My Dear Family, Friends, and everyone who reads my blog,
Well, after over a month sailing across the Pacific Ocean from Japan to Hawaii, I was pleasantly surprised by my one and only, Matthew Wayne MacDonald. He flew in on the night of Wednesday, April 30th, and came to a secluded beach to see me. My friend, Angela Haugo, and her fiance, Domi, helped Matt by getting me to come to the beach with them, thinking I was going to get pictures taken with Ang in our cute little dresses (she lent me one of hers) right on the beach at sunset. Some of the girls on the boat knew that Matt was coming to surprise me (Gillian, Leighsa, Elske, and Becs), so they were very excited for my "photo shoot" and made sure I was looking good and did my hair and make-up, with me wondering what the big deal was. They even insisted I wore the earrings Matt gave me to match my pearl necklace. Well, I was pretty excited for the whole thing because they were excited for me, so when Ang picked me up at the dock, I didn't think it was strange that everyone from the boat was looking earnestly to see where Matt was (of course we wasn't in the truck, but for some reason they thought he might be). I was still feeling pretty low and sad that I hadn't got to see Matt in so long, as I had been imagining and dreaming that he just might show up in Hawaii, but I told myself that would be too difficult and unreasonable for him to do, in the middle of work and fire exams and carpentry courses and all. So I felt that a night on the beach with Ang and Domi was a great way to cheer me up. Little did I know what was going to happen...
We arrived at Sand Island, on this beautiful stretch of beach where all the local surfers come, but none of the tourists really know about it, so it was very quiet, not crowded at all, and Domi was sitting on a blanket taking pictures of the surfers (he and Ang are photographers) with a cooler full of food next to him. Ang made some excuse about having to go to the bathroom, and asked Domi if he could get a water bottle out of the truck for her. Domi told me to look out at the water because he could see a sea turtle. I thought that kind of strange, as it is very hard to be able to see a sea turtle from where we were, but he assured me it was there as he could see the head poking up out of the water every once and a while. I was doubtful, but I looked anyway. So, there I was, left on the beach alone, looking at a sea turtle that wasn't even there. I stood up to see if I could get a better look, and then just happened to look over to my right, and see a man running down the beach! He had his shirt off, and was carrying something in his hand (I learned later to be a bouquet of flowers), and his long curly hair was bouncing around his shoulders. I thought right away, "Oh my gosh! It's Matt!" But then I thought that I was just imagining it because I have dreamed of this for so long (11 months!) and I didn't want to start running toward some random man I didn't even know. I thought it was too good to be true, so I wanted to make sure it was him, my Matt! Of course, it was, and it took me a few double takes to make sure of it before I started running full speed toward him! It was amazing! We had the longest hug and I just couldn't stop thinking that it wasn't true. But it was, and he was there with me, on some beautiful beach in Hawaii, after not seeing each other for almost an entire year!
So, we walked back to the blanket that he had set out for us, with the cooler of food he prepared (sushi, fruit, salad, and bottled water - he knows me so well!), but neither of us were very hungry because we were just too excited to be with each other again. We could barely eat, so we went for a little stroll down the beach. We didn't make it more than about 30 meters when he stopped me to turn and face him, and began the speech; he told me how much he loved me, and how he wants to spend the rest of his life with me, and how although this year apart has been very difficult for us, it was proven to be the most amazing experience because we have both grown so much more as individuals, as adults, as a man and woman of God, and therefore our love for each other has become more real and more sincere and true as well. Our time apart was the hardest time, but we both agree that it it through the struggles that the best things in life are produced. Then he grabbed me by my shoulders and said he couldn't wait any longer. He got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. "YES!" I wanted to scream, but I was so choked up by this time that it came out weaker than I wanted it to. I think my enormous smile gave my answer away. He pulled out the ring and slipped it onto my finger. It is so gorgeous, but I really couldn't want for anything than just a lifetime of happiness with the man that I love. No ring - or anything else for that matter - could ever satisfy my heart's longing for eternal companionship. However, he made a great choice with the style, and although it's a little too big, he assured me the man who made it can adjust it when I get home. For now, I have a piece of tape on the back to keep it from sliding around.
We spend the rest of the night together, just the two of us on the beach, talking, laughing, crying, and asking first questions about the last 11 months. Ang and Domi came to pick us up and Matt came by the boat so I could introduce him to everyone as my fiance and so he could meet all the people I have been living and travelling with for the last month-and-a-half. Everyone was very excited and happy for us, particularly my crew! Skipper and Bo made me feel as if I was one of their daughters that got engaged, and they were so overjoyed! We stayed up late, just talking and hugging and reminiscing over the proposal, and by the time Matt left (on the scooter Domi lent him), I didn't get to sleep until after 1am! That night was definitely worth the lack of sleep, though!
The next morning it was my day to cook, so for breakfast I made crepes with strawberries and whip cream for everyone, and Matt came down to the boat at 8am to eat with us. I put out sandwiches and snacks for lunch, and then we spent the day together, shopping at Safeway for groceries, going back to Domi's house to email some people about the great news, and then went out to dinner to celebrate (Leigsha was so sweet and made dinner for me so Matt and I could go out together)! The last week has been so wonderful, and almost like a dream, as Matt and I have tried to spend every available minute together, before he left. We watched some of his Seinfled DVDs, we went on a run, he rented bikes for a few days so we biked to Waikiki, did a little shopping (I bought him a new watch and sunglasses), we went out for lunch, we saw a Hawaiian dance and music show on the street, we called our families to tell the the great news, we drove up to the North Shore to Sunset Beach where we biked for a couple hours, and sat on the beach eating our shaved ice. We could meals for each other, I got a few back and foot massages (I have been needing those for a long time!) and we enjoyed just getting to sit and talk, learn about how we've both changed and grown over the last 11 months, what we're looking forward to in our future together, and what we're excited about when I come home in June. Of course, wedding plans are now in the forefront of our mind, so we are trying our best to get as much as the big plans done as soon as possible, as we are looking towards an October wedding. Luckily, we already have our engagement photos done, as Domi took us out early yesterday morning to Sand Island (where we got engaged) and took a few hundred all before 8:30am! We have picked about 10 of our favourites, and he printed off some more for us to bring home and show people (Matt has his favourite with him, and I have two others plus the proofs of the other 10 we chose). The final ones will be coming next week when Domi comes to White Rock to see Ang.
Anyway, we had a fabulous time together over this last week, and although he is now gone and it is so sad to be without him, I am so excited now for what lies ahead of us back home, and I know that this last Leg of Offshore will give me a whole new outlook and motivation to do well and finish the trip strong! I have more energy, and I feel very refreshed and excited for this last leg, because I know it will just fly by, so I want to make it very memorable and special for everyone on board, as for many trainees this is their only Leg, and their only Offshore experience!
I realize it has been a long time since I last updated (Osaka, on March 22nd, to be exact), but I wanted to have enough time to really sit down and write my reflections over the past month and a half. It has been an incredible experience, the time spent at sea, thousands of miles from land, but I think it is because of that time spent away from land and away from all the distractions of daily life that contributed so much to our community on board the Pacific Grace, and really helped us depend on and support each other, and build lasting relationships and fond memories that will forever be in our hearts and minds. I feel as if this past Leg (leg 6) was the closest in terms of community and really getting to know one another. It was very difficult to have to say good-bye to the trainees, but I feel at peace in knowing that I will see them again, somewhere, sometime. The long time at sea, and all the rough weather and struggles we came through as a family really helped keep us banded together, and I know that it is God's overall love and guidance in our lives that makes us as close as we are with each other, and keeps us honest, genuine, and sincerely interested in each other's lives. We had some great Sunday Service topics throughout the weeks, and among my favourites were along the theme of being known, and how you can only be loved and known by others as much as you allow yourself to be known and loved. We also talked about what we have learned about ourselves and about each other throughout our 46 days together, and what we are nervous or scared about in going home, and how we can resolve those feelings of anxiety by learning to incorporated what we've learned or how we've changed into our lives back home, in 'reality'.
There is really so much to write about, and so much to try and explain (I even found it difficult to try and explain it to Matt and help him to understand), but the truth is that we can never really fully understand each other's experiences unless we also experience exactly what they have, and this is usually not the case. I have slowly come to realize this, and I can accept that and live with that. I am just so thankful and lucky that I have people to share such experiences with (Karen, my crew and trainees), and I know that Matt and I have a lifetime to share together where we can spend as much time as we like learning from each other and talking about how we have changed from our different life experiences (his trip to Africa, his time spent in Alberta working, his time back home in school, working, firefighting courses/exams/interviews, etc...). There is no limit to how a person will learn, and how we grow in Christ. I am very excited for our lives to begin together, and we are both very much on cloud 9 and can't think of very much else, although we are trying to keep our heads level and make the best decisions in this time of our short engagement.
I miss you all, so much, and now that Matt is gone (he left last night - that was really hard to see him off at the airport), I miss him even more! But we will see each other in only 37 days, and that is going to keep me going! I really appreciate all of your thoughts and prayers, and thank you to everyone for your constant encouragement, support and love! I will see you all in June!
Love always, Sailor, Cook, Engaged Katie! ;)
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Saturday, March 22, 2008
The Date
This is for Matt and anyone else who knows about "The Date"! Enjoy! Love, Katie
Me all ready for my "Date"
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Laughing at Matt, I love you soooooooo much!!
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Thursday, March 20, 2008
In Osaka, and end of Leg 5
We are in Osaka, and at the end of Leg 5! I can hardly believe it! It seems as if this last Leg has gone by so quickly, and we have packed so much into these last 3 months! We left Hiroshima last week and arrived in Osaka on the 11th. We had one day off before our work days began, so Gillian and I went all around town via train and looked for places to buy food for the next leg. It was a bit disappointing, though, as everyone we talked to directed us only to little grocery stores that really didn`t have much, and definitely not in the quantities that we needed! So after a full day of looking around, unsuccessfully, we bought some groceries for dinner and the next day, ordered pizza for our two work days, and took the train back to the boat. Our work days went well, though. They were very busy, and stressful at times, but we got everything done that we needed to get done. A LOT of cleaning, shopping, stowing, re-organizing things, and just getting the boat looking good! It was hard work, and a ton of groceries to stow, but we did it! YAY! Only 1 more time we have to do this (in Hawaii between Legs 6 and 7)!
Karen had her 26th Birthday on the 15th, which was also another trainee`s 24th birthday (Scott), so I made a big breakfast in the morning (cheesy scrambled eggs, bacon, and hashbrowns, with oranges) and then Karen`s requested meal for dinner (spaghetti, meat sauce with pureed tomatoes - not diced tomatoes! - vegetables, and caesar salad). Arwen made a chocolate cake, and Jacob and I made cream cheese icing. Karen really wanted a tomato soup cake for her birthday (apparently really good!), but unfortunately I could not find cans of tomato soup anywhere in the stores, so we had to settle for the next best thing - chocolate (which she likes almost as equally, or more)! We lit the 26 candles on the cake, sang happy birthday, and I gave her my present that I bought for her in Shanghai (a lovely dark navy/black wool coat, with toggles on the front, a hood with checkered lining, and perfect arm lengths for her arms)! She loved it! It fits her like a glove, and she was so completely excited and surprised by the gift. I may have been even more excited and thrilled to give it to her, but she was definitely so happy to receive it! It looks beautiful on her, and I can`t get over how perfectly it fits her - the right length and width and everything. And it suits her just perfectly as well!
For our one day off together, the day after Karen`s birthday, Karen, Sarah, and I spent the whole day at Universal Studios Japan, which is not as great as the original one in L.A., but it does have its own uniqueness, and it was quite fun - it even has a roller coaster, as small and short as it is, you get to pick your own song (out of 5 choices) to listen to as you are on the ride! Fantastic idea! My first time I listened to some Japanese pop song, and the second time I picked Bon Jovi! We are docked right across the street from Universal Studios Japan, so the Universal City train station is quite busy and filled with tourists all staying at the expensive hotels nearby, shopping, and visiting Universal Studios. It turned out to be a wonderfully sunny day. Although it was a Sunday, so it was quite busy, but it was open earlier and closed later, so we had more time to look around and spend in the park. We got there by 8:30am, a half hour before the gates opened, and stayed until 8:30pm after the final show of Peter Pan on the water, with all the big sets out on the water, complete with flying, fireworks, dancing, singing (all in Japanese!) and stunts. It was a wonderful time. We got to go on all the rides, see all the shows (Water World, Wicked, Blues Brothers, Backdraft, Peter Pan), and had a fabulous time together, just the three of us!
The following two days were spent shopping for more groceries, making a birthday dinner for another trainee (Sean, who turned 21 on the 13th - I made nachos for dinner), and then we had our big feast and Leg-End celebration on the 18th. It was a wonderful night spent with everyone for the last night all together, and Karen and Sarah did a fabulous job decorating the Hold and Fo`c`s`le (Re-named the "Hold Me Close Discotheque" and the "Fox Hole Lounge")! We had way too much food, the awards were hilarious, we each got two fortunes, and we ended the night with the slide show for Leg 5. There are many memories from this trip, and it was very emotional, as many people who have been on for so long (2 or more legs) are leaving us here in Japan. Karen was the hardest to have to say good-bye to, of course, and there are many trainees that I will keep in touch with and miss dearly. It was a great Leg, and I enjoyed it so much! Only 2 left, and the shortest 2 as well. We are on our way home now, officially, as we head East to Hawaii, and then Northeast to Beautiful British Columbia! Only 85 days away...
See Jeff arrive on the morning of the 19th was definitely a highlight! It was just as Karen and I had predicted! I was getting the table set up for breakfast (cereal, cold milk, yogurt, and oranges for the last morning), when I heard Karen yell down that Jeff was on his way! I ran up on deck, in my pajamas, Karen and I both jumped off the boat and ran, barefoot, to meet Jeff on the dock. He was running towards us too, threw his bags down and picked both of us up in his arms and spun us around! It was so amazing! I was crying, and Jeff was laughing. It was such a wonderful reunion! It`s amazing how almost 10 months can go by and when you see someone again it is almost as if you have not been apart at all, and yet it has been such a long time! Jeff looked great, as always; very healthy and fit, and we were all so ecstatic to see one another again! He brought gifts for Karen and I from home (Matt, Mom and Dad, Amy, Jamie and Judy, Erin-Marie, Ashli) but it was just so great to see him again in the flesh, that I was too excited to read all of the letters. Some of the best gifts received were the hairbrush, trail mix, almonds and raisins, lotion, body butter, lip balm, supplements for women, a book, newspaper articles, Matt`s cologne to spray on things, a postcard from Amy in Mexico, sesame seed snaps, two brand new clean t-shirts (one that says "I love Matt" on the front with a picture of the two of us, "And my crew too" on the back with a picture of me and my crew!), and a pillowcase that Matt made for me with a picture of him on the front, "I love you" written in a big red heart, and a picture of the two of us on the day we first met with "Est. 07-05-2005" underneath. So cute! (Thank you Matt, Mom and Dad, Jeff, Amy, Sonya, EM, Ashli, and Jamie&Judy!) The best gift by far was the DVD that Matt made for me for Christmas, which was lost in the mail sometime, somewhere in PNG, but he sent me another copy. It is entitled "The Date", and he recorded a full evening of him going out as if I was on the date with him! I will have to show it to all of you when I get home - it is absolutely amazing! I went on "the date" three times so far, and I will most likely go on more throughout the next 85 days! Karen and Jeff both saw it, as well as some of the crew, and they all really enjoyed it! I laughed, I cried, I smiled through the whole thing! It was the best gift ever!
So, Jeff, Karen and I spent the last 2 days together, morning until night! It was fabulous! We tried to go see a sumo match, but both days were sold out, so we went to downtown Osaka and up the tall tower there, where we had a beautiful 360degree view of the city, went out for Japanese food, went to Kyoto, saw some gorgeous temples and shrines, had a lovely walk outside down the old canal, walked down the busy city street and looked in the stores, went out for sushi, rode on the trains, subways, and buses, took lots of pictures, and just spent as much time together as we could! It was a wonderful 2 days, but they went by so fast! Now they are gone (they left this morning for Tokyo where they fly out of to Vietnam to start their 46-day tour around Southeast Asia). It was very sad to see them go, but I know they will have a fabulous trip together! I will see them again in only a few months, and I can`t wait! I wrote them both letters to read on the plane, so I hope they enjoy those. It will be very different without Karen around, but I think we will managae alright on the boat. We will miss her terribly, but we can support and look after eachother, and look forward to seeing her again! It was awesome to get to see Jeff again and spend time with him. Seeing him again was like getting a piece of home sent out to us; it was so refreshing! I hope they have a great time together on their trip, and I pray for their safety, enjoyment with each other, and safe and healthy travels back home!
Well, now I am all alone (not really, but without a real family member), and I am looking forward to these next two legs, the last 2 of Offshore! I can imagine they will go by quickly, and I am excited to be going back to Hawaii, and then coming back home! WOW! What an amazing year this has been, so far! I miss you all so much, and I am constantly thinking about what it will be like to return home and see everyone again. I hope that you are all doing well, and that school, work, family, friends, trips, and everything is being beneficial in your lives! I love you all, and I am thinking of and praying for you in all of you in the different areas of your lives. Take care, and I look forward to seeing you all in June! HAPPY EASTER! And welcome to Spring!
To My Dear Matt,
I miss you. I Love you SO much! I will be watching the DVD you made for me as much as possible! It is so great! You are an amazing person, and I am so incredibly blessed to have you in my life! You are perfect for me, and I can`t wait until we are together again! It`s going to be so wonderful! I get teary-eyed just thinking about running into your arms again, because you know I`m going to be running! Good luck with your last week of school, and try to not be stressed out over your final exam and writing your IP! You will be just fine; I know you will do great, you always do! I am so proud of you, for all that you do and for all who you are! Have fun playing squash, exercising, and enjoying these last few months without me. It will all be over soon...! I love you, Matt! XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX:)
Love always, Sailor "popeye" Katie
Karen had her 26th Birthday on the 15th, which was also another trainee`s 24th birthday (Scott), so I made a big breakfast in the morning (cheesy scrambled eggs, bacon, and hashbrowns, with oranges) and then Karen`s requested meal for dinner (spaghetti, meat sauce with pureed tomatoes - not diced tomatoes! - vegetables, and caesar salad). Arwen made a chocolate cake, and Jacob and I made cream cheese icing. Karen really wanted a tomato soup cake for her birthday (apparently really good!), but unfortunately I could not find cans of tomato soup anywhere in the stores, so we had to settle for the next best thing - chocolate (which she likes almost as equally, or more)! We lit the 26 candles on the cake, sang happy birthday, and I gave her my present that I bought for her in Shanghai (a lovely dark navy/black wool coat, with toggles on the front, a hood with checkered lining, and perfect arm lengths for her arms)! She loved it! It fits her like a glove, and she was so completely excited and surprised by the gift. I may have been even more excited and thrilled to give it to her, but she was definitely so happy to receive it! It looks beautiful on her, and I can`t get over how perfectly it fits her - the right length and width and everything. And it suits her just perfectly as well!
For our one day off together, the day after Karen`s birthday, Karen, Sarah, and I spent the whole day at Universal Studios Japan, which is not as great as the original one in L.A., but it does have its own uniqueness, and it was quite fun - it even has a roller coaster, as small and short as it is, you get to pick your own song (out of 5 choices) to listen to as you are on the ride! Fantastic idea! My first time I listened to some Japanese pop song, and the second time I picked Bon Jovi! We are docked right across the street from Universal Studios Japan, so the Universal City train station is quite busy and filled with tourists all staying at the expensive hotels nearby, shopping, and visiting Universal Studios. It turned out to be a wonderfully sunny day. Although it was a Sunday, so it was quite busy, but it was open earlier and closed later, so we had more time to look around and spend in the park. We got there by 8:30am, a half hour before the gates opened, and stayed until 8:30pm after the final show of Peter Pan on the water, with all the big sets out on the water, complete with flying, fireworks, dancing, singing (all in Japanese!) and stunts. It was a wonderful time. We got to go on all the rides, see all the shows (Water World, Wicked, Blues Brothers, Backdraft, Peter Pan), and had a fabulous time together, just the three of us!
The following two days were spent shopping for more groceries, making a birthday dinner for another trainee (Sean, who turned 21 on the 13th - I made nachos for dinner), and then we had our big feast and Leg-End celebration on the 18th. It was a wonderful night spent with everyone for the last night all together, and Karen and Sarah did a fabulous job decorating the Hold and Fo`c`s`le (Re-named the "Hold Me Close Discotheque" and the "Fox Hole Lounge")! We had way too much food, the awards were hilarious, we each got two fortunes, and we ended the night with the slide show for Leg 5. There are many memories from this trip, and it was very emotional, as many people who have been on for so long (2 or more legs) are leaving us here in Japan. Karen was the hardest to have to say good-bye to, of course, and there are many trainees that I will keep in touch with and miss dearly. It was a great Leg, and I enjoyed it so much! Only 2 left, and the shortest 2 as well. We are on our way home now, officially, as we head East to Hawaii, and then Northeast to Beautiful British Columbia! Only 85 days away...
See Jeff arrive on the morning of the 19th was definitely a highlight! It was just as Karen and I had predicted! I was getting the table set up for breakfast (cereal, cold milk, yogurt, and oranges for the last morning), when I heard Karen yell down that Jeff was on his way! I ran up on deck, in my pajamas, Karen and I both jumped off the boat and ran, barefoot, to meet Jeff on the dock. He was running towards us too, threw his bags down and picked both of us up in his arms and spun us around! It was so amazing! I was crying, and Jeff was laughing. It was such a wonderful reunion! It`s amazing how almost 10 months can go by and when you see someone again it is almost as if you have not been apart at all, and yet it has been such a long time! Jeff looked great, as always; very healthy and fit, and we were all so ecstatic to see one another again! He brought gifts for Karen and I from home (Matt, Mom and Dad, Amy, Jamie and Judy, Erin-Marie, Ashli) but it was just so great to see him again in the flesh, that I was too excited to read all of the letters. Some of the best gifts received were the hairbrush, trail mix, almonds and raisins, lotion, body butter, lip balm, supplements for women, a book, newspaper articles, Matt`s cologne to spray on things, a postcard from Amy in Mexico, sesame seed snaps, two brand new clean t-shirts (one that says "I love Matt" on the front with a picture of the two of us, "And my crew too" on the back with a picture of me and my crew!), and a pillowcase that Matt made for me with a picture of him on the front, "I love you" written in a big red heart, and a picture of the two of us on the day we first met with "Est. 07-05-2005" underneath. So cute! (Thank you Matt, Mom and Dad, Jeff, Amy, Sonya, EM, Ashli, and Jamie&Judy!) The best gift by far was the DVD that Matt made for me for Christmas, which was lost in the mail sometime, somewhere in PNG, but he sent me another copy. It is entitled "The Date", and he recorded a full evening of him going out as if I was on the date with him! I will have to show it to all of you when I get home - it is absolutely amazing! I went on "the date" three times so far, and I will most likely go on more throughout the next 85 days! Karen and Jeff both saw it, as well as some of the crew, and they all really enjoyed it! I laughed, I cried, I smiled through the whole thing! It was the best gift ever!
So, Jeff, Karen and I spent the last 2 days together, morning until night! It was fabulous! We tried to go see a sumo match, but both days were sold out, so we went to downtown Osaka and up the tall tower there, where we had a beautiful 360degree view of the city, went out for Japanese food, went to Kyoto, saw some gorgeous temples and shrines, had a lovely walk outside down the old canal, walked down the busy city street and looked in the stores, went out for sushi, rode on the trains, subways, and buses, took lots of pictures, and just spent as much time together as we could! It was a wonderful 2 days, but they went by so fast! Now they are gone (they left this morning for Tokyo where they fly out of to Vietnam to start their 46-day tour around Southeast Asia). It was very sad to see them go, but I know they will have a fabulous trip together! I will see them again in only a few months, and I can`t wait! I wrote them both letters to read on the plane, so I hope they enjoy those. It will be very different without Karen around, but I think we will managae alright on the boat. We will miss her terribly, but we can support and look after eachother, and look forward to seeing her again! It was awesome to get to see Jeff again and spend time with him. Seeing him again was like getting a piece of home sent out to us; it was so refreshing! I hope they have a great time together on their trip, and I pray for their safety, enjoyment with each other, and safe and healthy travels back home!
Well, now I am all alone (not really, but without a real family member), and I am looking forward to these next two legs, the last 2 of Offshore! I can imagine they will go by quickly, and I am excited to be going back to Hawaii, and then coming back home! WOW! What an amazing year this has been, so far! I miss you all so much, and I am constantly thinking about what it will be like to return home and see everyone again. I hope that you are all doing well, and that school, work, family, friends, trips, and everything is being beneficial in your lives! I love you all, and I am thinking of and praying for you in all of you in the different areas of your lives. Take care, and I look forward to seeing you all in June! HAPPY EASTER! And welcome to Spring!
To My Dear Matt,
I miss you. I Love you SO much! I will be watching the DVD you made for me as much as possible! It is so great! You are an amazing person, and I am so incredibly blessed to have you in my life! You are perfect for me, and I can`t wait until we are together again! It`s going to be so wonderful! I get teary-eyed just thinking about running into your arms again, because you know I`m going to be running! Good luck with your last week of school, and try to not be stressed out over your final exam and writing your IP! You will be just fine; I know you will do great, you always do! I am so proud of you, for all that you do and for all who you are! Have fun playing squash, exercising, and enjoying these last few months without me. It will all be over soon...! I love you, Matt! XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX:)
Love always, Sailor "popeye" Katie
Thursday, March 6, 2008
WHEW! We made it into and out of China safely! Now in Japan (Hiroshima)!
I know, it`s been nearly an entire month since I last updated my blog, but after arriving in China and finally getting to use the internet after the first 7 days of busy busy work (I will tell you all about it later!) I realized I couldn`t even open my blog. Gillian warned me about that earlier, as she said China screens everything that goes on the internet, and everything that they allow the people to see on the computer. So, unfortunately I was unable to use my blog or check other people`s. I was actually quite surprised that I was able to open and use my facebook, but I suppose that is more widely used, maybe. Anyway, after almost a month of no updates of my trip (and the most fabulous Leg of Offshore, by the way, in terms of places we got to go and explore!) I am back in Japan, now on the mainland, and have great access to high-speed internet, in my own booth, with a huge comfy swivel chair, quiet and clean environment, and free drinks! Oh, how I love this blessed country! But not because of what I just mentioned - there is SO MUCH MORE! I can`t possibly explain and describe it all on my blog, but I hope that my pictures and memory will give Japan justice when I return home! Anyway, for all you diligent readers of my blog who have been eagerly waiting for another post, here goes:
After a safe 3-day passage across the East China Sea from Okinawa to China, we had a very exciting and wonderful entry into Shanghai, including the 7-hour trip down the river with our pilot on board. It was a very cold, but very thrilling experience to approach such a huge port, seeing the Pearl Tower and all the high rises and new buildings going up! There is so much about China that is so incredible and yet very different (obviously), but I don`t think I can really convey what it is like in words. I had a great time, though, and enjoyed seeing a bit of Shanghai (grocery stores, silk markets, side streets, etc...) and got a chance to go to Beijing with Karen, a couple trainees, Jordan, and the Andersons, but I mainly just hung out with Karen - which was fantastic! I cooked for 5 days while Gillian and half the crew went to Beijing for a few days for their little time off, with most of the trainees, and then when they got back we got our break, so us 5 flew to Beijing (about an hour and a half flight), while the Andersons took the 14-hour train; there was absolutely no more room on the trains to Beijing as it was the weekend after China`s Lantern Festival, so it was very busy with everyone trying to get home after that holiday. But we made it to Beijing just fine and had a wonderful stay there in a hotel (Karen and I shared a room that had a huge bathroom with a large shower and we could have hot showers every day! YAY!). Our hotel was really close to the Forbidden City, Tian`anmen Square, and also the night market (where food venders sell crazy, gross things, such as centipedes/cockroaches/snakes/seahorses/seastars/sea urchin/lamb testicles/and many other unidentified "foods"). It was a great experience, altogether, and we got to see a lot in the few short days that we were there. We saw Chairman Mao in his glass coffin, the Monument to the Peoples` Heroes, the Forbidden City, Jinshang Park, The Olympic Park and Countdown Clock (for this year`s summer games, in August), we went out to a fabulous Kung Fu Show (singing, dancing, acting, fighting, acrobatics, cirque du soleil tricks, strength stunts, and even a plot!), eating traditional Chinese foods, and we hiked 8km along one of the most beautiful spots of The Great Wall! That was definitely the highlight of the trip; The Wall! Karen and I had a great time together in Beijing, and in Shanghai, and did a bit of shopping too! But we were very excited to leave China, and get back to Japan! We arrived in Shanghai on Feb. 17th, and left on the 28th, and those 10 or 11 days were well spent (things are really cheap in China)!
We arrived in Hiroshima on March 4th, and we have since done a lot of shopping (Gillian and I had a LOT of food to buy!), laundry, bath house (twice so far and I think I`ll go again tonight - it is such a beautiful onsen, with pools, tubs, and saunas outside!), out for sushi, internet, bank, and most importantly the A-Bomb site and war memorial museum in the heart of Hiroshima. We all went together to the site yesterday and spent the whole day there, and it was incredible! I think everyone should go there just to see it and realize how it affected the people and the whole city here. I can`t express how it truly felt and all the things that went through all of our heads, but just know that it was truly a life changing experience! I will have to tell you more about it when I get home. It was just incredible! Truly amazing, and very disheartening.
So, for now I am just enjoying our time in Hiroshima as we may be leaving tomorrow, or the next day, so I will do one last grocery shop, another trip to the bath house, cooking (I`m making lasagne with a garden salad for tonight`s dinner), and catching up on my journal and letter writing! I am having a great time here in Japan, and enjoying as much as I can. I really do like Japan, and I am really looking forward to getting to go to Osaka, and possibly Kyoto and to the Universal Studios (with Karen and Jeff - who is coming on the 19th! YAY!). The weather is still cold, but not as cold as China, where there was snow! My tan has definitely faded (hopefully I will get a little of it back in Hawaii, in a month) and although my hair has grown a lot, it is very dry, and I am so sick of trying to brush through it - unsuccessfully most of the time - that I am almost ready to chop it off, but I won`t. I`ll wait until I get home and get a nice cut. What else can I say? Thank you everyone for all of your letters, cards, emails, messages on facebook/blog, thoughts, and prayers! I miss you and love you all! Take care of yourselves, and keep safe! I will see you all in 3 months! 99 days left!
Love always, Sailor Katie ;)
After a safe 3-day passage across the East China Sea from Okinawa to China, we had a very exciting and wonderful entry into Shanghai, including the 7-hour trip down the river with our pilot on board. It was a very cold, but very thrilling experience to approach such a huge port, seeing the Pearl Tower and all the high rises and new buildings going up! There is so much about China that is so incredible and yet very different (obviously), but I don`t think I can really convey what it is like in words. I had a great time, though, and enjoyed seeing a bit of Shanghai (grocery stores, silk markets, side streets, etc...) and got a chance to go to Beijing with Karen, a couple trainees, Jordan, and the Andersons, but I mainly just hung out with Karen - which was fantastic! I cooked for 5 days while Gillian and half the crew went to Beijing for a few days for their little time off, with most of the trainees, and then when they got back we got our break, so us 5 flew to Beijing (about an hour and a half flight), while the Andersons took the 14-hour train; there was absolutely no more room on the trains to Beijing as it was the weekend after China`s Lantern Festival, so it was very busy with everyone trying to get home after that holiday. But we made it to Beijing just fine and had a wonderful stay there in a hotel (Karen and I shared a room that had a huge bathroom with a large shower and we could have hot showers every day! YAY!). Our hotel was really close to the Forbidden City, Tian`anmen Square, and also the night market (where food venders sell crazy, gross things, such as centipedes/cockroaches/snakes/seahorses/seastars/sea urchin/lamb testicles/and many other unidentified "foods"). It was a great experience, altogether, and we got to see a lot in the few short days that we were there. We saw Chairman Mao in his glass coffin, the Monument to the Peoples` Heroes, the Forbidden City, Jinshang Park, The Olympic Park and Countdown Clock (for this year`s summer games, in August), we went out to a fabulous Kung Fu Show (singing, dancing, acting, fighting, acrobatics, cirque du soleil tricks, strength stunts, and even a plot!), eating traditional Chinese foods, and we hiked 8km along one of the most beautiful spots of The Great Wall! That was definitely the highlight of the trip; The Wall! Karen and I had a great time together in Beijing, and in Shanghai, and did a bit of shopping too! But we were very excited to leave China, and get back to Japan! We arrived in Shanghai on Feb. 17th, and left on the 28th, and those 10 or 11 days were well spent (things are really cheap in China)!
We arrived in Hiroshima on March 4th, and we have since done a lot of shopping (Gillian and I had a LOT of food to buy!), laundry, bath house (twice so far and I think I`ll go again tonight - it is such a beautiful onsen, with pools, tubs, and saunas outside!), out for sushi, internet, bank, and most importantly the A-Bomb site and war memorial museum in the heart of Hiroshima. We all went together to the site yesterday and spent the whole day there, and it was incredible! I think everyone should go there just to see it and realize how it affected the people and the whole city here. I can`t express how it truly felt and all the things that went through all of our heads, but just know that it was truly a life changing experience! I will have to tell you more about it when I get home. It was just incredible! Truly amazing, and very disheartening.
So, for now I am just enjoying our time in Hiroshima as we may be leaving tomorrow, or the next day, so I will do one last grocery shop, another trip to the bath house, cooking (I`m making lasagne with a garden salad for tonight`s dinner), and catching up on my journal and letter writing! I am having a great time here in Japan, and enjoying as much as I can. I really do like Japan, and I am really looking forward to getting to go to Osaka, and possibly Kyoto and to the Universal Studios (with Karen and Jeff - who is coming on the 19th! YAY!). The weather is still cold, but not as cold as China, where there was snow! My tan has definitely faded (hopefully I will get a little of it back in Hawaii, in a month) and although my hair has grown a lot, it is very dry, and I am so sick of trying to brush through it - unsuccessfully most of the time - that I am almost ready to chop it off, but I won`t. I`ll wait until I get home and get a nice cut. What else can I say? Thank you everyone for all of your letters, cards, emails, messages on facebook/blog, thoughts, and prayers! I miss you and love you all! Take care of yourselves, and keep safe! I will see you all in 3 months! 99 days left!
Love always, Sailor Katie ;)
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Pictures Uploaded to Facebook!
I just uploaded my pictures from Leg 4 and 5 (so far) on my facebook. www.facebook.com So, if you get a chance, please check them out and take a look. I tried to get most of them up, not all of them, but most of the ones that I figured you would be interested in seeing. I hope you enjoy them. I will try to transfer them onto my blog, when I have more time (it took several hours to get all my pictures on my facebook)! By the way, we are still in Okinawa, so maybe I`ll get another chance to put more pictures up, possibly tomorrow, if we end up staying another day due to bad weather, which is very likely! So, enjoy the pictures! I`m off to the bath house, once again!
Love always, Sailor Katie :)
Love always, Sailor Katie :)
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Yes, we`re still in Okinawa!
Well, after staying an extra day because we had to wait for a part to arrive for the boat, we have decided to stay an extra few days because of the terrible weather in the East China Sea! Skipper has been checking the weather several times a day, constantly, and it may be getting better by tomorrow (Saturday, February 9th), so as of now we are planning to leave then. But the 30-ft seas and gale-force winds are very unappealing, so we will leave only when it`s safe to do so, for everyone! That`s just fine by me, and by everyone else, too! We are just trying to keep ourselves busy and occupied with different forms of entertainment to pass the time. We play cards, lots of games, singing, internet, going out to eat, and lots of "last-minute" trips to the bath house! It`s my new favourite place to go and thing to do! Canada should really get bath houses! I even got a nice salt scrub and back massage from a nice, sweet old lady in one of the saunas! I have had some sushi, too, while we have been here, although Okinawa does not have traditional Japanese cuisine. They have their own, traditional Okinawan foods, with a large Chinese influence (noodle, rice, meat dishes). So it is actually difficult to find sushi anywhere, but we found a few places. I am looking forward to getting to mainland Japan and having all the sushi places immaginable available! But first, we have to get to China! I am still really excited to be going to Shanghai, but I don`t want to have to go through that nasty weather that`s just to the west of us. I am having a great time, still, and enjoying all there is to enjoy on this island.
I hope everyone is doing well back home. I miss all of you so much, and I am thinking of you all constantly! I do love you all, and I am continuing to pray for you in all your different areas of life! Thank you all so much for all your letters, messages, thoughts, support, and prayers!
Love always, Sailor Katie :)
P.S. Matt, I love you. I KNOW you know I love you! Enjoy your fourth and final year of your Carpentry Apprenticeship, and I will see you not long after you are done (only 2 months, approximately)! I love you, Matthew Wayne MacDonald, and I am always thinking of you! ;)
I hope everyone is doing well back home. I miss all of you so much, and I am thinking of you all constantly! I do love you all, and I am continuing to pray for you in all your different areas of life! Thank you all so much for all your letters, messages, thoughts, support, and prayers!
Love always, Sailor Katie :)
P.S. Matt, I love you. I KNOW you know I love you! Enjoy your fourth and final year of your Carpentry Apprenticeship, and I will see you not long after you are done (only 2 months, approximately)! I love you, Matthew Wayne MacDonald, and I am always thinking of you! ;)
Monday, February 4, 2008
Address for our Port in Japan!
Just to let anyone know - if any of you are interested - I now have the address to our port agent in Osaka, Japan, for the end of Leg 5! If you Fedex from Victoria/Vancouver, it will arrive within 3-5 business days. Otherwise, if it`s "snail mail" it will take approximately 4 weeks. No big deal, since we will be in Osaka until March 20th! So, here it is:
Katie Neale, Pacific Grace
c/o Waldron Norton Lilly Intl Osaka (Branch)
Heisei Shopping Agencies Ltd.
Wakasugi Grand Bldg 3F
5-25 Tenjinbanshi 2-Chome
There you go! I apologize for keeping this post short, but I have to get back to my laundry and finish that before I head over the the Japanese Bath House, again, for the second time while I`m here in Okinawa! It`s fantastic! I love it! I will have to make another visit when we get to mainland Japan next month! They are so wonderful! I think North America should get some!
Everything is going well. I went to the World`s largest aquarium up the island today, and saw amazing fish - including the world`s largest fish: 3 whale sharks! SO COOL! We are planning on leaving tomorrow, but no promises. We may stay an extra day due to weather and waiting on supplies for the boat.
I hope everyone is doing well! Thank you all for your comments, thoughts, and prayers! I miss you all and I am thinking of all of you! Can`t wait to see everyone in June!
Love always, Sailor Katie ;)
Katie Neale, Pacific Grace
c/o Waldron Norton Lilly Intl Osaka (Branch)
Heisei Shopping Agencies Ltd.
Wakasugi Grand Bldg 3F
5-25 Tenjinbanshi 2-Chome
There you go! I apologize for keeping this post short, but I have to get back to my laundry and finish that before I head over the the Japanese Bath House, again, for the second time while I`m here in Okinawa! It`s fantastic! I love it! I will have to make another visit when we get to mainland Japan next month! They are so wonderful! I think North America should get some!
Everything is going well. I went to the World`s largest aquarium up the island today, and saw amazing fish - including the world`s largest fish: 3 whale sharks! SO COOL! We are planning on leaving tomorrow, but no promises. We may stay an extra day due to weather and waiting on supplies for the boat.
I hope everyone is doing well! Thank you all for your comments, thoughts, and prayers! I miss you all and I am thinking of all of you! Can`t wait to see everyone in June!
Love always, Sailor Katie ;)
Friday, February 1, 2008
Konichiwa from Japan!
We made it to Okinawa! After an 8-day sail we arrived in the city of Naha on the morning of January 31st. It took the most part of the day to get checked in, so none of us were able to get off the boat until dinner-time, but then we ate dinner and I went to bed shortly after then. I made the mistake of play-fighting with Jose in the Aft Cabin right before dinner, and I was practicing my kick-boxing moves on him. But he just picked me up and flipped me upside down. So I kicked him in the face (by accident, since my feet were closer to his head). Then he put me down, and Skipper suggested I hit him hard - I need to be tougher! So, I did the natural thing. No, I didn`t turn the other cheek; I wound up and gave him the hardest right hook I could muster! (As the youngest child of 4, and having an older brother who would constantly play-fight with me, toughen me up, and teach me new moves, I have a hard time not fighting back). Anyway, I must have done something wrong, because everyone heard the crack, of my fist against his shoulder, and it`s been hurting ever since! Suffice to say, I went to bed early that first night in Japan, after taking a few ibuprofin, icing my wrist, and trying to get comfortable and fall asleep. But it was still painful in the morning! So, after struggling through making breakfast and lunch - Karen helped - Sarah took me to the hospital to get an x-ray. This was my first experience of Japan! What a wonderful country! Everyone is so nice and kind, and very helpful and understanding, particularly to us foreigners! It`s great being in Japan, but there is still an American influence here, due to the fact that they still have a big Navy base here on the island, and we saw a U.S. chopper, battleship, jet, and another boat as we were coming into the harbour! But it is definitely a big culture change from the South Pacific! It`s wonderful! I really am enjoying this country! Of course, they do have the signature McDonalds, KFC, Starbucks, and some other American establishments, but they have so many different stores I have never seen before, which made it all worthwhile! Japan is a wonderful country, full of efficient and effective ways of running things (smaller, less-polluting cars, automatic escalators that turn on right before you step on, and off when you get off), and no garbage anywhere! Japan is just so far ahead of the rest of the world in technology, ideas of how to prevent pollution and garbage, and so much more! And they are so clean! Everywhere we go is so tidy and neat, and I think they have the upper-hand on health and eating right, too, with all the fish they eat and less fast food restaurants (I have yet to see an overweight Japanese person). Anyway, after getting some Yen out of the ATM (the local currency here; 100Yen is equal to about $1 Canadian), Sarah and I got dropped off at the Hospital. We talked to a lovely woman who spoke English (they found someone who could translate for us - how sweet!), but the orthopedic area didn`t have an opening until 2pm - which was too late for me as I had to be back on the boat to start dinner. So, she directed us to a clinic where we walked to and I got the x-ray. It`s not broken! YAY! I just have to wear a splint and keep it wrapped up for 2 weeks! That is really unfortunate! I can`t lift things, or write very well, and it`s just a pain in the butt! I find it really debilitating and annoying - a real nuisance! But I`ll be fine. It will just take a while to get better, but I can be patient and deal with it. But other than that, I have really enjoyed Japan! It`s a wonderful country, and I am getting really excited to be going to Hiroshima and Osaka next month! But first Shanghai! We will be here until about February 5th, and then we will leave for China, which will be a 2-3 day passage. But the East China Sea has been very rough weather as of late, so it will be a bit of a challenging trip, or so I think. But this is what makes the experience so grande and amazing! It really is an exciting and amazing trip, and I am so incredibly blessed and fortunate in so many ways! I am doing well, and enjoying myself, and I am really looking forward to all the things and places ahead that we will see and explore! Japan is my new favourite country! But still, there`s no place like home! Oh, Canada! I love you!
Take care, everyone! Thank you everyone for all your messages, emails, prayers, support, and best wishes! I love you all so much, and I do miss you terribly! I can`t wait to see you all again!
I love you and miss you so much, Matt! Take care of yourself, keep busy, and enjoy the rest of the season! It will be spring soon, and I will be home before you know it! The end of this Spring! It`s coming up! I`m so exciting!
Love always, Sailor Katie ;)
Take care, everyone! Thank you everyone for all your messages, emails, prayers, support, and best wishes! I love you all so much, and I do miss you terribly! I can`t wait to see you all again!
I love you and miss you so much, Matt! Take care of yourself, keep busy, and enjoy the rest of the season! It will be spring soon, and I will be home before you know it! The end of this Spring! It`s coming up! I`m so exciting!
Love always, Sailor Katie ;)
Monday, January 21, 2008
Guam, God Bless America!
Well, here we are, halfway around the world, and in the United States of America! Yes, that's right, Guam is owned by the U.S.A. and it certainly shows! After nearly 7 full months of sailing around the South Pacific, and seeing small, remote villages, people living in huts, under thatched roofs, and not seeing a commercial city or town for a very long time, Guam seems like "the land of promise" for all of us onboard the Pacific Grace. It took us almost a week to travel to Guam from Chuuk, Micronesia (our first stop after leaving Madang, PNG in the beginning of January), and although it's only about 1200nm from Chuuk, Guam is so drastically different, that we may as well be on mainland North America, or rather Hawaii (as the two are more similar than the States itself). But I have certainly enjoyed Guam, since Gillian and I have been able to find everything and anything we could ever want or need here, in terms of groceries for the boat! It's incredible! Fresh fruit and vegetables that are so big and bright and juicy looking, huge cans, cheese, eggs, meat, EVERYTHING! They even have a Cost-U-Less here, which is like a Costco, as well as many other supermarkets and grocery stores, and of course the typical shopping centers, movie theatres, and main Hotel strip right by the water. It's very touristy in this city, and mainly populated by U.S. Navy and Coast Guard, Japanese tourists, and then the people that live in Guam (many have come from Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and China). So, we are definitely a very small minority here, as white people, which isn't that out-of-the-ordinary from our previous 7 months of travel, but it is weird being in America, and barely seeing any Americans.
Anyway, it has been a wonderful 5 days here, but all I have really done is shopping, mostly for groceries, which can get a bit exhuasting after a while, especially after having to stow everything every day. But the car rental is a real bonus! Gillian and I rented an Outlander for 3 days, and that has allowed us to drive all over, pick up groceries, and cart everything back to the boat. Nice and easy! It's awesome! We have also had a bit of time on our own, to go see a few movies (National Treasure 2 and The Bucket List), as well as do some personal shopping and visit the spa! (Waxing, facials, and pedicures!) I really needed those! I feel like a girl again! But everything here is really expensive, and I will be glad to be out on the Ocean again, probably by Wednesday early morning (Jan. 23rd), and then we are sailing to Okinawa, before heading into Shanghai! I am so excited for that! I have been most looking forward to China and Japan, and this Leg has definitely proven to be the best in terms of places we get to visit. It is amazing at how far we've travelled, and all the amazing people we have met and places we've been, and things we've done! Really, it IS the trip of a lifetime, with experiences that I will never forget! And there is still more to come!
Well, I am happy that Guam has late-night high-speed, humongous internet places (open until 3am!), as well as grocery stores open 24/7, and laundromats open until 10pm! (Gillian, Sarah, and I just finished doing our laundry.) It's too bad that I have to be back on the boat by 1am; our curfew time. But that's fine, as I have to be up by 5:30 to start breakfast. It's Noah Anderson's 10th birthday tomorrow, and I am going to make a big meal of scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast. We have been very lucky with being able to get fresh food for all our meals, and so I have enjoyed being in port because of that. I am really looking forward to the markets in China, and being able to just walk down the street and buy any fresh food item I want! How pleasantly convenient! Oh, the luxuries we so take for granted back home, but that I'm coming to really appreciate out here!
I am doing well, and enjoying the cooler temperatures (very nice to sleep up on deck while we're at dock, except for the loud, noisy generator that the neighbouring fishing boat has on 24hours a day to keep their fish frozen). I guess it will only continue to get colder from here, but it is still as hot as the hottest summer day in Canada, and I am wearing shorts and tank tops all day long, even at night! So, it is still quite warm over here, however breezy and rainy it may get.
I love and miss you all so much, and I think about you very often! I hope you are all doing well, and enjoying a lovely winter back home. (I saw a picture of the snowfall in Vancouver - incredible!) I miss that! Be safe, and have a wonderful time working, going to school, skiing/snowboarding, and just enjoying the rest of winter!
I love you, Matt! But I'm sure you already knew that! I miss you too! That's equally as obvious. I can't wait to see you!!!
Love always,
Sailor Katie :)
Anyway, it has been a wonderful 5 days here, but all I have really done is shopping, mostly for groceries, which can get a bit exhuasting after a while, especially after having to stow everything every day. But the car rental is a real bonus! Gillian and I rented an Outlander for 3 days, and that has allowed us to drive all over, pick up groceries, and cart everything back to the boat. Nice and easy! It's awesome! We have also had a bit of time on our own, to go see a few movies (National Treasure 2 and The Bucket List), as well as do some personal shopping and visit the spa! (Waxing, facials, and pedicures!) I really needed those! I feel like a girl again! But everything here is really expensive, and I will be glad to be out on the Ocean again, probably by Wednesday early morning (Jan. 23rd), and then we are sailing to Okinawa, before heading into Shanghai! I am so excited for that! I have been most looking forward to China and Japan, and this Leg has definitely proven to be the best in terms of places we get to visit. It is amazing at how far we've travelled, and all the amazing people we have met and places we've been, and things we've done! Really, it IS the trip of a lifetime, with experiences that I will never forget! And there is still more to come!
Well, I am happy that Guam has late-night high-speed, humongous internet places (open until 3am!), as well as grocery stores open 24/7, and laundromats open until 10pm! (Gillian, Sarah, and I just finished doing our laundry.) It's too bad that I have to be back on the boat by 1am; our curfew time. But that's fine, as I have to be up by 5:30 to start breakfast. It's Noah Anderson's 10th birthday tomorrow, and I am going to make a big meal of scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast. We have been very lucky with being able to get fresh food for all our meals, and so I have enjoyed being in port because of that. I am really looking forward to the markets in China, and being able to just walk down the street and buy any fresh food item I want! How pleasantly convenient! Oh, the luxuries we so take for granted back home, but that I'm coming to really appreciate out here!
I am doing well, and enjoying the cooler temperatures (very nice to sleep up on deck while we're at dock, except for the loud, noisy generator that the neighbouring fishing boat has on 24hours a day to keep their fish frozen). I guess it will only continue to get colder from here, but it is still as hot as the hottest summer day in Canada, and I am wearing shorts and tank tops all day long, even at night! So, it is still quite warm over here, however breezy and rainy it may get.
I love and miss you all so much, and I think about you very often! I hope you are all doing well, and enjoying a lovely winter back home. (I saw a picture of the snowfall in Vancouver - incredible!) I miss that! Be safe, and have a wonderful time working, going to school, skiing/snowboarding, and just enjoying the rest of winter!
I love you, Matt! But I'm sure you already knew that! I miss you too! That's equally as obvious. I can't wait to see you!!!
Love always,
Sailor Katie :)
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Happy New Year, Welcome to Micronesia!
And Merry Christmas too, everyone! Thank you all so much for your lovely messages on my blog, and for the letters and gifts I received in the mail in Madang! They all mean so much to me, and I love getting to read notes and letters from everyone! That's all I get out here, and it means the world to me! So thank you! (Matt, I didn't get your package, so hopefully when it arrives they will forward it to China, or Japan!)
I know it's been a long time since I last updated (way too long - I'm sorry), but now I have so much to tell you! Papua New Guinea (PNG) was fantastic, although the internet availability there was just as poor as I imagined it to be, which is why I haven't been able to check my emails and post a blog in over two months! But here I am now, sitting comfortably in a private room at the "Truk Stop Hotel" in Chuuk (pronounced "Truk"), which is a group of Islands in Micronesia.
Rewind a few months: We left the Solomons in mid-November, and arrived safely in PNG, where we enjoyed a month and a half motoring around the islands, and ending in Madang on December 14th, where we spend a week shopping, working, preparing for Christmas, and then left the dock to anchor at a quiet little bay to spend Christmas Eve, Christmas, and Boxing Day, away from the "city". It was a lovely Christmas - by far the hottest one yet (it was up to 52 degrees Celsius!), but we all enjoyed swimming, snorkeling, and water sports during those days out on the water. It was very busy and tiring - all you Mothers can imagine cooking for 37 people, and such big meals for the holidays! But it was all worth it, and we had a great time, as a family on board the Pacific Grace for Christmas. There were times when some of us missed home and our families and friends, but as long as we realized where we were, and that we're all there together, we were able to encourage each other and lift eachother up. I am, however, very glad the holidays are over, and we have started a new year! We arrived back in Madang in time for Leg 4 trainees to disembark, had two wonderfully relaxing days off at the Madang Resort Hotel (in our air-conditioned room!) and then were back on the boat by December 31st to welcome on new Leg 5 trainees, and begin a new leg and a new, completely different, phase of Offshore, in the New Year 2008!
It was a great start to a new leg, with the first night being New Year's Eve, and we tried to make it as festive as we could; I made pizza for dinner, and then had snacks for everyone for a little "midnight party" (chips, pop, popcorn, nuts, and cookies). Karen and Sarah made New Year's crowns for everyone - blue, pink, and green - and each of us got noise makers, so we rang in the New Year as best as we could. We saw a little bit of "fireworks" from the other boats (they all lit off their flares), and we sounded our boat horn as a party boat motored by us. It was fun to know that we were one of the first time zones in the world to ring in the New Year, marking the end of my shortest year ever (we lost a day crossing the Date Line), and the start of my longest year to come (2008 is a leap year, plus we gain a whole day when we cross the Date Line again, on Leg 6).
We just spent a week on the open ocean, sailing to Micronesia from PNG (yes, that's right, we have actually been able to sail for the first time in over 2 months! We hadn't had any wind since Vanuatu!) It was lovely sailing weather, and although many people got seasick on the first night out on the water, everyone got over it pretty quickly, and got their "sea legs". Hopefully it won't be too much worse on our long passage to China (from Guam, through Okinawa, and then to Shanghai). I have heard that will be the worst sailing weather that we will go through, in terms of weather, so I will be relieved once we get through that. But I am mostly excited to get to China and Japan. I have been most looking forward to those two places ever since I found out about this Offshore trip, and now we are finally coming up to them! It is so amazing! Forget about digging holes - I'm sailing on a boat to China! It will be so different after 7-8 months in the South Pacific Islands, in such small communities, to be arriving on mainland China, where the culture there is so rich in comparison, and such a big city, on the biggest continent, such different people, lifestyles, etc...! I am really excited for it all, and I am reading "Red China Blues", by Jan Wong, just to get accquainted with a bit of Chinese History before we arrive. I am also hoping to learn a bit of the Chinese language from Gillian (as she was in China in the summer of 2006) and Japanese from Jordan (who lived in Japan for nearly a year on a student exchange in his grade 10 year). It is an added bonus to have their Asian knowledge and expertise on board, and I hope it will help me when I go to the markets to buy food, and shop and look around the cities! We are also planning two 1-week trips to Beijing by train, to stay in China's capital, and to climb the Great Wall! I hope that all works out. We are hoping to do it in two different groups, so half the crew and trainees can stay on the boat for one week (I will cook straight for one week), and then we switch for the second week. We are hoping to arrive in Shanghai in time for Chinese New Year (February 7th), but as our schedule is so prone to change, and our arrival depends on weather, we will just have to wait and see. We may be there for 2-3 weeks if everything goes according to plan.
As of now, we will be in Micronesia probably only for 1 or 2 more days, perhaps leave sometime on the weekend and head up North to Guam, which is a few more days' sail away. We have all been looking forward to Guam for quite some time now, as it is American, so we can use U.S. currency (which is what Micronesia deals in as well!), and we can actually find recognizable items, such as yogurt (possibly?!), normal meats, good cheese, produces, apples, oranges, etc...! Already in Chuuk, we have seen brand names such as DeGiorno (a few of the guys bought a pizza yesterday), Doritoes, Minute Maid, Cheerios, and cans bigger than 425ml!!!!! Oh, man! The things we miss when we're away from home! Maybe Gillian and I will finaly be able to open only 1 or 2 3-kg cans for dinner, instead of 15-20 miniature-sized ones! It's a tough life out here...sometimes.
So, that is all exciting, to see some things we recognize from home, but I shouldn't get used to it. After all, we are heading to China and Japan, where I won't even be able to read labels. Oh well, that's all part of the experience, and I am really looking forward to it! Apparently, according to Gillian, the food markets in China are incredible, and I have only seen the most amazing pictures of Shanghai at nighttime, so I am really looking forward to actually being there and experiencing it! So much history in that city! AND, that's where Mission: Impossible III was filmed! Alright!
There's not much else I can tell you, other than I'm doing well, I'm feeling good, I have a new focus and a fresh outlook for this year and the remainder of Offshore, I am feeling more challenged in my role as cook, and I feel even more encouraged in my job onboard the boat as a crew member and facilitator of the SALTS program, to serve others as Christ serves us, and to challenge them in their lives. I had a fabulous conversation with Skipper, just to recap the first half of Offshore, and it really renewed my vision and my purpose for why I'm out here, doing what I am doing. I feel better prepared and I have more energy and purpose for doing a great job and being there for others. Ever since that conversation, I have had the most amazing interactions with some of the trainees on board, and I am really looking forward to the remainder of this Leg - the longest Leg of Offshore, at 79 days! Also, I am counting down the days until we get to Osaka, Japan (our final destination of Leg 5), as that is where Jeff, my brother, is coming to meet us! (Karen ends her contract with SALTS then, and so Jeff is flying out to meet her there and they're going to travel around Asia together). I am so excited to see him and I am counting down the days until I get to see him! Only 68 days left! But I don't want those days to go by too quickly, because they are the last days with Karen, and it will be a sad day when she leaves. But then I get to say Hello to Jeff and some new trainees, and that is always new and exciting! Everything in it's own time...
So, until then, I will continue to enjoy myself and be challenged in my role on board. I remember why I'm here (it's not for me, this is a service for others, and I am here for them), and I feel much for confident and comfortable with that in mind! It is a great opportunity, and I feel very blessed and fortunate to be a part of such a wonderful and amazing program! Guam, Okinawa, Shanghai, Beijing, Osaka, here we come! That's it! Then it's all smooth sailing home - through Hawaii, where we've already been! Wow! A full circle of the Pacific! That's almost hard to believe! But we've done it. Well, we're doing it! And it's great. I am continuing to learn something every day, and I am always being challenged and having something added to my life in a beneficial and most enriching way! This trip is definately teaching me patience, perseverance, self-sacrifice, and time management, even more so than before! God is good, and I owe him all the credit! The people are amazing, and I honestly can say that I would not be able to do this trip without them, nor without such an amazing crew!
Thank you, everyone, for all your love, support, prayers, and thoughts! I am feeling your love out here, and I can't wait until we are all united again! Only 5 more months - less than halfway! I am so excited! I love you all soo much, and I miss you more than you know (Matt, you the most!)
Love and kisses to everyone back home! See you in June!
Love always, Sailor Katie :)
I know it's been a long time since I last updated (way too long - I'm sorry), but now I have so much to tell you! Papua New Guinea (PNG) was fantastic, although the internet availability there was just as poor as I imagined it to be, which is why I haven't been able to check my emails and post a blog in over two months! But here I am now, sitting comfortably in a private room at the "Truk Stop Hotel" in Chuuk (pronounced "Truk"), which is a group of Islands in Micronesia.
Rewind a few months: We left the Solomons in mid-November, and arrived safely in PNG, where we enjoyed a month and a half motoring around the islands, and ending in Madang on December 14th, where we spend a week shopping, working, preparing for Christmas, and then left the dock to anchor at a quiet little bay to spend Christmas Eve, Christmas, and Boxing Day, away from the "city". It was a lovely Christmas - by far the hottest one yet (it was up to 52 degrees Celsius!), but we all enjoyed swimming, snorkeling, and water sports during those days out on the water. It was very busy and tiring - all you Mothers can imagine cooking for 37 people, and such big meals for the holidays! But it was all worth it, and we had a great time, as a family on board the Pacific Grace for Christmas. There were times when some of us missed home and our families and friends, but as long as we realized where we were, and that we're all there together, we were able to encourage each other and lift eachother up. I am, however, very glad the holidays are over, and we have started a new year! We arrived back in Madang in time for Leg 4 trainees to disembark, had two wonderfully relaxing days off at the Madang Resort Hotel (in our air-conditioned room!) and then were back on the boat by December 31st to welcome on new Leg 5 trainees, and begin a new leg and a new, completely different, phase of Offshore, in the New Year 2008!
It was a great start to a new leg, with the first night being New Year's Eve, and we tried to make it as festive as we could; I made pizza for dinner, and then had snacks for everyone for a little "midnight party" (chips, pop, popcorn, nuts, and cookies). Karen and Sarah made New Year's crowns for everyone - blue, pink, and green - and each of us got noise makers, so we rang in the New Year as best as we could. We saw a little bit of "fireworks" from the other boats (they all lit off their flares), and we sounded our boat horn as a party boat motored by us. It was fun to know that we were one of the first time zones in the world to ring in the New Year, marking the end of my shortest year ever (we lost a day crossing the Date Line), and the start of my longest year to come (2008 is a leap year, plus we gain a whole day when we cross the Date Line again, on Leg 6).
We just spent a week on the open ocean, sailing to Micronesia from PNG (yes, that's right, we have actually been able to sail for the first time in over 2 months! We hadn't had any wind since Vanuatu!) It was lovely sailing weather, and although many people got seasick on the first night out on the water, everyone got over it pretty quickly, and got their "sea legs". Hopefully it won't be too much worse on our long passage to China (from Guam, through Okinawa, and then to Shanghai). I have heard that will be the worst sailing weather that we will go through, in terms of weather, so I will be relieved once we get through that. But I am mostly excited to get to China and Japan. I have been most looking forward to those two places ever since I found out about this Offshore trip, and now we are finally coming up to them! It is so amazing! Forget about digging holes - I'm sailing on a boat to China! It will be so different after 7-8 months in the South Pacific Islands, in such small communities, to be arriving on mainland China, where the culture there is so rich in comparison, and such a big city, on the biggest continent, such different people, lifestyles, etc...! I am really excited for it all, and I am reading "Red China Blues", by Jan Wong, just to get accquainted with a bit of Chinese History before we arrive. I am also hoping to learn a bit of the Chinese language from Gillian (as she was in China in the summer of 2006) and Japanese from Jordan (who lived in Japan for nearly a year on a student exchange in his grade 10 year). It is an added bonus to have their Asian knowledge and expertise on board, and I hope it will help me when I go to the markets to buy food, and shop and look around the cities! We are also planning two 1-week trips to Beijing by train, to stay in China's capital, and to climb the Great Wall! I hope that all works out. We are hoping to do it in two different groups, so half the crew and trainees can stay on the boat for one week (I will cook straight for one week), and then we switch for the second week. We are hoping to arrive in Shanghai in time for Chinese New Year (February 7th), but as our schedule is so prone to change, and our arrival depends on weather, we will just have to wait and see. We may be there for 2-3 weeks if everything goes according to plan.
As of now, we will be in Micronesia probably only for 1 or 2 more days, perhaps leave sometime on the weekend and head up North to Guam, which is a few more days' sail away. We have all been looking forward to Guam for quite some time now, as it is American, so we can use U.S. currency (which is what Micronesia deals in as well!), and we can actually find recognizable items, such as yogurt (possibly?!), normal meats, good cheese, produces, apples, oranges, etc...! Already in Chuuk, we have seen brand names such as DeGiorno (a few of the guys bought a pizza yesterday), Doritoes, Minute Maid, Cheerios, and cans bigger than 425ml!!!!! Oh, man! The things we miss when we're away from home! Maybe Gillian and I will finaly be able to open only 1 or 2 3-kg cans for dinner, instead of 15-20 miniature-sized ones! It's a tough life out here...sometimes.
So, that is all exciting, to see some things we recognize from home, but I shouldn't get used to it. After all, we are heading to China and Japan, where I won't even be able to read labels. Oh well, that's all part of the experience, and I am really looking forward to it! Apparently, according to Gillian, the food markets in China are incredible, and I have only seen the most amazing pictures of Shanghai at nighttime, so I am really looking forward to actually being there and experiencing it! So much history in that city! AND, that's where Mission: Impossible III was filmed! Alright!
There's not much else I can tell you, other than I'm doing well, I'm feeling good, I have a new focus and a fresh outlook for this year and the remainder of Offshore, I am feeling more challenged in my role as cook, and I feel even more encouraged in my job onboard the boat as a crew member and facilitator of the SALTS program, to serve others as Christ serves us, and to challenge them in their lives. I had a fabulous conversation with Skipper, just to recap the first half of Offshore, and it really renewed my vision and my purpose for why I'm out here, doing what I am doing. I feel better prepared and I have more energy and purpose for doing a great job and being there for others. Ever since that conversation, I have had the most amazing interactions with some of the trainees on board, and I am really looking forward to the remainder of this Leg - the longest Leg of Offshore, at 79 days! Also, I am counting down the days until we get to Osaka, Japan (our final destination of Leg 5), as that is where Jeff, my brother, is coming to meet us! (Karen ends her contract with SALTS then, and so Jeff is flying out to meet her there and they're going to travel around Asia together). I am so excited to see him and I am counting down the days until I get to see him! Only 68 days left! But I don't want those days to go by too quickly, because they are the last days with Karen, and it will be a sad day when she leaves. But then I get to say Hello to Jeff and some new trainees, and that is always new and exciting! Everything in it's own time...
So, until then, I will continue to enjoy myself and be challenged in my role on board. I remember why I'm here (it's not for me, this is a service for others, and I am here for them), and I feel much for confident and comfortable with that in mind! It is a great opportunity, and I feel very blessed and fortunate to be a part of such a wonderful and amazing program! Guam, Okinawa, Shanghai, Beijing, Osaka, here we come! That's it! Then it's all smooth sailing home - through Hawaii, where we've already been! Wow! A full circle of the Pacific! That's almost hard to believe! But we've done it. Well, we're doing it! And it's great. I am continuing to learn something every day, and I am always being challenged and having something added to my life in a beneficial and most enriching way! This trip is definately teaching me patience, perseverance, self-sacrifice, and time management, even more so than before! God is good, and I owe him all the credit! The people are amazing, and I honestly can say that I would not be able to do this trip without them, nor without such an amazing crew!
Thank you, everyone, for all your love, support, prayers, and thoughts! I am feeling your love out here, and I can't wait until we are all united again! Only 5 more months - less than halfway! I am so excited! I love you all soo much, and I miss you more than you know (Matt, you the most!)
Love and kisses to everyone back home! See you in June!
Love always, Sailor Katie :)
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Vanuatu to the Solomon Islands
WOW! Almost a whole month has gone by since my last blog! My, how time flies - well, out here anyway, sometimes. Since leaving Fiji (which I miss so dearly and would love to return to one day), we spent a little over a week in the Islands of Vanuatu (lovely people, with very beautiful features, dark skin, and the most incredibly white and straight teeth I have ever seen - and no braces or dental care either)! The most memorable day in Vanuatu would have to be on the Island of Ambrym, where we saw a traditional Rom dance in the small village of Fanla, the boys went on a pig hunt with the locals (and got 3 pigs - one of which Karen killed by wacking it with a spear. I couldn't watch), and we had a wonderful beach dinner, complete with a real pig roast right there on the shore in front of where our boat was anchored with some of the village people (I know that sounds weird, but lets not think of Men dancing around singing YMCA just now). I met some of the young girls who were preparing our dinner and helped them set up by cutting up the vegetables and laying them all out on banana leaves on palm fronds on the sand. We feasted on taro, sweet potato, cucumbers, sweet bananas (the mini ones), coconuts, and - of course - pig, although I declined eating any of it. But I learned my lesson, and that is to stay away from the cocount cream that they put on some of the vegetables, and to not have too much coconut milk or meat (although it is really tasty)!
We finished our tour of the Vanuatu Islands by the end of October, and celebrated Halloween onboard with a fun dress up party, complete with trick-or-treating, prizes, and best costume laughs (there are many pictures, hopefully Jose will post those). We entered into the Solomons by the beginning of November, and checked into customs in Honiara, Guadalcanal, which is the capital of the Solomons. It was by far the dirtiest and "sketchiest" place we have ever been, and after being there for a couple of days, to pick up some supplies, food, and get fresh water showers, we were out of there as quickly as possible, on to more remote islands, and quiet, paradise bays! We motored onto Gizo, where I am now, and on the way stopped at a tiny Island where we went snorkeling, swimming, walked around the small Island, played volleyball, frisbee, football, and some of the guys went spear fishing. The weather continues to get hotter every day, and - if you can imagine - I think the stove is too! I must be losing weight, purely by all the sweating I'm doing! But I drink tons of water too, so I probably just gain the water weight back! I haven't seen any sharks yet, but after snorkeling today in the murkiest water, full of "floaties" and small undetected jellies (I got lots of small stings on my arms and legs, that have since disappeared) I am quite glad I didn't come across any jaws-like characters! Swimming in water that is dark and where I can't see below me or even know what is underneath me is scary enough! I still have to have someone jump in the water with me whenever I take a shower or go swimming. I need to get over that fear! But if there's any chance that someone else will get attacked before me, then I'll take it. Ha ha ha. Just kidding, Mom! It's totally safe! I'm fine, besides, I only have to swim faster than just one person, right? I also try to wear bright colours and my red mask and snorkel to make myself look most unlike any type of sea prey.
The Solomons have been wonderful so far, by the people are nowhere near as friendly as Fijians, or the people of Vanuatu, especially in the villages! They all chew this awful Betelnut stuff, which rots and stains their teeth red, and you see red splotches all over the ground from where they spit it out. Smoking and chewing are very bad habits down here, but I guess every place has it's "thing". I enjoy the swimming, snorkeling, hanging out on the boat, swinging off the ropeswing, and the occaissional venture to land, that is a quiet tiny Island where there are no people, and I can walk around the Island and dig my feet into the soft, white sand! It's heavenly! I never imagined the Solomons to be like this!
I am learning so much about their cultures down here; we visited "Skull Island", where they used to bring the heads of their dead chiefs and worship them there in the altar/grave they created for them. There were literally hundreds of skulls, but I didn't take any pictures (I felt it was a sacred place and it is a tomb, and very special to the people their). But I will never forget it. I was particularly interested in how old they were (over 100 years or more), and I enjoyed looking at the bone structures and analyzing the biology and how intact or severely broken many of the skulls were. It was really neat to see my memory of University Bio classes coming back into play at such a far away place in the world (Frontal lob, occipital lobe, etc...)! I miss that so much!
This morning we snorkeled/swam to Kennedy Island, which is aptly named after the late J.F.K., who swam to this tiny Island back in the 40s (or 50s?) when his famous U.S. boat (P.T. 109) was hit broadside by a Japanese war ship, by fluke. It was very cool to be on that Island, so small, knowing that 60 years ago JFK himself was here, and to read about and learn of WWII and how that affected the people here, what was going on, how the Japanese, Australians, Solomon Islanders, Americans, and South Pacific Islands were all involved! It's so great to learn about that time in our world's history, and to see and read about the places first hand! This experience is just so much more grander than I ever thought possible! The reading material is never short, either, on the boat!
Well, my time is almost done here, and tonight we are all invited to a live music and dance party at the yacht club, where food and drinks are cheaper for us (as honorary members) as well as laundry and showers! YAY! I already dropped my laundry off, and I will be taking a shower before dinner! VERY exciting! They have ice cold, bottled water, which is fantastic, and I am just happy to have some fresh vegetables again! Gillian and I did a bit of shopping today in "town" (Gizo) and the market, but we couldn't find eggs anywhere! It's a rare commodity here, and apparently when then come, they are sold very quickly! Oh dear, I guess it will be fruit salad and porridge tomorrow morning...which is fine with me, I love that!
Unfortunately, they don't have Skype here, or the headsets to use it anyway, so I apologize for not being able to call anyone (Matt, Mom and Dad, Amy, Jeff, EM, Jamie and Judy), but I hope you can all read this and know that I am doing well, having a good time, and enjoying myself. I am safe, tanned, and happy - when I'm not terribly homesick (I cried last night). But I am loving all that we get to do and see, and the interactions we have with others and with trainees are irreplaceable! I don't regret a single thing!
Time is going by quickly, and I am trying to make the best of each moment! I think of all of you back home very often, and I am thinking of you and praying for you, especially during this time as the Fall semester comes close to the end and exams begin, the holidays are fast approaching, the weather is no doubt getting colder, and the end of another year is ending. I hope that you are all doing well, and enjoying life, wherever you may be! I love you all, and miss you very much!
Love you and miss you, Matt! Take care, and I hope to talk to you soon! Maybe when we get to PNG, but I don't know what the internet situation will be like there either. I will try my best! I'm thinking of you and praying for you constantly! Have a great time in Edmonton for Dan and Nicholine's wedding! I wish I could be there! Give them my best wishes and please tell them I say congratulations! Say a big hello to all of your family for me too, please!
Love always, Sailor Katie
We finished our tour of the Vanuatu Islands by the end of October, and celebrated Halloween onboard with a fun dress up party, complete with trick-or-treating, prizes, and best costume laughs (there are many pictures, hopefully Jose will post those). We entered into the Solomons by the beginning of November, and checked into customs in Honiara, Guadalcanal, which is the capital of the Solomons. It was by far the dirtiest and "sketchiest" place we have ever been, and after being there for a couple of days, to pick up some supplies, food, and get fresh water showers, we were out of there as quickly as possible, on to more remote islands, and quiet, paradise bays! We motored onto Gizo, where I am now, and on the way stopped at a tiny Island where we went snorkeling, swimming, walked around the small Island, played volleyball, frisbee, football, and some of the guys went spear fishing. The weather continues to get hotter every day, and - if you can imagine - I think the stove is too! I must be losing weight, purely by all the sweating I'm doing! But I drink tons of water too, so I probably just gain the water weight back! I haven't seen any sharks yet, but after snorkeling today in the murkiest water, full of "floaties" and small undetected jellies (I got lots of small stings on my arms and legs, that have since disappeared) I am quite glad I didn't come across any jaws-like characters! Swimming in water that is dark and where I can't see below me or even know what is underneath me is scary enough! I still have to have someone jump in the water with me whenever I take a shower or go swimming. I need to get over that fear! But if there's any chance that someone else will get attacked before me, then I'll take it. Ha ha ha. Just kidding, Mom! It's totally safe! I'm fine, besides, I only have to swim faster than just one person, right? I also try to wear bright colours and my red mask and snorkel to make myself look most unlike any type of sea prey.
The Solomons have been wonderful so far, by the people are nowhere near as friendly as Fijians, or the people of Vanuatu, especially in the villages! They all chew this awful Betelnut stuff, which rots and stains their teeth red, and you see red splotches all over the ground from where they spit it out. Smoking and chewing are very bad habits down here, but I guess every place has it's "thing". I enjoy the swimming, snorkeling, hanging out on the boat, swinging off the ropeswing, and the occaissional venture to land, that is a quiet tiny Island where there are no people, and I can walk around the Island and dig my feet into the soft, white sand! It's heavenly! I never imagined the Solomons to be like this!
I am learning so much about their cultures down here; we visited "Skull Island", where they used to bring the heads of their dead chiefs and worship them there in the altar/grave they created for them. There were literally hundreds of skulls, but I didn't take any pictures (I felt it was a sacred place and it is a tomb, and very special to the people their). But I will never forget it. I was particularly interested in how old they were (over 100 years or more), and I enjoyed looking at the bone structures and analyzing the biology and how intact or severely broken many of the skulls were. It was really neat to see my memory of University Bio classes coming back into play at such a far away place in the world (Frontal lob, occipital lobe, etc...)! I miss that so much!
This morning we snorkeled/swam to Kennedy Island, which is aptly named after the late J.F.K., who swam to this tiny Island back in the 40s (or 50s?) when his famous U.S. boat (P.T. 109) was hit broadside by a Japanese war ship, by fluke. It was very cool to be on that Island, so small, knowing that 60 years ago JFK himself was here, and to read about and learn of WWII and how that affected the people here, what was going on, how the Japanese, Australians, Solomon Islanders, Americans, and South Pacific Islands were all involved! It's so great to learn about that time in our world's history, and to see and read about the places first hand! This experience is just so much more grander than I ever thought possible! The reading material is never short, either, on the boat!
Well, my time is almost done here, and tonight we are all invited to a live music and dance party at the yacht club, where food and drinks are cheaper for us (as honorary members) as well as laundry and showers! YAY! I already dropped my laundry off, and I will be taking a shower before dinner! VERY exciting! They have ice cold, bottled water, which is fantastic, and I am just happy to have some fresh vegetables again! Gillian and I did a bit of shopping today in "town" (Gizo) and the market, but we couldn't find eggs anywhere! It's a rare commodity here, and apparently when then come, they are sold very quickly! Oh dear, I guess it will be fruit salad and porridge tomorrow morning...which is fine with me, I love that!
Unfortunately, they don't have Skype here, or the headsets to use it anyway, so I apologize for not being able to call anyone (Matt, Mom and Dad, Amy, Jeff, EM, Jamie and Judy), but I hope you can all read this and know that I am doing well, having a good time, and enjoying myself. I am safe, tanned, and happy - when I'm not terribly homesick (I cried last night). But I am loving all that we get to do and see, and the interactions we have with others and with trainees are irreplaceable! I don't regret a single thing!
Time is going by quickly, and I am trying to make the best of each moment! I think of all of you back home very often, and I am thinking of you and praying for you, especially during this time as the Fall semester comes close to the end and exams begin, the holidays are fast approaching, the weather is no doubt getting colder, and the end of another year is ending. I hope that you are all doing well, and enjoying life, wherever you may be! I love you all, and miss you very much!
Love you and miss you, Matt! Take care, and I hope to talk to you soon! Maybe when we get to PNG, but I don't know what the internet situation will be like there either. I will try my best! I'm thinking of you and praying for you constantly! Have a great time in Edmonton for Dan and Nicholine's wedding! I wish I could be there! Give them my best wishes and please tell them I say congratulations! Say a big hello to all of your family for me too, please!
Love always, Sailor Katie
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Leaving Fiji
After 10 days in Lautoka, Fiji (minus the few days we spent at the Safari Lodge on a small Northern Island), we will be leaving tomorrow (Monday), after Gillian and I do a big fresh shop at the market for fruit and vegetables! We were able to get a ton of food at the supermarket yesterday, but as today is Sunday, nothing is open, so we will have to go tomorrow to get what we need. We will be going to the Yasawas first (and island group off of the Northwest coast of Fiji), and then we will be coming back to the big Island of Fiji before leaving again next week for Vanuatu, then the Solomon Islands, and finally ending this fourth leg of the Offshore journey in Papua New Guinea, by Christmas time. This trip is 77 days long, the second longest Leg (the longest is 79 days), which is 25 days longer than Leg 3, and is longer than Leg 1 and 2 combined! So, we will have a lot of time to get to know each other, and to visit all of the Island we will be going to. Our time spent at the Safari Lodge was fantastic! We had 3 glorious days at this beautiful beach-front resort, with all the watersports available that you can imagine! I got to go waterskiing and wakeboarding, kayaking, swimming, and I even learned how to windsurf and kite-board, only the wind wasn't strong enough, so it was more kite-bodysurfing (without the use of a board). It was fantastic! We all had a ton of fun, and some of us got burnt, during the 2 days spent non-stop in the water and in the sun! I had such a fabulous time there, and it was very difficult to leave on Saturday morning. I am hoping to go back there again someday. I was in my element with all the watersports they had to offer! I highly recommend that place to anyone who is adventurous and who wants to have fun with the company there, meet new people, and just get away from the busy stresses of life. It is the perfect remedy! But now we are back on the boat, and preparing to leave on our 4th Leg of the Offshore journey. I had a great time in Fiji, and would love to come back some day! Meeting other people who are also travelling and working abroad has expanded my desire to go to more places in the worlds, and experience life elsewhere, such as places all over Australia, New Zealand, Greece, the Philippines, and even Africa! So much to do in such a short life, but we may as well do as much as possible! I am excited to leave on this Leg, and looking forward to getting to know the new trainees, who all seem so great, and to see new places!
I trust that everyone is doing well, and that you all had a wonderful and Happy Thanksgiving back back in Canada last weekend. I am thinking of you all, and praying that the rest of your year goes well!
My love goes out to all of you!
Love always,
Sailor, Katie "Popeye" Neale
P.S. Here are the addresses for our next 3 ports at the end of Leg 4, 5, and 6, just in case anyone would like to send something to me. (I absolutely LOVE receiving mail! It is the highlight of the whole trip!) Just make sure you send it about a month and a half or so ahead of time, in order for it to arrive from Canada to whatever port we are at.
KATIE NEALE c/o Pacific Grace
D&S Seko Ltd.
PO BOX 993
Madang, Papua New Guinea
(Arriving approximately December 20, send by early November).
KATIE NEALE c/o Pacific Grace
Penavico Shanghai Pudong Co., Ltd.
5/F., No. 175 (Wang Jiao Plaza), Yan An Road.,
Shanghai 200002, P.R. China
(Arriving approximately March 10, send by late Jan/early Feb.)
KATIE NEALE c/o Pacific Grace
Waldron Norton Lilly Intl.
521 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 255
Honolulu, Hawaii 96825 U.S.A.
(Arriving approximately April 25, send by mid March).
Thank you! Hope to hear from some of you!
I trust that everyone is doing well, and that you all had a wonderful and Happy Thanksgiving back back in Canada last weekend. I am thinking of you all, and praying that the rest of your year goes well!
My love goes out to all of you!
Love always,
Sailor, Katie "Popeye" Neale
P.S. Here are the addresses for our next 3 ports at the end of Leg 4, 5, and 6, just in case anyone would like to send something to me. (I absolutely LOVE receiving mail! It is the highlight of the whole trip!) Just make sure you send it about a month and a half or so ahead of time, in order for it to arrive from Canada to whatever port we are at.
KATIE NEALE c/o Pacific Grace
D&S Seko Ltd.
PO BOX 993
Madang, Papua New Guinea
(Arriving approximately December 20, send by early November).
KATIE NEALE c/o Pacific Grace
Penavico Shanghai Pudong Co., Ltd.
5/F., No. 175 (Wang Jiao Plaza), Yan An Road.,
Shanghai 200002, P.R. China
(Arriving approximately March 10, send by late Jan/early Feb.)
KATIE NEALE c/o Pacific Grace
Waldron Norton Lilly Intl.
521 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 255
Honolulu, Hawaii 96825 U.S.A.
(Arriving approximately April 25, send by mid March).
Thank you! Hope to hear from some of you!
Friday, October 5, 2007
Fiji, finally!
After about 46 days since leaving Tahiti, we made it to Fiji. Fiji is a wonderful place, sort of. It is very hot, dirty, tons of people around, and probably not the safest of Islands, as they frequently have Coups, but we are docked in Lautoka, which is about a 4-5hour drive from Suva (a more dangerous and unpredictable place). Lautoka is on the North-West corner of Fiji, and is where we will be until we leave on Leg 4 next week (October 14th). As usual, it is quite busy once we hit land and especially at the end of a Leg. Our work days are Sunday and Monday, so Gillian and I have a third of the trainees to help clean out the Fo'c'sle, Hold and Galley, and scrub and scrape everything clean! The others will be with the Watch Officers to do sanding/painting the hull, deck work, and rigging for the two days. As the exterminators are "blasting" the boat during our days off (Oct. 11-12), we can't do our big grocery shop until the 13th, so the first thing Leg 4 trainees will be doing is stowing all the food! Yay! We have to clean out everything and take all the food up on deck where it will be for about 2 days while the boat is exterminated. But because this is such powerful stuff (the same thing Saddam Hussein used), it will kill every living thing on board - no survivors)! Hence why all the food has to come out, along with any toilettries, since they absorb into the skin, nobody can be on board for 2 days, and we have to do another clean after it is all done (washing dishes, wiping surfaces, etc). But I am positive and hopeful that we will have no more bed bug or bug problems from now on (cross my fingers). Our Leg end dinner will consist of all of us going to a nice hotel for a catered buffet meal. Halleluliah! Gillian and I don't have to cook or clean, everything is paid for within our budget, and we can all sit and relax, in our own rented room, with a slide projector included so we can view the Leg end photos that Jose has put together for the final slide show! Fantastic! That will be on Monday night (Canadian Thanksgiving), so we will be having Pumpkin soup, which was our choice for the soup option, in an attempt to have some sort of Thanksgiving food. We certainly have a lot to be thankful for! Safe travels, health and happiness, good weather, wonderful memories, and more to look forward to! There have definitely been hard times as well, but it's all a learning experience, and I have learned so much in these last 4 months, and have grown immensely because of it. 8 more months to go! I am counting the days. 252 days until Offshore is done, 80 days until Christmas, and 7 days until Leg 4 begins. Carolyn and I spent the day in Nadi yesterday, went to a few stores, spoke with a tourist info lady from Quebec, got waxes, and went out for a lovely fish dinner. We have the "luxury" of free cold yet refreshing fresh-water showers on the dock, but it's really just a hole in the wall where the water comes out of (and if the men's showers are on, the water just trickles down the wall), the door doesn't close, the drain doesn't fully drain all the time, and basically the whole bathroom is a bit sketchy, but we don't care. We go in pairs, and so love the running fresh water! It's wonderful! I shower every day now! We will be staying at a resort in between Legs for 2 days, while the boat is fumigated, so hopefully that will be a nice time to rest and relax. It's been very busy and hectic lately. There is a lot going on and much more to do while we are here. ONce again, I will be glad when we leave - being on the water is much more peaceful and less stressful than these big cities and smelly, hot pollution. I hope that everyone is doing well at home. I miss you all terribly (as usual - what else is new?) but I am staying strong and having the best experience that I can have. It's my highlight to get a letter, a message, an email, or a little note on Facebook. That just makes my whole day, my week, my year! Thank you to all for your thoughts and prayers! They mean so much!
Love to you all!
Love always, Katie Popeye Neale
Love to you all!
Love always, Katie Popeye Neale
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Fire Dancers in Samoa!
Hello again! Now we're in Samoa - Independent Samoa - on the Island of U'polu. We are headed for Suva'i tonight at 1800hrs. We arrived on Thursday afternoon, and I was able to spend a few hours on land before dinner, just walking into the town, going to the bank to exchange currency, dropped of some laundry, and went to the grocery store to get some snacks (nuts) and ice cold water! Our boat is docked at the farthest most possible spot from the town, so it allows us all to get some great exercise in walking to and from the town every day, often multiple times a day! Friday (yesterday) was spent mostly shopping for food with Gillian. We took 2-3 trips to and from the grocer's and market in taxis, carting food to the boat, loading it on, and stowing it all away. I had to leave Gillian at the market early because I needed to be back to the boat to make dinner (Judy, I made your famous chili again, with my own incorporation of chick peas, black beans, corn, and some extra spices, and cornbread)! But I didn't eat at the boat. Gillian and I used the showers near the boat after a long, hot, sweaty day of shopping and stowing down below with the oven on, washed off all the grime of the day's work, and then went out with Karen, Jordan, and some other trainees to a buffet dinner and a fire-dancing show! It was awesome! The guys were the fire dancers, and really amazing entertainers! It was great! At the end of the show, one of our trainees kissed "the godfather" (the name of the biggest firedancer) and then she got up to dance with the dancers on stage, and many of us got up there as well! (I was taking pictures and laughing at our table). It was great fun! And after all our dance practices in the Marquesas, Tuamotus, and Cook Islands, it was really fun watching everyone bust out their South Pacific moves! Later, we all went to "Vbar" for some more dancing, but we were the only ones dancing. It was fun! Dancing to songs like 500 Miles, and other recognizable tunes (Matt, you would have loved it - I imagined you there dancing with us)! It was very hot there, though, so I was happy when we finally decided to go back to the boat. It was an incredibly hot day, but Gillian and I were able to do some laundry, and get all the food put away, so I'm happy!
Today, Gillian, Karen, Jose and I all went up to Robert Louis Stevenson's House (which is now a Museum) and got a tour of his place. IT was incredible! (R.L. Stevenson, for those who don't know, wrote many books and poems, the most famous being "Treasure Island", "Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde", and "Kidnapped"). His house was really quite amazing, with all original furniture, artwork, pictures, instruments, original copies of his first books, and so forth all there. I learned a lot about his life, and his time spent in Samoa, and then we hiked up the hill to where his and his wife's gravesites are (at the top of a hill overlooking the town and ocean - just magnificent)! Jose took a video of us up there, so when I get his website I will add it to my links so you can all take a look! He has many great pictures and videos of the trip so far, and I think it would be very beneficial to check those out! I will get that as soon as possible! After the hike, we went to a cute little cafe for lunch and fruit drinks, and now, here I sit in the internet cafe, just finished listening to Usher.
We are leaving soon, so I just want to say a big Hello to everyone and that I miss you all a ton (especially you, Matt!) By the way, my camera stopped working, and my Ipod and charger got stolen on Palmerston Island (the last Cook Island we went to), so I am really upset and sad at this loss of technology. I am hoping to get Mom to maybe get me a new digital camera and Amy to get another IPOD (both for good deals) and download all the music onto it and send it to the SALTS office within the next couple of weeks, so it can come out with the next group of trainees, who are meeting us in FIJI on October 10th. Loren Hagerty (SALTS's executive director) as well as Sarah Brizan (the Watch Officer) and Gillian Hoyer's Dad are all coming to Fiji, so one of them can bring them out. Of course, I will pay you back, but I am just really upset about no camera or IPOD (You can't imagine how necessary those items are on a trip like this!) and I would SO LOVE to take pictures and listen to music - that's all i need! That, and Matt's hugs and machine gun kisses from MOm~hee hee~
I love you all! Take care, and I will see you all soon (in my dreams)!
Love always, Katie
Today, Gillian, Karen, Jose and I all went up to Robert Louis Stevenson's House (which is now a Museum) and got a tour of his place. IT was incredible! (R.L. Stevenson, for those who don't know, wrote many books and poems, the most famous being "Treasure Island", "Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde", and "Kidnapped"). His house was really quite amazing, with all original furniture, artwork, pictures, instruments, original copies of his first books, and so forth all there. I learned a lot about his life, and his time spent in Samoa, and then we hiked up the hill to where his and his wife's gravesites are (at the top of a hill overlooking the town and ocean - just magnificent)! Jose took a video of us up there, so when I get his website I will add it to my links so you can all take a look! He has many great pictures and videos of the trip so far, and I think it would be very beneficial to check those out! I will get that as soon as possible! After the hike, we went to a cute little cafe for lunch and fruit drinks, and now, here I sit in the internet cafe, just finished listening to Usher.
We are leaving soon, so I just want to say a big Hello to everyone and that I miss you all a ton (especially you, Matt!) By the way, my camera stopped working, and my Ipod and charger got stolen on Palmerston Island (the last Cook Island we went to), so I am really upset and sad at this loss of technology. I am hoping to get Mom to maybe get me a new digital camera and Amy to get another IPOD (both for good deals) and download all the music onto it and send it to the SALTS office within the next couple of weeks, so it can come out with the next group of trainees, who are meeting us in FIJI on October 10th. Loren Hagerty (SALTS's executive director) as well as Sarah Brizan (the Watch Officer) and Gillian Hoyer's Dad are all coming to Fiji, so one of them can bring them out. Of course, I will pay you back, but I am just really upset about no camera or IPOD (You can't imagine how necessary those items are on a trip like this!) and I would SO LOVE to take pictures and listen to music - that's all i need! That, and Matt's hugs and machine gun kisses from MOm~hee hee~
I love you all! Take care, and I will see you all soon (in my dreams)!
Love always, Katie
Monday, September 10, 2007
Beautiful Aitutaki!
Well, we made it to Aitutaki, after about 24 hours of an expected 12 hour sail. (Someone wasn't plotting properly, if at all). Oh well, we're here now, and in quite possibly the most beautiful Island I have seen yet. It's not so much the Island itself, as much as the clear-blue water, palm trees, and coral atolls that surround Aitutaki that make it so gorgeous. But, as I was talking with Leslie earlier, I could never live here. Visit and tour around, yes, but not permanently. The lifestyle here is so laid back and relaxed, and I think that would get to me after a while. But for right now it's fun just to see people in their 70s, with gray hair, riding around on motor-scooters in Floral shirts, with no helmuts! It's hilarious. But everyone rides around on those scooters, everywhere! Not just the elderly, although they are the typicals. Anyway, We had to anchor about a half mile from shore because of the coral reefs, and a tour boat offered to transport all of us to shore, which was great because it would have taken us forever to have transported everyone in the Zodiac (our dories are full of food and supplies for people in Palmerston, from friends we made in Rarotonga, as favours for them).
Gillian and I were finally able to do our BIG shop on Saturday, after the bed bug clean, before we left for here, so our boat is now full of food, plus all the stuff we are bringing to the small Island of Palmerston for people in Rarotonga. Apparently, no supply boats - or boats barely ever - go to Palmerston (the next one is in March). So when word got out that the Grace may be heading over there, a lot of people asked if we could take things there for them. Making good, friendly connections is always beneficial, so we ended up taking a bunch of food and supplies for one man's family who live there half of the year, along with a washing machine for the Police, a whiteboard for the school, a propane tank, and some other things for the Mayor of Palmerston. They told us to expect people to invite us into their homes, and stay a couple nights on land with them, like billeting, with full use of their showers, and new washing machine (that we are transporting over there)! It's quite hilarious! But we really enjoy helping others out, since that is what everyone has been doing for us!
The people down here are so friendly and sweet. Everyone knows everyone, and they all support each other. They just want to help you out and befriend you, and everyone is genuinely concerned for your well-being and really want to get to know you, and really curious about what we do on the boat. We get a lot of visitors regularly, and the boat even made it into the daily newspaper in Rarotonga! A couple trainees, as well as Skipper and Bo got their pictures in there too! I bought a copy to keep for my records!
Well, that's all for now. We have a pet Gecko that hitched a ride on the bunch of bananas that we are transporting, which I don't like, but people assure me it's a good thing because he eats bugs, so hopefully he will take care of the bed bug problem (they are still here, but so far only confined to the 4 bunks). I hope they don't spread! We will have to be regular with spraying the bunks down, and then doing another boat-gutting once we hit Fiji!
I hope everyone is doing well! Take care, and enjoy the rest of the lovely summer weather wherever you are!
Love always, Katie
Gillian and I were finally able to do our BIG shop on Saturday, after the bed bug clean, before we left for here, so our boat is now full of food, plus all the stuff we are bringing to the small Island of Palmerston for people in Rarotonga. Apparently, no supply boats - or boats barely ever - go to Palmerston (the next one is in March). So when word got out that the Grace may be heading over there, a lot of people asked if we could take things there for them. Making good, friendly connections is always beneficial, so we ended up taking a bunch of food and supplies for one man's family who live there half of the year, along with a washing machine for the Police, a whiteboard for the school, a propane tank, and some other things for the Mayor of Palmerston. They told us to expect people to invite us into their homes, and stay a couple nights on land with them, like billeting, with full use of their showers, and new washing machine (that we are transporting over there)! It's quite hilarious! But we really enjoy helping others out, since that is what everyone has been doing for us!
The people down here are so friendly and sweet. Everyone knows everyone, and they all support each other. They just want to help you out and befriend you, and everyone is genuinely concerned for your well-being and really want to get to know you, and really curious about what we do on the boat. We get a lot of visitors regularly, and the boat even made it into the daily newspaper in Rarotonga! A couple trainees, as well as Skipper and Bo got their pictures in there too! I bought a copy to keep for my records!
Well, that's all for now. We have a pet Gecko that hitched a ride on the bunch of bananas that we are transporting, which I don't like, but people assure me it's a good thing because he eats bugs, so hopefully he will take care of the bed bug problem (they are still here, but so far only confined to the 4 bunks). I hope they don't spread! We will have to be regular with spraying the bunks down, and then doing another boat-gutting once we hit Fiji!
I hope everyone is doing well! Take care, and enjoy the rest of the lovely summer weather wherever you are!
Love always, Katie
Friday, September 7, 2007
Cook Islands Gong Show!
Well, we made it to the Cooks unscathed. Sort of...We have discovered upon just arriving hear that we have some unwanted visitors onboard: BED BUGS! AAAAHHHH! Quite possibly the worst thing that we can ever imagine on board, minus a deathly squall or the boat sinking, or a shark attack, or something like that. But for right now I think it's the worst thing (as we have weathered many squalls on our way here already). We had a great time touring around the Society Islands near Tahiti (Moorea, Huahine, Tahaa, Raiatea, and Bora Bora). We left French Polynesia on September 1st, and made it to the Cook Islands yesterday (September 6th). We are on the Island of Rarotonga, which is one of the main - if not, THE main - Island in the Cooks. It's fabulous! It used to be owned by New Zealand, so everyone here has that Kiwi accent, but they are all French Polynesian looking. They all speak English - which is GREAT (it's so good to find things and buy food that way) - and they are very friendly and sweet. They drive on the left side of the rode, with the wheel on the right side of the car, and the stick-shifts on the left (naturally), which, if you talk to Karen, is VERY confusing! I haven't had a chance to drive yet here, but Gillian and I did get our driver's licenses at the police station yesterday for only $10Kiwi dollars! It's awesome! I also got a hat and a few golf shirts from the police station as well, along with some pictures. I took the liberty of asking the woman cop there what it too to become an officer, and she laughed, then said you had to be 18, apply, and that was about it. She said you don't even have to have been born there! WOW! How easy is that? They don't even carry guns. But they get to drive motorcycles - probably because it's so hot. I'm not really sure exactly what they do all day, but yesterday they were busy making driver's licenses for all the tourists who wanted to rent cars. Anyway, after Gillian and I scoped out where we were going to purchase all our food, and went to the bank to exchange money, we returned to the boat to discover that we had to take ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING out and put it up on deck - due to the bed bugs! Fortunately, we think only 4 bunks have them (3 in the Hold, where some guys were bit, and Jordan's bunk in the Galley - which are at the opposite end of the Hold where Gillian and I sleep, but still in the same area)! You can imagine the scare! The girls in the Fo'c'sle are so far untouched, but we still had to clear everything out for the exterminator today. So that is what we did all day today! It was a mess! Imagine everyone putting all their clothes and bedding into plastic bags, all of it going to the laundromat to get washed - ALL OF IT! (Gillian and I had 3 huge garbage bags each just full of clothes). Then we put all un-washables in other bags and up on deck. EVERYTHING was taken out! EVERYTHING! And I mean EVERYTHING! Mattresses were stripped, individually looked at, sprayed, hung, dried, (still hanging and drying up on deck as I write), mattress covers taken to get washed separately, everyone's stuff up on deck in a specified area, all our food, dishes, supplies, EVERYTHING out of cupboards, drawers, seat lockers, under bunks OUT! EVERYTHING is up on deck now! WE had to clean everything, vacuum, sweep, bleach water wipe everything, scrub, scrape, everything! WE were up before 6am and didn't finish until after 9am! I put together a fruit salad and yogurt for breakfast, but people were hungry by 10am, so I had sandwiches, apples and granola bars ready by then (I took a quick trip to the store when it opened at 8am to have that prepared on deck for people). We all had to individually inspect our stuff up on deck, transport the laundry to the cleaner's (Karen did this with Arwen), and everyone else was helping to get everything up on deck, clean, spray, inspect and just make sure it was all okay. The "bug guy" came at about 10 to do his thing. So right now he is probably finished, but we can't go down there until about 4pm, as the stuff he uses is toxic - which is why we had to get everything out from below (our boat is completely gutted, and everything is up on deck, minus all the clothes and bedding that is at the laundromat, which we won't get back until tomorrow, so we'll be sleeping on mattresses tonight - I'll be on my thermarest)! Anyway, it was - is - a gong show! Gillian and I can't do our huge shop until this is all done, so for right now, we're still making a list of everything we need, and then we'll get it tomorrow. We were able to find a place to make pizza for us all tonight (since we can't use the stove) and we'll have an early dinner before everyone starts putting the boat back together before sunset tonight. It's been a long day. I've just had a little time to use the internet before we have to go back to the boat to get people to help us carry all the pizza back to the boat.
WOW! The excitement of Offshore! I just hope this exterminator guy kills the living bugs. We will have to wipe down and spray bunks every week, and then do this same boat-gutting again when we get to FIgi, and then another huge spray, because the new eggs will hatch (nothing but fire or drowning will kill the eggs - and we can't do that on a wooden boat)! It's a real problem, but we're all hopeful it will be taken care of and we will get rid of them! At least the whole boat is clean, and I have an excuse to reorganize all my stuff! Gillian and I have by far the most out of everyone - because we're girls, we have 3 bunks between the 2 of us, we have a ton of storage space, and we keep buying more things. Plus - we weren't planning on needed to move anything, so we are living out of plastic bags for the moment, and won't be able to completely unpack everything until the problem is completely taken care of.
But enough of that. I'm still enjoying myself and loving the Cook Islands! Gillian and I had our first real, naked fresh shower since Tahiti! We even got to shave! WOW! I feel so clean now! We found a public washroom with a shower stall. Don't worry, Mom, I wore my sandals!
Well, that's all I really have to tell you for now. I will let you know more about the bed bug situation at a later date. For now, the weather is still hot, everyone is getting along, Leg 3 is going well, lots of Island hopping and many things to still see on this part of the journey, and we will be crossing the International Date Line soon, so we'll be almost a full day ahead, rather than 3/4 hours behind Vancouver! Love to you all!
Happy 24th Birthday, Melissa and Andrea, on August 25th and 26th!
Happy 3rd Anniversary, Amy and Jason on August 31st!
Happy 24th Birthday, Ashli, on August 31st!
Happy Anniversary, Jamie and Judy, on September 2nd!
Happy 39th Birthday, Jason, on September 10th!
GOod luck with school everyone - I wish I was there with you all (sort of). I love it out here though, and although I miss all of you and do miss University, I am glad I'm out here travelling, exploring, and experiencing all there is to see and do out here!
Love all of you so much, and miss you terribly!
To my Matt - I love you more than words can say, and I definitely miss you the most! I hope you are doing well up in Boyle, and enjoying your job! I think of you all the time, and I hope you are being safe and have a good experience! I love you!
Love always, Popeye Katie
WOW! The excitement of Offshore! I just hope this exterminator guy kills the living bugs. We will have to wipe down and spray bunks every week, and then do this same boat-gutting again when we get to FIgi, and then another huge spray, because the new eggs will hatch (nothing but fire or drowning will kill the eggs - and we can't do that on a wooden boat)! It's a real problem, but we're all hopeful it will be taken care of and we will get rid of them! At least the whole boat is clean, and I have an excuse to reorganize all my stuff! Gillian and I have by far the most out of everyone - because we're girls, we have 3 bunks between the 2 of us, we have a ton of storage space, and we keep buying more things. Plus - we weren't planning on needed to move anything, so we are living out of plastic bags for the moment, and won't be able to completely unpack everything until the problem is completely taken care of.
But enough of that. I'm still enjoying myself and loving the Cook Islands! Gillian and I had our first real, naked fresh shower since Tahiti! We even got to shave! WOW! I feel so clean now! We found a public washroom with a shower stall. Don't worry, Mom, I wore my sandals!
Well, that's all I really have to tell you for now. I will let you know more about the bed bug situation at a later date. For now, the weather is still hot, everyone is getting along, Leg 3 is going well, lots of Island hopping and many things to still see on this part of the journey, and we will be crossing the International Date Line soon, so we'll be almost a full day ahead, rather than 3/4 hours behind Vancouver! Love to you all!
Happy 24th Birthday, Melissa and Andrea, on August 25th and 26th!
Happy 3rd Anniversary, Amy and Jason on August 31st!
Happy 24th Birthday, Ashli, on August 31st!
Happy Anniversary, Jamie and Judy, on September 2nd!
Happy 39th Birthday, Jason, on September 10th!
GOod luck with school everyone - I wish I was there with you all (sort of). I love it out here though, and although I miss all of you and do miss University, I am glad I'm out here travelling, exploring, and experiencing all there is to see and do out here!
Love all of you so much, and miss you terribly!
To my Matt - I love you more than words can say, and I definitely miss you the most! I hope you are doing well up in Boyle, and enjoying your job! I think of you all the time, and I hope you are being safe and have a good experience! I love you!
Love always, Popeye Katie
Monday, August 20, 2007
Leaving Tahiti Tomorrow!
Well, today Leg 3 trainees board, and we will be off tomorrow (August 21st). I am excited to be leaving, finally, to get out on the open water again, but sad that the other trainees are gone, and my dear Sara is leaving us tonight (she has been the most amazing Watch Leader on the past 2 Legs). But we are getting 13 more trainees, and with that always comes more adventures and new excitement and enthusiasm! I am cooking today, and have to be off to the store to get a few more supplies, so will be leaving soon. Today is quite hot and sunny, but we have the tarps up on the boat, so it's nice and shaded. I have enjoyed my 10 days in Tahiti, and am looking forward to heading out to see new places. Moorea is our first stop, only a five hour sail from here, then Bora Bora, Raritonga, then off to the Cook Islands, Tonga, Samoa, and ending in Fiji in October. We will be crossing the International Date Line 3 times this Leg, and will be travelling about half the distance in nearly double the time as our last Legs. That means more time spent in each Island group, which is very nice and relaxing! Thank you all so much for your messages and comments. I look forward to hearing from you again, and I hope you are all doing well with work, school, renovating the house, moving, etcetera...I miss you all, and want you to know that I am doing very well. Making lots of friends, and learning a lot about myself, the world, and life in general. Talk to you all from another part of the world, later...Also, my email is not working, and I barely have time to Facebook, so I apologize for the lack of communication. I will try better. I am thinking of and praying for all of you! Sending my love your way, Love always, Sailor Popeye Katie
Monday, August 13, 2007
Tahiti and Bandaged Thumb...
Yes, Mom, it's true. I cut my thumb badly this morning as I was cutting up Honeydew for breakfast, but Jeremy and Sarah have helped me bandage it today, and I am doing just fine. I feel sort of silly, though, typing with this huge bandage on my thumb (picture Karen's finger when she slammed it in the truck door at 5yrs). Anyway, I had a wonderfully relazing weekend in Tahiti. Most stores are closed on the weekends, so I did a lot of journalling, writing, cooking, and hanging out with Gillian, the Andersons and whoever else stayed on the boat (many people take off for the day to travel around the Island in rental cars and go sight-seeing, which is what I hope to do on my days off this next weekend). I went to a church service yesterday with Bonice, her 4 youngest, and Gillian, and then we walked to the grocery to get some food (I got fruit, granola, yogurt and water - heavenly!) and then took a beautiful walk back to the boat by the water. It was a very hot day, so I stayed on the boat for the most part, sitting in the shade, and then went shopping with Gillian before dinner. We had some Tahitian thief sneak onto the boat at 4am this morning when we were all sleeping up on deck, and he tried to steal one of the trainees Ipods. Luckily, Noah saw him and "raised the alarm", and Skipper dived over everyone and grabbed the guy, yelling at him just as he was about to jump ship. The guy fell into the water between our boat and the dock, dropping the girl's headphones down to where they lay on the ocean floor now, but she got her Ipod back. It was quite the excitement, and nervousness after that, and everyone took a while to fall back asleep, or just stayed awake. The officials came over from guarding the cruise ships and held the guy in custody, but because he's a minor they can only hold him for about 6 hours, unless we decide to press charges. Quite the nerve of the guy, to climb on board with all of us sleeping on deck. Anyway, we had night watch all last night (which is not typical when we are docked) just to make sure it doesn't happen again. We also tied further away from the dock, so we're not as close to it, and the lifelines are all up, making it more difficult to climb aboard, and more difficult for us to jump off. But it's much safer now! I am enjoying Tahiti, and love that I get to go to the market and buy fresh produce and fruit! I went early yesterday morning to get a bunch of produce for the boat (it's open from 3-8am on Sundays) and I got some trainees to pick up some fresh baguettes and cream cheese for lunch today - they loved that! We have our two work days this Tuesday and Wednesday, so we will be doing a lot of shopping, cleaning, and stowing! Our fresh shop will most likely be done next Sunday, the day before Leg 3, to allow for the freshest, and best selected produce, meat, and fruit! I must go soon, so I can start dinner for tonight, and do a few more errands before the stores close. Love to you all! I am doing well, and basking in the hot South Pacific heat!
P.S. Pictures are very difficult to download here, and take a long time, but I will try to get some on if possible, in the meantime, check out Gillian's blog (access by my links) or go to the SALTS website to find links to other blogs, such as Jose's or Antony's or Jordan's - they have AMAZING pictures!
P.S. Pictures are very difficult to download here, and take a long time, but I will try to get some on if possible, in the meantime, check out Gillian's blog (access by my links) or go to the SALTS website to find links to other blogs, such as Jose's or Antony's or Jordan's - they have AMAZING pictures!
Friday, August 10, 2007
We are in Tahiti!
I am at a French computer right now on a French keyboard, so typing is a bit slower. Marquesas Islands were AMAZING! French Polynesia is so wonderful! I know now why they refer to it as "paradise". We visited an Island chain in the Tuamotus for a couple of days, before sailing to Tahitit. We will be here until August 20th. I hope I get mail today. SO now I'm on an English keyboard - I switched mid-way - and this is way better! I am waiting for the bank to open so I can exchange money for grocery shopping (Skipper gave me a big mother load for getting food)! We are all out of everything: no onions/carrots/potatoes, no oil, eggs, milk, enough meat for one meal, no produce, no fruit, no butter/margarine, no canned veggies. NOTHING! It's a little scary! Thank goodness we're in a busy city now and we can get supplies, but it's just a matter of things actually being open so we can purchase them (Island time: everthing closes at lunch, and re-opens at 1:30). It's just after 1pm now (4pm Vancouver time), so we will be leaving soon to go to the bank and then shopping for food (with Sara and Gillian). We have been having amazing weather! Really hot, some tropical rain to cool off and fresh water rinse in, and some wind coming over from the Marquesas and Tuamotus. Papeete (in Tahiti), is just another big city, so we will be here for the same amount of time we spent in Honolulu, restocking the boat, stowing all the food, getting more fuel, supplies, etc...having our two work days next week, each crew member gets 2 days off (Gillian and I get next Saturday and SUnday). I will probably be staying on the boat and eating out, as that saves money. I want to get some pearls down here. They're absolutely GORGEOUS! (LAdies, expect some good gifts - Mom, Amy, Bec, Judy)! They are so beautiful! I got about 4 just given to me in French Polynesia already. On a necklace, bracelet, hair decoration, and one just plain. They are amazing! The people down here are so generous and hospitable! WE have received so many gifts, mostly coconuts, pamplemousse, mangoes, small bananas, jams, jewelery, and just the amazing experience of the culture down here! Of course, with all the fresh, free, fruit, many people have had "G.I." problems (gastro-intestinal). I have lucked out and haven't got hit with that yet, but my Pepto-Bismol remains close at hand. Mostly the guys too - we think it's the copious amounts of pamplemousse, which makes for good jokes and poking fun. But I made bran raisin muffins last week, and Gillian and I are pushing the starchy foods and bran, and less fruit and local juices, so hopefully people will feel better soon. I just stick to my bottled water and moderation of all foods, and I seem to be doing well (thanks for all your tips, MOm). I am getting quite dark, but can't seem to shake the shorts tan. OH well, that's not why I'm here. This Leg has been so amazing, and it will be very difficult to say good-bye to some of the trainees (but 10 of them are staying on for Leg 3, to Fiji)! I am writing to Matt every day in my journal, so I have every moment documented, and I need to catch up with my letter writing soon, so I can send those off before we leave in 10 days! I have much to say and many thanks to give out to everyone, especially those who participated in my 22nd birthday gift (22 pictures with different people in each one holding/making letters that spell out "Happy 22ND Birthday Katie")! It was the most amazing birthday gift I have ever received - all due to Karen's scrupulous planning and idea from the start (she began last Fall). I have each picture perfectly hung above my bunk so I can look at everyone whenever I am lying down! It's great! I both laughed and cried when I was looking at the pictures! Thank you to everyone for that! And a special thanks to Mom, Dad, Amy and Jason for your birthday cards, Jamie and Judy for your present, EM for your gift to me (I've worn then already!) and to everyone for thinking of me on my 22nd birthday (July 25th). We crossed the equator on my birthday! It was also Jose's 33rd birthday (one of the first mates), so we had quite a bash that day! Singing, we got to wear our birthday pins, ("Birthday Girl" and "Birthday Boy") I had my favourite breakfast - granola, fruit and yogurt - and Jose got his - Shepherd's pie! At night we made a dance party in the hold, with lights out and everyone's headlamps on "flashing mode", and Jose and Tavish played drums while all of us danced around. I had to put on a coconut bra (over my shirt) and got to dance on the table, while we were sailing so it was really rocky, and the table was "gimbled", so the table moved as the boat moved around it! So awesome! A birthday I will never forget. We all got initiated the next day for crossing the equator by boat. We were all blindfolded and got sprayed down by the fire hose, one guy got his head shaved, some people had to eat nasty stuff, and we all got molasses guck spread in our armpits and I got "slopped" (food saved up from the previous week thrown on me)! I got a tame one, compared to some of the guys who had to have armpits/legs/chest shaved, and some girls had the guys' hair stuck on their bodies. So gross! I was cooking that day, so I just went down into the galley when it got really messy. But it was fun! WE have pictures! Now we're in beautiful Tahiti, right in the middle of the city (we have a perfect dock spot, for free for the next 10 days close by to everything). I have yet to take a fresh water shower (without a bathing suit on) and do some laundry! Nearly all of my clothes are dirty in some way, and I am desperate for clean clothes! But this is all the experience of sailing on a boat for the year. I am having a great time, and just loving all the excited adventures! I went snorkeling off of Tahuata in the Marquesas and saw a huge stingray swim right beside me! SO COOL! I have some underwater pictures, but was in shock when I saw the ray, so I wasn't able to get a picture of that. I am looking forward to enjoying some "down time" and relaxing while we are here in a port for longer than 2 days. I can't wait to sleep on deck again, rather than down in the stuffy hot cabin that Gillian and I share. I am getting along with everyone, and feel a lot more comfortable and familiar in my role, more so than last Leg. Getting more excited as the days go by, to see more Islands, and continue our circumnavigation of the PAcific. Sara (the amazing watch leader for these last two LEgs) is leaving us on the 21st, and I will miss her terribly, but we will get to have Stephen Duff as our new male watch leader, and then Sarah Brizan in Fiji! YEAH! I can't wait, Sarah! I love you and miss you! I miss all my family and friends back home! I think of you often and wonder what you are up to and how you are all doing! I am praying for all of you in your various roles. I can't seem to access my email here, which is quite frustrating, but I will try to mail letters and send my love over the ocean blue! I love all of you so much!
Matt, I am thinking of you all the time! Constantly! EVERYONE knows about you! I talk about you A LOT! I cry sometimes just lying in my bunk, thinking how much I miss you and love you, but I always feel better reading your letters, looking at pictures of you, and talking to others about you! I am praying for you, and hoping you are enjoying your summer! I will try to call you again today! And hopefully every day that I am here in Tahiti! Sometime around 5 or 6 at your house! I love you so much, Matt! Sending you all my love to you over the distance that I am away. Love always, your Katie xoxoxox
Take care, everyone, I love hearing from you and reading what you have to say, and all that you are doing!
Love always,
"Popeye"
Matt, I am thinking of you all the time! Constantly! EVERYONE knows about you! I talk about you A LOT! I cry sometimes just lying in my bunk, thinking how much I miss you and love you, but I always feel better reading your letters, looking at pictures of you, and talking to others about you! I am praying for you, and hoping you are enjoying your summer! I will try to call you again today! And hopefully every day that I am here in Tahiti! Sometime around 5 or 6 at your house! I love you so much, Matt! Sending you all my love to you over the distance that I am away. Love always, your Katie xoxoxox
Take care, everyone, I love hearing from you and reading what you have to say, and all that you are doing!
Love always,
"Popeye"
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Last Day Before Leg 2
Today was filled with having fun with Ang, before I have to be back on the boat tomorrow when the new trainees arrive. I slept in until 9am, and Ang had scrambled eggs, toast, apples and cherries already out for breakfast (how so incredibly sweet)! We did some minor things at home before leaving for the Beach near Ewa (on the west coast of Oahu). We spent a few hours on this beautiful beachfront, where we sort of snuck into the resort and dipped into the lagoon, layed out on the beach chairs, swam in the pool, saw fish, stingrays and other sea creatures in the pond there, read, slept, saw a couple getting wedding photos done on the beach, and had a surprise call from Ang's parents and Bec Shulba! It was so nice to chat with her. Apparently BC is having record-breaking hot weather (38degrees), as compared to here in Honolulu (28degres today). But I shouldn't get too used to this nice weather, since we will be heading down South soon, crossing the equator and visiting the South Pacific Islands; an area where Skipper says the heat is constantly humid, and you are always sweaty! Oh great. But I'm really looking forward to Leg 2 to begin and to be out on the water, sailing again! I have had a great time here in the Big City - Ang and I went out for appetizers with her friend and her friend's baby, and then to buy a new digital camera and case for myself, and out for dinner with her and Domi - and so I feel prepared and ready to leave and see new places, have more experiences, meet new people, travel, and explore the areas we will be visiting. I miss you all, and I hope that you continue to follow the ship's daily log on salts.ca, complimentary of Bonice (Skipper's wife). They are amazing, as they include specifics of each day, where we are, what we're doing, and are updated more often than my blog! I encourage you all to visit that website. Also, I just recently joined Facebook (I finally succumbed, with help from Ang with setting it up), and so feel free to add me, and send me messges. I will get them the next time we are in port and I have access to a computer (in about another 2 weeks or more). Take care everyone. I love hearing from all of you and knowing what is new and what you are all doing! I am thinking of you all, and praying for you in your individual and personal lives. Love always, "Popeye" Katie
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