When you think about cruises, do you academic types think it as a way to getaway?
During winter break, my wife, Deborah, and I thought we would try our opportunity to go on a cruise. Without much inclination nor worry about where we were going, as long as it was a place where Black and Brown people are in the majority and take a minute to unwind from the hustle and bustle of east coast living, we didn’t care. If we could get to an island and stay for a week it’s great; if we can get to the (African) continent for 3, it’s even better.
We live in Washington, DC in a predominantly black neighborhood a fair steady inflow and outflow of Asian and Middle Eastern, Jamaican, Ethiopian, and Black owned businesses and folk in our gentrifying area of the city so we prefer to keep the optics of our cruise in the same way. It’s our way of getting away…
We didn’t realize until we got ready for this 9- day cruise down the coast that there’s a whole group of folk we know that cruise regularly (Then, when we got back, we would learn even more…) They have favorite cruise lines (which cruise line are you using?, they would ask.), suggestions for what to do on the boat and what to do off of it at each location, which beverage packages to buy, blah blah blah. It was too much, really, and all we wanted to do was get on the boat.
Armed with being lazy outfit for a 9- day cruise: laptop (to mail out a time sensitive matter a day after leaving the port in Baltimore), 1 non-academic book that I was reading for a leadership group at my university, 30-50 pages of student/colleague miscellany (nothing too heavy to ready, only light academic paperwork), my smartphone (which I was sure to cut off as soon as we got on the boat to save roaming charges), small notebook, and a couple of pens for miscellaneous epiphanies.
The first sign that I was in for culture shock on the cruise was waiting in line to get on the cruise. After going through a light version of airport TSA, we walked into what seemed like hours of waiting for the line for check-in to the cruise. Much like airports, there were lines who had frequent cruise miles! And as usual, that line was negligible. In more to the point, the hierarchy of passengers, name tags, identification would be clearly revealed, even before we got on the boat.
And, was it really possible to getaway from it all with nearly 2,500 people on a vessel filled with entertainment, casinos, performances, beverage packages, new friends, and all? In all, in being lazy on the cruise, I realized several lessons learned in my potential to get away from the usual suspects on land; being lazy meant that:
- New friends will find you (and will google you too!). Despite us being people persons, Deborah and I know how to have fun by ourselves so we don’t typically look for friends to have. Despite what we imagined as young people looking to enjoy and getaway (based on what our travel agent informed us), in fact; our cruisemates looked older, lily white, and distant. But it still didn’t take us long to find a couple of couples who we befriended after a day or two and would be friends throughout the cruise. When one of them found out that I was a professor, they promptly googled me. Now, instead of talking about the ocean, our next stop, and something else esoteric, it was now about my work, book topic, or other academic or political discussion form which I sought to escape.
- News travels quickly and folk know you before you know them. After being on a boat for 9 days, you begin to see the same people. Or, you think you do. With a very limited number of people of color on this particular boat (as we would find out, some cruise lines have more people of color (POC) than others. Who woulda thunk?), let’s just admit that folk saw us before we saw and recognized them. After a couple days, Deborah was on first name basis with some 20 folk because they “recognized” us. For someone like me who finds himself constantly around predominately white spaces at my institution, I wasn’t sure if my stereotype threat, imposter syndrome tendencies were on high alert.
- Any serious reading should be limited to reading the schedule for the day. For the academic hoping to find time to get reading done on a cruise, good luck with that. Between the seasickness and the need to be lazy and slow down, it’s useless to bring anything of anything real reading import. First of all, it takes you a minute as a cruise neophyte to figure out what the day brings. Then, if it’s raining and cold due to winter storms up and down the east coast the prevent you from making shore at one excursion spot.
- Expect the unexpected. On our last haul back from the Bahamas, we were informed by the captain (at his daily noon announcement) that our starboard steering had broken and we would be delayed two days back to Baltimore. That was right about the time that our OPP (operation prevention plan) level went to 3 as the gastro intestinal or Noro virus levels hit severe levels throughout the vessel. So, what does that look like? Just picture a smell of disinfectant, constantly wiped down surfaces, hand-sanitizer galore, the entertainment staff serving you dinner and providing you utensils to prevent sharing of commonly used foodware.
The most common question received after our cruise was, “Would you cruise again?”. As a symbol of leisure and tourism, cruising seems to be an acquired taste of adventure. For those who choose to cruise as a way to slow down busy academic lives, cruising is as good as the next thing though the real joy of cruising is who you’re with, what you’re hoping to explore, and what jewels you find in your lifelong journey.
Rodney Hopson, Ph.D. is Professor, Division of Educational Psychology, Research Methods, and Education Policy, College of Education and Human Development and Senior Research Fellow, Center for Education Policy and Evaluation, George Mason University. He is the proud dad of five young adult children (Ayana, Hannibal, Aliyah, Habiba, and Ayia), loves to be lazy and go slow by watching soccer/futbol, practicing yoga, and traveling, eating great food, and exploring the world with his wife, Deborah.
Featured image by Katarzyna Ostrowska on Unsplash