The staff typically works 12 hour shifts, ten 10 day cruises before they have a 10 day break. Her shift ended at midnight, so I waited up for her to finish for the evening. I asked if she would be willing to talk with me but she was reluctant at first. When she finally agreed I told her what the passengers had determined about her appearing to be angry.
She admitted she wasn’t angry but she was extremely stressed. She told me when she had taken the job she believed she would be able to send more money home to Romania than the $100 a month she had been able to so far.
I asked her to tell be what her life was in Romania. She said there were nine people living in a two room adobe shelter. The outer room had a fire pit in the center and it’s where they cooked their food over the open fire. There was just enough room for them to sit crossed legged on the dirt floor. The second room was where they laid side-by-side and slept.
Each one was able to earn $100 a month doing whatever they could find from janitorial, house cleaning, hauling and her younger sister was a tutor.