I consider myself very fortunate to have been onboard this ship for her inaugural Asian season, and have been able to visit so many unique and interesting ports, unlike anywhere else I've been in my life. Just yesterday I was in Okinawa and we visited Shuri castle, went to the duty free mall and found a tasty lunch at the food court, then went to a cafe for some coffee and to use the free wifi for a couple of hours, and finally ended the day with a quick dinner at a Japanese BBQ place where you cook the meat at your table. As with most of the restaurants I have been to in Japan, the menu didn't have any English translations but did have pictures of most of the dishes which makes things a little easier. I ended up ordering the pork belly and some cut of Kobe beef, which of course I then cooked to my liking on the grill at the table. It was a great way to end the day and the Kobe beef was amazing.
Now, in other news I have been waiting on information concerning my next contract for a week or so as there have been some complications to sort out. Those however are now in order and I have accepted a contract to join Oasis of the Seas as the Aquatheatre light technician on October 6. Since this would mean a very short vacation for me with my original sign-off date (sometime in September), my vacation has been bumped up and I will be going home August 11, which will mean I actually have some time to enjoy summer at home, complete with BBQ and nice weather (hopefully). Also it coincides well with my sister's university co-op work placement program as she will be leaving for Alberta for 6 months in October and it will be nice to be home together for the full length of my vacation. Then we'll both take off in separate directions for 6 months and hopefully be back home around the same time. It's nice when timing works out well like this. Of course, it was a major surprise to be finding out I would be going home a month early but this is a very welcome surprise and I am looking forward to going home in only 24 days!
In the Aquatheatre on the Oasis of the Seas, I will be running lights for two shows: Oasis of Dreams, an evening show featuring diving, synchronized swimming, and acrobatics, and Splish Splash, a daytime comedy-diving show that features a completely different style of diving and synchronized swimming. The control booth is located on deck 12 and looks out over the stern of the ship towards the ocean, providing what will certainly be the best view I have ever had while performing my job. I am really looking forward to this opportunity as Oasis is the second-newest vessel in the fleet and offers so much technology that I am very excited to get my hands on. In addition to the two aqua production shows, which are each offered multiple times per 1-week cruise, there are also fountain shows that feature the automated fountain system built into and around the diving pool. This system also falls under the responsibility of the light technician in terms of day to day operation and I look forward to working with such different equipment from my usual routine so far on ships.
Well, I have a magic show rehearsal to prepare for so I'd better go do that. More details about Oasis to come soon.
