Don't Panic!

I remember as a child my brother jumping on my bed and screaming earthquake.  I hated waking up to fake disasters that made my heart jump.  Now I know I should thank him for preparing me for actual catastrophes.  This morning…and I urge my parents to stop reading immediately…I woke up to the ship in the throes of strong tremors as a loud crunching sound resounded through the bowels of the vessel and into our room.  With only time enough for my heart to stop, the emergency alarm quickly split the air.  I thank you Doug for the years of torture that prepared me to react.  I got out of bed, shrugged into a jacket, grabbed my extra bag full of water and my identification, strapped myself securely into my life vest and followed my similarly prepared husband out of our room.  We proceeded up to deck five amidst a sea of orange vests where we both have assigned duties at our muster stations.  As we came through the door, a world of fog opened up before us, so thick and impenetrable that I felt like we had walked into Silent Hill.  (Parents, if you are still reading, Silent Hill is a game/movie reference.)  I was assigned to lining up the guests in front of the life boats.  Then the waiting started, because you don’t actually abandon ship until the captain gives the order.  Five minutes into the wait and no order came yet, although people started crying and a few had to be pulled out of line and calmed so that panic would not spread.  Apparently, another ship had come out of the fog and ran straight into us.  We are somewhere in the waters between Nha Trang and Chan May, and parents you may breathe easier as our ship did not sustain any “imminently dangerous damage.”  I thank God that it wasn’t more serious for us. We will be docking in Halong Bay where they will further assess the damage to our vessel.  I love and miss everyone!  Don’t panic!  Crisis averted!