October 2026

‘Know your place’ ‘know your place’ ‘know your place’ blah blah blah, I heard it so many times, they acted like we didn’t know things were different for them and us. What we ate, where we slept, what we wore, the things we had to do, among other things. They made me dread the trip despite all the good that was actually present on the ship. It wasn’t always like that, we weren’t always on the ship, we were on the land and I’d say life was pretty good. My father passed about two years ago but he took good care of us, both him and my mother worked very hard and remain the kindest and most generous people I saw, at least for my age. Everyone knew them and loved them, their work was good and so everything was always taken care of. Father did get ill and after a few months of fighting we lost him, I think mum was strong for us, she didn’t change or act differently. She didn’t mourn for long and I assumed it was because she knew we needed the care.

I was 6 and my brother was 14 at the time, he would help mum and make sure to keep me in place and have an eye on me wherever we’d go, especially when mum wasn’t around. After dads passing, things got a little slow but we were still surviving, mum was getting the hang of having to take care of us and everything. But one day a letter came for her, they spoke about her being diligent and a great worker and how they were inviting her to be chief of staff on a ship that would be heading out to explore the seas in a few months. She could come with her family and it was a very exciting opportunity, but she seemed a little hesitant. My brother and I were very excited to have the opportunity to leave the place we lived in and see things we never would have the chance to see under normal circumstances. She didn’t say much on the matter and we were a little bummed but after a couple of weeks she informed us that we would be going for some orientation and trainings because we’ve never been on a ship before and that’s when we knew she said yes. She did ask us to be on our best behaviour which was pretty standard.

The ship was big, it had many levels, it was in the ship yard with the last works being completed and we were shown the different living quarters, how bathrooms worked, the kitchens, pantries, tools, cleaning instructions, emergency related procedures and such. It seemed like a lot of work but also very thrilling and mum had to train the different staff that were hired on the same. There was a lot of emphasis on how we were not to mingle with the guests, we could speak but not to be too friendly and to know our place and the reason for being there. I didn’t understand it much, aren’t we all just people? Father made sure we treated everyone the same, we were not rich but better off than most and he never made it a situation where it was us separate from them. I spoke with mum about it and she said it was work and not a holiday and we needed to follow the rules and stay in line, it was part of the agreement and I understood. Mother speaks so well and kindly, she makes even the bad stuff seem easy to handle.