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Cruise for a Cause: Day Five
Feb. 13th, 2009 01:28 pmSometimes, being empowered means doing something you never thought you'd be able to do. For some people, that might mean traveling across the country and taking a cruise. For others, it might be a physical challenge, like snorkeling or walking through the ruins of an ancient city. For some of our cruisers today, it meant holding a snake in the St. Maarten Zoo! Who knew that would be required?
Thursday was our visit to the last island on our trip, St. Maarten, which is a territory of the Netherlands on one side and France on the other. Both sides are lovely, filled with shopping and adventure. As with Wednesday, we had beautiful weather, clear and breezy. The trip to the zoo took about 30 of our group, most in wheelchairs or scooters, to explore the Dutch side of the island, starting with the local birds and animals.
After visiting with talking parrots, colored ibis, and some very cheeky monkeys who liked to throw sand from their enclosure, part of the group headed back to the ship, while others continued to explore the island. In the afternoon, we gathered again for trivia featuring some of our alumni cruisers, MSF staff, and speakers. Who broke their hand while punching out a fifth-grade classmate? We won't tell, but here is one hint: it was a lovely young lady!
Alumni cruiser Melanie Lorenz said she got in a lot of shopping at this port, but she made time to come to the quiz show too, where her veteran cruiser status came in very handy as she guessed clue after clue about her friends from past trips. "Every year, I enjoy this," she said. "There are some people here who I only get to see once a year.”
Tonight is our last formal night, giving everyone a chance to dress up. Tomorrow, our speakers begin again, covering MS symptoms such as cognition difficulties and speaking problems. Stay tuned!
Thursday was our visit to the last island on our trip, St. Maarten, which is a territory of the Netherlands on one side and France on the other. Both sides are lovely, filled with shopping and adventure. As with Wednesday, we had beautiful weather, clear and breezy. The trip to the zoo took about 30 of our group, most in wheelchairs or scooters, to explore the Dutch side of the island, starting with the local birds and animals.
After visiting with talking parrots, colored ibis, and some very cheeky monkeys who liked to throw sand from their enclosure, part of the group headed back to the ship, while others continued to explore the island. In the afternoon, we gathered again for trivia featuring some of our alumni cruisers, MSF staff, and speakers. Who broke their hand while punching out a fifth-grade classmate? We won't tell, but here is one hint: it was a lovely young lady!
Alumni cruiser Melanie Lorenz said she got in a lot of shopping at this port, but she made time to come to the quiz show too, where her veteran cruiser status came in very handy as she guessed clue after clue about her friends from past trips. "Every year, I enjoy this," she said. "There are some people here who I only get to see once a year.”
Tonight is our last formal night, giving everyone a chance to dress up. Tomorrow, our speakers begin again, covering MS symptoms such as cognition difficulties and speaking problems. Stay tuned!