By Captain Ricardo Caballero Panama Canal Pilot Were "the good old days" really good? (seafarers version) I remember going to sea for the first time as a deck officer. It was not easy to adjust myself to working on a ship with a group of people from different nationalities and cultures. The Captain was Greek, and the Officers, except me, were also Greek. The rest of the crew was a mix of filipinos, sailors from 4 latin American countries, a couple of Canadian cadets, two Egyptians, and a few others from I can't remember which countries. I do remember the Greeks complained about the present, saying that things were better in the past, saying that I had missed " the good old days". They did not specify what was good about those days. But I figured it would be the food aboard, the amount of crew, and the pay, which to me, was very decent. I recall that there was no time limit in my contract. I could stay for as long as I wanted. And I did stay for...