Enrico is from the Philippines and it was his first visit to South Africa. He is a young man, full of joy and energy. For him the time spent on board the ship was a huge adventure. It was his maiden voyage and according to him, it was the beginning of a very promising career at sea.
It becomes your entire existence - You are a citizen of this world, but your being is locked into the four iron-clad walls of the cabin. Week upon week you briefly meet a new part of the world only to return to isolation, en route to the next country, the next city, the next country.
On board the ship it almost seems like a congregation of the United Nations. About eight nationalities are being represented on the ship. Each comes from another corner of the earth. At the tables in the dining hall, all talk in respective accents, but do so with enthusiasm. Everyone speaking English does so with his own resonance.
Nico described him as the frailest seaman he ever met. His eyes tell stories of not wanting to live this life that had been chosen for him without his approval. Something in his body tells of sorrow, a mad roller-coaster of existence, a life where the dice fell inappropriately.
'Bible' is printed on the black cover, in fat, old-worldly Turkish letters. During the conversation Danie placed it matter-of-factly on one of the empty tables of the dining hall. He added that anyone could take it if they wanted it.