Mariana Lozano.

MARIANA LOZANO
Age: 23
Hometown: Monterrey, Mexico
NCL Ships: The Star, The Dream, The Jewel, The Spirit

Mariana is Cruise Staff Admin, which basically means she helps put order into the cruise director’s life. She’s in charge of assisting him with whatever he needs, as well as scheduling all the cruise staff and putting together the “Freestyle Daily” (daily list of events on the ship). Mariana works in the cruise staff office, so I see her every morning and evening when I check Second City’s e-mail. She’s one of the friendliest people I’ve met on the ship. Within the first five minutes of our meeting, she threw her arm around me and asked me to go down to the crew bar with her. I thanked her for her kindness, but told her I couldn’t possibly start drinking until at least five o’clock.

Amongst crew, Mariana is probably the most popular person on the ship. She has friends in every department and told me it’s a personal goal of hers to get to know as many people as possible. She said she is “very mafia” in that sense. When I asked her what that meant, she responded, “I just believe when you nice to people, people is nice back to you. That’s why it’s very important to have friends, no matter what position you are. That way when you need help, people make it easier on you.” She asked if that translates into mafia and I said, “Sure. Why not?”

Mariana recently told me something that almost made my head explode. “Carla, you know I have a twin sister, right?” Mariana’s twin sister is named Monste, and she is also in the cruise staff department with NCL, but works on The Jade. Mariana leaves for vacation in two weeks and will go home to Mexico. It’s the first time she will have seen her twin sister in almost a year. She said she misses her so much it makes her want to cry and the thing she most looks forward to about seeing Monste is, “to party together again”. Watch out, Mexico.

CARLA: So, you worked for Disney before NCL. What’d you do there?
MARIANA: Ya, I worked for Disney. In Epcot at Mexican Pavillion. I was a hostess. A, uh, “cultural representative”.

Mariana shuffles through her ipod. She’s looking for, “background music for our interview”. She finally stops on “Across the Universe” soundtrack.

CARLA: Best thing about working for Disney?
MARIANA: You really believe you are in a dream. Everything is magical. Of course you have stupid white people asking you stupid questions. But, you know, as an employee, they make you believe how important you are.
CARLA: The stupid white people?
MARIANA: No, Disney. You know, they really value you. You have great benefits. Free entrance to parks, great discount on hotels. My older sister and her family came and I was able to save them more than half by working there.

Mariana opens her desk drawer and pulls out two bags of candy. Damn it. She does this every day. I never say no. I love candy. I take two Hershey kisses.

CARLA: Thank you. I love candy. So, how did you start working for NCL? MARIANA: Well, at Disney, I interviewed to work for the Disney cruises, you know? And I had like, five interviews or something, and on my last interview, the last stop, they said no. I was like, huh? Why you make me go through all this just to tell me no? And then by that point I was like, “I wanna work for a cruise!” You know, because I had it in my head and stuff. If I have a goal I’m the type of person who will not stop until I get it. So, I went home on vacation and started looking on the internet and found someone in Mexico, like the main guy who found people to work on cruise ships and I e-mailed him and within a month or whatever I was hired for NCL.

I take two more Hershey kisses.

CARLA: Where do you see yourself in five years?
MARIANA: It’s very difficult to say because I live my life by today, not by tomorrow. Everything happens so fast here [the ship]. I know that this job is for now. Living this kind of life forever is just kind of unstable. I wanna get married and I wanna have kids one day and living on the ship is not the way to do it. Right now I’m young and I wanna travel and it’s good to get paid to travel. But, who knows, maybe in five years…I’ll be a cruise director?.. NO! Only kidding. But, who knows.

She offers me a butterscotch. I take it.

MARIANA: I know I wanna be a young mom. I wanna be a young mom to understand my kids well, but I need a man to do it. To make babies!

Mariana and I laugh. I take another butterscotch.

CARLA: Where did you see yourself five years ago?
MARIANA: Since I remember, everyone always say to me, “you will be traveling the world”. Everybody pictured me like that, like marrying someone not from Mexico, like marrying a European or something. I’ve always pictured myself traveling. In my city, my home, there’s a stereotype, you go to the best school, you get the best degree, then by thirty you get married or else you’re nobody. Five years ago, if you’d asked me what I’d be doing, I’d say, “I don’t give a shit.” Like, if I don’t get married by thirty, I know there’s a whole other life out there. There’s a stereotype in my home and that’s why I move away from home because I don’t like to follow.

I understand exactly how Mariana feels and I tell her so. Then I congratulate myself for my empathy by taking two more Hershey kisses.

CARLA: What’s your favorite childhood memory?
MARIANA: How child?
CARLA: (mouth full of candy) Oh, um, I see. Like between ages two and eighteen. Best memory?
MARIANA: I had a great time in school. I loved going to school and not because I loved learning but because I was a mess.
CARLA: How a mess?
MARIANA: I hung out with the cool ones. Like, not bad to each other, but cool because we liked everyone. We stole things from chapel. I had fun and I knew how to have fun. I was like the first to smoke and drink…Oh, also, as a child. Young child. I remember I would cry every time my Mom would leave the house. Which is funny because then I was the first child to leave the house. To move away. But, you know, I need to fly for myself.

I get a little weepy when hearing this phrase and want to tell Mariana that it’s beautiful, but I’m too embarrassed. I think the chocolate has made me emotional. I grab two more pieces of it.

CARLA: What’s your favorite music?
MARIANA: Everything. I love music. Life without music is nothing. I need music. If you invite me to a concert, I will go. Even if I don’t know the songs. I love music.
CARLA: What’s your favorite movie?
MARIANA: “Closer”. You know that movie?
CARLA: Yes, it’s very depressing. I’m surprised you love that movie! It’s so depressing!
MARIANA: No, I love it. You watch it and you don’t fully understand it and then you watch it again and you understand more and then you see the end and you’re like, “what?”, and then you get confused but you watch it again.
CARLA: Wait, so why exactly do you like it?
MARIANA: I love watching things where you’re like, I can feel like that is like my life.
CARLA: That’s like your life? But it’s so depressing! You don’t seem depressing to me.
MARIANA: It’s a lot of drama, you know? I love movies you can see yourself in.
CARLA: Okay. I think I know what you mean. Natalie Portman looks really beautiful in that movie. So, what’s your favorite port you’ve been to on any NCL ship?
MARIANA: Sweden. No, Russia! The Hermitage Museum. I never thought I’d be able to see a Leonardo Davinci, you know? When you see it in front of you, you’re like, “are you fucking kidding me? Leonardo Davinci?!” And the bike rides I did in Germany! I was riding on this bike around Germany and I was like, “That is so cool. I rock! Right now it’s evening in Mexico and I am in Germany riding a bike.” You realized how blessed we are and we’re seeing all these different places. Oh, Rome! Write Rome. Yes, tell Rome. I loved Rome.
CARLA: What’s the best thing about a sea day?
MARIANA: You’re in open sea and everywhere you turn around it’s nothing but water. “Oh, my god! I’m in the middle of nowhere!”
CARLA: What’s the worst part about a sea day?
MARIANA: There’s no option. If somebody wants to reach you, they will, because they know you are on board.
CARLA: Was it popular for girls to spray their bangs up real high in Mexico in the 80’s?
Mariana has no idea what I’m saying until I mime it for her. The she laugh/screams and claps her hands.
MARIANA: Yah! Oh ya, of course! I hate it! I remembered I love it, but when you see pictures, “are you serious”?!
CARLA: Is your cabin on the ship noisy?
MARIANA: Oh, fuck ya! Whenever we dock my room will be bouncing. So, that’s how I know when we dock, everything starts shaking like an earthquake. And I live in a very noisy hallway, with the dancers and all, a party hallway [third floor- crew quarters].
CARLA: Do you have a roommate?
MARIANA: No.
CARLA: Do you wear earplugs?
MARIANA: No. No earplugs. When I’m tired, I’m tired. I’m not the kind who will be bitching like, “Will you guys be quiet?!” But, you know, my neighbor. I won’t say who. But when he prays, he sings. Every night. Ave Maria. And you know how thin the walls are? You can feel and hear it when somebody’s even having sex!
CARLA: What’s your favorite restaurant to eat at onboard?
MARIANA: Cagney’s [steakhouse]. I get the ribeye, medium. And shrimp and oysters.
CARLA: Do the Cagney’s fries kind of taste like fish to you?
Mariana doesn’t understand me.
CARLA: You know, like fishy?
MARIANA: No.
CARLA: Ya, my cast doesn’t think so either. But I think they taste kind of fishy.
We stare at each other for a couple seconds. She shuffles through her ipod again.
CARLA: How do you feel about passengers walking around the buffet without any shirts on? You know, like bare chested guys?
MARIANA: It doesn’t make a difference. No. It’s a freestyle thing, you know?
I wonder if this is really how Mariana feels or if she’s been brainwashed by NCL’s Freestyle “Whatever, whenever” slogan? Chest hair leaning over the lettuce is gross, isn’t it?
CARLA: What’s your worst habit?
MARIANA: Biting my nails.
CARLA: What song makes you cry?
MARIANA: “Blowers Daughter” by Damien Rice.
CARLA: Isn’t that the song from “Closer”?
MARIANA: Yeah, I love that movie. It’s like life.
I decide I need to host a movie night for Mariana. Fun ones like, “Goonies” and “Splash”.
CARLA: What’s your favorite onboard party night?
MARIANA: The White Party where we all have to dress in white. Because the music is great! I can jump, you know, I have fake wings on and a slutty skirt and hooker heels. I will never wear a short skirt because I don’t have the body for it but at that party I don’t care, I’m like a character, an angel.
CARLA: Did you ever pretend like you were a mermaid when you were little? Like when you were in a pool, did you swim with your legs together and pretend you had fins?
MARIANA: Of course! What are you talking about?! Every little girl has that fantasy!
We eat many pieces of chocolate at the same time.
CARLA: What’s one word describing yourself?
MARIANA: Emotional.
CARLA: What’s one word describing the crew bar?
MARIANA: Music.
CARLA: What’s the code for man overboard?
MARIANA: Oscar.
CARLA: Have you ever had GI?
MARIANA: Yeah, once. But it’s just diarrhea, you know? Like at home, you would just chill, but here it’s such a big deal, like I get why, but they quarantine you and stuff. I don’t know. I don’t tell anyone anymore when I have diarrhea…wait, maybe don’t write that.
CARLA: Okay.
MARIANA: No, it’s okay. You can write that.
CARLA: Okay. Now I’m going to say three words and I want you to say the first thing that comes to mind for each of them. Like a word or a short sentence or whatever. Just a gut reaction. It’s inspired from a title of a book called, “Eat, Pray, Love”.
MARIANA: Oh my god! I’m reading that book! Have you read it?
CARLA: No. I was just trying to think of three words to ask to everyone I interview and words for food kept popping into my head—

I eat one last butterscotch.

CARLA: Okay, so, EAT.
MARIANA: Food.
CARLA: Great. Second word: PRAY.
MARIANA: Uh…God?
CARLA: You’re perfect. Doing great. Last word: LOVE.
MARIANA: People that I care about.
CARLA: Anyone specifically or just people in general?
MARIANA: Well, anyone I meet. Every single people you meet, you will learn something from them. I believe that. That’s a skill. When you are able to get that learning from people. It’s a skill.

Mariana complains that she might be getting a little sick. I run up to my cabin to get a packet of Emergen-C (vitamin powder mixture), mix it around in her water bottle for her and tell her to drink it.

MARIANA: This is great! And it makes you feel better?
CARLA: Yep.
MARIANA: You think I could put this in some alcohol?
CARLA: I don’t know.
MARIANA: Ya, like vodka or gin?
Um…
MARIANA: I joke! I joke with you!