Finding Her Feet
We have inter-port students on this journey. The inter-port student travels from one of the countries we visit to his, or her, homeland. So, Lasuko, from South Africa, traveled with us from Mauritius to Cape Town. And when these students are on board, they teach us about their homeland. They speak to the children on the ship, they teach hula classes and Bollywood dance choreography. They share with us their stories of home and we share ours. They are a treasure on the ship. They prepare us.
The winds were strong today in Cape Town, which meant a late departure for us. And, high winds move the waters in different ways. We pulled out of Cape Town around five in the evening, and the ship started rocking slowly. I was sitting in the hallway, putting music together for the dance tomorrow. And along comes Makowna, a lovely young student from Ghana, walking down the hallway. I reach out my hand, as my samba music blares, and I smile and tell her my name. She tells me hers and I welcome her to our little community at sea. When I ask her where she is headed, she motions side to side with her hands, indicating the movement of the ship on the water. And then she says, "I am just walking around the ship, trying to find my feet."
She gets it. In ways I am not sure I ever will. And that is okay. She is my teacher.
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