2 questions about nationalities

[Unregistered]

Hello, i have 2 questions
First, since i will be going in a ship with a few Greek crew members i am wondering, what is their reputation in the maritime industry?

and secondly, how do people from each nationality treat gay people? I am not asking about every single nationality but the major ones in the merchant navy industry like Filipinos.
I hear that a lot of seamen waste money on prostitutes at ports which kinda makes me feel they are seriously depraved of sex and the topic will come up very often. Thus it is not like i ll be able to avoid it, should i tell them im gay or should i try to lie? If i try to lie, should i tell them that i am asexual or some really ignorant people reject everything that isnt straight?
The reason i am asking this is because i dont want to end up being disliked by some people on board the ship. This will obviously create a few issues

[Polaris]

To your second question, it's a tough one.

Yes Filipino's go mad for a bit of boom boom at the first moment shore leave is mentioned. I was never really invited to go along, but when questioned upon returning from shore leave I was always asked, "so, did you?"

The topic of loved ones comes up very often but white lies never hurt especially if you're worried about the consequences of being honest.

It's a tricky one to judge, I'd play it by ear.

[Chiefy]

It all depends, most people cant give a fig about what your orientation is, if you talk of loved ones in terms of "my other half" or "partner" etc no one will actually work out if you mean male of female.

Yes a lot of nationalities are " mad for it" during shore leave, but there again they are away from home for a lot longer than you are (or should ever be with luck) you can actually go in to a girly bar and not participate (stranger things that happen at sea ;-) )

To be honest I wouldnt shout from the roof tops nor would I hide away, as said above play it by ear. Most people are to wrapped up in themselves to worry about everyone / anyone else.

[GuinnessMan]

As the other's have said, most couldn't care less who or what you go round shagging (yes, i've heard tales of crew and car exhausts...). It's like any walk of life, most are open minded and don't care, some are intolerant and are just arses about it, so best to play it by ear.

When it comes to the run ashore, hand on heart, I've never paid for it (It's hard for them to run in high heels...) but there will be those that race for the nearest brothel and there will be those that go for a nosy about to see the place (we all know which one Chiefy does, *ahem*) but a lot of the time I find it's just bravado, banter and jokes about whether you did or not.

I'm not even going to begin on the aspect of "training videos"....

[Pilot Chris]

Anyone else just about to respond to the OP's first question and then backed away?!!!

[Clanky]

For the first question about Greek seafarers, I think a lot of people have some preconceived ideas based on old stereotypes, I have never sailed with Greeks and to be honest, I had the same ideas until i actually got to know some Greek officers and realised that in general they are just as professional as any other nation. Some of the stereotyping may have come from the bad reputation of Greek ship owners, who are likewise just as unprofessional as those of any other nation.

As to sexuality, in my experience, no-one cares so long as you don't make a big issue out of it.

[CharlieDelta]

I haven't sailed with any Greek crew so I couldn't really answer that one.

Surprisingly, you'll find Filipinos amongst the most open minded and accepting people you'll meet when it comes to sexual orientation. At least in my experience. While they may be very much a Roman Catholic country, their seafarers at least are quite tolerant. Your mileage may vary though. You may actually find that the Greeks are less accepting.

Ultimately, your sexual orientation shouldn't define you and innocent silence may be the best option. I know it feels like it's a huge step back in gay rights and that we should all be able to talk comfortably about our boyfriends/girlfriends and who we find attractive with no judgement, but it's your private life and if you're not 100% confident talking about it then don't. Nobody will judge you for it. On the likes of passenger ships you can be as open as you want because even if a few people take a dislike to you, there's a thousand more who don't really care. Chiefy said it all in his post so I'll refer you back up there.

Don't worry too much. Enjoy yourself!

[Pilot Chris]

Having sailed with Greeks (and thus my hesitance to post earlier) I will say they are excellent at certain things and professional seaman but very much " my way or the gangway" - enjoyed sailing with them!

As for being Gay, most people doesn't give a hoot, and if you approach the situation as most people do they will never find out, using words like my other half etc! (As chiefly mentioned)