Meet the crew of the Carnival Spirit

DEANNE Bawden met some of Carnival Spirit's crew and asked them about their homes and their adventures on the seas.

carnival spirit

DEANNE Bawden met some of Carnival Spirit's crew and asked them about their homes and their adventures on the seas.

Question 1: Tell me about your country, what makes it special for you and why would I want to visit it?

Question 2: Tell me about your life on board the ship and why you work in this industry, and what is your ultimate goal?

Question 3: Of all the places you have travelled, where would you most like to settle and why?

Question 4: Tell me about the different food you have experienced, what is your favourite and how does it compare with food from your country?

robert

 Robert Antony Iruthayaraj

Age: 35

Born: Kandy, Sri Lanka

Relationship Status: Single

Job description: Assistant cook

Question 1

Kandy is more beautiful than any other part of the subcontinent. The waterfalls and mountains are truly spectacular. We have lots of elephants that roam wild but they are very sensitive, gentle animals. They will come into your house yard to eat the fruit growing and they do not destroy anything. The people of Kandy are either very, very good or very, very bad. Kandy is about 300km from Sri Lanka's capital of Colombo.

Question 2

I joined Carnival Cruises in 2001, so I have been in this job for 12 years. It has become like an addiction, almost like a drug. I couldn't have stayed so long if I didn't like my job. I have travelled to places I only every dreamt about. The management of the cruise ship always asked me if I'm tired of working the night shift but I don't ever tire of it because this way I get to talk to lots of people individually. It is how I have accumulated my knowledge of countries other than my own. I have put my sister and brother through college while I have worked for Carnival. My parents are old, my brother and sister are now educated so I now feel I can go home in peace.

Question 3

I will always go back to Kandy. I find I can just breathe better in Kandy. I like lots of other countries, the South Pacific in particular. I love New York, Zurich and Singapore but nowhere is as good as my home. I like cities that are clean so when I go to Sydney, I like it for that reason.

Question 4

Food in Kandy is all fresh, there is nothing either frozen or in a can. It is simply from the kitchen to the table. I smell my mother's cooking and I don't need an appetiser as the beautiful aroma from the food makes me instantly hungry. My mother still cooks in the traditional way, which is in a clay pot on an open fire outside. We have gas and electricity but she prefers the old ways. In Sri Lanka no one drinks coffee until they are into their thirties, maybe because we have the best tea in the world. To the Sri Lankan people our tea to us is like champagne is to the French. Nowhere else in the world is tea so good. I have worked with some of the best chefs in the world and tasted food from most countries in the world but none even come close to my mother's cooking.

jennifer fortuna

Jennifer Fortuna

Age: 34

Born: Manila, Philippines

Relationship Status: Married

Job Description: Stateroom stewardess

Question 1

Manila is a beautiful place to live and to holiday. It is an archipelago and there are 7107 islands. Should you choose to, you can kayak from island to island. It is cheap and the people are extremely friendly, it is a true tropical vacation. If you meet the locals they will talk to you, take you into their homes, feed you and are very hospitable. My husband is from Romania so he loves Manila because the weather is so warm and the beach has such white sand. The northern islands are the best and you can really choose the type of holiday that's right for you.

Question 2

I would never have been able to afford to travel to these places had I had not been working on the ship. I have worked for Carnival for seven years. We have a large staff party once a month and this makes life on board very enjoyable. I work in housekeeping so I work very long hours, 10 hours a day, and seven days a week for six months but still we have lots of chances to go ashore because we work split shifts. I feel I bring happiness to people with the animal towels I make and I like that.

Question 3

We have travelled to South America, Europe and the US. We thought the place we would like most was San Diego. It has lovely beaches, beautiful mountains and a very friendly community. We have thought about our own countries, Romania and the Philippines, but we are both lost in our own countries now. When we go back our friends are gone, we both feel like tourists in our own country.

Question 4

In the Philippines all the food is fresh, you only use fresh ingredients in your cooking. I have become used to other foods, like on the ship we have salad bars, fresh fruit and lots of different cuisines. So I have found myself liking all different types of food. If I had to choose a food that I like most, beside my own country's, it would be Mexican. My favourite food from home would be a dish called "Adobo" satay pork.

Tatsiana Filipava

Tatsiana Filipava

Age: 29

Born: Minsk, Belarus

Relationship status: Single

Job description: Restaurant hostess

Question 1

Most people in my country still speak Russian so language can be a barrier in Minsk. I have spoken to tourists who have come to my country and they say that it is very clean and the people are polite. There are a lot of historical places to see; unfortunately I have seen a lot more of other countries than I have seen of my own. I have only been to Minsk in Belarus. Moscow is a very busy city like New York, where Minsk is not so busy and much cleaner; the people are much more relaxed. It is really cold in winter and only reaches -20C to -30C, it snows a lot and the winters seem to be getting longer.

Question 2

I hadn't planned to work on the ship. My friend asked me to apply for a job; she wanted me to keep her company. The funny thing is I am still on the ship and my friend is not. I started as an assistant waitress and now I am the restaurant hostess. I have been to places I never imagined I would ever go to, places I have never even heard of. Like going to New Zealand, it is so far from Belarus, I can hardly believe I have been there. The first year was the best; I saw beautiful blue water and amazing blue skies. I have never seen anything like this before and now I have been to almost every country.

Question 3

I am going back home to Minsk. Before I started travelling I never thought that I would spend the rest of my life in Belarus but I don't know if it is because I am getting older and wiser, but nowhere seems as good as home. My parents and my brother are in Minsk and this is the most important reason for me to go home. My boyfriend who is also Russian is also happy to go back to Russia.

Question 4

I like Asian food. I like spicy food and I also love sushi. In Belarus, we eat very differently, we eat a lot of what we call "Borsch", which is a beetroot soup. We eat this hot and it is one of my favourite foods along with potato pancakes. When I go home my mother has these two dishes waiting for me.

Mario Agnelo Anitao

Mario Agnelo Anitao

Age: 32

Born: Goa, India

Relationship status: Married

Job description: Bartender

Question 1

Goa is a country within a country. It is different from the rest of India because it was under Portuguese rule, so it is mainly Roman Catholic and it is the only place in India where you can have dual citizenship. Goa has pristine white sandy beaches and is very clean. It has exceptional weather all around, being neither too cold nor too hot. The people of Goa are beautiful loving people only too willing to help promote their city. The main tourist trade is from October to April. The most famous tourist attraction is what we call "Body of a Saint". She is 450 years old and is kept in a golden casket, as perfect today as she was 450 years ago.

Question 2

My hobby is meeting people, so how could I not like what I do when I get to meet and talk to so many people. When I first started working on the ship I was a galley hand. From there I went to the dining room and now I am in the bar, which is what I enjoy most. I get to hear interesting stories about people, their families and where they come from, which gives me an insight into places I otherwise would never have heard of. My wife and I have great mutual trust in each other mostly due to our Catholic faith and great love for each other. She knows and appreciates why I have chosen life on board the ship. I do this so we can have a good life and this gives me great peace of mind.

Question 3

The Caribbean would be a great place to settle if I liked a fast lifestyle with lots of parties. It has great weather and a party atmosphere. New Zealand is a very beautiful country, but a little cold for me, so for me my perfect place is home, Goa.

Question 4

My favourite food is my own food, which is very spicy with lots of rice, so I guess the closest food to that is Mexican, so when I'm away from home I tend to eat Mexican. My favourite dish is a Portuguese dish called "Caldo Verdo". This is a spicy green vegetable dish. I also favour fish and prawn curries. I have tried lots of other foods from lots of different countries but for me lack of spices leaves food tasting sweet.

Imade Suardika

Imade Suardika

Age: 30

Born: Bali, Indonesia

Relationship status: Single

Job Description: Head team waiter

Question 1

To me Balinese culture is like nowhere else in the world. The beaches are so beautiful, it is why so many Australians go to Bali. The art in Bali is also unique. Art is very important in Bali and I believe some of the art is more beautiful than anywhere else I've been to. In Bali we have what is called "Nyepi Day". This means quiet day. Nyepi Day is in March and there is to be no sound of any kind, no airplanes, no cars and no lights and, should you wish to go outside, you must receive written permission or risk being jailed. If tourists arrive on this day then they must remain in the airport. The day before Nyepi we have a huge Mardi Gras with great celebrations. There is lots of dancing, food and drink and the tourists love it. Bali is the best tourist destination in the world and I love it.

Question 2

I'm on the ship for many reasons. Firstly I'm here for the experience. I have seen many people from my country who have worked on the ships and they have become very successful in life. By this I mean they are able to build houses, buy cars and make their families happy. In Bali the pay is very low, if you are able to find a job. On the ship we get good pay, we get health cover as well as our food and accommodation. Because of this I am able to send most of my money home to help my family and set myself up for later in life.

Question 3

Bali will always be my home; I will never live anywhere else. Everything I do is all for when I go home and so that my life will be better. I will go to Singapore after I leave the ship as I feel working in Singapore will give me the necessary experience so when I finally go back to Bali I will be able to work for myself. I plan to work on the ship maybe for another five to 10 years. My plan is to open a restaurant and have people who would otherwise never get the chance to work in a restaurant work for me.

Question 4

I like all foods from all countries but I don't like really spicy food. Balinese food is very spicy but my mum will cook just how I like it. I like Chinese, Indian and Turkish food but most of all I like my mum's cooking. In Bali we cook all our food in the morning for the whole day, then we offer some of this food to the gods before we eat it. I like McDonald's but in Bali it is different from Australia. McDonald's in Bali offers rice with your burger whereas in Australia you are offered fries. McDonald's is very cheap in Bali - two people can eat for only $5. So if I had to choose, I would choose traditional Balinese food made by my mum.

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