Читать книгу The Bulk Challenge Experience - I. Ezax Smith - Страница 7

Years later, the memory of the experience is still as fresh as if it happened just yesterday. I walked to the front of the deck to go down and share the news of the reassurance from the captain, that we would make the trip, or, at worst, be reimbursed. To my dismay, the ship was slowly drifting from the dock. I could hear the shouts of thousands of prospective passengers who were standing in the port yard, waiting, just as I was, for their names to be called. I looked and saw my wife standing nearby. I was tempted to jump over board, but the space between the boat and the dock had now widened, and I would have fallen into the ocean or hit my head on the wall of the concrete dock had I tried jumping. Without mention, my wife ran a little closer, food in one hand and a large bottle of water in the other. She had reasoned that if I stayed on board, I would need food for at least three days of journey. She threw the food over into the ship and bid me well. “Make sure you get our things when you get there,” she shouted.

“This cannot be happening,” I thought for a moment. All arrangements had been made; I had tickets in my hands, and had spoken twice with the captain who assured me we would board before the end of the day. But as the day sped by, what appeared to be broad-day corruption was happening before our very eyes. It was becoming obvious that we would not make it into the boat; for hundreds of individuals who had not followed the process to register officially or pay for their tickets were bribing soldiers who were manning the entrance to the ship. I mean, these hundreds of individuals were entering while we who held legitimate tickets waited to be called on board. Several hundreds of those who paid bribes entered illegally on the ship, and it seemed already full to overflowing. Furious about the situation, I decided I would go on board to meet the captain for the third time. I wanted to know what the situation was with the illegal entering of passengers while legitimate ticketholders were standing on line. But perhaps, I forgot that this, too, was Africa; and more so, we were in a war situation, which many unscrupulous individuals were shamelessly taking advantage of. I made my way to the side entrance but was soon stopped by two soldiers who asked me to pay before I entered. “Anything you got will do,” one of them said to me in that husky and heavy Nigerian accent. I showed my ticket and receipt and insisted to see the captain. Both soldiers refused and proceeded to hit me with a rubber coil they used to beat people off the ship. A senior officer on board saw the commotion and hailed them to allow me to speak with him. I went on board and informed him of my prior two meetings with the captain and his instruction to see him whenever I had a problem. The captain was fond of me. We have met and spoken on many occasions. I had registered a total of 14 people including cousins and friends with whom my family and friends pooled funds to make the process easier. From an economic standpoint, I had boosted their coffers at one shot. “Mr. Smith, we will take care of you and your family, not to worry,” he had assured me earlier.

I made my way to the captain’s cabin along with a few other individuals who has similar concerns. It was difficult getting through because of the many people who had illegally entered the ship and the many others who were already there, requesting reimbursement because they did not see the possibility of getting on board with their families. By the time I spoke with the captain and headed back through the crowd, the ship crew had decided to leave because they determined that the ship was overloaded, even though hundreds of ticketholders were still standing in line in the dockyard.

And so it was! I was heading to Ghana on the vessel named Bulk Challenge; or so I thought.

This is the account of the incredible 10-day journey on the Atlantic Ocean aboard this leaking ship, Bulk Challenge; the experiences of the challenges faced, lessons learned, and life beyond the journey.