It’s a strange feeling

15 January 2022

It’s a strange feeling to be out of time

By Sinda: “The days on board the OOSTERSCHELDE are punctuated by meals, but the rest of the time I ignore the time. I also don’t know what day it is. And I don’t want to know. This feeling is addictive: I’m already dreading the return to the hustle and bustle of working life.

Some background: I’m in my cabin as I’m writing this, I can hear an improvised party on deck. We are at anchor in Sao Nicolau. The sky is clear, the artificial light does not alter its beauty here. The weather is mild, and a light breeze relieves the sunburn I got yesterday on our last excursion.

Each stopover is like a parenthesis, each journey a new adventure to be shared. The proximity inherent to life on board pushes one to create relationships very quickly. Personalities, cultures, and languages collide to create a new emulation. It is a particular dynamic that allows incongruous meetings with different people. And how refreshing it feels!

There is no need to remind ourselves of the particular context in which we live. Everyone will agree on the stress that results from it, the lack of social interaction and the eager to travel that turns into frustration.

During this stay, I find a certain naivety and optimism that inspires me to new projects that I had given up for lack of time. Because yes, you can hear yourself think here, the OOSTERSCHELDE is an environment conductive to introspection. It gives us the gift of unproductive time. Apart from participating in manoeuvres, the rest of our days belong to us. I had forgotten what it felt like to just do nothing. Even better: to do nothing without feeling guilty for wasting time. Having time for yourself. That’s what I was missing to change eternal desires into action. Life and routine are sometimes what distract us from what we really want. Step on the OOSTERSCHELDE and you might understand what I mean.”