The Christmas market cruise through Germany that I've been on with Emerald Cruises has been a great experience. It has turned out to be an impromptu girls trip for some of us, and I'm coming home with a lot of Christmas gifts.
Since the Pandemic was declared, the Young Professional Society has hosted fam trips. In order to restore a sense of community and to help this demographic advisors experience what river cruising is like, the organization collaborated with Emerald and Scenic Group to host a fam for their under-40 members. Hien Cao, the newly promoted director of sales teams and trade partnerships for Scenic Group, and Summer Corbitt, a former Uniglobe sales director, hosted the cruise.
There were educational sessions about travel agency branding and an overview of the product lines of Scenic and Emerald. We learned a lot about each other, as well as where we're from and how we got into travel.
These meetings are a good way to get to know others. One of the great things about being in this group is our love of 90s music. We know how to throw down when it comes to Britney Spears and the rest of the band.
The work wasn't done yet.
It was great to see how much time we devoted to working. I'm the one hunched over my laptop in a lounge, pounding the keyboard and mumbling to myself as castles and scenic landscapes pass by, usually. People would always ask, "But you're on vacation?". I'm the only one talking to myself, but it's nice to do it with people my own age. I am not on vacation.
ASTA Young Professional Society members are on a cruise ship. The photo was taken by NicoleEdenedo.
It was amusing to see how similar Summer and Ryan were, as if they were in a new kind of work uniform: black tops, black leggings, and black sneakers.
After we'd left our screens, it was time to get back into the swing of things. I strolled with Ryan and Summer from stall to stall, trying out different types of fresh gluhwein.
We had strict criteria to determine the best ones, which included temperature, flavor, and mug design, as well as how much FOMO we felt when we walked by people with cooler mugs than us.
It's a tough job but I'm a professional and a girl has to.
Good food is a must for a good experience. Sometimes I'd grab a bite at the market, but usually just enough to hold me over until I knew what was in store for us.
German people have a special way of preparing beef tongue. It was included on the list of Appetizers on the Dawn.
I hadn't had it before, but I was feeling adventurous. Christian put his tongue in my face. I had been anticipating something a bit more. It's possible that it's smeared in gravy. It might be a good idea to not look like a tongue.
But there it was, tastebuds and all, casually resting on my plate, as if this heifer had been on her way to the watering trough before suddenly realizing she was going to be the first thing on my plate. Two tongue slices were smoothed out with a dash of spicy mustard and a dash of erythritol. The people at my table thought it was gravy-like, but it wasn't.
There is a beef tounge on the ship. The photo was taken by NicoleEdenedo.
As my tablemates examined, poked at, discussed and ultimately put aside their reservations about eating beef tongue, I laughed so hard that I had never laughed so hard in my life. I ate most of my food, and it was not bad. It tasted like it had been cooked.
My parents, who are Nigerian and West Indian, would have been proud to see me finish my plate, since I watched them eat things like tripe, tongue and cow feet as a child. When they'd tease me with a bite, I always said no. The foods that perplexed me are the first things I want to try when I'm in a new place.
I was surprised by the number of people who wanted to try the tongue at my table. I'm happy to keep chewing on the idea that we might be able to grow closer through what we like to eat.
In the year since I was hired, I've been able to travel, meet new people and try new foods. All made their way into a Christmastime cruise. You can't make it up.
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