El Listón

It took me a couple of days and I finally have Beka’s and John’s name saved in my memory banks. Which by the way is one of the hardest things to do on this cruise - is remember everyone’s name. If there was a final exam I would surely fail.

Both Beka and John have been working with working with Viking for about three years now. On their last cruise they were roommates. Beka is from Georgia (not the state in USA), married with a lovely wife back home. John is from the Philippines (I think?) and is also married with two children. The hardest part for them is being away from their families, so the staff become a family to each other - then that family is extended to us the passengers. Beka remarked there are 72 nationalities on the Viking Neptune staff - we are all different - but when you put away those differences we are all the same. Those core attributes which make us up as humans are the things we should focus on in our lives.

It is good to hear the staff have a lounge and activities and support systems to encourage each other. They enjoy their jobs here on the Neptune. They know their service and smiles to us give us joy. I believe we are here on this planet to create art. Our canvases are different. John and Beka use the canvas of service and smiles to create for each of us and experience which changes our lives and our view upon the world.

I learning to no longer see the 500 or so staff members onboard as our waitstaff - rather they are Performance Artists who can join the ranks of Adrian Piper, Nick Cave, Wu, Tsang, Guerilla Girls, Marina Abramovich, Ragnar Kjartanson, Ana Mendieta, Yoko Ono, Tehching Hsieh, Joseph Bueys, and many others.

Today as the staff serves us, I choose to look at them as artists painting upon their canvases service and smiles. The 72 nationalities are demonstrating to each of us what it means to live in a world were there is faith, hope, and love - Art is meant to change us, to change our view of the world, to challenge us.

Please meet today’s artists - John and Beka.

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