Miss-Delectable
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Ode Magazine : Readers Blog : Sencity at Sea: Departure
So now its Sunday, departure day. Our party on Saturday evening was awesome. The audience loved the dancers, were amazed by the AromaJockey, and intrigued by the Visual Jockey. The dancers danced in a way that was easy to follow for the party-people. We ended up in some hip, urban version of line dancing. Great to see how proud the people were when they left the dance floor! It went the way we wanted it, this is what we offer: a good vibe that causes people to dance, in some cases for the first time in their lives
I sit aside a swimming pool and start to look back at an amazing week. There were a lot of breakdowns, but also breakthroughs and victories. It has all been worth it. What remains is a fulfilled feeling. We met a lot of interesting people and created a network in Northern America that will help us to expand our activities in this continent. It feels like this is the first step to a new future.
The crew of the ship was also very impressed by having served almost 4,000 deaf people. I asked two of the bartenders why they were so happy with the deaf audience since I imagine it would have been difficult for them to understand them. The first one says quick and short: “they are quiet and give tip, what else do you need!” The other bartender points at a woman sitting next to the pool. ‘Just have a look at her, that says it all’ he says. “I look at a woman, approximately 60 years old. She sits next to a swimming pool, in the sun, with dark sunglasses and a big smile on her face. It turns out that she is deaf and blind. Her husband sits a little bit lower in the swimming pool and every now and then he moves his hands towards her. As if she feels that the hands are coming towards her, she put her own hands with a natural flow on the hands of the man. The man makes some moves that she understands and she replies in sign language. I am looking at a perfectly happy couple. The old lady shines more than the sun ever can or will. I am sure that although she doesn’t hear or see an enthusiastic crowd, she is aware of the scenery around her: happy people who are fully enjoying their trip, even while they are going home today. It is a touching view, because I get how unique this is.”
The barkeeper explains: “We work very hard to provide the best service we can”. And that was true. Our rooms were checked 3 times a day and drinks were in front of your nose in a blink of an eye. The whole ship was clean and neat at all times. “But regular visitors get used to it very easily. They expect that same service or even better. They will complain if there is room service only two times day.” These people fully enjoy this trip.
The deaffies, as they call themselves, appreciate the effort Deaf Travel has made to provide all the interpreters, not only in the service departments but also in the entertainment shows and on the excursions on land. Deaf people were able to get diving courses, swim with dolphins and go the Bob Marley museum and understand everything that is being said. They have never been part of such a big group of deaf people before. For one week, they were no longer a minority, a ‘special’ group, or even a problem in the society. Even better, they showed a lot of hearing people how nice it can be to be with deaf people: So quiet!
I am thankful for having been a part of that. It is inspiring to see two worlds getting connected, inspiring each other, and leaving both communities fulfilled afterwards.
Hope you enjoyed this diary as well, thanks for all the reactions and lets go on creating a world in which everything works!
So now its Sunday, departure day. Our party on Saturday evening was awesome. The audience loved the dancers, were amazed by the AromaJockey, and intrigued by the Visual Jockey. The dancers danced in a way that was easy to follow for the party-people. We ended up in some hip, urban version of line dancing. Great to see how proud the people were when they left the dance floor! It went the way we wanted it, this is what we offer: a good vibe that causes people to dance, in some cases for the first time in their lives
I sit aside a swimming pool and start to look back at an amazing week. There were a lot of breakdowns, but also breakthroughs and victories. It has all been worth it. What remains is a fulfilled feeling. We met a lot of interesting people and created a network in Northern America that will help us to expand our activities in this continent. It feels like this is the first step to a new future.
The crew of the ship was also very impressed by having served almost 4,000 deaf people. I asked two of the bartenders why they were so happy with the deaf audience since I imagine it would have been difficult for them to understand them. The first one says quick and short: “they are quiet and give tip, what else do you need!” The other bartender points at a woman sitting next to the pool. ‘Just have a look at her, that says it all’ he says. “I look at a woman, approximately 60 years old. She sits next to a swimming pool, in the sun, with dark sunglasses and a big smile on her face. It turns out that she is deaf and blind. Her husband sits a little bit lower in the swimming pool and every now and then he moves his hands towards her. As if she feels that the hands are coming towards her, she put her own hands with a natural flow on the hands of the man. The man makes some moves that she understands and she replies in sign language. I am looking at a perfectly happy couple. The old lady shines more than the sun ever can or will. I am sure that although she doesn’t hear or see an enthusiastic crowd, she is aware of the scenery around her: happy people who are fully enjoying their trip, even while they are going home today. It is a touching view, because I get how unique this is.”
The barkeeper explains: “We work very hard to provide the best service we can”. And that was true. Our rooms were checked 3 times a day and drinks were in front of your nose in a blink of an eye. The whole ship was clean and neat at all times. “But regular visitors get used to it very easily. They expect that same service or even better. They will complain if there is room service only two times day.” These people fully enjoy this trip.
The deaffies, as they call themselves, appreciate the effort Deaf Travel has made to provide all the interpreters, not only in the service departments but also in the entertainment shows and on the excursions on land. Deaf people were able to get diving courses, swim with dolphins and go the Bob Marley museum and understand everything that is being said. They have never been part of such a big group of deaf people before. For one week, they were no longer a minority, a ‘special’ group, or even a problem in the society. Even better, they showed a lot of hearing people how nice it can be to be with deaf people: So quiet!
I am thankful for having been a part of that. It is inspiring to see two worlds getting connected, inspiring each other, and leaving both communities fulfilled afterwards.
Hope you enjoyed this diary as well, thanks for all the reactions and lets go on creating a world in which everything works!