• 

On Wednesday, January 7, my boss asked me if I’d be willing to be interviewed by our local TV station. Someone with a visual impairment was complaining that city bus drivers don’t call out each stop so she never knows where she is, and she doesn’t like to ask the driver to let her know when she’s at her stop. The TV station wanted an opinion from someone else with a disability so they called the Independent Living Centre. The person that my boss asked either didn’t want to do the interview or wasn’t available so he asked if I’d be part of it. Always willing to be in the limelight and become "famous" in the community, I said I’d do it.

The interview was to be at 3:30 so I went about my usual daily routine. At some point after lunch I had a headache so, when the TV station called to say they were on their way and could I meet them outside to do the interview, I was glad to get outside in hopes that the cold temperature would help my headache as it sometimes does.

The TV crew came, set up, did a brief interview with me, and left. I told them that it would be a great idea for the drivers to call out each stop, not only for people with visual impairments but for people in wheelchairs like me who sit backwards and can only see where they’ve been and not where they’re going. I said it would also help people who are visiting the area or are new and don’t know where they are going yet. I thought I sounded rather intelligent about the whole thing. lol

It was on the 6:00 news that night but I didn’t even see it because after work I went to Conestoga Mall to see if I could buy some new clothes for my trip. My shopping spree was successful in that I did manage to buy some new tops. But my headache got progressively worse so after I had something to eat, I went outside for some fresh air, again in hopes of cooling off and getting rid of my headache. Unfortunately, I was feeling sick by then and, sure enough, before long I ended up losing my supper. I only went back inside when I got really cold but had to go back out again when I started to get warm and feel nauseated again. My ride came as I was waiting outside the second time and when I got home I got sick again so I grabbed a wash cloth, ran cold water over it, and put it on my forehead for a while. Gradually I felt better.

• 

I took the next two days, Thursday and Friday, off to get ready for my trip. I went to Fairview Mall on Thursday to see if I could find more clothes and, once again, luck was with me. I think I had a ride booked to go to yet another mall on the Friday but my previous shopping trips were so successful that I didn’t really need anything else.

On Friday, I packed my suitcase. When I tell people I packed my suitcase on the very day I was to leave for my cruise, they think I’m nuts. But really, how long does it take to pack a week’s worth of underwear, slacks, and tops???!!! I actually took less than one outfit per day that I’d be away. I figured that either I could wear some things more than once or I could do some hand wash to tide me over. I also knew that they’d have laundry service on board so, if worse came to worst, I could always get my clothes cleaned that way, even though they charge a pretty penny for the service.

As I was packing my new tops in my suitcase, I took the price tags off with my manicure scissors. A few minutes after all my new tops were packed, I couldn’t find my scissors. I looked on the bed, on the floor, and in my carry-on backpack. I couldn’t find the scissors. I was not about to unpack my suitcase to look for them. I figured that, if they were in my suitcase, that would be fine since you’re allowed to have scissors in your suitcase. I checked my backpack again though, just to be sure they weren’t in there. I took everything out and put it all back in and couldn’t find my scissors. By now I felt sure they must be in my suitcase, because where else could they be?!

• 

I took a shower after supper so that I’d be as fresh as I could be for the long journey ahead. I went to Wanda’s (my cruise roommate) at about 11 p.m. so that I’d be at our departure point well in advance and so that I could start getting acquainted with Wanda. One of the first things she talked about was the cat that she had to have put down just before or after Christmas. I felt bad for her and all the more anxious about leaving Asti on her own for a whole week. After all, she’s going to be 18 in April, and at this point anything can happen. But the good thing about that conversation with Wanda was that it gave us one thing in common right from the start...our love for cats. It was a good sign.

Wanda and I continued to talk until about 12:45 a.m. or so, and then we headed downstairs to the room where we were all going to wait for our ride to the airport. At about 1:20 a.m., two wheelchair accessible vehicles arrived and the drivers began loading us and our stuff into the vehicles. Everything went super smoothly because we...8 people in wheelchairs, 6 attendants, and all our stuff including some equipment...were on our way by 1:40 a.m. Unfortunately, we were all freezing by the time we got to the airport because there seemed to be very little, if any, heat in the van. We arrived at the Toronto airport at about 2:55 a.m. I didn’t realize there would be no staff at the airport at that hour to process us, so we had to sit and wait for nothing for at least an hour. It was a very long hour because I was already over-tired and, because I had been awake all that time, I was thinking about food too. Just after 4 a.m. some people showed up to get us going.

They weighed our luggage and sent it on its way. They tagged our carry-on bags and tagged our wheelchairs so that we could take them right to the door of the plane. Then we had to go through customs and get searched...always a fun ordeal. Not!!!

• 

When it was my turn, they scanned my purse and my carry-on. A woman looked through my carry-on, took everything out, and put it back in. She said to the guy next to her that she could "see it" but couldn’t find it. She didn’t tell me what she could see but not find, so I had no clue what was going on. She took everything out of my carry-on a second time and put it back in. Then she got the guy next to her to look through my carry-on. Lo and behold, he found my scissors! I guess the scanner showed a pair of scissors but they had a hard time finding them in my backpack. They asked me about the scissors but I said I couldn’t find them earlier and didn’t know they were in there. Hopefully they believed me because they had such a hard time finding them too. For a split second, I was happy they found my scissors but then of course I realized they would confiscate them because you’re not allowed to take scissors inside the plane. So, the scissors that were misplaced several hours before, were now gone for good.

By the time I and everyone else in our group got through customs, it was 6 a.m. and we were taken directly to the plane which was scheduled to leave at 6:30. Unfortunately, this meant that I didn’t have a chance to go to the washroom before getting on the plane. We didn’t leave at 6:30 as scheduled because, for one thing, it took at least an hour to get all the wheelchair users on the plane. They didn’t say anything about any other delays so I think we were it, but I think the plane was late arriving at the airport too. So we didn’t actually leave until sometime after 7 a.m., although I don’t remember the exact time. Of course it took a while before we were actually in the air and, shortly after that, my bladder was trying to tell me something. I couldn’t reach the button to call for assistance and Sandy, the attendant I would be sharing with Wanda and Rhea, was sitting a few rows ahead of me. I thought she was probably sleeping so I didn’t think she’d hear me if I called out. So I had to wait to get a flight attendant’s attention when she walked down the aisle with the beverage cart. Of course they can’t help me to the washroom when the beverage cart is in the aisle so the flight attendant asked if I could wait for a half hour. I said I could probably wait for a bit but didn’t know if I could wait for a full half hour. They have a special chair they use to push people to the washroom but they have to put it together, which takes time. But eventually the flight attendants finished serving beverages and put the chair together for me. I think by this time, it was 9:20 a.m. or so. I was over-tired, hungry, had a headache, and had to go to the washroom. It was so overwhelming that I actually started to cry. But once the flight attendants helped me to the washroom and I had something to eat (a Harvey’s breakfast sandwich which I had to pay $5.00 for and which left a lot to be desired...but hey, it was food!), I felt more in control.

We got to San Juan, Puerto Rico, at about 12:50 p.m., local time. I didn’t get off the plane until 2 p.m., so that was another long wait. Then we had to collect our luggage. After that, we had yet another long wait for the rides that would take us to the ship.

• 

We arrived at the ship, Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas, at 4 p.m. Fortunately, things at the ship went very smoothly so we were on our way to our staterooms in short order. I didn’t even have to wait for my luggage because one of the attendants had brought it with her from the airport. The rest of the luggage came separately so everyone else had to wait for theirs. And so began Day One of our cruise.

Wanda and I were disappointed to find that our stateroom, which was on Deck 4, was not as big as we thought, and was full of unnecessary furniture (love seat, table, chair), which only served to make it difficult to maneuver our wheelchairs. So when our stateroom attendant introduced himself, Wanda asked if he could remove some of the furniture and rearrange our beds so that we could both get in and out of them easily.

Most of the people in our group wanted something to eat or drink by this time so we went in search of food and drink. Since we were scheduled for the 6:00 seating for supper, and it was already close to 5:00, I decided to just have some apple juice even though I knew that my headache, which hadn’t gone away, was probably partly due to lack of food. I just figured that I should save my appetite for supper which, according to everyone I knew who’d been on a cruise, was supposed to be incredible.

We were introduced to our Head Waiter, Waiter, and Assistant Waiter. We got our menus and our bartender asked if we wanted a drink. I declined because of my headache. It didn’t take long for our food to arrive. We started off with an appetizer, then the main course which always included the Assistant Waiter making one or two rounds with the bread basket, and then dessert. It felt great to have some real food after having only the breakfast sandwich since supper the night before.

Because of my headache, I asked the Assistant Waiter for a cold cloth. I meant cold as in wet but he brought me a cloth napkin, in which he had wrapped some ice. The napkin looked like the head of Casper the Friendly Ghost! lol I put the napkin on my neck because many of my headaches start in my neck. One of the ladies at my table, Heather, commented that the napkin looked really cute so I proceeded to refer to my napkin as my new friend. lol When we were finished supper, the Assistant Waiter asked if we enjoyed our meal and I, pointing to the napkin at my neck, said "I enjoyed this very much." He laughed. He actually was quite fun that night and of course I couldn’t help noticing that he wasn’t exactly hard on the eyes, if you know what I mean! lol

At 8:00 that night, we had to attend a mandatory emergency drill where we had to have our life jackets on. It was a very short drill so after that we went out on deck. Cathy, an attendant who was sharing the stateroom next to ours with Heather, took our life jackets back to our staterooms and then joined us on deck. It was gorgeous weather.

I don’t remember if we did anything else that night but I know I was tired. I was looking forward to a good night’s sleep but that was not to be. Not only did I have the wrong kind of pillow but I discovered that Wanda, my roommate for the next week, snored...loud!!! I could have been crabby about it but I took it all in stride and made light of it the next morning. When Wanda said she slept well, I said I was glad that one of us did. Then I laughingly said "I hate to break it to you but you snore!" Of course she was already aware of that. She said she had deliberately slept on her side because we’ve all read that one is more likely to snore if one sleeps on one’s back. But Wanda was just getting over a bad cold so her snoring was apparently worse than usual. Just my luck! lol

• 

It was Sunday, Day Two of our cruise. We were up early that morning because we were scheduled to take a tour of St. Thomas, our first port of call. We ordered room service because it would have taken too long for us to go to the dining room or cafeteria for breakfast. The tour was to begin at 9 a.m. so we were supposed to be out by the cruise terminal by 8:30. Wanda and I were a few minutes late because we couldn’t access the right elevator on our deck because the cleaning carts in the hallway were blocking our path. So we had to go up to the next deck, go across to the right set of elevators, and go down to the 2nd floor where the gangway was. But we were out there in plenty of time anyway.

James, the guy who arranged our trip and tours, had arranged transportation for this tour but I guess somebody got something wrong because the vehicle they sent wouldn’t hold all of us. So they had to send a second vehicle for Wanda, myself, and James. So once again we found ourselves waiting. It started to rain but there was a sort of awning/tent-like thingy under which we found shelter. The rain only lasted for a few minutes though.

Finally the second vehicle arrived. Wanda and I were loaded on. Then James got on the lift and the driver started to raise the lift. I heard a crash but since I couldn’t see what had happened, I could only assume that the lift had dropped down. So the driver asked James to get off the lift while he tried to repair it. Then he got James to get on the lift again. The driver started to raise the lift and...crash. The lift broke again. The driver tried to repair it again and got James to get on the lift a third time. Up went the lift with James on it and then...crash! You guessed it...the lift broke a third time. By then the driver realized he wasn’t going to be able to fix the lift or take James so they had to call for a third vehicle just for James. More waiting.

At long last, the third vehicle arrived, James was loaded on, and off we went on our tour. It was after 10 a.m. We were supposed to stop somewhere to shop but our driver said there were too many vehicles at the designated spot so Wanda and I didn’t get a chance to shop. The only other stop on the tour was at a place that I think was called The Mountain Top. It was supposed to be a spot with a great view where they make world famous banana daquiris. Everyone got out of the vehicles to look at the view and get a banana daquiri if they wanted. But, in case you forgot, Wanda and I were on a vehicle with a broken lift, so we couldn’t get out. Cathy offered to get us a banana daquiri and bring it to us in the vehicle. Wanda and I were fine with that. So there we were, in a beat-up old vehicle with a broken lift, drinking $8.00 banana daquiris in St. Thomas at 11 a.m. Boy, did they put a lot of rum in that drink!!! I was feeling quite loopy when I was done!

At one point, one of our drivers came out of this Mountain Top place with some narrow planks. He said they could make a ramp out of them and we could get out of the vehicle that way. Say what???!!! I don’t think so!!!! Wanda took on the role of spokesperson and said that we didn’t feel comfortable with the idea and would rather stay in the vehicle. Wanda said that if she was going to have to get out of the vehicle using the planks, she’d rather do it when she was at the ship, just in case something happened. Good point!!! So we didn’t get out. If we had, who knows what would have happened to me in my inebriated state! lol

When we were finished our drinks, we headed back to the ship. Wanda and I thought we were going to have to get out of the vehicle using those narrow planks that one of the drivers had loaded onto our vehicle. But in the meantime that driver had come up with a fabulous idea which we were about to experience. What they did was drive one of the other vehicles up to the door of our vehicle, where the lift was. They lowered the lift of the other vehicle to be level with the doorway of our vehicle so Wanda and I could just drive right off our vehicle using the lift from the other vehicle. Once we were on the other vehicle, that driver brought us to the spot where we needed to be and let us out. Talk about a genius idea!!!

Once back on the ship, Wanda and I went in search of some lunch. I can’t remember what we did for the rest of the afternoon but I think we wandered around the outside of the ship to look at the view and enjoy the weather. I also found the computers on board so I sent an e-mail to my sisters to let them know I arrived safely so that they could pass that on to my mother.

At about 5:00, it was time to head back to our stateroom to get ready for supper. It was "formal" night that night so we had to look as spiffy as possible. I brought two tops with sparklies on them so I wore one of those that night. Since I didn’t have a headache that day, I decided to try the "drink of the day," a Yellowbird. It was rum with some other stuff but I have no idea what. I just know it tasted good! The food was great too, of course.

Again the details of the evening after supper are a blur but just before 11 p.m. we went to the Vortex, the ship’s nightclub on Deck 13, the highest deck on the ship. It was supposed to be a "singles" get-together from 11:00 on, but from 10 to 11 there was a "couples" dance and we noticed that most of the couples just stayed beyond 11, so there weren’t really any single men looking for us single women. However, I did order a drink while I was there, my third drink of the day. I don’t remember what it was but it might have been a pina colada. Whatever it was, I know it was good!

• 

Monday was Day 3 of our cruise. Wanda and I woke up at our leisure and the ship was already docked in St. Maarten. The view was beautiful and the water where we were docked was a gorgeous turquoise. Wanda and I got showered and dressed, and then headed to the cafeteria, the Windjammer, for breakfast. Then we left the ship to wander around the port.

Wanda wanted to check out some of the jewellery stores. We went into one store where the sales person snagged Wanda into buying something. Another sales person tried to talk me into buying some jewellery but I kept saying this and that was out of my budget. When the guy finally showed me a $99 emerald necklace, I figured it was a deal I couldn’t pass up. So I bought it. Once I agreed to buy it, the guy immediately started trying to convince me to buy something else but I was firm and told him that was enough. Then Wanda and I left. Wanda wanted to check out another jewellery store but I decided to wait for her outside so I wouldn’t be tempted to buy more jewellery. I ended up waiting right outside another jewellery store and one of the sales people in the store saw me. He came out to me and invited me in but I said "I’m scared" because I knew I might be snagged into buying something else. He told me not to be scared. He started trying to sell me a necklace but I told him I already had one. He then suggested that I buy a pendant without the chain and, of course, the price was much lower for a pendant without a chain. The price of the ruby pendant he showed me was actually more than the entire emerald necklace I had just bought, but I figured I was on holidays and deserved to bring home something to show for it. So I bought the pendant too.

In the meantime, Wanda spent a hefty sum on jewellery so the sales guy gave her a free charm bracelet. She asked if I could have one too so he gave me one. The idea of the charm bracelet was to pick up a free charm for the bracelet at every port on the cruise. I thought that was neat.

I don’t remember what we did after suppper that night but later on we went to the Vortex again. They were playing ‘80's music and I enjoyed it. The bartender asked me if I wanted something. I told him I like fruity cocktails with umbrellas in them. He asked if I wanted a Passion Mango Rita. I asked what was in it and I think he said tequila, mango juice, passion fruit, and maybe something else. I thought it sounded really good so I ordered it. It was delicious!!! It became my very own "drink of the day" for the next day or two. The only problem with it was that it was so thick that by the time I was finished one drink, I felt full and couldn’t drink another one. That was okay for my pocketbook though, because it cost somewhere between $8 and $9.

• 

Tuesday was Day 4 and Wanda and I woke up in Antigua. It was another leisurely day since we didn’t have a tour booked, so we got ready, had breakfast, and headed out. The difference between Antigua and the other ports of call is that in Antigua we were docked right in the middle of the city. There were people everywhere!!! Some of the sidewalks were not in good shape so at times we had to get on the road. But the roads were narrow so our wheelchairs could barely fit next to a passing car. I didn’t like it one bit!!! There were also a lot of locals selling their wares and they were so "in your face" that it bugged me. I wanted to get back to the ship as quickly as possible after that.

At supper Cathy suggested that we all get together for breakfast at 10 a.m. the next morning. I thought that was a great idea, since there really hadn’t been any group bonding yet.

That night there was karaoke on board. We all planned to go and since it was scheduled from 7:30 to 8:30 or 9, we didn’t linger over supper as we did on other nights. We all arrived at karaoke shortly after 7:30. I sang Celine’s "I’m Alive" and started off really well but got screwed up on the song when the background singers’ lyrics appeared on the screen along with Celine’s lyrics. I got confused and messed up. But the host of karaoke night, whose named really was Ricky Ricardo if you can believe it, said that if we didn’t get a chance to sing that night or wanted to sing more, we shouldn’t worry because Friday we were going to be at sea all day and there would be karaoke from 9 p.m. on. So I figured I’d do "I’m Alive" again and I saw a song in the book by LeAnn Rimes that I wanted to do as well.

At 10:15 Wanda and I went to one of the Royal Caribbean shows. It was really well done. I was amazed at all the glitz and glamour on stage with the costumes, set designs, and lighting. And some of the singers had amazing voices!

• 

Wednesday was Day 5 and we woke up in St. Lucia. We headed to the Windjammer to meet the others for breakfast at 10 a.m. When we got there, two members of our group were seated. One of them motioned to us to come to their table so we did. A few minutes later, the two of them left. They had gotten up early and had just finished their breakfast. Everybody else showed up at different times. So much for our group breakfast. I was not impressed!

Our "Cruise Compass" (schedule of events) said that there would be free rum punch at 2 p.m. at one of the jewellery stores. So Wanda and I decided we would go. After all, who could pass up a free drink???!!!

Well, we headed out off the ship and wandered around the port. Wanda went into one store that I thought was rather cramped so I didn’t go in. I saw a sign further down that I couldn’t read so went toward it. When I went back to the store where I’d left Wanda, she was gone. I figured if I hung around the Diamonds International jewellery store long enough, Wanda would show up for the free rum punch. So I headed in at about 2:00, just in time to see them setting up the little shot glasses of punch. I picked up my free charm for my charm bracelet while I was there too.

There were two guys playing Caribbean music and singing. I figured that Wanda would show up soon. She didn’t, but I was enjoying the music so much that I just stayed and listened. At about 3:00 I decided to head back to the ship. I had to ask a guy in the jewellery store how to get back to the ship because I have absolutely no sense of direction and I’d already tried to find an exit but couldn’t find anything but fences around everything with no way out. The guy in the store told me how to get out so I left.

When I got back to the ship, I went to our stateroom and found Wanda there. When I asked why she didn’t show up at the jewellery store, she said she couldn’t find me after she went into that one store so she wandered around a bit and then decided she wanted to go back to the ship. At that point she said she wanted to go for a rest so I told her I’d go check my e-mail and go to Guest Services to ask about something or drop off something.

I logged onto a computer and was checking my e-mail when I heard a page..."Would Joyce Nieuwesteeg please report to Guest Services by pressing such-and-such on any phone." I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t figure out why anyone on this ship would be paging li’l ol’ me!!! The thought crossed my mind that it might be someone from home calling with bad news since I knew no one would call from home with good news.

Before I could even get out of the little alcove I was in, a security guard came up to me and said, "Are you Joyce?" I said yes. She asked if she could see my Sea Pass card so I showed it to her. Then she said something to the person or persons on the other end of her walkie-talkie thing. The voice on the other end said, "We’re just looking for one passenger, Joyce Nieuwesteeg. The security guard told the other person that she found me. That was that and the security guard walked away. I had no clue what that was all about...until it occurred to me that when I arrived back on the ship, the security guards at the top of the gangway didn’t swipe my Sea Pass card, even though I had it in my hand.

I went back to our stateroom and Wanda said that ever since I left the room she had people phoning the room and banging on the door looking for me! The way she said it was so hilarious!!! And here I was trying to stay away from our stateroom so that Wanda could have a rest. It was all too funny. But yes, the security guards had forgotten to swipe my card so they thought I was missing at 5:00 when it was time to set sail again. I was impressed that they went to that much trouble to find me. From the literature I’d read, it stated that if you missed the ship at any port, it was your own responsibiilty to get to the next port to join the ship again. So I just thought it was a case of "If you snooze, you lose." Even though I was never missing, I’m glad they looked for me before leaving the port.

Later on that night, there was a dance and buffet event by the pool. They were selling Coco Loco drinks so I bought one. I took one sip and that was it. I didn’t like the drink at all!!! Sandy, Rhea, and I decided to get some food at the buffet and then we lost the others so we went back to our staterooms. Since Wanda wasn’t in the room and I had nothing going on, I decided I’d start writing this blog. But then there was a knock on the door. It was Cathy, the attendant staying in the room next to ours, wanting to know if I’d like to come to her room where several of our group were gathered. So of course I went, and didn’t get much writing done.

The socializing in Cathy and Heather’s room that night was the best bit of group bonding I had on the trip. We had some drinks and some laughs and then, one by one, everyone left. By then it was time for bed. It had been an eventful day!

• 

Thursday was Day 6 of our cruise and we woke up in Barbados. We had a tour scheduled for 9:30 so we were expected to be off the ship and ready by 9 a.m. Wanda and I were again a few minutes late because we couldn’t get past the cleaning carts and had to go up one level and then down again to get off the ship.

Once again, our transportation got screwed up because the vehicle that arrived couldn’t take all of us. The driver decided that, rather than providing one 4 to 5 hour tour for the whole group, he would take half the group for a 2 to 2.5 hour tour and then come back and get the second group for a tour. I was part of the second group so we had time to kill before it would be our turn. I would have liked to go back to the ship but I didn’t want to go back by myself and risk getting totally lost so I stayed with the rest of the group and we ended up wandering around downtown by the waterfront. I wasn’t prepared for being out in the sun since I was supposed to be on a tour in a vehicle, so of course I got sunburned. We were out and about for about 1.5 to 2 hours and then headed back to the cruise terminal to wait for our tour guide.

The tour was great. The scenery was beautiful. There were hills, lots of greenery, and the beach...a little bit of everything. I was told that there would be at least one washroom break but the driver didn’t stop. By the time we got back to the ship it was 4:00 and I really had to go!

As I got to the top of the gangway, the same female security guard that had frisked me all week and didn’t know my name saw me and called out, "Hey Joycie! Did you have a good day, Joycie?" A male security guard asked if I’d brought back any booze with me. I found out later that Wanda bought some booze so this security guard thought I might have some too. It was funny thought that the security guards suddenly knew who I was after my "disappearance" the day before! lol

Since I hadn’t had lunch that day, I was starving by the time 6:00 came. I asked our Assistant Waiter for the bread basket 3 times! Since the next day was going to be our last day on board, and the last day is the day you give your tips to the crew, the Assistant Waiter was being exceptionally friendly and fun. He ended up posing for pictures with some of us.

I had been saying that I wanted to find an island boy on this cruise and at one point Cathy said that if all else failed they could take pictures of me with "random men" to make it look good. So when our Assistant Waiter wanted to pose, I was more than happy for the opportunity. And that’s how I got my new profile picture. I think it turned out great.

• 

That night Wanda and I went to one of the on-board jewellery shops. Wanda already knew the saleswoman there so she had obviously bought something there. The store was offering free rum shots so she offered us some. We got to pick what kind of rum we wanted so I had raspberry rum. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!! When we arrived, there was a man and a woman behind the counter. The man wanted to get out from behind the counter. I thought the counter had a flap that lifted up so that the staff could get in and out. But instead of a flap at counter level, there was a little door below the counter. Suddenly I saw the man on all fours trying to get out. He looked ready to propose as he looked up at me in that position, and I just laughed!

Later Wanda and I went to another Royal Caribbean stage show. Of course it was very good. There was karaoke that night too, but it was only for an hour and since I was counting on doing karaoke the next day, I decided to pass on it that night.

The next day we were at sea all day, heading from Barbados all the way back to San Juan, Puerto Rico. Wanda and I just relaxed. When I was ready, I went outside and found a quiet place on deck where I could read and soak up the sun. I wanted to come home with some colour!

At supper that night, someone in our group had mentioned that we should do something as a group for the last night but nobody made any firm suggestions.

• 

As it turned out, there was no karaoke scheduled for that night, so I was really disappointed about that. At one point later on that night, Sandy, Wanda, and I went in search of the others for this group thing that we were supposed to do together for the last night. We went to three different places where we thought they might be but couldnt’ find them. So we went back to our staterooms. The next morning we heard that the others did, in fact, get together and party as a group. I was not impressed that Wanda and I missed it.

The next morning we had to have breakfast at 7 a.m. to be ready to leave the ship at 8 a.m. The disembarkation process went very smoothly and soon we were at the cruise terminal waiting for our ride to the airport. The week had flown by and my adventure was almost over. One of the attendants jokingly asked if the security guards had swiped my Sea Pass card as I left the ship, and another person in our group said that if I got stopped at customs, they would all pretend they didn’t know me. lol

We had time to kill at the airport because the flight was delayed. It took over an hour to board all of us again and eventually we were in the air and on our way back to Toronto. The flight went smoothly. We arrived in Toronto at about 6 p.m. but I didn’t get off the plane till 7:10 p.m. We did the usual airport routine and waited for our rides. We got back to Waterloo at 10:15 p.m., in the middle of a snowstorm. Yuck!!! It was then that I heard that while I was enjoying 29 degree Celsius (84 Fahrenheit) weather in the Caribbean, Southern Ontario was experiencing -29 degree (that’s so cold I don’t even know what it translates to in Fahrenheit degrees!) Celsius weather! I was so happy to have missed that!

And so ends my first cruise adventure.

• 

Since coming home, I have had lunch with my friends Alma, Jane, and Sue, as well as my "sistahs" (two attendants) Debbie and Petula. I have been over to the gym once with Al who is now helping me on alternate Saturdays when he doesn’t have his son and doesn’t have anything else going on. I also started teaching my two beginner computer classes on Jan. 19, and I’m loving every minute of it. The Seniors Program Coordinator just e-mailed me yesterday asking if I want to stay on in the fall. Of course I said yes but I asked her if there would be a spring session since she didn’t mention that in her e-mail. She said of course there would be but she was just trying to plan ahead for the fall. So it looks like I’m going to be doing this teaching for a while yet. Gotta love it!!!

I am going to see the play/musical The Drowsy Chaperone on March 10, with Sue and Jane, here in Kitchener. On March 7, I’m going to Toronto with my younger sister, mother, and Aunt Cathy, to see The Sound of Music. It’s my all-time favourite musical. I’ve seen it on stage before but I just never get tired of that story and the music that goes with it.

Petula invited me to attend a church celebration this weekend in honour of Black History Month. She’s going to be singing in a choir and there will be food after the service. So that should be interesting, even though it means getting up early on one of my two free days.

Petula called me this morning to give me an idea of where this church is so I can book a ride. We got talking and I said I planned to get groceries today. The conversation continued and, before I knew it, we agreed to do some shopping together in the afternoon. So my original plan to complete this blog fell by the wayside. But the afternoon was fun and it was nice to do something spontaneous. We were able to get there and back by city bus so I didn’t have to arrange anything in advance.

• 

And now for some soap box issues.

• 

I phoned my younger sister almost four weeks ago because I was in charge of getting tickets for The Sound of Music. My sister had said that my cousin Colleen and a friend of theirs might want to go too, so I wanted to find out if I should get tickets for them. My sister wasn’t home. I left a message. I waited several days and still didn’t get a call back. My younger sister and I have always been very close and she used to be very quick at returning a phone call from me. After waiting almost a week, I phoned my mother to find out if she knew what was going on with my sister. My mother said my sister was right there, so I asked to talk to her. My sister answered my question about Colleen and her friend and then said she was actually on her way out the door. When I asked her why she didn’t return my call, she said she’s never home and, when she gets home at about 10:00 at night, she doesn’t feel like talking to anyone. Well, excuuuuuuuuuuuse me for livin’!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I didn’t realize it was such a chore for her to call me!!! I’m still waiting for that return phone call. The whole thing makes me angry and sad. It’s as if my sister has so many people in her life that she no longer has the need or the time for me. And I feel as if the closeness we used to share isn’t really there anymore, and that’s sad.

• 

A few weeks ago, one of the attendants said she’d like me to come to a party on February 7. She didn’t call it a Stag & Doe or anything like that, but I knew she was getting married on the 14th so I knew that’s what the party was for. After saying she wanted me to come, Debbie mentioned that the house where the party was being held might not be accessible so she’d get back to me. I didn’t see her for the next few days but figured she’d contact me through Facebook to let me know what was going on so I could book a ride. I didn’t hear from her at all that week until she cooked my supper on Friday, February 6. That’s when she asked me, without saying anything about the party or the accessibility of the house where it was being held, if I could get a ride for the next day. I was furious that she waited till the last minute to talk to me about it, particularly because one of the guys in my building was invited and she talked to him early enough that he was able to book a ride. I was also shocked beyond belief that she didn’t know that you can’t just book a ride with Mobility Plus at the last minute. I figured that, of all people, an attendant would know how Mobility Plus works and that you have to arrange rides at least two business days in advance. So I was really angry and hurt about the whole thing, especially since it occurred to me that I can’t recall ever being invited to a party outside of my family.

• 

Also a few weeks ago, I was waiting for my cleaning on Sunday at 12:00. At 12:15, I called the attendants’ office to ask if they forgot about me. Debbie...yes, the same one who wanted me to come to her party but never got back to me about it in time...said I was on the schedule for 1:00. I told her (not that I should have had to!) that my cleaning has been done at 12:00 on her weekends since at least last summer. She said there was no way they could do my cleaning at 12 that day because they had three other people to help at 12. So, since she said I was on the schedule for 1:00 that day, I suggested that my cleaning be done at 1:00 every weekend so that there’s no confusion. Two weeks later, that same Debbie was working again. There was a knock at my door at 12:00 and it was an attendant who had come up to do my cleaning. I told him that I’d told Debbie two weeks earlier that I want my cleaning done at 1:00 from now on. So Mallory went back to the office. A few minutes later, I got a call from Debbie who acted as if I hadn’t talked to her about this issue two weeks before and said that if I didn’t have my cleaning done at 12 that day, Mallory would be sitting in the office for the last hour of his shift with nothing to do and that she and the other attendants might not be able to fit me in around the other stuff they were doing. So, in other words, they couldn’t do my cleaning at 12:00 two weeks before, and couldn’t do it at 1:00 that day. Say what???!!! And not only did they mess with the time of my cleaning, but they didn’t even bother to tell me about it. I was furious!!! So I talked to Al about it the next day and he said he’d make sure that I’m scheduled for 1:00 cleaning every Sunday. This weekend is Debbie’s weekend to work again but I’m going to cancel my cleaning because I’m going out with Petula on Sunday. So at least I won’t have to worry about what time my cleaning is being done this weekend. But you can bet I’ll be furious if they mess with my time in two weeks.

• 

We have had a lot of snow this winter and I have found that many sidewalks are either not cleared at all or very poorly done. Some people clear a path so narrow that two feet can barely fit on the cleared area, let alone a power wheelchair.

One day I went to the mall nearby and got stuck in the uncleared snow on the sidewalks not once but twice. There is a bylaw stating that snow must be cleared within 24 hours of a snowfall and, at that point, we hadn’t had a snowfall for several days, if not longer. So there was no reason for the sidewalks not being cleared. Thankfully, a "good Samaritan" came by each time I needed help. One even said he’d contact the City of Kitchener to complain about the snow not being cleared. I thought that was great and I was really grateful that two people came along just when I needed them. I just wish people would realize...and care about...how their actions affect other people. Fortunately, with the few days of mild weather we had late last week, most of that snow melted. It snowed again today though and was still snowing when I got home from work so there could be a bit of accumulation out there.

• 

Lastly, I am on an e-mail list of people who attended a Clay Aiken pre-concert party in 2005. The woman who organized the party has also organized several "Cluncheons" in Toronto so that people have the opportunity to get together even when Clay is not on tour. Well, at least two "Cluncheons" ago, the event was held at a restaurant that is not wheelchair accessible. I have met the organizer of these "Cluncheons" so she knows who I am and that I’m in a power wheelchair. I e-mailed her to let her know that I wanted to attend the "Cluncheon" but couldn’t because the venue was not wheelchair accessible. The last "Cluncheon" was held at the same restaurant which, of course, was still not wheelchair accessible. Again I e-mailed the organizer of the event to tell her I’d love to come but couldn’t because the restaurant is not accessible. Just a week or two ago, I got an e-mail about another "Cluncheon" and the organizer was asking about our availability for a "Cluncheon" in March. She gave us three choices for restaurants, one being the inaccessible one and two being at The Eaton’s Centre, and asked us to pick our preferred restaurant. I e-mailed her back and said that I would like it to be at one of the restaurants at The Eaton’s Centre because I know that the mall is accessible. Several days later, I got an e-mail confirming the date and place for the event. It is again being held at the inaccessible restaurant and, because this is the third time I can’t go because of the location, I am now feeling deliberately excluded. I’m sure that’s not the intention but that’s how it makes me feel. I have a hard time understanding how this event can be held at an inaccessible location when the organizer knows that I have a disability. And how can people, intentionally or not, exclude me from this event when we all know that Clay, himself, would not approve. After all, we all admire and support him because of the work he does to improve inclusion of kids with disabilities into mainstream programs. And yet I’m being excluded from attending this event because the location is not wheelchair accessible. I feel strongly that the issue needs to be addressed but I’m not sure how to do it. Any suggestions???

And so ends another very long blog! I hope it wasn’t too boring but, if it was, just think about it...if it’s boring for you to read about my life, how do you think I feel about living it??!!! lol

•