Eager to see the world, I left home at nineteen to work on a cruise ship. I felt fiercely proud to be one of the first women in the industry to be “permitted” to wait on guests in the dining room. At the time, it felt groundbreaking, and I embraced every bit of the adventure that came with it. That journey changed the course of my life. During my travels, I fell in love and married an Indian man in a traditional ceremony, tying myself forever to a culture that would later sha