Adventures Away!

YESTERDAY I WENT ZIPLINING THROUGH THE JUNGLE. Coolest thing I've ever done. We got to go on a crew excursion in Peurta Vallerta. We took a drive up to the mountains and visited Canopy Adventure Park. A team of five hilarious guides took us through what I guess you could call a course of ziplines. We also got to do two rapels (sliding straight down) climbed a terrifyingly high rope ladder and went on what they called a tarzan rope where they spun you so you were spinning around the whole way across the line.
I got a whole cd of pictures but I can't load them onto my computer. I'll borrow someone else's that has a disc drive and upload them asap.
Today we're having another relaxing day at one of the resorts in Cabo called Niki Beach. Eating fruit, sipping a pina coloda and swimming in the ocean. Life is pretty darn good.
　

WEEK FIVE

The worst blogger ever strikes again! It's now our third week of being fully operational but our fifth week of being on board! How time flies. It's insane. Each saturday we say goodbye to a whole group of guests and the next day we start all over again. It definitely makes time go by quickly. I think I would have a really tough time doing three or four day itineraries. Seven days is pretty perfect. We always get most of the day in Peurto Vallerta off and then we alternate who gets first and second Cabo days off. First Cabo is longer so it`s more of a beach day. Today is Cabo two and we came to this restaurant called Senor Sweets where the internet is free and breakfast is delicious! Last week I had first Cabo off and we went to one of the resorts called Niki Beach. It has a gorgeous pool with a swim up bar and all of these gigantic canopy beds and it`s right near the ocean. There`s a twenty dollar minimum for food and drink but that`s easily done when you`re as tired of crappy ship food as we are! This week in PV we got treated to a Port Adventure. We took an hour long boat ride (pina coladas included) to this place called Las Caletas which is basically a private beach right in the middle of a full on jungle. There was a mexican buffet and then all kinds of water activities. Kayaking, snorkeling and also hiking. Sadly we only had an hour to do all of that because we had to get back to work but I couldn`t complain.

The job is both fulfilling and exhausting but I love it. It`s pretty darn cool that I get to hang out with Mickey and the Gang every single day. The ship is all decorated for Christmas but it definitely does not feel like November. It`s so weird to hear of people having snow and wintery weather when I`m sitting next to a palm tree and staring out at a beach.

Well, I have to go catch a tender boat back to my ship now. More to come!

Love you all and miss you!

Opening Week is Upon Us!

Tomorrow marks the beginning of our opening cruise! I can't believe how quickly these past two weeks have flown by! It's going to be another hectic week but this time it'll be even more so. We'll be taking on all of the greetings and all of the shows on top of the rehearsals we're already doing.

But, I'm excited. I can't wait to be able to move all of our make up and stuff into our dressing rooms and to be able to make the space our own instead of feeling like we were intruding on the cast before us. I can't wait to do all of the greetings and to really get to experience more magical moments with the guests.

I feel so incredibly blessed to be where I am tonight. It's bittersweet because we have to say goodbye to a lot of our creative team as they head back to Toronto to run rehearsals for the other ships. Our manager/trainer and our stage manager as well as two of our three dance supervisors and our puppet experts leave tomorrow. So sad. :( But as Mickey Mouse always says, it's not goodbye, just "see ya real soon!" I hope that's the case.

Wow. It's finally here. Almost three months into my contract and we're finally ready to do our job! It's time to let the magic begin!

Getting My Sea Legs

So! It's the middle of my second week on board the Disney Wonder. Today is the first day we've been off the ship. I know it's only been ten days since we were on land but somehow it felt like forever. We were all shouting and cheering as we walked off the ship. Right now our entire "friends" cast is sitting at a Chilli's in Puerto Vallarta using our laptops. It's pretty hilarious to see everyone sitting at tables but nobody is talking to each other. It's not the greatest dining for me because everything has meat on it. The options are chicken, beef or both. Hahaha. So i got a salad. Oh well. I'm actually not minding the crew mess. There's still not as much vegetarian protein as I might like but the vegtables are awesome! So many options. I like that.

It's funny, my room doesn't even seem that small anymore. After we all eat and use the world wide web we're heading to walmart to get some stuff for our rooms. Bedding, towels and decor. Everyone who has done a contract before says that decorating your room makes all the difference. But apparently even a new shower curtain will stick to you while you shower....did I mention that yet? Our shower is teeny tiny and overflows if you take more then 5 minutes. The shower curtain also sticks to you and there is absolutely nothing you can do to stop it. I'm learning to embrace it....

I keep finding myself forgetting that I'm on a ship. It's actually pretty easy to do when you spend as much time below decks as we are right now with rehearsals and everything. A lot of people have seen dolphins already but I haven't yet...can't wait for that. I will probably freak out. Once we finish our rehearsals and our opening week we'll be able to get off the ship more often and we can get crew discounts on the Port Adventures. I can't wait to go horse back riding and zip lining and to swim with dolphins! So excited for that.

This week we're still working with the current cast onboard but next week we take over everything. I'm soooo excited. I can't wait to get in the swing of things. There's definitely been some tough days but there's also been a lot of great days. I think I'm really going to enjoy myself. I'm so lucky to be surrounded by a cast of amazing people and our leadership team is so supportive and lovely.

I feel soo blessed right now but I miss home and all of you very much. It's really hard not to be able to be in constant contact like I'm so accustomed to. We have access to internet and phone cards on the ship and they actually work pretty well. The only issue is that they aren't very cost effective and I'm trying to save money so I just have to get used to being out to sea. Literally.hahaha. It'll get better once we're done our crossovers because we'll be getting off at least twice a week. Can't wait for that.

Sending love from the hot sunny port of PV.

xoxoxoxoxo

Ahoy Mateys

I am sailing the high seas! I'm currently cozied up in my teeny tiny bunk in my teeny tiny room listening to the ocean roar outside. We've actually had to switch up our itinerary this week due to hurricane threats. We won't be stopping in Puerto Vallerta but will instead get to visit Ensenada. Fine by me! But the waters are definitely pretty rough compared to my last cruising experience from several years ago.
Our day started at 5 am. We had to get up and make ourselves presentable. Then we loaded all of our stuff into vans and were driven to the port where we had to haul all of our luggage onto the ship. Luckily for me one of the other crew members took pity on me and helped me with my bag. If I do this again I will definitely pack lighter next time!
We had HR classes, safety classes and lots of touring the ship. The crew mess is actually quite nice. The food available for me wasn't the greatest today but I've been reassured that's just because it's a Sunday and they're out of lots of things. There was nothing for me to eat for protein. No beans or tofu or anything. However, the girls who were living in my cabin before me were nice enough to leave a jar of vegan protein power! THANK GOODNESS!
Tonight we got to watch the sailing away show and the first show in the Walt Disney Theatre. It was great to see! Many of us were feeling a bit overwhelmed and anxious after seeing the tiny spaces we'll be living in but seeing the show reminded us of why we're all here. I get to jump right into things tomorrow. Very excited!
That's all for now! I'm safe, I'm actually surprisingly cozy in my bunk and I'm looking forward to the rest of the week. I'm a bit sea sick but hopefully the pills I took will set in soon.
Over and out.
Sailor Katie.

Remember Who You Are

Okay...so it has now been over five months since I last "blogged." I'm sure you have all probably stopped reading but I'm writing now because I need to. I need to say these things to someone so that hopefully SOMEONE will hold me accountable. I'm far away from my safe life in Vancouver where I lived with a vegan and a vegetarian who both eat quite healthy (90% of the time) and living in a place where hardly anyone is vegetarian and I'm constantly surrounded by my favourite junk foods.

A recipe for disaster. Well perhaps to be less dramatic, a recipe for falling of the wagon. I have eaten cheese, ice cream and more cheese, sour cream and onion potato chips, chips with whey powde, chocolate, r and oh yeah, did I mention the cheese? And I feel like shit. I do. My stomach is all messed up again, my energy is whack, my skin is breaking out and my immune system is sucking. SO WHY THE HELL DO I KEEP EATING THIS JUNK? I don't want to. I know I feel better if I don't. I know I'm going against what I believe is right. I don't want to eat or use or wear animal products anymore. I feel so damn guilty. I feel ashamed and embarassed and like a failure. But mostly I feel bloated and sick.

This has to stop. I think I'm being mean to myself by not letting myself eat all that shitty food when in reality, allowing myself to eat it makes me feel...well, like shit. So what do I do now? Do I go cold turkey? That's really the only option isn't it. Because a little sugar leads to more sugar which leads to an unstoppable binge. So tomorrow I will be nice to myself. I will be a good little vegan and treat my stomach and my body to nice healthy food.

I hope.

The end of the pity party!

So I've been sick this week. Really sick. With a sinus infection and an ear infection. I have missed 4 days of work, soon to be five. On top of losing all the money from not working, I had to shell out 100 bucks for antibiotics. I also happen to be PMSing this week.


So I've been having a little pity party for myself the last couple days. You know, laying around feeling sorry for myself, listening to sad music and crying. And then today I was suddenly like...what the hell is wrong with me!? Did it really only take me a week to forget my new "At least I'm not cutting off my own arm with a dull knife" philosophy? Sure I'm behind where I want to be financially. Yes I've had a couple of lonely days. But I am still so lucky. I opened up my curtains for the first time since the summer. I let the sun shine into my room and into my heart and I felt so damn grateful to be alive. 


I'm grateful for the sun, for my room, for music, for the ears that allow me to hear music, for my friends, for my boyfriend, for my family, for my body, for my soul, for this beautiful city, for this beautiful planet, for being born in Canada and having the right to an education, to a career and to credit, for having access to clean water. I am so lucky to be going after my dreams and fighting for the right to do what I love. It's hard sometimes but it's worth it. 


It's so very easy to forget how privileged I actually am. I'm trying to work on that. To be grateful every time I turn on a tap or take a breath or use my legs. 


What are you grateful for?

Blargh Blargh Blog

Okay so I haven't written in two weeks. Guess this is why I have never started a blog before. Please forgive me. I always forget how exhausting it is to begin working full-time again when you haven't done it in a while.

I'm still working doing my street canvassing thing. I really do like it. Some days it is very cold. But the time is passing quicker the more I do it. I feel like pretty soon I will feel more able to actually get stuff done after a day of work. I notice myself getting sloppy and lazy. Not hanging my clothes up, not making my bed, not cooking, not getting back to people I should be getting back to. Basically...I become a disorganized mess for a few weeks. So I apologize to all those affected by this.

I'm very anxious. For many reasons. Mainly being that simple little question, "What is the meaning of my life?" But! I'm also happy for many reasons. I went to see the movie 127 Hours and it really put things into perspective. Whenever I feel grumpy or frustrated with my life I'm just like, "Hey! At least I'm not amputating my own arm with a dull knife!" (SPOILER ALERT) haha. Whatever. It's a true story. So...no surprises.

I've started re-reading the book that made me go vegetarian. "Eating Animals" by Jonathan Safran Foer. Not that I think everyone in the world needs to go vegetarian but I do think everyone should read it. I think many people are afraid to read it. Probably because they already have an inkling of what they would find out. Which I get. And I don't necessarily blame people for it. Because here's the thing...once you start making changes...you start to feel hypocritical if you don't make other changes. For example...I went vegetarian. Soon after that I began eating vegan. But then it's like....if you aren't going to eat animals then you probably shouldn't wear them...and then if I'm so worried about animal rights...shouldn't I worry about human rights? So then I street canvass to help children in "developing" countries. But then I shouldn't buy anything made in factories in those same countries because it's all being made by the very children I'm trying to help....see where I'm going with this?

So I get why people don't want to know. But don't you feel as a consumer you should know? Don't you think you owe to the people and the animals affected by your decisions to educate yourself?

I dunno. I guess I think we do. But that's just me.

One of these days I'll actually get around to talking about cooking. I promise.

Please be patient with me. I'm in the midst of a quarter life crisis.

Little Things

Since my slightly bleak post the other day I've been doing some thinking. I think apathy is necessary for us to get through the day to day. HOWEVER, that being said...I honestly think we all need to make an effort to address the problems facing the world that we live in. So I thought I would start by making a list of those little things we can all do every day that help make a positive difference in the world around us. Feel free to add on.


1) USE your re-usable bags. Stop forgetting them. Leave some in your car or get the fold up ones that you can leave in your purse.


2) Use a thermos instead of a paper cup. If you get a stainless steel one it can keep your coffee or tea hot for HOURS. Your life will never be the same.


"The average American office worker uses about 500 disposable cups every year.[1]" - Clean Air Council


3) Bring your own utensils. My Mom and Dad got me this amazing spnife? (spoon, knife, fork in one) 

"Every year, Americans throw away enough paper and plastic cups, forks, and spoons to circle the equator 300 times." - Clean Air Council

4) Buy as much local and organic food as you can. The amount of energy and oil used to transport food from place to place is absolutely shocking. Plus! It's better for your body to eat the food that grows naturally in your climate.

5) Go meatless at least one meal every week. Even one meatless meal makes a  HUGE difference.  "For every 2.2 pounds of beef not consumed...you remove as much carbon dioxide from the air as NOT driving a car 155 miles."

6) Buy as much as you can second hand. It helps break the cycle of consumerism and keeps used items out of the landfill.

7) RECYCLE. IT'S SO EASY. YOU HAVE NO EXCUSE NOT TO.

8) Compost. (This is one I need to take on. I don't right now but it's one thing I am going to change)

9) Donate. Time, money...give what you can. Every bit helps and the karma kick back is always great too!

10) Smile!!! Smiling makes you feel happier and a simple smile can make someone's day. I honestly believe smiling makes the world a much better place.

Mad World

So I had my first day working for Public Outreach yesterday. (For those of you who don't know, my latest job is street canvassing with this company called Public Outreach that offers their services and street teams to do fundraising for other organizations.) The organization I am representing is called Plan Canada. It's one of the world's oldest and largest child aid and development organizations. I am so proud to be working for them. Check out their website: http://plancanada.ca/ You'll be amazed at the work they're doing. I know I was.


Anyway, yesterday was my first day. I always thought I could never do this job because I would get angry and discouraged by all the people who walk by and never stop. I know I used to cross the street to avoid walking by street canvassers because I felt SO guilty for not stopping. What I realize now, (and all those of you who have similar thoughts to mine will be relieved to know) is that it's okay. We don't expect most people to stop. I didn't feel angry at anyone. I ended up signing up my first person for child sponsorship and that cancelled out the hundreds of people who didn't stop. I have to say it was beyond exciting. I loved riding the bus home after work knowing that I had a hand in helping a child and their community on the other side of the world. I was cold, my feet hurt and I was tired. But this job is much easier then I expected it to be. I think it's because I believe in it. It's important.


It's hard when you start to really look at the state of the world because then you have to start making changes. That's scary. That's why people prefer not to know. I totally get it. Once you start tapping into the true and honest state of the world...it's pretty overwhelming. So sometimes we have to pretend it's not happening. We have to pretend there aren't people all over the world suffering and dying because of simple things like a lack of clean water while we go and indulge in a soy chai latte, or we take that extra bit of time in the shower. I do these little things for myself and then I feel guilty about it later.


I guess what I'm trying to say is that I feel incredibly overwhelmed. And afraid. And powerless.


Wow. Uplifting isn't it? Sorry for being such a downer.


Am I just being dramatic or does anyone else know what I mean?

It Starts...

When it comes down to it...I'm just a person who started reading too much about too many issues in our world to sit idly by any longer. It all began when I became a vegetarian (now a vegan) after reading a book called Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer.


I have been thinking about starting a blog for a long time but I've been afraid. I'm no expert. Who am I to get up on a soapbox and tell other people how to live their lives. WHICH I'M STILL NOT GOING TO DO! I promise! BUT! I LOVE to cook. And being vegan is leading me to this amazing place of cooking (and baking) all kinds of fabulous things that I never would have before. Instead of feeling deprived, I feel more excited and inspired then ever. After sharing a great deal of vegan cookies, muffins and dinners with people, I've been encouraged to share my experiences. People said they would LOVE to read about my kitchen triumphs (and failures) soooo I'm doing it!


And WHILE I'm doing it...I also may try to persuade you to examine your own eating habits. Just a warning. That's not to say that I expect everyone to go vegan. But think about the food we eat. Processed. Full of white sugar and white flour. I lived for years with all kinds of stomach pain and toilet trouble (I'll spare you the details on that subject FOR NOW) and it wasn't until I really took my eating habits seriously that I realized I didn't have to live my life that way anymore!


I have to go because I have rehearsal tonight and I still have to cook dinner. (More on that later) But I watched Oprah's special on Veganism today and decided it was time for me to start my blog.


AND REALLY QUICKLY before I go, it's not all about to meat or not to meat either!! What I've come to realize is that it's all connected. This "Western" culture of ours that's all about consumerism is at the root of a lot of unpleasant things. That's why I called my blog Just Cause. BECAUSE...I'm going to be sharing all kinds of things with you. Causes that are BIG, important and JUSTIFIED.


So stay tuned!
I'm excited.


I hope you are too.


(FOR DINNER: I am making a quick fix of mine. I'm using what I lovingly refer to as gateway tofu to whip up a quick vegan stirfry. This tofu comes marinated so it's nice and flavourful! AND the texture is awesome! Speaking as someone who struggled with tofu at first, this is what got be hooked. http://www.sunrise-soya.com/soy-products/sunrise-tofu-stirfry.php )


THAT'S ALL FOR NOW!