Trying to catch up

Saturday, 31 January, 2009
It has been a hectic week, and I just couldn't make the time to write anything. First off, the stress of the program I had made for myself made it impossible for me to keep up with the computer course, and left me exhausted each day, so I finally dropped the afternoon tournament bridge each day, in favor of the computer lab., which seems to work much better. The bridge lessons each morning are really good, and I continue with them. I also note that the Yoga class has been good for me, although I have trouble keeping up with the rest, all of whom are much younger; therefore, I try to hide between the furniture so no one will see me struggling. I am considering taking a private lesson with the instructor during the next segment of the trip.
It's quite different returning to the cruise for the second time, as opposed to being a total stranger, both to the ship and to the guests. In many cases, it's like meeting old friends, and makes social contacts much easier.
Our evening dinner table has been most interesting this segment, but only three of us will still be here for the next segment, and we are wondering who will join us. This time, we had an "Ambassador Host" with us, a counter spy (espionage) expert (Enrichment speaker), and the Berlitz teacher of French, plus a retired actress, a real estate agent, a former school teacher, and me. If and when the IT people on the ship finally find out why I can't post pictures, I have one of all of us at the table.
We had 5 solid sea days, full of courses, so Thursday (a land day) was the first chance I had to go to the pool and get a little bit of sun, do a laundry, etc. althöough that meant that I didn't get off the ship.
At one of the evening cocktail hours (there have been many) I was approached by a fellow who seemed to know me from somewhere, and he turned out to be the fellow who sold me most of my furniture some 11 years ago, when I first moved to Goldbacherstrasse. He's here from Zürich with three other fellows, and now plans to open his own shop.
Yesterday was the computer exam, and I was hard put to find the time to prepare for it! Since I managed to "pass", all is well, but now I really have to reread some of the technical stuff.
I went to the entertainment last night, all song and dance stuff, although I usually prefer to skip it; as usual, I listened to the music, and my eyes closed, so it was a waste. Dinner is only at 8:30 p.m. and the show starts at 10:30, but my day starts at 06:00h, so it is no wonder if I am lulled to sleep.
Tomorrow is Mooréa and the next day is Tahiti. I have signed up for a general overview tour for Mooréa, and am joining an acquaintance from last year for a safari tour in Tahiti. Today, I might go ashore and walk around looking for a pearl pendant. This is supposed to be an area where pearl farms are prevalent.
That's it for today; I will try not to write so much, but to post it more often.
If you read this, then please note that I would prefer not to get all the long attachments many of you have been sending. First of all, the downloading is very slow on the ship, and the computer time is very expensive. However, I am happy to get your emails, if you care to write.
Fond regards, Ann