When I have some free time I usually go to the gym. There's a fab gym on board, you know. There are also two pools but crew members are not allowed to swim in there, so I just lie on a sunbed to get a bit of a tan. Sometimes I get up early in the morning and I go jogging around the deck. Many a times , after the evening shift some of the crew get together and chat, sing or dance. We're having a great time; sometimes you've got the feeling the party is non stop.

I've visited a lot of fantastic places, like Honolulu...I loved Hawaii, it looked so full of life, high buildings on the beach, marvelous view, lots of shops and lots of people. Second best comes Thailand, I just loved it! There were also other nice places such as Melbourne in Australia. I would love to stay there for a while. Small islands such as Bora Bora and Christmas island in the Pacific were fantastic. I sometimes have the chance to swim in the blue green sea of remote islands and take a lot of pictures.

My family disapproved of my decision. But I was firm so, I went on board. They finally realized but this job made me happy and that I had to follow my dream.

This job is just great! I mean I'm getting paid to see all the exotic places in the world. Isn't it fantastic? I would need a fortune to travel around the world, but now I can do it and keep my savings as well!

I was 24 when I first went aboard, and now, two years later, having worked on two different cruise ships , I still feel this is the right place for me to be: On board! My friends often ask me why I just can't have a job on land. They believe I miss out a lot of things such as steady socializing and settling down in a permanent area. Is that true?

I do meet a lot of people on board, and sometimes they are really nice , and I do make friends. The only thing is that I constantly make new friends, but sometimes I meet the same persons at the ports we visit. The fact that I don't have a steady home, is thrilling for me. I don't feel castaway because I don't have a permanent home! I visit my parents' home whenever I am on vacations, and I don't feel the need to settle down somewhere permanently. The girls I've met on the ship think the same way. There is nothing missing out. But the people who are on land, work there and own a house, just can not think the same way I do. We all see this job from a different perspective. Why should people have a steady place to live in? Maybe it's not so good to be 'steady' in everything, after all.

If I ever get a job on land, and it may happen one day, one thing I know for sure! I won't work in an office. I'll just find it too boring after my present experience on board! I love being on the move and I love exploring the world. Maybe this feeling is going to last for ever, who knows? I've known people who are in their sixties and still work on board. You may say that it is not that easy for a woman. I agree that if someone wants to have a family can't go on working on a ship. Kids need a permanent home and their mum has to be around to care for them. That's the only reason that can make me quit this job. But no one knows what the future holds!

It's definitely great experience to work on a ship, and a good opportunity to get useful connections one might need later on, but , above all, it's the love for the unknown, the adventure and the mystery of new places and new people that attracts me to the sea?and I can only tell you this: Follow your dream! Don't let anyone distract you from the way you wish to live. Life's just too short to waste it!'

As told to Liana Metalhttp://liamet.tripod.com

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About the Author

Liana Metal is a writer, reviewer and artist living in Greece.http://lianametal.tripod.cpmhttp://liamet.tripod.comhttp://Author-Promo.tripod.com