an email to a few friends about my experience. I never got the chance to finish it or send it, so have decided to write it as a blog instead. Here's a "small" clip with more to come...
"Hi Girls! We have only a few moments of internet access, with an incredibly spotty connection - I will be lucky if this goes through at all but figured I would give it a shot! Forgive me for sending it as a group email!
So, WOW! Cuba. What an amazing place and what an experience this has been so far! You all know that the Dominican Republic was the plan, and that Cuba only came about in the last 2 weeks of the semester without any true program in place. We all came, 14 nursing students, (5 from my accelerated program), 4 tourism students and 2 faculty, without any real understanding of what our days would bring. We all jumped in with both feet knowing we would just simply have to go with the flow and see how nursing could even play a role in this trip!
We arrived in Miami and slept in a hotel overnight so we could all catch a plane together in the morning (we all flew from different areas of the country because of the Christmas holiday and sudden change in departure dates for our program.) The following morning, we woke up early, got on the plane and took an hour flight straight into Cienfuegos, Cuba. We were met by Greg, the President of Ocean Passages which is a company in Portland, ME who runs these educational programs aboard the Harvey Gamage. So we met with Greg and took a nice air-conditioned bus through the town and then down to the Marina. That has been my last cold thing experienced, which because you all know me so well, know that has been quite the challenge for me to overcome! But I have been totally fine and not in the least bit cranky, despite sweating in places I never knew I could sweat! Haha. Best part - I'm not alone! Every single person is a sweaty, hot, stinky, dirty mess. Literally. I think I can scrape the dirt off of me at this point, everyone is basically becoming a hippie with the amount of hair we've grown and the volume we all have in our hair from the salty sea water is... incredible!
Once we arrived at the Marina, we went through another long process of showing our passports and Visas to the staff at the Marina in order to board our sailboat/tallship/schooner (still not sure what the technical word is that we should be using so I just don't. Shhhh.) Cubans are not allowed to board any ships because of the wet foot dry foot laws, so the marina is essentially a border patrol, with it taking quite some time to have each of our passports checked.
We boarded the boat, the Harvey Gamage, and met the Captain, Christopher Flansburg, and the crew. There are 3 ship mates, 4 deckhands and a chef. 3 of the crew are female which is awesome to see in such a male-dominated field! The guys are really pretty good looking, I have to say, and each of the crew members, including the captain are all awesome educators, fun people and really laid back but in a "respect me" kind of way. It's a really great group and I believe we are really lucky to have them as our crew!
This job is certainly not for the faint of heart! We learned what our life on the ship was going to be and needless to say, I don't think any of us were expecting what this all actually meant. We are literally part of the sailing crew, each with a job for each shift of each day. We have "watch" at night where we have to be awake and make sure the boat is safe. This involves so much that it would take so much time to put in an email, but the bottom line is that we are literally learning how to sail a 137 foot vessel in the big wide open sea! 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I don't think I've ever slept so little and felt so refreshed and energized all at the same time. It's pretty insane! We've been hoisting up sails by hauling ropes, steering the actual ship while under way, we’ve been tying off ropes, hauling up the small boats from the water as well as helping to launch them, washing the deck, prepping meals, cleaning the bathrooms and doing absolutely everything possible that you could imagine is required while sailing a ship. I can't wait to show you all pictures!
So after we arrived on the ship in Cienfuegos and learned all about our roles on the ship and the hierarchy of how it works and all of what goes into safely sailing, we were assigned to our bunks. So you all know that I believe tiny living is for me -- I want a tiny house and have for a long while. I've never thought I would be comfortable in one of those micro tiny homes on wheels though because I thought how in the world would anyone want to live in SUCH small spaces... and let me just tell you, it's amazing what I've learned about myself and others in this process. We were assigned bunks and unfortunately I got the shit end of the stick, with me and my friend, Marian, having the only bunks that were stacked directly on one another. Everyone else has a staggered bunk where the lower bunk is not underneath the upper one, but out to the side of it instead. I of course, got the bunk where it's so small and have zero head room. It's also hot as anything with no wind or air being able to get below deck to the beds. You'd think this would make me hate the world (and lets be honest, I had thoughts at first where I just wanted to go home) but the reality is that after just 2 days, I felt acclimated and now find it fairly cozy! It's amazing what you can adjust to when you are simply given no other option. I wake up in the morning and am completely drenched in sweat, and I have a space that is 100% literally the width of the pillow and length of my body. The soles of my feet hit the end of the bunk. But it's my space and I love it!
Part of being on a ship like this is that because we all use it, we are all required to help maintain it. This means we all clean the heads (toilets -- more on this in a bit), all have to clean the walls, floors, ceilings, deck, stairs, EVERYTHING. We have to set up and clean up for each meal that is served. This happens every day, starting promptly at 7am. Everyone has a role and everyone is held responsible. The teamwork and respect for each other is top notch - I've never seen a system work quite so perfectly as this ship. I'm not sure if it's just sailing life or if it's the Captain's lead, but hey! It really works and I'm grateful to be a part of it. We are required to respond "aye aye" when someone gives a command and when we are all told to "muster midship" we all have to gather in the middle of the ship so the captain can talk to us and give us orders. It's what I imagine the military to be like a bit and I really like how it all works so systematically but not ruling with an iron fist.
So as promised, back to the heads (i.e. Toilets.) We were told that there was a shower on the ship but once we arrived, we were informed that this in fact, was not the case. 36 people living on a sailboat for two weeks without a shower has been - interesting, to say the very least. We are unable to swim in the water when we have been anchored in Cienfuegos because there’s talk of potential sewage dumping – not ideal for a swimming spot, although it’s a little interesting since we do bring buckets of water up from that same spot to pre-rinse dishes, for deck wash and to dump water on our heads to sort of style our hair. Yum. During our time here, we've been able to swim just 3 times, which are the extent of our showers. Showers include jumping off the edge of the boat and into the water, climbing up the ladder, sudsing up on the deck as best we can and jumping back in the sea to rinse off. Then we get about 20 minutes of "swimming" no further than the length of the boat and wham! We are all clean -- but not really because we are bathing in the ocean. I have to say, my hair has never quite had volume like it does right now and it's amazing how not having a mirror to look in and just having to go by what your friends say about how you look (which is always much nicer than anything I would ever say to myself about how I look), you just trust it and go with it and that's it! I’m dreading the pictures that are going to arise, but such is life.
As for the bathroom, well this has been the hardest for everyone to adjust to I suppose. The bathroom on the boat is the BEST bathroom we have access to. The ones in town you have to pay for, the woman or man standing outside those bathrooms in town give you a small ration of toilet paper (when they have it), and off you go to a toilet without a lid, that does not flush and has no running water or soap to wash your hands with after. I stopped imagining what the hands were like of the person wrapping the toilet paper around their hands to give me my ration because I just can't go there in my head anymore. The toilet on the boat is like luxury in comparison, and believe me when I say it’s all in the perception. We have a space just a slightly larger than the width of my shoulders... I have maybe 6 inches on each side of my shoulders when in there. The toilet is a teeny tiny toilet that has no water in it (imagine if it did and the sloshing that would occur while under way!) you do your business and then to flush have to hold this valve closed with one finger to create pressure and then pump this handle 10 times to fill the bowl with water. Once you pump 10, times you keep your finger on the valve for another 10 seconds to let it continue to pressurize and then you release and pump 5 more time to empty the bowl. Then you check to see if you were successful and start over again if you were not. The foul smell that comes out of that bathroom is something I will likely not forget, and the germs that must be floating around on the valve, pump and pretty much everywhere is too much to think about. There is, thank god, a HUGE bottle of hand sanitizer and I use so much that when I walk out of the bathroom to rub it all in, it sounds like I peed myself on the floor because of how much falls off. I can't help it - it's the only bit of control I have regarding cleanliness and I take full advantage. Washing clothes has also been interesting as we have to use the sea water by dropping a bucket (into the same water we can't swim in) and then dump some biodegradable soap in the bucket and wash the clothes and hang them to dry. However, we are unable to hang anything above the deck level because Captain doesn't want the boat looking like a Laundromat. So, pretty much since I've been here, nothing is truly washed and everything is always wet or at the very least, damp and incredibly smelly from the mix of sea water, bacteria and mold. I'm telling you - we are something else when you smell us as a group. I've never wanted a shower so bad in my life and will be forever grateful for running, fresh water when I get home!
We have a little bit of fresh water on board, but we have to use it for drinking only since there is very little available. We get it from town and the word is that they have to put a bit of bleach in it to kill the bacteria that likely grows in it. I don’t have full confirmation on that, but I’d believe it. I'm lucky enough to have an extra filtration via my Life-Straw water bottle, which I'm also eternally grateful for! The water in town is definitely scary to drink (for me at least. I’m a little obsessed about the water, so I make sure to just get bottled. Nice luke warm bottled water.) It’s so hot down here that if we didn't drink water, we would dehydrate incredibly fast. I drink 10+ water bottles per day and sweat most of it out in combination with the heat and the labor work we put in every day, its no wonder.
So, back to the timeline of events. Our first 2 nights we were anchored in Cienfuegos and we were able to get a little time to go into town and check things out after our duties on the boat were complete. The 3rd day, we started sailing. I have been really excited about this piece, anticipating what it was going to be like. Unfortunately, I was one of the few where the seasickness bit me - HARD! I'm surprised because I like roller coasters and spinning rides so much and never have had motion sickness. But something about the sea is different. When mine set in, it was already dark out and so I was unable to look at the horizon to gain a sense of balance back, so for me, the next 8 hours of sailing on the open waters was absolute HELL! It was like being on the Tilt-a-Whirl and wanting to get off but having no option than to stay... for 8 straight hours. So, I just hung my head over the starboard side deck railing and vomited my guts up every now and again, having to then attempt to go back to my sailing duties after. I am grateful for understanding crew members because I was fairly useless during this time. At one point during sailing, the sea was so rough, and I couldn't quite get myself fully over the railing without lifting my feet off the deck, that someone had to hold onto my feet so I didn't risk falling overboard as we rocked so intensely back and forth. You may think this is an exaggeration, but it not. It would be so easy to fall overboard from one wrong step which is why safety and teamwork are so incredibly essential on the boat. You know I like risk taking and adrenaline so in one sense it was really, really fun - but vomiting overboard for all to see and hear - well, let's just say you get over modesty fairly quickly here... and you certainly just accept the help from whoever is giving it.
Once we anchored in Trinidad, I felt like a new woman! No longer sea sick, no food in my belly - kind of refreshed! It really felt like what had happened the previous 8 hours was a dream and that it didn’t happen at all. Once we got to port in Trinidad, we had to walk a few miles into town once we got to the port and we spent the night walking around town, taking pictures and just enjoying the culture.
MORE ON THE TIMELINE TO COME!
My first thoughts of Cuba -- this place is absolutely BEAUTIFUL! The pops of color everywhere, the Cuban people, the trees, the skies, the water, EVERYTHING! I love every single thing about this place and the Cuban people are incredibly interested and excited about meeting people from Estados Unidos! We are like the talk of the town! It's pretty funny. For instance, today, I was walking around with my friend, Amanda and we were asked if we were American and when we said yes, he (Manuel) shook our hands and started talking to us in English, telling us he is an English teacher and wanted to practice speaking with an English speaker -- so we spoke for like 25 minutes and figured out that he knows the boat crew we are with and then he took me, Amanda and 6 of my fellow shipmates back to the marina via his horse and carriage. I have been resistant in riding a horse and carriage since we got here because the horses look really -- not well -- too skinny, lethargic, not well cared for and it makes me sad to add to their misery. Me being so insistent on not riding one caused a bit of a rift on a day where we were all so tired and couldn’t find a taxi to get us home. I just couldn’t stomach the idea, which made some others in my group not so happy. J So, before I even considered riding with Manuel and his horse, I inspected him - I couldn't see his ribs which made me feel good and Manuel showed me pictures of where his horse lived and showed me pics of his horse and where he eats and the horse himself let me pet him a couple of times while I told him I loved him and appreciate his hard work. At the end, I still felt guilty but such is life. I definitely won't ride one again."
KEEP A LOOKOUT FOR MORE BLOGGING. I’M A BIT BEHIND ON GETTING THIS UP AND RUNNING... MORE WITH PICTURES IS COMING
"Hi Girls! We have only a few moments of internet access, with an incredibly spotty connection - I will be lucky if this goes through at all but figured I would give it a shot! Forgive me for sending it as a group email!
So, WOW! Cuba. What an amazing place and what an experience this has been so far! You all know that the Dominican Republic was the plan, and that Cuba only came about in the last 2 weeks of the semester without any true program in place. We all came, 14 nursing students, (5 from my accelerated program), 4 tourism students and 2 faculty, without any real understanding of what our days would bring. We all jumped in with both feet knowing we would just simply have to go with the flow and see how nursing could even play a role in this trip!
We arrived in Miami and slept in a hotel overnight so we could all catch a plane together in the morning (we all flew from different areas of the country because of the Christmas holiday and sudden change in departure dates for our program.) The following morning, we woke up early, got on the plane and took an hour flight straight into Cienfuegos, Cuba. We were met by Greg, the President of Ocean Passages which is a company in Portland, ME who runs these educational programs aboard the Harvey Gamage. So we met with Greg and took a nice air-conditioned bus through the town and then down to the Marina. That has been my last cold thing experienced, which because you all know me so well, know that has been quite the challenge for me to overcome! But I have been totally fine and not in the least bit cranky, despite sweating in places I never knew I could sweat! Haha. Best part - I'm not alone! Every single person is a sweaty, hot, stinky, dirty mess. Literally. I think I can scrape the dirt off of me at this point, everyone is basically becoming a hippie with the amount of hair we've grown and the volume we all have in our hair from the salty sea water is... incredible!
Once we arrived at the Marina, we went through another long process of showing our passports and Visas to the staff at the Marina in order to board our sailboat/tallship/schooner (still not sure what the technical word is that we should be using so I just don't. Shhhh.) Cubans are not allowed to board any ships because of the wet foot dry foot laws, so the marina is essentially a border patrol, with it taking quite some time to have each of our passports checked.
We boarded the boat, the Harvey Gamage, and met the Captain, Christopher Flansburg, and the crew. There are 3 ship mates, 4 deckhands and a chef. 3 of the crew are female which is awesome to see in such a male-dominated field! The guys are really pretty good looking, I have to say, and each of the crew members, including the captain are all awesome educators, fun people and really laid back but in a "respect me" kind of way. It's a really great group and I believe we are really lucky to have them as our crew!
This job is certainly not for the faint of heart! We learned what our life on the ship was going to be and needless to say, I don't think any of us were expecting what this all actually meant. We are literally part of the sailing crew, each with a job for each shift of each day. We have "watch" at night where we have to be awake and make sure the boat is safe. This involves so much that it would take so much time to put in an email, but the bottom line is that we are literally learning how to sail a 137 foot vessel in the big wide open sea! 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I don't think I've ever slept so little and felt so refreshed and energized all at the same time. It's pretty insane! We've been hoisting up sails by hauling ropes, steering the actual ship while under way, we’ve been tying off ropes, hauling up the small boats from the water as well as helping to launch them, washing the deck, prepping meals, cleaning the bathrooms and doing absolutely everything possible that you could imagine is required while sailing a ship. I can't wait to show you all pictures!
So after we arrived on the ship in Cienfuegos and learned all about our roles on the ship and the hierarchy of how it works and all of what goes into safely sailing, we were assigned to our bunks. So you all know that I believe tiny living is for me -- I want a tiny house and have for a long while. I've never thought I would be comfortable in one of those micro tiny homes on wheels though because I thought how in the world would anyone want to live in SUCH small spaces... and let me just tell you, it's amazing what I've learned about myself and others in this process. We were assigned bunks and unfortunately I got the shit end of the stick, with me and my friend, Marian, having the only bunks that were stacked directly on one another. Everyone else has a staggered bunk where the lower bunk is not underneath the upper one, but out to the side of it instead. I of course, got the bunk where it's so small and have zero head room. It's also hot as anything with no wind or air being able to get below deck to the beds. You'd think this would make me hate the world (and lets be honest, I had thoughts at first where I just wanted to go home) but the reality is that after just 2 days, I felt acclimated and now find it fairly cozy! It's amazing what you can adjust to when you are simply given no other option. I wake up in the morning and am completely drenched in sweat, and I have a space that is 100% literally the width of the pillow and length of my body. The soles of my feet hit the end of the bunk. But it's my space and I love it!
Part of being on a ship like this is that because we all use it, we are all required to help maintain it. This means we all clean the heads (toilets -- more on this in a bit), all have to clean the walls, floors, ceilings, deck, stairs, EVERYTHING. We have to set up and clean up for each meal that is served. This happens every day, starting promptly at 7am. Everyone has a role and everyone is held responsible. The teamwork and respect for each other is top notch - I've never seen a system work quite so perfectly as this ship. I'm not sure if it's just sailing life or if it's the Captain's lead, but hey! It really works and I'm grateful to be a part of it. We are required to respond "aye aye" when someone gives a command and when we are all told to "muster midship" we all have to gather in the middle of the ship so the captain can talk to us and give us orders. It's what I imagine the military to be like a bit and I really like how it all works so systematically but not ruling with an iron fist.
So as promised, back to the heads (i.e. Toilets.) We were told that there was a shower on the ship but once we arrived, we were informed that this in fact, was not the case. 36 people living on a sailboat for two weeks without a shower has been - interesting, to say the very least. We are unable to swim in the water when we have been anchored in Cienfuegos because there’s talk of potential sewage dumping – not ideal for a swimming spot, although it’s a little interesting since we do bring buckets of water up from that same spot to pre-rinse dishes, for deck wash and to dump water on our heads to sort of style our hair. Yum. During our time here, we've been able to swim just 3 times, which are the extent of our showers. Showers include jumping off the edge of the boat and into the water, climbing up the ladder, sudsing up on the deck as best we can and jumping back in the sea to rinse off. Then we get about 20 minutes of "swimming" no further than the length of the boat and wham! We are all clean -- but not really because we are bathing in the ocean. I have to say, my hair has never quite had volume like it does right now and it's amazing how not having a mirror to look in and just having to go by what your friends say about how you look (which is always much nicer than anything I would ever say to myself about how I look), you just trust it and go with it and that's it! I’m dreading the pictures that are going to arise, but such is life.
As for the bathroom, well this has been the hardest for everyone to adjust to I suppose. The bathroom on the boat is the BEST bathroom we have access to. The ones in town you have to pay for, the woman or man standing outside those bathrooms in town give you a small ration of toilet paper (when they have it), and off you go to a toilet without a lid, that does not flush and has no running water or soap to wash your hands with after. I stopped imagining what the hands were like of the person wrapping the toilet paper around their hands to give me my ration because I just can't go there in my head anymore. The toilet on the boat is like luxury in comparison, and believe me when I say it’s all in the perception. We have a space just a slightly larger than the width of my shoulders... I have maybe 6 inches on each side of my shoulders when in there. The toilet is a teeny tiny toilet that has no water in it (imagine if it did and the sloshing that would occur while under way!) you do your business and then to flush have to hold this valve closed with one finger to create pressure and then pump this handle 10 times to fill the bowl with water. Once you pump 10, times you keep your finger on the valve for another 10 seconds to let it continue to pressurize and then you release and pump 5 more time to empty the bowl. Then you check to see if you were successful and start over again if you were not. The foul smell that comes out of that bathroom is something I will likely not forget, and the germs that must be floating around on the valve, pump and pretty much everywhere is too much to think about. There is, thank god, a HUGE bottle of hand sanitizer and I use so much that when I walk out of the bathroom to rub it all in, it sounds like I peed myself on the floor because of how much falls off. I can't help it - it's the only bit of control I have regarding cleanliness and I take full advantage. Washing clothes has also been interesting as we have to use the sea water by dropping a bucket (into the same water we can't swim in) and then dump some biodegradable soap in the bucket and wash the clothes and hang them to dry. However, we are unable to hang anything above the deck level because Captain doesn't want the boat looking like a Laundromat. So, pretty much since I've been here, nothing is truly washed and everything is always wet or at the very least, damp and incredibly smelly from the mix of sea water, bacteria and mold. I'm telling you - we are something else when you smell us as a group. I've never wanted a shower so bad in my life and will be forever grateful for running, fresh water when I get home!
We have a little bit of fresh water on board, but we have to use it for drinking only since there is very little available. We get it from town and the word is that they have to put a bit of bleach in it to kill the bacteria that likely grows in it. I don’t have full confirmation on that, but I’d believe it. I'm lucky enough to have an extra filtration via my Life-Straw water bottle, which I'm also eternally grateful for! The water in town is definitely scary to drink (for me at least. I’m a little obsessed about the water, so I make sure to just get bottled. Nice luke warm bottled water.) It’s so hot down here that if we didn't drink water, we would dehydrate incredibly fast. I drink 10+ water bottles per day and sweat most of it out in combination with the heat and the labor work we put in every day, its no wonder.
So, back to the timeline of events. Our first 2 nights we were anchored in Cienfuegos and we were able to get a little time to go into town and check things out after our duties on the boat were complete. The 3rd day, we started sailing. I have been really excited about this piece, anticipating what it was going to be like. Unfortunately, I was one of the few where the seasickness bit me - HARD! I'm surprised because I like roller coasters and spinning rides so much and never have had motion sickness. But something about the sea is different. When mine set in, it was already dark out and so I was unable to look at the horizon to gain a sense of balance back, so for me, the next 8 hours of sailing on the open waters was absolute HELL! It was like being on the Tilt-a-Whirl and wanting to get off but having no option than to stay... for 8 straight hours. So, I just hung my head over the starboard side deck railing and vomited my guts up every now and again, having to then attempt to go back to my sailing duties after. I am grateful for understanding crew members because I was fairly useless during this time. At one point during sailing, the sea was so rough, and I couldn't quite get myself fully over the railing without lifting my feet off the deck, that someone had to hold onto my feet so I didn't risk falling overboard as we rocked so intensely back and forth. You may think this is an exaggeration, but it not. It would be so easy to fall overboard from one wrong step which is why safety and teamwork are so incredibly essential on the boat. You know I like risk taking and adrenaline so in one sense it was really, really fun - but vomiting overboard for all to see and hear - well, let's just say you get over modesty fairly quickly here... and you certainly just accept the help from whoever is giving it.
Once we anchored in Trinidad, I felt like a new woman! No longer sea sick, no food in my belly - kind of refreshed! It really felt like what had happened the previous 8 hours was a dream and that it didn’t happen at all. Once we got to port in Trinidad, we had to walk a few miles into town once we got to the port and we spent the night walking around town, taking pictures and just enjoying the culture.
MORE ON THE TIMELINE TO COME!
My first thoughts of Cuba -- this place is absolutely BEAUTIFUL! The pops of color everywhere, the Cuban people, the trees, the skies, the water, EVERYTHING! I love every single thing about this place and the Cuban people are incredibly interested and excited about meeting people from Estados Unidos! We are like the talk of the town! It's pretty funny. For instance, today, I was walking around with my friend, Amanda and we were asked if we were American and when we said yes, he (Manuel) shook our hands and started talking to us in English, telling us he is an English teacher and wanted to practice speaking with an English speaker -- so we spoke for like 25 minutes and figured out that he knows the boat crew we are with and then he took me, Amanda and 6 of my fellow shipmates back to the marina via his horse and carriage. I have been resistant in riding a horse and carriage since we got here because the horses look really -- not well -- too skinny, lethargic, not well cared for and it makes me sad to add to their misery. Me being so insistent on not riding one caused a bit of a rift on a day where we were all so tired and couldn’t find a taxi to get us home. I just couldn’t stomach the idea, which made some others in my group not so happy. J So, before I even considered riding with Manuel and his horse, I inspected him - I couldn't see his ribs which made me feel good and Manuel showed me pictures of where his horse lived and showed me pics of his horse and where he eats and the horse himself let me pet him a couple of times while I told him I loved him and appreciate his hard work. At the end, I still felt guilty but such is life. I definitely won't ride one again."
KEEP A LOOKOUT FOR MORE BLOGGING. I’M A BIT BEHIND ON GETTING THIS UP AND RUNNING... MORE WITH PICTURES IS COMING