The first week home always feels strange. For one thing it’s nearly silent. After five months ship-side you become used to the constant whirring of background noise: the vibration of the engines, the rattle of wheels on corrugated metal down the I-95 crew corridor, all the little sounds that are so much a part of your ever day life on board that you no longer even hear them.
Home, on the other hand, is blissfully – almost frighteningly, silent. It always takes me some time to get used to it.
For the first few days it always feels like you’re balanced in between two worlds, not quite of one, but not quite of the other.
I will say however, that the step down from the constantly moving balancing act of ship-side to the stable safety of shore is much easier this time than it has been previously. That could easily be because the contract was so difficult. Even Amras says I sound better now than I did when I called from the ship a while ago..
I will admit it’s really nice to be able to pick up a phone and just call someone without having to worry about the satellite dropping in and out!
And of course there are much MUCH bigger things to look forward to, but THAT is for another blog entry all together!