Disembarking...

My time on the ship has come to an end. This afternoon I will disembark the M/V Anastasis for the last time. It’s a sad time, however, I am so thankful for the last ten days I have had onboard. I have loved every minute of it. I guess the hardest thing for me is the fact that in the future I will never be able to show friends and family where I grew up. It’s hard to explain to non-Mercy Shippers what it was like to grow up on a ship and knowing I will never be able to show loved ones my home (for 14 years), is hard. However, I know I will always have the memories of life onboard.

I will remember what it was like to sail, to walk the decks of the ship, to muster for a drill, to eat out on deck, to watch the shooting stars from the bow, to eat in a dining room with so many people, to hang out in the Med Lounge with friends, to walk down the narrow hallways, to sit on the anchor on Aft Deck, to buy snacks at the snack bar, to have sleepovers in the pre-school, to play sticks/sardines/four square outside, to go to devos after lunch, to eat mystery meat, to have lock-ins in the Blue Room, to attend two high school proms one in France and one in Sierra Leone, to laugh during fun nights, to perform with Ships Kids, to listen to pages all day long, to live so close to friends and of course so much more…

I will never forget the M/V Anastasis. She will remain my childhood home. And her service will be remembered by many.