From the Arkansas rice farmer and midwife, to the oncologist and ex-chef who spouted out recipes like an entrancing fairy tale, to the New Jersey Russians who reapplied their make-up every half hour and the wise old Indian who blessed me and wore a grin from ear to ear, I learn from the people that surround me. The day may start rainy, foggy, or sunny, but as the hours unfold, trapped on a 43 foot boat with a group of strangers every day, I learn to unfold their stories, as I unfold my own. I learn my first impressions are often wrong, and I learn to expect the unexpected. From a girl who used to be petrified of striking up conversation with unknown faces, I am beating down my shyness one day at a time. The next challenge: the art of story-telling: capturing words on the spot and crafting them into a luring and strategic web of sounds. No delete or backspace key to be found. The challenges never stop and I grow ten-fold with each flounder. Someday, I'll be the best deckhand...ever!