The Norwegian Debacle

A little more than a week ago, I was informed by my company's Miami office that I am being offered a job onboard another ship called P&O Azura. I looked up the itinerary of the ship and I was amazed that ship is in fact now in the Caribbean docked in Barbados and is going transatlantic soon and going on a whirlwind tour of almost the entire European continent reaching as far as north as St. Petersburg, Russia and going around the Greek Isles in the Mediterranean. What an opportunity, I thought! I said yes even if I knew the cruises were long (usually averaging 15 days long) which from experience doesn't bode well for the spa, and the clientele is mostly British guests (they don't tip).

So now... I thought this would be so easy right, I have all the paperwork all I have to do is renew my medical. Boy... I haven't been SOOOO wrong.

Steiner's  Manila Agent is affiliated with its (almost) exclusive Industrial/Occupational Medicine arm. Unfortunately, they were not accredited to issue a Norwegian Maritime Directorate Health Certificate which is being required of me by this particular ship company. (I have worked before for the Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines and their medical was extensive but was simple to obtain.) So I was referred to the American Outpatient Hospital Inc.(AOH) which was accredited.

Because my local agent was not connected with AOH they accepted me on an outpatient basis. I started my medical 17th February 2011, I was done the following morning. Unfortunately that was a Friday. They said I had to wait for at least 3 working days for the results of the medical. Time was running out. After they released my "certificate" I was informed by my principal from Miami that it needed to include my actual laboratory results and that their exams were "incomplete" compared to the one's the ship requiring. I wondered why the fuck isn't something with a very nice proper name: Norwegian Maritime Directorate Health Certificate isn't standardized internationally?! Is there a difference on the extent of the laboratories/exams required for a certificate issued in Miami vs. Manila???

I went back to AOH to ask for my actual laboratory exams... they said they don't release it to outpatient clients. I understand their protocol actually. Commonly, the company forwards the results directly to the manning agencies to prevent the seafarers/potential employees from falsifying their documents. But my reasoning behind this is: (1) I do have an agency, (2) AOH was the one who decided to put me on outpatient basis for the sole fact that my agency is not affiliated with them. Am I being discriminated because of my agency? Is this politics amongst Philippine industrial clinics corporations? I think I, as a client deserve the same service as among any other person applying for a health certificate. Is that something unreasonable?

I was made to sit in a waiting area for 3 hours to await a decision by whoever whether to release the laboratories to me or not. After 3 hours I had to speak up. They decided to give it to me. I admire the compassion of the employee who did it. There wasn't anything wrong with that. People who don't pass the exams don't get released anything at all so there is no use to protect against results when all they give out are good ones. Would a person falsify their results to become.... uhmmm ineligible for work???

A note: I thoroughly admire how the Filipino seafarers sit through this entire process just to be able to work abroad. From applying for a seaman's book, to doing the trainings, doing the medicals. It's all one long red tape and money making process at all steps.

2 days after, when I thought all was well... I was informed that the results was missing some pages again. This time, it was the questionnaire I was to answer. I checked the manual Steiner gave me. They indeed require it. The reason, I don't know, though I don't question them about it. The form is stamped at the top though... This Form is to be Kept by the Doctor according to the rules of blah blah blah... Well it's not supposed to be released to me anyway. But I had to ask AOH. People have been required of this before and they were able to deliver. Why not now.

I went back to AOH to ask for the forms. I arrived 8 am in the morning was first in line and was told the matter had to be forwarded to the medical director for approval. He would arrive 1330H. I left and attended to other errands. I arrived back at 1230H and waited until the medical director arrived... at 1630H!!! I was waiting just to ask permission to get some additional pages from my already ISSUED health certificate but to my surprise I was informed that I was not supposed to be issued one in the first place. Instead of going ballistic, I just was so exhausted over the days of running around for this trip that I just went quiet. I gave up. The director talked to me, informed me that the Norwegian Embassy only allows certain agencies to get the NIS (Norwegian Health Certificate) for their seafarers and Dolphin (My company) wasn't one of them. So instead of having an incomplete certificate he confiscated the one already issued and crossed it out. Well I couldn't do anything anymore could I. Not even if he was my school mate it was the mandate of the Norwegian Embassy in the Philippines and all the health certificates they issue had a serial number registered with the embassy.

Uhmmm Dear American Hospital Inc. isn't it your responsibility to inform me that I couldn't be issued this certificate at the first time I entered your door instead of wasting my 10 weeks prep time so you can tell me 1 day before my flight that I don't particularly deserve this certificate. Your mission on your wall says you intend to give total satisfaction and quality service to your clients. Well please feel free to call me up if you want testimonies for your wall..

So here I am, with an exhausting flight to New York passing through Dubai instead of the Pacific. To find my own hotel after arriving in Barbados. With two luggages and two carry-ons waiting for news. And with no health certificate that is needed before I can board the ship. Yipee...

I think I don't want to go anymore...

Arriving Home

I enjoyed my day in Hollywood thanks to Rob who took me around. It's a small place. Everything cramped into a single street. We had a very nice lunch at The Cheesecake Factory in The Grove. I didn't get lucky and see A-listers though.

The flight home was of course utterly boring. Cathay Pacific's coach seats cannot be reclined. The butt part just slides down. Well, it was made up for by their individual screens with a lot of new movies, TV series and even games! (bejeweled Gus!). I had the unfortunate chance to see NAIA again. What a miserable airport we have. Sigh...

Now I have to figure out what to do... And return to see my pet Yuki in Pet Society XD

Mazatlan Cathedral

Basilica del la Immaculada Concepcion

Mazatlan, Mexico

Karol, Luis, Lauren

Mazatlan in HDR

Larraine's Birthday and Aine, Tarynn and Sam's Farewell

At Chops

Me and My Aine, I'll Miss you!

Me and Sam - Gorgeous, Gorgeous

Laraine

Proof of God's Existence

Skies

Heavenly

And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.  -- Genesis Chapter 1

Cabo at Dusk

A medical emergency changed our Cabo schedule enabling us to see Cabo at dusk. Perfect and amazing...

Cold HDR

Warm Panoramic HDR

More Mariner Sunsets

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Where Hollywood stars roam the beach and do nasty stuff...

Gustavo's Birthday

We celebrated Gustavo's Birthday in Chops (!) and then went to the Dragon's Lair after.

 

Chene

Devonica 

Gustavo and Aine Goofing Around

Sunset Onboard the Mariner

Pirates of Baja California

  Masts

Crazy Lucas killin Me

Mariner Tour Group

Yacht

Jolly Roger

Me at the Helm

more pictures >> here

The Hand of God

How does God communicate to each of us? Several biblical figures have communicated with God in one form or another, through a bush, with messenger angels, and of course in His human form Jesus. Jesus is the closest we have ever gotten to see God in His full glory. We cannot see God and live but we could of course commune with Him.

We should feel lucky when we know that God is communicating with us. This Sunday, I had the chance to attend mass in a chapel that I didn't know existed right outside the Mariner when it is docked in LA. And this whole week just turned out great for me and my work. I don't know how much clearly can God be talking to me than that. That He, is a big part of my life and that He is the captain and I'm the ship. Thank you for maneuvering me to You.

Chops with Gorgeous Girls

Andrea 

d

Danielle

Laraine

Devonica

Sarah

Isadora

Aine

Laraine and Elizabeth

How Lucky Can You Get?!

Aquarium of the Pacific

Rob brought me to Long Beach's Aquarium of the Pacific. It was awesome!

With Big Blue

Jellyfishies

 

Sea Anemone

Yeah.... I'm a fucking Geek hahaha Then he took me out for steak at Outback. Whoa Great Great Day

For the Dolphins?!

I was shocked last week when I was late for dinner one time and I chanced on the mess' closing time. I saw that all those food left in the bins, never been touched, some almost filled to the brim, the cakes were all thrown into one big bin to be thrown! All that food to waste... I was deeply saddened. A lot of people in the Philippines don't get to eat three meals a day and here was all this food getting thrown out. I asked. They told me that they used to land the food and gave it to charity but when somebody's tummy got bad they blamed the company and the ship so the company just opted to stop giving away the leftover food. I must emphasize that this food is clean, it's not the leftover from the plate. It's leftover from the buffet. That's so sad. It makes me want to eat a lot but I guess all I can do is not waste the food that I got and consume everything on my plate.

Independence Day

10 June 2010 - We celebrated Independence Day aboard the Mariner of the Seas. There are so many Filipinos onboard the Mariner (40%) that the captain declared it an all-crew-party. Nice. The captain gave us four suckling pigs (Lechon) and most of the food was sponsored by the crew welfare fund. They love the Filipinos and we had to show our love back. A group of organizers prepared a very entertaining program for everybody which involved two superb bands, exhibition bar-tenders, games, two dance performances, a song number with a video clip showing our history, trivia about our country and two shameless hosts. Ha! I was one of the two. I thought it was a chance for everybody to know the new botox doctor onboard who happened to be Pinoy. I ate my usually bashful self and went all-out.

The only thing was that all that time MY MIC WAS DEAD. I was shouting at the top of my lungs but the technical people didn't seem to be able to fix my audio or maybe didn't want too haha I don't know. So I guess I was the mute host whose mouth was moving but can't really be heard. What can I do? I did my job. I went back to my cabin around 1:30 am in the morning because I still had to do a seminar the next morning and I don't want to look like I partied all night to my potential patients.

Well, the party was fun. Especially the bartenders juggling. It's nice to know that it's Filipinos who's making other people wow at their talents.