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From the moment I stepped onto the boarding stairs of the ship an uneasy feeling settled in the pit of my stomach. I could’ve easily blamed it on the ship’s swaying from side to side, but I knew my nausea was only coming from my nerves. I mean, how couldn’t I be nervous? Here I was, a naturally anxious person, travelling for the first time in my time on earth and I was doing it alone. “To be brave means to do something even when you’re afraid!” I breathed in as a Joyce Meyer’s quote rooted in my mind, strengthening my resolve as I grabbed the railing made of metal and ropes. A Latin American sun bore down on me with ferocity, making my palms damp and slippery but I pressed on. "Come on Ronteé!" I thought, hoisting my heavy travel pack more comfortably onto my shoulders, "If you wanna see the world you've got to be brave! Right?” Like a broken record, I repeated this to myself, making my way up the unstable staircase, taking my first steps into the unknown. I had no idea what to expect but the ship had an interior that was far better than I imagined! Plush carpeted floors the colour of lapis lazuli invited me in with grandeur as tiny dust particles floated around in mid-air. Like in a ballroom they danced happily in the soft rays of sunlight shining through crystal-clear windows and my breath caught in my throat at the beauty of the ocean outside, sparkling and shimmering as I approached the front desk. "Bonjour! Bonjour" the desk clerk grinned at me from behind black framed glasses, her blue eyes shining with excitement. "Welcome on board the Logos Hope! How may I assist?" "Hi!" I said excitedly, immediately picking up on her French accent, but my eagerness was ephemeral. Anxiety soon threatened my breathing again as I became too aware of our differences and in a jiffy the reality that I was far away from home sank in. What was I thinking by volunteering onboard? I didn’t like strangers! I wasn't accustomed to being around European people! I was a Caribbean child for heaven’s sake, born and raised in Barbados where most of the population was Black! “Ronteé! You’ve made it! How nice to see you!” My head whipped around as a familiar voice yanked me out from my worrisome thoughts and I found myself smiling widely. “Margaret!” Relief flooded through me when I saw the coordinator of the volunteering experience headed our way. Margaret was also from France. A woman with very pale skin, blonde hair and big sea coloured eyes but at least I knew her. She pulled me into a giant bear hug and, my anxiety slowed into a peaceful calm. “Need help getting around this crazy tanker?” She asked with a knowing wink. I laughed at her impeccable timing. Thank God for small blessings. From then on, it was Margaret and I against a whole new world…at least it was that way for me. Margaret already had years of experience on board the ship and after some mingling with her friends, she finally introduced me to my assigned team. The I-café crew. Together, we were the stewards of ice-cream and servers of popcorn and hotdogs to the public. Did I forget to mention this was a missionary ship? Sailing from country to country spreading the love of Jesus to people was the job and heck, it was amazing! Surprisingly, I soon built friendships with my crew too. We were people from all over the world with different accents and backgrounds, but we were united in our one love for God. How crazy is that? I could never forget Alice, Christian and Namsa. With Alice from the Netherlands, Christian from Russia and Namsa from Korea it couldn’t get more diverse than that but we stuck together like glue, gorging ourselves on left-over popcorn and laughing at misconfigured ice-cream cones. There’s still a photo of us on my bedroom wall. Every time I pass it, I smile because constantly it reminds me of how taking a leap of faith can literally be the best decision of your life.