Would you like to be on a Greenpeace ship?

I see the dilemma... I'd LOVE to be on a Greenpeace ship though!!! Trouble is, I don't think I'm old enough yet. (Which SUCKS.) I know it's certainly not all "hey we're all having a picnic" but it must counteract the challenge to know what you're achieving. You are saving the world, after all! Hang in there and keep smiling... and just think of all us every day people who have to sit in offices or classrooms (as the case may be) and stare out the window, and dream of one day, maybe, getting a glimpse of a Greenpeace ship... We're all behind you and what you're doing is fantastic. Thank you for setting foot in places people never dared before!

Lisa, A great blog and I`m envious that you were chosen to work on the Esperanza. I know exactly how you feel at times while at sea. My first job at 18 years old, was the merchant navy. I started on a 850 tonne coaster which I hated for most of the 4 months I was on-board even though we were never away from a post for more than a week. It was a very old ship, poor living/working conditions and an inexperienced crew. The worst time I had on that ship was when we were heading for Penzance from somewhere on the East coast. We hit the worst storm the UK had seen for a while, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1979_Fastnet_race boy , was I sea sick. All I wanted to do was go to bed until the storm passed over. But as seamen, we had a duty towards the welfare of our fellow seaman who were being severely battered by the storm on their tiny inadequate yachts. We were in great danger ourselves but all five crew agreed to stay out at sea in the hope of finding one or two of the many boats in distress. THIS is what I like about people who work at sea. It`s like one big family and we look after/watch out for each other no matter where we are from in the world. Thankfully, the next 3 ships I worked on, were deep-sea bulk carriers. They still move about, but not like a cork, so no more sea sickness. It was the merchant navy that made me realise how small the world actually IS. Not just by being able to see the Earths curve on a clear day, but how little time it takes to go half way around the globe. It also taught me how to get on with people even if I did`nt like them or have anything in common. But there were many occasions when I felt homesick and lonely and depressed, but a couple of days later, all was good again and I wouldn`t have swapped my job for anything else. I could only get 2 years of merchant navy life. Our British fleet was being sold off and competition for jobs was fierce between Able Seamen. I later tried the Army , wanting to gain an HGV driving licence and leaving after 3 years but ended up quitting after 6 weeks basic training after learning of a compulsory tour of duty in N.Ireland. After that, a period of no work until my new brother in law helped me get work in the N. Sea oil drilling industry. I did that for 6 years and had many more occasions when I was offshore and just did not want to be there. I`m only telling you this because I know I will never be fortunate enough to land a job on a Greenpeace boat LOL. I HAVE tried in the past but was told of the long waiting list. I hate the job I`m in now (supplying oak doors/floors etc.) and been looking for a green job for months. The trouble is that I have very little in the way of qualifications. There does not seem to be any green jobs for people like me. But I need to survive and feed my family so oak doors and floors it is.