Why I love being a seafarer
We seafarers take a six to nine month contract on board a ship. Within that period, we see the vast ocean and sky most of the time. Isn’t that boring? Well, if you don’t have some patience, determination and optimism, you can definitely conclude that life at sea is quite boring. But if you want to see the world, it is an opportunity.
Imagine that if you want to go to church, you can’t. If you want to buy something that you need badly, you still can’t. And if you really miss your family, it’s impossible to embrace them. Aside from that, our lives rotate in one cycle; work-eat-sleep. Breaking this cycle is a big challenge so having the opportunity to go ashore during our port stay is a perfect thing to do.
When we receive our voyage schedules, it is common for us to check which ports are best to explore. In fact, car carrier vessels stay in port for a short period usually only a maximum of five to seven hours. So taking the opportunity to go out to the different places is a very exciting experience for us even if it takes two to three hours only.
Usually, our main activities when we go out from the ship is buying food that we crave, collecting souvenirs, buying items such as shoes, clothes, perfumes and gadgets as (“pasalubong”) gifts to our family when we return back home. The common thing we do is taking momentous pictures from our visits. Thereafter, proudly posting these pictures on social media to show to the world where we have been. But mostly, on some ships without internet connection, the seafarers’ priority is to buy phone cards to call the people they miss especially their beloved family.
When time permits, we will surely go ashore either day or night. The feeling of happiness disembarking the ship and going ashore is priceless. Firstly, we get to travel the world for free. We get to visit famous wonders that were once only seen in magazines. We meet different kinds of people of various nationalities and we become friends. And most of all, going ashore to our favorite places is like a dream come true. That is the wonder of being a seafarer. You can have a bunch of exciting stories to tell your friends and family when you return back home.
And that is why I love being a seafarer.
Text and photo by Dinnes onboard one of our Höegh vessels.
If you are a seafarer of Höegh Autoliners and would you like to share your story, please contact Corporate Communications on newsdesk@hoegh.com
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