Still Sailing

I was just thinking about what to share with you and there has been some cool stuff happening in the middle of the ocean. There have been lots of fun activities planned so people don't go crazy and start voting people off the ship and throwing them overboard! There are movie nights, trivia night on Tuesday (my team is in second place!), there was a mocktail party last night, and who can forget the endless supply of workout classes!
Last Thursday I saw an impressive dolphin display! They were literally playing in the wake of the ship. I couldn't believe they were jumping out of the water and spinning in mid air. I think the ship should have a slogan that speaks to animal lovers: Boycott Sea World, come to Mercy Ships. I also saw flying fish for the first time. Apparently they are a pretty common sighting so people don't get too excited but I think they are soooo cool. Did I have my camera in either of these instances? Nope. However, things happen so quickly that I am not certain I would even have time to take out my camera, turn it on, line it up, and capture the moment before it was all over.
I am keeping it together by having a routine and making sure I don't participate in every single organized event. Also, I was able to strike a perfect balance on Friday when I was volunteering in the cafe and there was an open mic night. So I was there but busy. I really like working at the cafe! I need to figure out how I can somehow work that  skill set into my future career path.
Yesterday I made some cupcakes for one of the kids who was having a birthday party. A friend of mine was organizing it and asked me if I might be able to help her out in the cake department. Luckily I had all the ingredients because a quick trip to the grocery store isn't quite possible right now. To be fair, the Ship Shop really has all the essentials anyway. So the birthday girl requested vanilla cupcakes with vanilla icing (my favourite too).

Yes, there are Kitchen Aid mixers in the crew galley! Not quite the same (or as big) as my pretty silver and boysenberry coloured mixers at home. They are awesome to have though, no matter their size or colour.
This morning I had planned to make tomato sauce but I decided to change my plan based on the fact that I procured some avocados yesterday and I was thinking I could make a mighty nice "cream" sauce with those while they are still good. So the tomato sauce was put on hold. I did have some potatoes and onions that needed to be used so I made Tortilla Española. It sure brought me back to third year university, learning how to make it in Spain.
I almost forgot to mention that we are now in the Southern hemisphere! That means since I have crossed the equator on a ship I am no longer a pollywog but rather a shellback. Huh? A pollywog is someone who has never crossed the equator on a ship and a shellback is someone who has. There are several other levels of shellback such as emerald, golden, and diamond. However, I haven't been able to figure out exactly what they all mean.
I also wanted to share this photo that I took just before we left Las Palmas. Spectacular!

In case you are wondering where the ship is, there is this really cool site that can tell you. Just type in Africa Mercy and you can see where we are on the live map! www.marinetraffic.com/en/
I hope everyone is having a great weekend!