I'm supposed to anyway.. tomorrow morning. But all of today and as far as I can judge in the darkness, all night, a dense fog has descended all around us. Visibility has been reduced to barely a hundred metres or so. It's not very cold outside, surprisingly, just depressingly clammy.
Pretty much all day I've been thinking about the trip. What I'd expected against what it turned out to be, if it was tougher or easier than I'd thought it would be, stuff like that. It seems though, that I'd sort of forced myself not to expect anything in particular! I say this because now that I do know what it's like, I can't for the life of me find anything in my mind to compare it with!!
Okay, that's not entirely true. I keep comparing my life on board this ship with my last four years in hostel. And the similarities are pretty amusing. For starters the late to bed, late to rise schedule :P. Mess food, and bitching about it (regardless of actual quality), trying to fit in with seniors, feeling like a freshie even at the end of a month.... And yes being ordered about. It's apparently a custom on board that the offsigning crew clean the siesmic operations area (instrument room, back deck, gun deck etc) for the next crew to come in. So yesterday my boss asks me to get started with a mop and I confidently laugh in his face, assuming that he's joking. A few minutes later I see several other members of the crew get into action with dusters and mops! So today I obediently finished up my 'quota' of cleaning while my boss could hardly contain his 'I told you so' smirk all through :D.
Come to think of it, I couldn't have hoped for a better trip. My colleagues here hardly give off the 'office' and 'corporate' feel that I was very afraid of. On the contrary, they actually treat kids like me (trainees) with a great deal of familiarity. Soon you're work buddies, and they'll be recounting experiences and cracking jokes with you. Of course they won't let go of a single chance to take your case, and Richie, my boss for the longest time here is a superb example of that! But as I finished my last shift a few minutes back and bade the guys goodnight, I realised this might be the last time I ever see them. It filled me with a little bit of sadness. Somehow the trip reminds me of a long train journey. You meet people whom you are sure you will never forget and just as surely will never meet ever again.
It is very important to say the final good-bye though, and there's always the hint that maybe, maybe it's not so final. The world after all, is not such a big place :).
Pretty much all day I've been thinking about the trip. What I'd expected against what it turned out to be, if it was tougher or easier than I'd thought it would be, stuff like that. It seems though, that I'd sort of forced myself not to expect anything in particular! I say this because now that I do know what it's like, I can't for the life of me find anything in my mind to compare it with!!
Okay, that's not entirely true. I keep comparing my life on board this ship with my last four years in hostel. And the similarities are pretty amusing. For starters the late to bed, late to rise schedule :P. Mess food, and bitching about it (regardless of actual quality), trying to fit in with seniors, feeling like a freshie even at the end of a month.... And yes being ordered about. It's apparently a custom on board that the offsigning crew clean the siesmic operations area (instrument room, back deck, gun deck etc) for the next crew to come in. So yesterday my boss asks me to get started with a mop and I confidently laugh in his face, assuming that he's joking. A few minutes later I see several other members of the crew get into action with dusters and mops! So today I obediently finished up my 'quota' of cleaning while my boss could hardly contain his 'I told you so' smirk all through :D.
Come to think of it, I couldn't have hoped for a better trip. My colleagues here hardly give off the 'office' and 'corporate' feel that I was very afraid of. On the contrary, they actually treat kids like me (trainees) with a great deal of familiarity. Soon you're work buddies, and they'll be recounting experiences and cracking jokes with you. Of course they won't let go of a single chance to take your case, and Richie, my boss for the longest time here is a superb example of that! But as I finished my last shift a few minutes back and bade the guys goodnight, I realised this might be the last time I ever see them. It filled me with a little bit of sadness. Somehow the trip reminds me of a long train journey. You meet people whom you are sure you will never forget and just as surely will never meet ever again.
It is very important to say the final good-bye though, and there's always the hint that maybe, maybe it's not so final. The world after all, is not such a big place :).
Happiest moment on the Trident! (Off it actually :D)
--
I guess this will be my last posting for a while. What follows is a 5 day journey, disconnected from all the world for all practical purposes. Oh, and I'm planning to stay up all night, hoping to catch the sunrise! (And breakfast :P.)
Have a nice trip....and if you happen to hit campus around sunset time anytime please post pics!!!!! I misssss the place!!!!
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