The exchange of ideas, opinions and knowledge counts a lot in college, especially when students get stuck on the very first thesis statement of their very first research paper. Many of them get frustrated -- their thoughts seem locked like money in a vault. Interaction and peer collaboration are the only ways to unlock the unconscious ideas that dwell in our brains.
ACMT was not the first place where I encountered the importance of cooperation and variety of cultures. I was acquainted with a lot of nationalities from my previous work on cruise ships. When I first came to work for the Carnival Cruise Line Company, I did not know anything about shipboard life. I still remember my first day when I arrived in Miami, our port of call. I was looking at the giant floating city with a blue name printed on it: “Carnival Valor” with its slogan “The Fun Ships”.
Entering that magnificent boat was slightly different from merely admiring it. I did not know anyone and nobody knew me. My locker had to be spotless, but I did not really remember all the cleaning details. I decided to ask another stateroom stewardess. She was from Nicaragua; I think she could have been my grandma. …show more content…
She said: “Don’t you worry, girl, everything will be just fine”. She was the one who introduced me to the stateroom set up and taught me to make the animal “towel creations” that had to be placed on the beds during evening turndown service. The dog and the elephant were easy to make, but the turtle and the bat gave me a lot of trouble. But I did not need to worry about that at all, because my good friend Sonya from Nicaragua was there whenever I needed help. After a while, I met people from Haiti, Indonesia, the Philippines, Peru and Romania. We taught each other new towel creations, and at the end of my contract, I knew around 20 different animals. That always astonished my