It's hard to imagine what is considered a normal life, happening anywhere but on land. Yet, they work and play while travelling across vast expanses of water each day. This is the reality for so many people and certainly for those employed to the cruise shipping industry.

A cruise ship on the dock often looks like a massive floating hotel, but to the crew members, it is home. It's also a world that provides not only economic sustenance, but also a universal forum where people from different backgrounds and cultures coexist.

Stephanie Campbell, a 35-year-old Jamaican, has been employed to the cruise-shipping industry since 1998, spending some eight weeks or less each year on land vacationing with family members.

"I've always dreamed of travelling the world by boat like the great Christopher Columbus," Stephanie shared with JIS, laughing at the thought before adding that she did not know that her dream would eventually come true.

She reflected on the moment she seized the opportunity to become a crew member on-board the cruise ship SEA ESCAPE and how she was encouraged by a close friend to accept the job and experience the wonders of the world at sea.

"I thought about it deeply because at the time I was working at the Dunn's River Falls in Ocho Rios and I can remember how I used to look out at the cruise ships and imagine what it would be like working on-board.

exciting

Working at Dunn's River was exciting but not as exciting as I imagined life at sea would be, so I looked deep into myself, thought about my dream and made a bold step to pursue it," she said.

There was no comparison between being aboard the SEA ESCAPE and working at Dunn's River, she told JIS. "I felt a bit 'lost' for a few weeks, trapped and mostly stressed by the 'what ifs?' that plagued my mind. There was so much to learn, the dos and the don'ts of the life, living in close contact spaces with people from different countries and different social backgrounds. It was the ultimate test of one's survival. It was a struggle to remain one's self," she said, thanking God for his Grace.

As far as being on the SEA ESCAPE was concerned, Stephanie felt that cruising around in 'Miami waters' was not fulfilling enough and as the years passed, she became more interested in deeper travels and so she joined up with the Royal Caribbean Cruises where she got the opportunity to venture to islands, such as St Thomas, St Maarten, The Bahamas, Labadee, Haiti, Cozumel, Mexico, Grand Cayman, Florida and her homeland Jamaica, among others.

"Working in the cruising industry takes patience, resilience and tact. One has to be flexible," she said, pointing out that a person was never sure if they would be transferred to another ship in the same cruise line at the end of their contract.

"It is a growing experience for all aboard. It opens your eyes to differences," she said, tugging on her well-groomed locks, which she said was the 'sweet' result of the 'sours' in her life at sea.

In explaining what she meant by the 'sours', Stephanie buckled with more laughter and said, "You wouldn't want to know the full length of my story. I probably changed hairstyles more than a hundred times due to the salt in the air at sea. At one point, I had to cut off my hair because I didn't know how else to weather the conditions with it. I have been wearing it like this for more than two years now and it seems as though it's the only style that can last, so I call my bad hair days the 'sours'."

Besides her bad hair days, hurricanes at sea make her quite edgy and even though the ship would be docked, she would rather be home, battened down with her family.

"Jamaica is a sought-after destination and despite the many islands and ports of call, the passengers look forward to the Ocho Rios or the Montego Bay stops and I can safely say the reason for that is because we have a most beautiful island," she said confidently, noting that she was indeed a proud Jamaican who boasts highly of the offerings here to the thousands she meets on-board.

Stephanie, who works as a bartender on the ship, has plans to upgrade her skills at the HEART Trust/NTA when next she vacations at home. "The tourist industry is growing and so I personally think that I have to equip myself, so I will not be left behind and can render quality service to the cruise-ship passengers," she said, making sure to point out that she really enjoyed working in the bar. "It is rather interesting to see the effects of alcohol on persons sometimes.

depressed

I see them become depressed, become stressed, trip over their own feet, get into fights then make peace then fight again. Recommending a drink is like writing a prescription in the bar and in doing so, you automatically become Dr Booze to the patron," she said, pointing out that the job called for the bartender to show other skills, often acting as mediator and problem solver.

She pointed out that even though life at sea was a wonderful experience, it demanded strong commitment to love, life and family and like any other job on land, persons were in pursuit of wealth and security.